The problem is we have a choice between systems that are too hardcore or are toys the manufacturers don’t take seriously. For example, TStak was perfect. I LOVED it. I bought a toolbox. Then I put in 1 basic cheapo circular saw and saw it warp and deform. It wasn’t designed to hold real tools. They also didn’t have box long enough to fit one of their reciprocating saws or rotary hammers.
If you can accept the size and quality, the bigger issue is availability. I have to special order them. I can’t just pick them up at the local store. I don’t trust they’ll be around long-term.
On the other hand, you have ToughSystem and Packout, which are far too hardcore. I bought into ToughSystem. It’s OK, but the boxes are HEAVY and overengineered for me storing tools in a basement. I like Packout, but it was just too expensive and while everything looked good in pictures, I went to the store with a list of my tools and their dimensions to figure out which boxes I’d buy for what tool, it just ended up being too awkward and much more expensive than it should be. I could fit more tools in a DeWalt box than a Milwaukee one.
However, I am a home user storing things in the basement. I want the box to hold up when I gently lift it (and not deform) and have mild weather sealing to slow if the humidity rises. I want to pack as many into a small space as possible. Packout and ToughSystem were designed for tradesman who throw boxes into trucks roughly and leave them out in the rain. This makes them bulky and heavy and expensive and not space-efficient.
So yeah, no good options. Systainer looks decent, but has to be special ordered in America and is EXPENSIVE. Tstak…everyone keeps thinking it is discontinued and I’ve never seen it in a store. Bosch seems to have given up on LBoxx. I consider craftsman just Tstak.
So Kobalt decided they need their own ToughSystem outdoor use toolbox competitor?…for the tradesman who wants ToughSystem, but only wants a very slight discount? If you owned 3 boxes, the discount is about $50…if you didn’t know DeWalts are on sale nearly every holiday.
I wish instead of solving the outdoor use hardcore tradesman problem, they focused on home users instead. We’re more likely to buy Kobalt (many professionals feel they need a DeWalt or Milwaukee system to look legit on site). They should have designed garage-grade boxes for DIY’ers and taken on TStak, not ToughSystem.
