Kobalt tool chests?

Hi guys. Just wanted to comment on the Kobalt tool cabinets from Lowes.



I checked out this thread and decided to go with the 43" tool tower cabinet that Showroom Lincoln has. I like it a lot, but I am not sure the cabinets are made by Snap-on or the JH Williams parent company.



I noticed that Lowes also carries cabinets by Waterloo Industries. I was poking around on the Internet for tool cabinets and decided to check out their site too. Oddly enough they had some very similar cabinets with the same prefixes like PCH or TRX prior to the model numbers.



I also picked up a 20" 2 drawer portable chest to set on top of the tower. When I was looking at the Kobalt flyer inside the small toolbox I found the Kobalt flyer on hand tools and cabinets.



Interestingly, the 800 service/parts number in the Kobalt flyer is the same as the 800 service/parts number on the Waterloo Industries Website. I suspect they are the real manufacturers of the Kobalt cabinets.



I'm not saying this is a bad thing. I really like the tool chest and box, and Waterloo is a major cabinet and manufacturer for industry and healthcare. It just appears that it may not be what we all assumed.



The flyer talks about hand tools and JH Williams as a division of Snap-on, and the hand tools have labels indicating that they are made by JH Williams, but I did not find any labels or stickers on the toolbox to indicate that.



I still haven't unpacked the tool tower to see what information sheets are included in it, but I suspect it will be the same as the toolbox.



Just some food for thought. If anyone has any more information confirming the maker of the Kobalt cabinets as JH Williams or Snap-on, I would like to hear it.



I still like the tool tower and toolbox, and think they are a great value for the money. Got both for just under $270. Can't wait to get my tools sorted out and loaded up.



Autopia is really a great site and a wealth of information. I am still a novice detailer, but I have learned so much!
 
Kebmike said:
Hi guys. Just wanted to comment on the Kobalt tool cabinets from Lowes.



I checked out this thread and decided to go with the 43" tool tower cabinet that Showroom Lincoln has. I like it a lot, but I am not sure the cabinets are made by Snap-on or the JH Williams parent company.



I noticed that Lowes also carries cabinets by Waterloo Industries. I was poking around on the Internet for tool cabinets and decided to check out their site too. Oddly enough they had some very similar cabinets with the same prefixes like PCH or TRX prior to the model numbers.



I also picked up a 20" 2 drawer portable chest to set on top of the tower. When I was looking at the Kobalt flyer inside the small toolbox I found the Kobalt flyer on hand tools and cabinets.



Interestingly, the 800 service/parts number in the Kobalt flyer is the same as the 800 service/parts number on the Waterloo Industries Website. I suspect they are the real manufacturers of the Kobalt cabinets.



I'm not saying this is a bad thing. I really like the tool chest and box, and Waterloo is a major cabinet and manufacturer for industry and healthcare. It just appears that it may not be what we all assumed.



The flyer talks about hand tools and JH Williams as a division of Snap-on, and the hand tools have labels indicating that they are made by JH Williams, but I did not find any labels or stickers on the toolbox to indicate that.



I still haven't unpacked the tool tower to see what information sheets are included in it, but I suspect it will be the same as the toolbox.



Just some food for thought. If anyone has any more information confirming the maker of the Kobalt cabinets as JH Williams or Snap-on, I would like to hear it.



I still like the tool tower and toolbox, and think they are a great value for the money. Got both for just under $270. Can't wait to get my tools sorted out and loaded up.



Autopia is really a great site and a wealth of information. I am still a novice detailer, but I have learned so much!
Click to expand...





Good info! I only got the crapsmen ones because they were red ;)
 
I know people who are division managers for Snap-On, they tell me the boxes are made by Snap-On/Williams. The royal blue the Kobalt boxes are painted is even a Snap-On factory color. :up
 
With all due respect to showroom Lincoln, I am not convinced Lowes cabinets are still Snap-on, at least with what Lowe's has in stock now.



I unpacked my 43" tool tower today, and the parts/service sheet inside had the same 1-800 number listed as I found for Waterloo Industries.



Their Website at Waterlooindustries.com also has some products listed almost identical to Lowe’s products with similar model numbers. Lowe’s 43" tool tower HB1065 looks very similar to Waterloo's HR1060 except for a bottom door panel instead of a drawer. The description for the molded plastic top is almost identical.



Another model 5 drawer rolling cabinet at Lowe’s TRX500-KB is again almost identical to Waterloo's Trax series 5 drawer cabinet TRX305KD.



The box for my tool tower did have a big orange sticker on it that said "Upgraded Model", but the 2 other in stock looked like they did too. It is hard to tell in the picture Lincoln Showroom posted if the front corners are beveled instead of square, but mine are beveled.



Not trying to start a controversy, just trying to figure out where the cabinets are coming from these days. Maybe they have already switched over and it is going to be Waterloo instead of Danaher.



Anyway, I love the cabinet no matter who made it. Still US made, well made, heavy duty, and looks sharp. The Kobalt 20" 2 drawer portable chest that I got sets on top of the molded top perfectly in between the grooves on the rails on the outside of the work surface top, and is small enough to take down to use the whole top for a work surface.



Nest stop at Lowe's is for a PC as soon as I lurk and search the archives a little more to make sure I learn how to get the most out of it.
 
You may very well have gotten the "redesigned" version. Lowes and Snap-On are not getting along very well these days.



BTW, when I bought mine it didn't say Upgraded Product. :nixweiss



Being honest, I don't think anyone really knows what is going on with Kobalt right now. There are so many rumors going around it's tough to say. But one thing is for sure, Snap-On will not be making Kobalt stuff anymore. :(
 
Wow I just went to my local Lowes and all of their Kobalt stuff is on clearance. They have 9-piece socket sets for $10.99 !



Check your local stores guys and gals.
 
69-912,



Thanks for the heads up!!!! Looks like I need to get to Lowes. :D I guess this officially spells the end of the Lowes/Snap-On relationship.
 
The last time I looked at Lowes they had next to no Kobalt in stock, no ratchets at all, limited socket sets. But you are right, it looks like its the end of that relationship.



I've started watching EBay to see if actual snapon tools can be had for a decent price. They still seem a bit pricey, but a good bit lower than retail.
 
:wavey If your a DIY'er I wouldn't go overboad on what you spend on a tool cabinet.



All my tool storage units are Craftsman & I've never had a problem with them.



I have an old 10 draw tool chest that I've had for about 30 years (it's gray with red drawers), a much newer 4 draw intermediate and a five draw roller w/ballbearing drawers & a bottom storage area. These are all used for my automotive tools.



I also have a 4 draw chest that I take in the back of my Wrangler when I go off-roading. Bounces around a lot but I've never had a problem.



I use an old 5 draw roller for my wood working tools.



I'd sooner buy a less expensive tool storage unit and use the money saved for additional tools.
 
69-912 said:
Wow I just went to my local Lowes and all of their Kobalt stuff is on clearance. They have 9-piece socket sets for $10.99 !



Check your local stores guys and gals.
Click to expand...



Just checked my local Lowes and they have a printed notice stating a whole new line of tools, chests, and accessories are coming soon. Almost all Kobalt-branded products are on clearance.



I'm gonna do an inventory of my hand tools and buy a bunch of Kobalt to fill in the gaps. I'd love a bigger tool chest but that'll have to wait.



Buy the good stuff now, folks. It'll be gone soon.
 
I went tonight and bought a nice set of Kobalt Standard deep well sockets and a nice pair of channel lock (not on clearance) wire cutters.
 
I went and got some 1/2" metric 6 point sockets. They were cheap too! I have loads of the Snap-On made stuff, so I don't think I will be buying much more.



I want to see what this "new" line is, and see how much cheaper they have made it. :nono
 
I just picked up a 5 drawer roller cabinet from Lowe's. Model number was TRX500-KB, which matches an exact Waterloo model. Here's a link to it:



www.waterlooindustries.com/productdetail.asp?UnitNumberID=TRX500



It's the bottom piece in the picture. I'm assuming the KB at the end stands for Kobalt.



It was on clearance for $224, which I thought was really cheap. I checked places online to see how much they carried Traxx models for, and this was definitely much cheaper than anything I found. The closest Lowe's to me didn't have any in stock. The next closest had one on the floor, and luckily, a really helpful guy in the tool section tracked down one new in the box for me.



It has ball bearing drawers, nice big and smooth casters, and it comes with extra clips to allow for more force to open the drawers. I'd have to say, it looks sharp in blue.



Just thought you guys would want to know...
 
I went Friday and picked up a spark plug socket and a nice extension. Their supply is starting to get low. However they ahvn't marked their prices down anymore at my local store.
 
I was at Lowes this weekend and most of the hand tools are gone. A few sets left, but really not discounted much.



I also saw what I assume is the new line of tool cabinets. They had a few pieces in and they were painted black.



Look similar to the old models in blue, with almost the same "Kobalt" and "Ball Bearing Equipped" badges, but definitely not as well made. Same price point too.



The panels felt like thinner gauge metal, and the back panel was different from an identical older model next to it. Caster hubs were painted black too, and didn't look as heavy. The drawers also did not have the "bump stop" or friction point that keeps the drawers closed when moving the cart around.



Pretty disappointing. I am glad I got my tool tower when I did, with a matching 2 drawer to set on top. If not, I would be looking at the Craftsman pro line.



Even if the stuff was Waterloo made before, it was better that what they are bringing in now. Definitely a step down.



It looks like they are not reducing the older blue painted line just changing over. If you are still looking around you might be able to find the older models.
 
Kebmike



Thanks for the info. Sounds disappointing indeed. :( If they went the el cheapo route with the boxes I'm not sure I even want to see the tools.
 
Just my take on the leftover Kobalt tools, for what it's worth.



The Lowe's I picked up my tool chest from still had a decent selection left, so I was checking out the combination wrenches. I picked up one of the 17mm wrenches packaged individually, and I was pretty shocked as to what I saw.



It's a fully polished wrench, but I was suprised to find a little bubbling on the back of the wrench where the chrome looked like it could chip off. Generally, the polish seemed of low quality. I'm comparing this to the polish on my S-K flare nut wrenches. The polish on those is much smoother, and seems a whole lot tougher too.



If the quality of the tools is going to get lower when they restock, how good are they going to be? I was hoping that I could satisfy my need for combination wrenches with some of these, but I guess I'll keep looking.



Now, this is just what I saw, so can anyone comment on the current quality?
 
Hank,



I a quite a few of the "older" Kobalt tools. I have combo wrenches, socket sets and braker bars. The quality of them all is outstanding. There is zero chrome bubbling or anything of that nature. The polishing is all very good on my stuff. The older stuff was made by a division of Snap-On tools, the new stuff is made by the same people that make Craftsman. :down



As far as comparing them to other tools, no the Kobalts are not as nice as my Snap-on's or Mac tools. But, they also don't cost anywhere near what Snap-On's or Mac's cost either. IMO the older tools were the best quality DIY'er tools you were going to find without spending mega $$$. The quality for the price was unmatched, they blew Craftsman and Husky away. The new stuff on the other hand will probably be a different story. :(
 
ShowroomLincoln,



Thanks for the info! I've been reading about and buying tools slowly for a few months now, and I had heard good things about Kobalt, so I was surprised to see that chrome problem.



I guess what I read pertained to some older Kobalt stuff. I've narrowed down my choices to S-K, Facom, and Stahlwille. I looked at Hazet too, but I haven't been able to find too many vendors other than Tool Source, and they were fairly expensive.



If anyone has experience with any of those brands, I'd appreciate the feedback!
 
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