Harbor Freight 8-Drawer Chest (Knife Collection Storage)

Rasco

Rasco

Joined
Jan 3, 2014
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Probably old news, but after a quick search, I didn't see another post around here that had pics of the Harbor Freight 8-Drawer Chest, so I thought I'd post some having just picked one up today (I was in and out of HF in 2 mins :))

I had been looking for a good solution for storing my growing collection, and wanted something a bit more secure than a SpyderPack (I have a young son who's only getting more curious about the world) and I can't recall where, but on some other forum, I came upon someone suggesting the HF 8-DC and it looked good to me, and the price was right. I like that I can lock it up and not worry that my kid is poking around in there.

Granted, I think it's a cheap Chinese version of a really nice $350 wooden chest (Gerstner?) but at a fraction of the cost, I can try it out and consider upgrading later, when funds allow.

Anyway, here it is.

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Yeah, I think I've seen mention of that a while back, maybe a few years ago. It's definitely a cheap version of a classic machinist's toolbox. I considered it for a while, but when I went to the store to check it out, it seemed very loose and flimsy (but maybe that was just the floor model). I also wasn't really impressed by the robustness of the lock. Let us know how you like it as time goes by.
 
How many knives do you have it figured for considering the knives in the pics? How many traditional folders would you estimate?
 
You could probably fit about 18-20 traditional folders in each of the 2 large bottom drawers.
Probably 8-12 in the 4 mid-size drawers and the 2 upper drawers have segmented chambers, each holding 2 knives, I'd say. So 8-10 per top drawer. Overall, about 100 traditionals, maybe about 60-75 "modern" or "tactical" folders.

Here's a link to the thing on HF's website:
http://www.harborfreight.com/eight-drawer-wood-tool-chest-94538.html

Muaddib1116, I agree, it's not the highest quality. I mentioned it's a knock-off of a better chest, but it's cheap.
For the price of less than 2 large SpyderPacs, I get something a little nicer looking and that my son can't get into.
At least not for many years to come (he's only 1). Who knows, by the time he's 10 or 12, I might be ready to upgrade to something more serious.
But for now, it's suiting my needs perfectly.
I previously had my knives in a drawer in the kitchen.... :barf:
 
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I'm going to have to head over there tomorrow to check this out. Thanks for the tip!
 
Looks pretty good for the asking price. I'm looking to get a chest, or at least a soft multi-pocket knife roll.

Any idea of the depth of the top and two large bottom drawers? Certainly looks adequate for my small knife collection, but I'm wondering if it could hold my flashlights, with up to 1.2" diameter bezels, and from the pics, I'm thinking the answer is no.
 
I ain't a beginner, but when a chest is $300 plus, I have a hard time not spending that on another knife:D

I think I'll be taking a trip to the local harbor freight soon!!!
 
Bigbluefish said:
Looks pretty good for the asking price. I'm looking to get a chest, or at least a soft multi-pocket knife roll.

Any idea of the depth of the top and two large bottom drawers? Certainly looks adequate for my small knife collection, but I'm wondering if it could hold my flashlights, with up to 1.2" diameter bezels, and from the pics, I'm thinking the answer is no.
Click to expand...

I'm about to go home for lunch, I will take some pics with a ruler and post them in an hour or two. Check back here later.
The top tray seems pretty deep. I'm guessing here, but I'm guessing I could stack 2 full-size Spyderco boxes on top of each other and still be able to close the lid.

Pics to come...
 
bigmark408 said:
Good for a beginers collection.
Click to expand...

Yup, that's my thoughts exactly. That's where my collection is right now.
I have about a half-dozen knives not pictured here, most are currently loaned out (Tenacious, Utilitac, Clash, etc.)

But even if you have a massive collection, say hundreds of folders, are you really needing to access most of those on a daily basis?
As my collection grows, I could see having several SpyderPacs in the closet, for knives I own but rarely carry, and still use something like this for storing my rotation of daily users.
 
Another knife storage option is the large tool boxes you use in shops, you can find those for sale pretty cheap time to time if you know where to look. A family member of mine has been on a spree of picking those up an in the last few months picked up several of those large tool boxes to the point where it covers an entire wall in the workshop he has at his home and than a few more scattered about. I've been told he's picked them up from $60 on up. Nice thing is they have locks to keep the little ones outside of getting into your knives.
 
I feel like I could find something at a flea market, garage sale, or antique store for less and/or better quality. But that involves a lot of looking and it's a total crap shoot.
 
Ive seen those at HF a while ago and they did peak my interest. They are indeed a copy of the Gerstner machinist tool chest which new sell for around 800 dollars not 300 (I wish) A few years ago I was able to snag a used Gerstner of similar layout for around $325 and out a considerable amount of time into relining and replacing some damaged parts on it. see pictures below. Definitely can't beat a chest like these for knife storage. you'll love the HF one its a great way to store knives and their accessories.


 
I.N.F.K said:
I feel like I could find something at a flea market, garage sale, or antique store for less and/or better quality. But that involves a lot of looking and it's a total crap shoot.
Click to expand...

Yeah you're absolutely right, you may well find some old granny willing to part with something like a Gerstner for $20, but how many times you gonna have to get up at dawn and go drive around looking?
I drove to my local store 10 mins away and was in and out of the HF store in 2 mins after taking about 30 seconds to locate the chest next to the toolboxes. :D
 
I have the HF box for my Blur collection but when I filled it up the drawer bottoms sagged pretty bad . If you dont overload it its fine and looks good. And yeah i filled it with Blurs lol
 
Bob6794 said:
Another knife storage option is the large tool boxes you use in shops, you can find those for sale pretty cheap time to time if you know where to look. A family member of mine has been on a spree of picking those up an in the last few months picked up several of those large tool boxes to the point where it covers an entire wall in the workshop he has at his home and than a few more scattered about. I've been told he's picked them up from $60 on up. Nice thing is they have locks to keep the little ones outside of getting into your knives.
Click to expand...

I use a Snap-on.
 
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