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I have worked out of an 18th-century-style tool chest since 1997 or so, but I still love a good metal toolbox. They are great for moving tools to a jobsite or storing a dedicated set of wrenches or a socket set.
The plastic or sheet-metal toolboxes at home centers do nothing for me. The plastic breaks and the sheet metal is thin and bends when you look at it too hard. This year I discovered the Japanese-made Trusco toolboxes, and I am in heaven.
I have a ST-350-B that I use for storing the machinist tools I need for working on my machines at my shop in my basement. It’s a jewel. The translucent blue finish is durable and beautiful. Everything opens and shuts like something made with care 100 years ago.
And yet the ST-350 is less than $50. If the price had been $200, I’d say: Yup, that price is about right.
Trusco makes a large line of boxes, from the massive ST-3500 down to the cute T-150s for your car’s trunk. They used to be difficult to find in the U.S. market, but they are now becoming more common. Grab some before everyone else finds out.
— Christopher Schwarz
Read Day 1 of the gift guide here: Clauss Scissors.
Day two on a Boot Tray for Sharpening.
Day three on humidity monitors.
Day four on a MWTCA membership is here.
Day five on the Arno burnisher.
Day six on WoodOwl auger bits.
Day seven on the Veritas spokeshave.
If you’d like to read gift guides from past years, check this link.
