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Tekton says that theirs are the most robust rolling tool cabinets, made in North America, and I’m pretty convinced they’re 100% right about this.
Tekton sent over a review sample, and I have been working with it for a few months. In no uncertain terms, Tekton’s rolling tool cabinets are incredible.
Who should buy one? Who shouldn’t? These are hard questions, and frankly I’m still sorting it out. Tekton’s are expensive tool storage solutions, and I want to ensure I steer you the right way.
While I continue to work on that, there’s still plenty to say.
As the title says, I think that Tekton raised the bar with their rolling tool cabinets, but it’s not just about the product.
To start off, this is the first drawer carriage-based tool box I’ve brought into my workshop.
It’s very different from traditional ball bearing tool chests and roller cabinets. Here, the drawer slides on a roller carriage system.
The load capacity is 400 lbs, per drawer. 400 pounds.
I haven’t yet tortured tested the box, and probably won’t, but I did load the heaviest tools I had available, plus heavy equipment such as vises and lathe chucks. The drawers glide smoothly.
The drawers don’t have a soft-close mechanism, which took some getting used to.
These tool boxes are made for Tekton, but I don’t have the feeling that they’re just putting their name on it. Tekton offers a completely user-friendly and highly customized shopping experience, unlike anything I’ve seen from other brands.
Tekton obviously wants to sell you on the tool box, but they don’t try hard. Their effort seems to be intended to educate customers.
I could learn as much as I need to about Tekton’s roller cabinet from their website.
I requested the 11-drawer 48″ cabinet with 40/60 split design.
What’s the size of the frame? 48″ wide x 27″ deep. What clearance do you need? 51″ for the width including the side handle. Front to back, it measures 27.7″. The height is 41.5″.
It’s as if Tekton’s team asked “what do we want to know when buying a tool cabinet?” and set out to answer all of their questions.
The installation guide (here’s the PDF). Do you want a video instead? Here’s the video.
This is by far the best mobile tool storage cabinet I have ever tested or reviewed. It’s excellent in nearly every regard.
The anti-tilt latches are perfect, the finish is spectacular, and the wood top is solid and sturdy, enough though one of my screws went in crooked.
It’s NOT my favorite tool cabinet, however. That part is why the review is taking so long.
Did you know that you can buy the 48″ cabinet in 3 different drawer configurations and 2 colors (red and black)?
You can have full-width drawers, two banks of the same width, or two banks in a 40/60 configuration.
There are more options if you look at what Tekton’s OEM offers, which I did. I also requested quotes so that I can gauge whether Tekton’s pricing is fair (it is), and it was remarkable how different the research and purchasing experience is.
Oh – and you can pick from three different add-on worktops, if you choose.
I’m sorry, I really didn’t intend to say so much about the actual product, but I have Tekton’s webpage up next to me, and can’t help myself.
Even the delivery was impressive. That’s the part I truly hate about tool storage products – the stress involved with their arrival, unpacking, and setup.
Tekton ships their roller cabinets fully crated, meaning there’s protective plywood on all sides.
Is the product itself a game-changer? Not exactly, but it is a truly excellent storage product.
Tekton is the game-changer. I cannot shake the feeling that true care and attention went into how they sell these. They raised the bar.
I looked at another brand’s product page for their top of the line professional roller cabinet, and while they had some features depicted in the product images, they don’t convey anywhere close to the same level of details.
The other brand had a single huge 473 word paragraph as their product overview, and then a few bullet points.
For that other brand, I looked at their user manual, I looked at their specs tab, and I checked every image and video. How deep are their drawers? *shrug*
Tekton, on the other hand, gives you the exact dimensions of every single drawer.
Don’t get me wrong, the tool box is exemplary.
If I had the space, I would outfit my workshop with more of them in a heartbeat. I moved things around a couple of times over the past few months, and the 48″ proved to be a good fit. I hope to test it long-term, but all storage samples get donated at some point.
But I think I have been even more impressed with Tekton.
Nearly 10 years ago, I spoke to a Tekton manager, who told me they were changing the direction of the brand.
See Also: So I Spoke With a TEKTON Tools Manager Today…
At the time, I said:
My current impression is that Tekton is a decent value brand.
Since then, Tekton launched a broad range of USA-made hand tools, they revamped their website, and they started offering products like this.
They’re manufacturing and putting their name on high quality tools and accessories, and showing me what I need to know in order to make a purchasing decision.
This is how shopping for tools should be.
Would I buy one of these tool cabinets? I’m strongly considering the 36″ with full-width drawers, but I don’t yet have the clearance space. So I guess that’s a conditional yes.
Would I hesitate to buy a Tekton tool cabinet? No, not at all. The shipping process was quick, and so I didn’t have to spend days worrying, and the packaging was impeccable.
You get free shipping with these cabinets. While it’s undoubtedly baked into the price, I prefer this a lot better than freight quotes with separate premiums for a lift gate or for delivery past the curb and up or down a driveway.
Can you tell that I’m impressed with the entire experience?
I just something else that raised the bar even further. Tekton offers a 90-day trial.
Add a Tekton Tool Cabinet to your garage risk-free—if you decide the cabinet isn’t for you within 90 days, you can send it back to us at no cost.
Note that if you return a cabinet as a part of the 90-Day Trial, we will ask you to ship it back to us in its original wood crate. For this reason, it’s important that you keep the wood crate in which the Tool Cabinet arrives to qualify for this offer.
Part of the fun of being a tool reviewer is that I can try different tools, accessories, or storage products with little to no risk.
If you’re not quite convinced as to whether a Tekton cabinet is right for you, maybe their 90-day trial will help put you at ease.
That seems pretty sweet.
This has been a very illuminating experience for me. A year or two from now, I’ll probably have donated the roller cabinet to make space for the next long-term metal storage review sample.
But my impression of Tekton has been elevated, and there’s no going back.
I’ve been looking at other brands’ and retailers’ metal tool chest and roller cabinet product pages, and nothing compares.
This could be the first damage-free metal tool storage product I’ve ever received. There’s usually always an issue, but not with this one. It was well protected.
It wasn’t drop-shipped either; I had also requested a couple of hand tool samples, and they were included on top of the crake, shrink-wrapped with added protection and a “no stacking” cone on top.
This has been an amazing experience, but it also kind of ruins other brands for me. If Tekton can put so much care into a product page, why don’t other brands?
Oh, and the cabinet is made in Canada, the casters in Germany, and the drawer liners in China. Good luck getting most other roller cabinet brands or retailers to give you that type of break down.
These rolling tool cabinets aren’t for everyone. Even if that’s the case for you, check out Tekton’s product page, and tell me whether you think I’m right or wrong.
Pick a random tool category and look at another product page. You see what I mean, right?
And none of it is hype or sparkle, just information and useful details. That’s what impresses me so much. Tekton has gotten to the point where their tools are of such quality they sell themselves.
I think that other tool brands can learn from Tekton’s example.
I have purchased a couple of Tekton tools and sets over the years. They will be getting more of my business.
Tekton provided the test sample discussed in this review, plus a small sampling of hand tools, without any conditions or requirements.
