Does anyone else find Kennedy Machinist boxes to be overpriced junk?

[Senna]

I had a Kennedy 11 drawer machinist chest, model 52611 which was destroyed in my fire.
I was never impressed with the quality of this box despite their ubiquity and their reputation in machining circles.
It always felt as though it were no better made than many much less expensive boxes and some less expensive boxes are much better than the 52611.
I won't be replacing mine with a new Kennedy when I get my settlement.
I've read that HF (of all places!) sells a line of well thought of boxes.
Who else trumps Kennedy quality for much less money?

 

[DMS]

I'm actually pretty pleased with my Kenedy box, though I got it used and in excellent condition. I have a Craftsman rolling chest with top box as well. It is of decent quality. All of their boxes are made by Waterloo. In general you get what you pay for. When I was looking at boxes, I checked out the HF boxes. They have some that feel like they are built out of card stock (the cheap black ones). They also have some pretty nice ones (these are the larger red ones). I recommend walking into the store and kicking the tires.

There really aren't many companies that make these anymore, most are just re-brands from some other company.

 

[Senna]

I'm looking at this one from HF for $360 minus whatever Inside Track (bogus program really) discount and with whatever coupons I may find.

It isn't set up like the Kennedy but it has ball bearing slides which my Kennedy didn't have. It also has metal pulls unlike the too small and too weak plastic things on my Kennedy.

Same price as the 52611 too.

 

[toolman]

I've never seen the attraction. Of course I've been using Snap-On and Matco boxes for the last 30 years so the Kennedy's just feel like cheap junk to me. I've got a cheap homeowner grade box from Home Depot that is just as good quality-wise as any Kennedy box I've ever seen. YMMV tho...

 

[Dataporter]

I don't know about them being junk, but certainly overpriced! I'll rather spend my money on what goes inside! I have a Craftsman I bought 40 years ago still going strong. A no namer I bought at Costco and another no namer I got at Tractor Supply for like half price because it had a scratch on it! Heaven Forbid a scratch on a tool box! ;-) Dave

 

[kd4gij]

I agree with you. I have the box in your picture. It is a great box for the money. You will not find a better box at thice the price.

 

[uncle harry]

I have 2 Kennedy multi-drawer boxes, 1 of which I bought about 4 years ago stuffed with mikes, calipers, lathe bits, a 0-1 dial indicator etc etc for $150.00. Both are vintage boxes and very well built. The newer ones seem to be of less quality. I probably wouldn't buy a new Kennedy since I am a now & then hobby machinist.

 

[Ray C]

I had a Kennedy 11 drawer machinist chest, model 52611 which was destroyed in my fire.
I was never impressed with the quality of this box despite their ubiquity and their reputation in machining circles.
It always felt as though it were no better made than many much less expensive boxes and some less expensive boxes are much better than the 52611.
I won't be replacing mine with a new Kennedy when I get my settlement.
I've read that HF (of all places!) sells a line of well thought of boxes.
Who else trumps Kennedy quality for much less money?

Senna,


Over the years I had a couple Kennedy's come and go. On the ones I had, the felt would absorb moisture and they'd eventually rust. Since the felt was glued in, there was no reasonable way to deal with it. Also, the old ones had a stippled texture. Eventually, they all cracked and peeled. -Don't want to cast a wide net but, on the two that I had both had these issues. One was stolen and the other I threw out because of the rust problem. I know this won't go over very well but, I was never a fan of the wooden boxes. I know they're a "status symbol" but, they just never appealed to me for a variety of reasons. In a nutshell Kennedy's and Gershners (sp?) are best off in an environment controlled area.

The HF box you're looking at is fantastic for the price. It's solid enough to do the job. Mine is packed solid with no signs of issues. I line the shelves with that rubberized shelf material available at Home Depot in the Kitchen center. My friend bought one and it came with pre-cut liners that were very good. Mine didn't have those; no big deal. It's a winner in my book.


Ray

 

[Bill C.]

I had a Kennedy 11 drawer machinist chest, model 52611 which was destroyed in my fire.
I was never impressed with the quality of this box despite their ubiquity and their reputation in machining circles.
It always felt as though it were no better made than many much less expensive boxes and some less expensive boxes are much better than the 52611.
I won't be replacing mine with a new Kennedy when I get my settlement.
I've read that HF (of all places!) sells a line of well thought of boxes.
Who else trumps Kennedy quality for much less money?

I have three Kennedy's, one main and two lower ones. I didn't have much trouble with mine, they are the metal ones. Bought them back in the late 1960's and 1970's. They were the brand to have back then. But today as you mentioned there are several brands that are as good, Craftsman, Mac Tools, Harbor Freight and several others choices out there. Also depends on what type of machining you are doing. Mine are bench boxes. Today with my experience of moving from one part of a large shop to another I definitely would buy mobile boxes for my tools.

 

[Pacer]

I dont need a tool box now, but if I were to buy one I would certainly have a hard look at the HF one. Ive read so many posts saying how good they are til I'd have to have a look.

By the way, on the % off HF coupons, read the fine print, toolboxes are not covered (along with several other items - compressors, generators, welders, etc)