Customer Reviews

Stanley Consumer Storage 020800R FatMax 4-in1 Mobile Work Station for Tools and Parts

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I have had two of these for about a year. I'm a site superintendent/lead carpenter. I love the organization but the plastic is cheap and when it's exposed to cold weather it cracks and breaks like peanut brittle. Both of the locks that hold the drawers shut have broken off. The frame is very light gauge and has dislodged itself many times requiring repair. The design is there I just wish Stanley would use quality plastic and real pneumatic wheels with a decent frame! Take a look at the Bosch gravity rise stands for table/chop saws Bosch TS2000 Gravity-Rise Wheeled Table Saw Stand. Those products are well worth the money. They are built like tanks. This toolbox is NOT. For $80 I want better quality.

I'm a remodeling contractor in So. Cal., and I just picked up one of these at Lowes. I really love it. Maybe a little on the cheap side for rigorous daily jobsite use, but its really handy for keeping tools, fasteners, etc. organized on site (vs. laying around all over the place). Closes up into a tidy box for transport, and the opening system for access to all areas at the same time is awesome. Think I'll go get a second one today!

I bought this rolling toolbox for my boyfriend as he travels with tools a lot. It is so neat now I want one! It has several compartments that can be used for different purposes and we love the wheels. The fact that it opens up to show all the compartments without having to pick up sections is nice too.
The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is that I'm not sure about the durability of it. It is made of plastic and I'm not certain that over time with traveling it will hold up. Time will tell.
I'm off to order another - this one is for me!

Like "Tim the Painter" I also own two of these toolboxes and have for the last three months. Had I written this review on the day of purchase, I would have given them 5 stars but felt a trial period was in order to give a review. I should also note that the total weight of each loaded box is 88lbs. and 84lbs.

Although I haven't had any problems with plastic durability (possibly because I'm in a warmer climate) I am concerned with the thin-wall construction of the "Patented tiered cantilever multi-level rolling system" --not much better than what you'd find in an eight-dollar folding lawn chair. The limit stop on the telescoping handle is insufficient and I can see the day that I (or someone else) break the handle off. Hindsight tells me I should have waited for the new and improved version.

UPDATE: 6 months later...

Still toting around the same tools with just a couple of problems. One of the spring-loaded locking pins on the telescoping handle has developed a bur and won't fully seat on it's own (it has to be pushed in manually). Forgetting that problem, I hyper-extended the handle bending it slightly. The other problem that I've found is if you place the center of gravity forward of the wheels while "pushing", a lot of stress is placed on the mount. It's not a problem if "pulling". I leave it at 2 stars because of this weak design.

UPDATE: 2 years later...

Even though these don't travel with my like they have in the past, they're holding up better than I thought they would. The shortcomings mentioned above persist along with some minor 'bulging' of the large lower compartment (I should note that these boxes are rarely exposed to direct sunlight, heat or cold). Change rating from 2 stars to 3.

I will say that this is the best portable tool box I've ever had. It is portable but hold most of my frequently used tools. I now know where all my tools are. It is very mobile and just roll out of my garage and all the tools that i need are there. At this time, it's not even full yet. Worth the money for sure. Do your research, but due to it's mutiple function level system, the awkwardness of getting tools out is totally elimated........you'll end up back to this product

I am an engineer in a plant and I thought this box would be a good addition to my work. Since I am constantly traveling around the plant working on equipment. I thought about a rolling tool cart box, but the cost was higher than I am willing to pay. When I found this box, I thought it would fit my work applications. Boy was the joke on me... Should have read all of the reviews a little more carefully before flushing down my hard earned $$$. I pride myself on having good tools and taking care of my tools, but this box needs a wet nurse not a mechanic to survive in a plant.

When I first got the box everyone gathered around for the WOW factor. Everyone wanted one. A week later, it is the joke of the shop...

First use - Walking handle pulled out.
Second use - Spent too much time trying to get it to unlock, open, close and lock when responding to crisis's.
Third use - Dang near destroyed it just trying to gently let it slide on it's wheels down stairs. Wheels/frame could not take it.
Fourth use - Can't open it at a job site due to no room to roll it back.
Fifth use - Took two of us to open it at job site due to rough terrain. Bent fragile metal frame doing so.
Sixth use - Dust collector and joke of the shop at my expense...

Pros -
* It holds a lot of stuff!
* It is my favorite color. (I always liked Johnny Cash!)

Cons -
* This thing is not made for real work.
* The pull out walking handle is too short. I have to stoop to pull the box. Not fun!
* The walking handle pulled all the way out on the first use--Cheep!
* The wheel/dolly system is wimpy! It didn't last long.
* Lock holes in latches and on bin are for cosmetics and worthless. Not good if you need to secure your tools in a plant.
* Even though it looks like it does not take up much space, it is a space hog when open!!!
* Box is a pain in the $#++ to open on uneven surfaces.
* You cannot just open this box and grab a tool out. You have to make sure there is a lot of room behind and that it is on a flat surface. Then you have to hold this, step on that and push back at the same time. Not good when you have parts in your hands.
* Too fragile to move while open.
* Does not keep the moisture/rain out when shut.

Overall assessment. Other than light home hobbies with lot's of space and flat ground, I would not waste my hard earned $$$ on this box. If you think it is the solution to mobile work, you might as well buy a red wagon and cover it with cardboard.

We have several of these in our PD to carry evidence gear for crime scenes. So far, they have held up very well. If we can't break them, then they cannot be broken. Good Stuff!

I have had my FatMax 4in1 box for more than a month and would buy another in a heartbeat. I condensed two household boxes into this box and have room to grow. The bottom box is home to my Ryobi five peice One+ cordless tool set including spare batteries, charger, and drill/driver set (and some other odd shapped things like my square). The middle box is perfect for my electrical parts and peices including crimper, pliers, etc. plus more spare batteries, tape measures, and more. The top box is more than ample for handtools.

The best part of the box is it's portability. It is great to move from project to project and not have to run around the house or shop looking for the right tool or part. As an added benefit, when the top box lid is open, it has compartments to temporarly store small parts and screws/nails while a project is under way.

It's a great box that I will rely on for a long time. My wife is considering buying one for her stamp/scrapbook/art supplies. She would have already completed the purchase if the box came in colors besides black.

i bought this for my husband at Christmas. He is a wood worker and travels to many peoples homes . He was having to carry many things in by hand because he didnt think anything was made to hold everything he needed. He said he wished he had 2 of them now, cannot believe how much easier it makes his job!!!!!!!

Well after reading the other reviews I still decided this was the tool box I wanted, can you believe that? It arrived within a day or so, in a cardboard box that was beaten to a pulp. There were broken seams on the box, and holes in it too. I cut the small amount of tape still holding the cardboard together, and the tool box inside was damaged. One of the cheap plastic washers that helps lock the slides on the outside of the box open or closed, was broken. These are really pitiful parts folks. As a machinist I can make new ones out of any number of materials that would better serve the purpose, and not break. I would think that aluminum or nylon would both serve the purpose better than the crap that was installed on the tool box.

I have generally been happy with the quality of Amazons products, but this was a real disappointment as far as the condition it arrived in.