I have been offered the opportunity to buy some second hand Halfords industrial tool chests, does anyone on here have any and do you rate them? I was looking at getting some black Halfords professional units in the bf deal they had on and whilst they look the business they seemed to be pretty thin and flexed a lot more than the red Halfords professional units I have from several years ago so I did not purchase any. I have looked at sags, hilka and others but have been surprised how thin the gauge of material they use is. I am a diy user but have a fair weight of tools to accommodate. I have no problem buying second hand if it gets me more robustness but I would like nice shinny ones if they are up to it. Your thoughts and recommendations would be appreciated. Cheers
The main trolly drawer set and middle drawer set are Halfords Industrial and the top drawer set and side drawers are Halfords Advanced. Had them for 10 years. Andy
Does Halford’s still have an ‘industrial’ range? Is that not their guaranteed for life ‘advanced’ range.
All Halfords stuff is absolutely fine for poncing about with your own bike/car/lawnmower etc. But if you’re a full time Scania mechanic I’d aim a bit higher.
Halfords were still advertising “industrial” tool chests immediately prior to ending their Black Friday sale at the weekend. Those units were priced significantly higher than than the professional/advanced units they were advertising at the same time. They no longer feature any industrial units post sale but I see they have added Wesley units and much larger sets. Based on Halfords showing Industrial, advanced and a separate halfords range I assumed they were different ranges with different specs reflected in different price ranges. They now have a very different range on their website. I have £800 to spend and want to get the best bang for buck. Halfords are still offering a bundle of three advanced for circa £500 but they seem less robust than earlier Halfords units.
Don't buy anything too tall. It looks impressive but you will loose stuff, unless you are really tall, also heavier to move around. You may want to bolt on a small vice later? Sealey used to do vintage look! Depends on how many tools you have, I would start with a base unit first and take it from there. As for rodents use poison.
Mine went rusty when my cats got in the garage and peed on it! I’m debating attaching it up to the mains for a shocking deterrence
@Android853sp Thanks for sharing, are there any differences between the two industrial badged units and the top halfords advanced unit - in terms of robustness, draw construction etc - they look very similar to my untrained eye!
Halfords top-end tool storage is ok for relatively light use but you get what you pay for in comparison to name brands top line stuff. It’s much the same with their own brand tools - all works ok up to a point, but nothing is truly use-every-day quality, nicely made or particularly pleasant to use. With a budget of £800 I think I would be looking at a few years old pro level roll cab and top drawer box with light use from the likes of Beta, Usag, Facom, Britool.
Slight difference in the quality of the drawer sliders, both run on a ball track but the Industrial feels slightly smoother and the Industrial drawers have a closure spring when the drawer gets so far in. Andy
