Husky recently sent over a couple of their new “Latch and Stack” tote bins, and I’ve been trying to find the words to describe them.
I have varied storage needs, and have bought many different types of totes and bins over the years. I have tried Rubbermaid Roughneck storage totes, with disappointing results, Sterilite Ultra totes with reasonably good results, Akro Mils and Quantum hinged lid (flip-top) totes with great results, and some large “industrial utility” Sterilite totes that have held up pretty well.
I also use a lot of Quantum dividable grid containers.
These new Husky Latch and Stack totes aren’t my favorite storage bins. The smallest size is a little too small for my liking, and you lose more space than I would have expected, due to the sloped sides.
I have one of each of the sizes, and so I can’t really test out how well they might stack together, but they seem to stack pretty well with different sizes, as shown in this Husky product photo.
Sizes
- 5 gallon
- 15 gallon
- 25 gallon
- 35 gallon
- 45 gallon, with wheels
If I were to buy more, and I just might during my next trip to Home Depot, it’ll likely be for the 15 gallon and 25 gallon sizes.
25 gallons seems to be the sweet spot when it comes to bulk storage needs. I can fill a box of this size better than I can arrange items on a shelf.
The 35 gallon tote is larger than I typically like. It’s hard to carry a fully-loaded 30+ gallon tote or storage box, regardless of brand or design. The wheels on the 45 gallon tote is a great idea.
The 15 gallon tote has a 100 lbs capacity, and the 25 gallon tote 200 lbs. There’s no mention of how many you can safely stack, or the total weight capacity of a stack, and so I would consider the load ratings of the individual totes to be practical limits.
Each features heavy duty latches, reasonably comfortable handles (above average), and they’re lockable, although I don’t think any of my locks would fit.
These Husky Latch and Stack tote storage boxes are not the “best” I’ve seen. But their pricing and high “bang for the buck” does make up for that. These are good storage totes at very economical prices.
- 5 gallon: $5.47
- 15 gallon: $8.47
- 25 gallon: $11.47
- 35 gallon: $16.97
- 45 gallon: $19.97
All of this is my early opinion on these totes. It will be a while before I can come to any solid conclusions or recommendations.
What I can tell you is this – these are very competitively-featured and aggressively-priced storage totes. I am unsure as to whether I can really recommend them yet, but I have yet to see any reason to recommend against them.
I do know one thing – I will likely buy more. Hopefully that serves as a good indicator as to whether I could recommend them or not.
The boxes are fairly rigid and easy to carry, and they do seem to stack nicely.
A few months ago I bought some Sterilite 27 gallon “industrial” totes, and I like them a lot. They’re regularly $12.99 at Target, compared to $11.47 for the Husky totes at Home Depot. I think I like the Sterilite totes better than the Husky ones, especially the boxier shape that might make loading just a bit easier.
Home Depot also has HDX 27 gallon totes for $8.97, but they look uncomfortable to lift and carry. A big advantage of larger latch-style totes, such as Husky’s, is that they have large handle recesses for sturdy gripping. You don’t need that for moving small loads, but it’ll make a big difference when moving more heavily-loaded totes.
I mentioned liking Sterilite heavy duty totes available at Target, so why will I likely purchase more of these Husky Latch and Stack totes from Home Depot? There is a price advantage, but not enough to move me.
While I do like the shape of the Sterilite totes better, but the Husky ones seem like they could hold more weight.
The big reason for willing to buy a slightly less preferred tote box is that Home Depot is MUCH better when it comes to stocking and selling things like this.
I have purchased storage bins at Target when shopping for something else. But I have also went to Target with the intent to buy storage bins, and it’s usually a mess. Either they don’t have what I’m looking for, the online inventory counter is wrong, or they have bins but no lids.
I have been meaning to get more of the Sterilite storage totes that I like, but it’s not an easy experience.
Right now, Home Depot’s seasonal product section is featuring these and other storage products. That seems to be the mid-winter trend – for stores to focus on home storage product sales.
So the choice is this – do I drive around several towns trying to buy the totes I prefer, with most stores carrying more than one or two if I’m lucky, or do I opt for the almost as good and less expensive Husky totes that are more widely available and easier to buy in the quantity I want (maybe 10)?
I hope you can understand now why I said I was having difficulty trying to find the right words to describe these new Husky storage totes.
They’re good, although not my current favorites (yet?), and I’m going to buy more. Check them out the next time you’re at Home Depot.
Please let me know if you have questions about any of the other sizes. 25 gallons is the sweet spot for my current needs, but I have the other sizes presently available.
Buy Now(via Home Depot)
Thank you to Husky and Home Depot for supply review samples of each size (one each).