Finds: DeWalt’s “Tough Case” Storage
By Chuck Cage
Stuey writes: “You’ve probably seen it before - that nearly indestructable yellow case that comes with Dewalt screwdriver bit sets. Well, at Home Depot, Lowes, and a few obscure online vendors, you can pick up empty Tough Cases for storage purposes. They come with six dividers and are perfect for drill bits, jigsaw bits, and screwdriver bits – you get the picture. I believe Home Depot sells them for cheapest at $5 a pop. In addition to random bits, I’ve also got a center punch, socket adapter (1/4″ to 3/8″ drive), and some other odd shaped items in mine. I’ve found that it’s much more durable and practical than a traditional divided organizer albeit at a higher cost. Plus it’s sized right, focusing on tool accessory storage as opposed to mass fastener-type storage.”
Wow, I think Stuey’s channelling Sean and me today. We picked one of these up a few weeks ago as a home for our ever-growing jigsaw blade collection, and we totally intended to write it up. We also had a hard time finding ‘em online, but you can indeed pick these up at the ‘Depot — that’s where we got ours.
Highly recommended.
DeWalt Medium Tough Case [Home Depot]
March 7th, 2007 at 8:04 pm
Wow. The DeWalt yellow alone is worth the price of admission. I have been using clear Plano fishing lure organizers for miscellaneous things. But next time I am out I will certainly pick up one or three or five of these.
March 7th, 2007 at 8:18 pm
I’ve had a couple of these for a while. They are very well built, but I could never figure out a good use for them. I just thought of a great one after looking at this post. Thanks Toolmonger
March 7th, 2007 at 9:12 pm
I forgot to mention - the link is to HD’s canadian site (it’s the only decent product info page I could find). There’s a very good chance that the local stores carry them (in the tool section by the bits and blades).
March 7th, 2007 at 10:42 pm
How could I forget about this? I’ve had one for a few years now. Top notch accessory. I keep a boatload of misc. screwdriver bits in mine, counter sink bits, square drive adaptors, spare chuck key, etc. It lives in my drill bag (an old freebie laptop bag ) with my drill and bits. A Plano box would work too, but the dividers and latches on this are much better. Believe me, I have my share of Plano boxes around.
March 7th, 2007 at 10:59 pm
Bought one of these because I’d already had a similar case that came with a DeWalt drill bit set I bought. Fits in my toolbox nicely, decent at holding various bits, etc. Would like to see DeWalt sell the empty drill cases (they have drill and bit ‘rails’ that slot into notches in the inside sides, leaving the center area empty. Very configurable.)
March 8th, 2007 at 1:56 am
If the latches can actually hold the inner plastic walls in place, I’m game. I owned a similar Plano version and it was always dumping its contents when I’d open it. It only gave up that habit when the latches broke entirely.
One thing that’s always bugged me about this style of case is the amount of wasted space inside. If a compartment isn’t full, you’re just carrying air around. I’d love to see something like a wrench roll, but with clear parts pouches. Since each pouch would collapse around its contents, the whole thing would roll up and store very compactly. The trouble would be finding a tough but flexible plastic that’d remain clear after some wear.
March 8th, 2007 at 9:04 am
Nate: the clear plastic covers are locked in place by the black tabs.
March 9th, 2007 at 6:27 am
Nate:
If you look at the inside latches they interlock when closed, so there is no way for them to slide around to unlatch.
April 26th, 2007 at 12:29 pm
Yes I’ve got one that came with a 14.4V Drill. Amazingly good piece of both engineering and manufacturing.
June 14th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/product.asp?catalog_name=USPlastic&category_name=96&product_id=19350&cookie%5Ftest=1
Drastically better,
been out for years,
& available in more sizes.
: D