I liked my old Husky tool chest. It had nice secure-latch drawers that kept them closed. It was black, so it didn’t stick out like a sore thumb. Those Husky tool boxes were priced competitively and had some features that made them a pretty good value. I also loved the 46″ Husky workbench and continue using it even today. Where they may have been lacking was in the area of drawer slides, and how the handles connected to the drawers.
Newer is Better
I have to tell you, the newest Husky tool chests and work benches blow all that out of the water. They’re tougher tool chests, they have better drawers and upgraded slides, and all models sport a new look that’s stunningly subdued. In fact, this is the best tool chest we’ve ever reviewed.
When we were setting up our Shop for video reviews, we wanted a set of tool chests that would work well as a backdrop. We also wanted them to hold our assortment of tools without a problem. While the red Milwaukee steel chest was a top performer—it was very…well, red. Our DeWalt 36″ tool chest was the same—only yellow. While color isn’t everything—in this case it mattered. I first saw the new Husky tool chest and Husky workbench at The Home Depot’s Holiday Media Preview event in New York City. My initial impression was that they nailed it—at least on first inspection. Getting them in for review was a natural next step, and we’ll go over my thoughts on that in detail below. Since the three tool boxes we received share so many features, this is a comprehensive review that covers them all.
Husky Tool Box and Workbench Features & Build Quality
Husky Tool Chest and Husky Workbench Aesthetics
Both the new Husky Tool Box and the Husky Work Bench share a lot of features. Both have replaced the shiny handles with gloss black, giving them a new “black on black” look. It’s honestly a better look than most other toolboxes I’ve seen. Even the Husky logo is now more subdued. They’re definitely going after at least the casual mechanic or serious DIY shop guy. After attending the 2016 SEMA Show, I’ve seen more than a few tool boxes, and these look and feel nicer than most. They also cost a whole lot less.
Soft Close Drawers
The drawers have a really nice soft-close feature. I’m often surprised why more toolboxes don’t feature this. If you’re not doing a positive handle lock, then soft-close is the way to go. It allows you to shut the drawers with some force while not tossing your tools all over the place. The mechanism then sucks the drawer in all the way without bouncing your tools. Our sockets and wrenches always end up in a mess at the back of the drawer.
Improved Drawer Slides
The drawers also feature very nice ball-bearing slides (see the photo for why these are the smoothest drawers we’ve yet tested on a Husky). They’re taller than prior models, with more support—up to 200 pounds. The edges of the steel drawers are nicely rolled over on both the tool chest and the Husky workbench. This gives them significantly more strength, so the slides aren’t the only thing keeping them straight. Speaking of the slides, they’re riveted into the sides of the drawers, and we didn’t feel a lot of play from side to side. The drawers themselves have a very stable and deliberate movement. They measured about 0.0415″ in thickness (in line with the 19 gauge steel rating). Taller bottom drawers include two slides for better stability and weight handling.
The ball-bearing drawer slides also support anywhere between 100 and 120 pounds depending on the model. We tested both the Husky 52-inch toolbox and the Husky 56-inch toolbox in addition to the 60-inch workbench. Double them up on a bottom drawer, and you’ve got a 200-pound holding capacity.
Plenty of Casters
The three different units each include six 5-inch x 2-inch casters. Four of them are swiveling and include a brake, and two are centrally located and rigid. They can handle up to 2,500 lbs. combined (roughly 425 lbs. capacity per caster). I hadn’t seen these exact casters before last year, but I like them. They’re similar to a Strongly, with separate lock/unlock pedals on the front. Instead of heavy duty rivets holding the locking mechanism to the caster, however, these use a weld. All the weight is on the main caster frame, so this shouldn’t be an issue.
The six casters are mounted to angle iron steel supports underneath the floor of the base cabinets. This is the case for both Husky tool boxes as well as the 60-inch work bench. We’ve seen toolboxes where the casters were attached to the bottom sheet of steel with little or no support. Add too much weight and it’s likely to buckle. This is not the case with the Husky tool boxes—and why they’re rated up to 2,500 lbs load capacity.
Doubled-Walled Goodness
Unlike cheaper tool chests, each Husky Tool box is double-walled inside. This is actually a big deal in terms of quality as it greatly increases the overall stability and rigidity of the toolbox. The Husky 60-inch Workbench is the same. Coupled with the dimple on the bottom of each shelf and the rolled drawer sides, build quality and stiffness are excellent.
Power Strips and USB
One thing that’s becoming more common in some consumer-oriented tool boxes is better power management. Now, manufacturers are adding USB to that as well. We’ve seen lots of tool chests where manufacturers strap a standard power strip to the inside. That’s fine, and it presents a good solution. The Milwaukee 60-inch mobile work station uses this method as well as the Husky workbench. The aforementioned Husky 60-inch mobile workbench has a 6-outlet, 2 USB power strips on the right side for plugging in chargers and other devices. The 52-inch Husky tool chest and cabinet combo has two 4-outlet and 2 USB power strips. One is located on each side of the top chest. The 56-inch tool chest goes one further and places a power strip across the entire back of the top chest. This is by far our favorite method for providing much-needed power for chargers and devices.
Conclusion
These are by far the best tool chest and work bench Husky has ever offered. more than that, they may just edge out some of the brands you thought you might prefer. Head over to the local Home Depot and check them out—these caught us off guard (in a good way) and they might make for a great place to upgrade your tool storage options this year and next. I have a feeling these are going to be a big hit for Pros.
Husky Tool Chest Specifications
Husky 52 in. 15-Drawer Tool Chest and Cabinet Specs
- 120 lbs. rated full-extension ball bearing soft-close drawer slides (bottom drawers have double 120 lb. drawer slides)
- All-welded steel construction with powder-coat textured black paint finish
- Extra tall top till with gas struts
- Tubular steel side handle
- Six 5 x 2 in. industrial-grade, polypropylene casters (4 swivel with brake, 2 rigid) 2,500 lbs. rated
- Internal keyed locking system (2 included keys); additional privacy drawer in top chest with different lock
- Power: 4 outlets/2 USB on each side
- Magnetic plate across back wall of top till
- Bottle opener
- Premium drawer liners
- Aluminum edge guards
- Chest drawer dimensions: 2 small left drawers: 13.8 in. W x 17.9 in. D x 2.0 in. H; 1 large left drawer: 13.8 in. W x 17.9 in. D x 5.1 in. H; 2 small right drawers: 31.6 in. W x 17.9 in. D x 2.0 in. H; 1 large right drawer: 31.6 in. W x 17.9 in. D x 5.1 in. H
- Cabinet drawer dimensions: top drawer: 47.6 in. W x 17.1 in. D x 3.9 in. H; 3 small left drawers: 13.5 in. W x 17.1 in. D x 3.5 in. H; 1 large left drawer: 13.5 in. W x 17.1 in. D x 12.7 in. H; 3 small right drawers: 31.3 in. W x 17.1 in. D x 3.5 in. H; 1 large right drawer: 31.3 in. W x 17.1 in. D x 12.7 in. H
- 3 year limited warranty
Husky 56 in. 23-Drawer Tool Chest and Cabinet Specs
- 100 lbs. rated soft close drawer slides (bottom drawers have double 100 lb. drawer slides)
- Extra tall top till with gas struts
- Built in power strip plus USB
- Magnetic LED task light
- Pre-cut, premium solid drawer liners
- Six 5 x 2 in. industrial-grade, polypropylene casters (4 swivel with brake, 2 rigid) 2,500 lbs. rated
- Heavy duty 19-Gauge steel
- Top chest drawer dimensions: 3 left drawers and 1 right bottom drawer, 9.64 in. W x 17.91 in. D x 2.83 in., 3 top middle drawers 27.56 in. W x 17.91 in. D x 1.77 in., 1 bottom middle drawer 27.56 in. W x 17.91 in. D x 2.83 in., 3 right top drawers 9.64 in. W x 17.91 in. D x 1.77 in.
- Bottom cabinet drawer dimensions: 1 top full-width drawer 51.57 in. W x 17.91 in. D x 3.9 in. H, 4 left top drawers 15.15 in. W x 17.91 in. x 2.83 in. H, 1 bottom left drawer 15.15 in. W x 17.91 in. D x 12.4 in., 5 right top drawers 34.05 in. W x 17.91 in. D x 2.83 in. H, 1 bottom right drawer 34.05 in. W x 15.61 in. D x 9.21 in. H
- 3 year limited warranty
Husky 60 in. 10-Drawer Mobile Workbench Specs
- Power strip: 6-outlet + 2 USB
- Six 5 x 2 in. industrial-grade, polypropylene casters (4 swivel with brake, 2 rigid)
- Soft-close, 175 lbs. rated ball bearing drawer slides
- 24 in. deep cabinet
- Pre-cut, premium solid drawer liners
- Black anodized aluminum drawer pulls
- Tubular steel side handle
- Adjustable height shelf in bulk storage door area
- Drawer dimensions: 1 top full-width drawer- 55.65 in. L x 21.85 in. W x 3.88 in. H, 2 right drawers- 12.54 in. L x 21.85 in. W x 3.88 in. 1-drawer- 12.54 in. L x 21.85 in. W x 2.82 in. H, 1 drawer- 12.54 in. L x 21.85 in. W x 8.13 in. H, 2 left drawers- 25.73 in. L x 21.85 in. W x 1.76 in. H, 1 left drawer- 25.73 in. L x 21.85 in. W x 2.82 in. H, 1 left drawer- 25.73 in. L x 21.85 in. W x 3.88 in. H, 1 left drawer- 25.73 in. L x 21.85 in. W x 8.13 in. H 1 door storage area: 13.64 in. L x 23 in. W x 20.35 in. H
- 3 year limited warranty
