DanMan2k06
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Damascus, MD
I bought this cart a few months ago and thought I would do a little review on it. It retails for around $150, if you're unfortunate it may cost as much as $179, and if you're lucky, you can score it on sale for $99. I bought it for the base price of $150, but wouldn't have hesitated to pay $250 for it. This thing really rocks. Of course, like everything harbor freight, it has it's flaws. But for the price, I'm convinced you just can't find anything better.
Construction:
It's very sturdy. I put it together with the supplied bolts and loaded it up, and it was very able to withstand the weight without much bending and flexing. The thickness of the metal is pretty decent, although it could use a bit more bracing.... I took it apart, used some decent 'grade' rated bolts, and gorilla glue'd all the corner joints. It's like a rock now, no flex whatsoever.
Cons
- the bolts suck. I couldn't use about 4 of them because the threads were all bugged up straight out of the box. 2 more snapped on me just tightening them up. They're probably chiwanese grade negative 5 and full of air pockets. To make it worse they try and make them 'nyloc'. All this does is make it harder to get some of them started and annoying to tighten down.
- the lid hinges are pathetic. They come with what looks like imitation machines screws. The "locks" on it are way too hard to engage, and it stays up just by the friction of the hinges. I took them off completely and let the lid flip over the back. Makes the whole cart a little more sleek and low profile. I'm still trying to figure out how to fab it into a tray for parts.
Finish:
I was very impressed with the powdercoating. I think it only comes in Black, and maybe red, not too sure. The paint is very even, and nothing that I could find had been mixed. I've found a lot of times with cheap powdercoat, they toss it in the box when it's still 400 degrees out of the over. This lets the part stick to each other and you end up with exposed metal or inconsistent finish. Not the case here. All the parts were indivdually wrapped and coated well.
It even comes with pre-cut liners for all the flat surfaces. Inside the top, all the drawers, and the bottom shelf. A definite plus, as I do this with all of my tool boxes anyway.
Maneuverability/Agility:
Very impressed here. It comes with huge 5+ inch casters. 4 wheels steering all the way around. In a shop this is absolutely critical, I can't stand the little 2 caster carts that twirl around like grocery carts. I want to be able to push it in any direction with ease. The wheels easily roll over gaps in the floor, drains, cords, and debris. Air hoses seemed to pose an issue when it's fully loaded, but if you push hard enough it will go right over. 2 of the casters even lock, so you can keep it in placer securely if you need to.
Storage Space
Again, pleasantly surprised in this area. This cart is very well laid out. A deep shelf up top, 2 split drawers right below, 2 full width drawer under that, and finally a deep full width drawer at the bottom. Plenty of room for lots of tools, trinkets, pry bars, hammers, whatever you need. I really like the height of the under-box shelf. You can store coolant or oil bottles etc underneath with plenty of head room.
The ball bearing drawer rollers are a dream as well. I wasn't aware it had bearing when I purchased it. Even weighted down, the open and shut with ease. And when you close them, they stay closed. The lock bar down the back works great when the lid is shut.
Cons
- The screwdriver racks on the sides are absolutely worthless. I've tried 3 different brands, and none of them let the lid close all the way. Just poor designs I guess. It does however work for ratchets and breaker bars, but I prefer to keep those in drawers.
-The keys are a bit flimsy. They give you two, but the entire lock tumbler is just cheap by design. I would like something a bit more hefty, but I guess what can you expect.
Overall:
Like I said in the opening, I would have easily spent 100 more dollars on this cart. It is functionality in it's best form, and I'm glad I took the dive. I use it all day, every day. I beat on it, throw things in it, drop things on it, slam the lid, had it tip over once, and it still holds up asking for more. The craftsmanship is excellent considering where it's made. The instruction manual is a joke, but if you've got any sort of common sense you should have it together in around half an hour. I've used a couple other carts from SnapOn and Mac in this one's same class, and it blows them away. Hope this helps...
