Home Depot has launched a new Husky steel tool box, which they say has a “unique triangle lid design to lock your tools in place.”
I’ve seen this type of tool box before – never in person, only online – and it seems like an interesting concept.
Basically, it’s just a one-lid tool box with a triangular shape.
With this type of tool box, which is like squeezing an entire pegboard wall into a storage-dense triangular benchtop footprint, you can quickly open the lid and grab any of your tools.
It seems that Home Depot has partnered with Montezuma for the new Husky tool chest.
Here’s a look at the Montezuma-branded box.
It appears to be identical to the Husky.
Both tool boxes measure 30″ wide x 15″ deep, and the hook and shelf configurations are all the same.
I considered and dismissed this type of storage concept over the years, but I can see how it could be convenient for certain users or environments.
Strictly Tool Boxes’ also appears to have an identical product under their Tool Vault branding.
Let’s get into why I think the Husky tool box is a bad value.
You can buy the Husky tool chest for $549, or get the Montezuma or Tool Vault versions for $480-$481.
At the time of this posting, Amazon has the Montezuma for $480.71, and the Strictly Tools’ Tool Vault is $479.99 at their Amazon store. Even Home Depot has the Montezuma tool box for $480.71 right now.
Home Depot’s Husky tool box is prices at $549, which is around $70 more.
All of the versions of these that are discussed here are sold with free shipping. There are other sizes, but these all appear to be the same 30″ x 15″ box with 16 gauge construction.
One might argue that maybe the sizes are different, but the dimensions are simply rounded up or down differently; both Home Depot listings have the same storage volume and weight specs.
It looks like you get the same 5-year warranty period from both Montezuma and Husky.
$549 seems like a bad value to me, considering you can buy what looks to be the same exact tool box for $70 less – even from Home Depot.
I’m not saying that $480 is a good value, but it’s a better price than $549 for what looks to be the same exact product once you open the lid and look past the branding.
Or maybe I’m not seeing some kind of hidden feature or benefit that warrants the higher price tag? Why does the Husky tool chest cost nearly 15% more than the Montezuma?
At the least, this seems like a huge missed opportunity. Home Depot could have launched something new, innovative, or special under Husky branding. Instead, they’re selling the same Montezuma tool box with a different name on the front, and charging customers $70 extra for it.
