Above you see Klein’s new Tradesman Pro Organizer rolling tool bag, which is, well, a tool bag with wheels. It caught our attention because it incorporates features we’ve seen in luggage for years, but which never quite seem to make their way into tool storage applications: big wheels and a collapsible handle.
For the same reason bolting big wheels on your 4×4 allows you to climb and clear big rocks and logs, upping the wheel diameter on your rolling storage lets you drag it over larger debris. Klein chose 6″ wheels for this bag, which seems like a good tradeoff between being big enough to let you roll over weird crap and small enough to not be a pain in the ass (or leg) when you pick up the bag to carry it.
To give you an idea of what you can navigate with the Tradesman Pro, check out Klein’s (albeit a bit cheeky) video:
(Forget rolling the bag over your workmates. The most impressive part of this video in our opinion is when they drag it across wire and other stuff that’d normally catch and stop rolling gear.)
Underneath the Pro’s 600D ballistic weave fabric exterior lies a metal frame designed to increase the bag’s strength and carrying power — Klein claims you can stuff 100 lbs. inside of it and another 100 on top of it — and to let you prop open the top for easy access to your tools while you work. Klein also added a molded plastic kick plate along the wheeled edge so you don’t wear through the fabric when you drag the bag over large objects or up stairs. Inside you get 24 pockets to subdivide your tools and keep them organized, and the whole interior is orange to increase visibility (read: to keep you from digging around looking for black tools in a black bag in the dark).
We also like the collapsible handle. We’ve seen a similar handle on some rolling hard cases, but this is the first one we’ve seen on a bag like this.
Honestly, this bag looks like it’ll last for quite a while — which is good, because at around $150 street, you probably won’t want to buy a replacement anytime soon.
Tradesman Pro Organizer Rolling Tool Bag [Klein]
Street Pricing [Google]
Via Amazon [What’s This?]
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25 Responses to A Rollerboard For Your Tools
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Too much dough.
And you are right, that video didn’t help them.
I have had every size of stanley rolloing tool box even with the biggest wheels they make on the smallest box
you getr it loaded down and it dosent roll over stuff very well this looks like it rolls great when its empty
but lets face it hand tools in most trades are steal and they add up
my tool bag which is a a small veto pro pac which is just hand tools and bit that I don’t keep in my tool belt weights in at almost 50lbs this bag is almost twice the size so I could see a cordless drill hand tools etc etc in this thing and like every other rolling item I have tried
I bet it will be a beast on anything but clear hard surfaces
I have my stanley tool chest with wheels and it is better than not having wheels but a dolly with pneumatic tires is way way ahead of this
not only will it roll better but a dolley and a much cheaper bag will be more versitile and about half the price or less
klien is good stuff but way to much money for what you get
That video certainly makes it look impressive, but like the other posters here I’m a little suspicious…
Can someone explain the etymology of the word “rollerboard”, please?
(I’m fairly certain it’s not actually a word, but rather a corruption of the adjectival phrase “roll-aboard”, which obviously refers to the ability of a suitcase to “roll aboard” a vessel on its wheels.)
More on topic, there is no f’in way that the collapsible handle I’m seeing there will last longer than a week if it’s being used to schlep around 200 pounds on a regular basis. Those plastic telescoping retractable handles are by far the most failure-prone part of flight crews’ luggage. Not convinced of the wheels’ ability to stand up to that kind of abuse, either.
I’m with rob on this one — a dolly/hand truck plus a good toolbox seems like a far superior setup. If you really need dedicated rolling tool storage like this, permanently mount the toolbox to the hand truck :-p
cl
The Stanley FatMAX 4-in-1 Mobile Work Station also has large wheels and retractable handle. It is a bit larger, though.
http://www.stanleytools.com/default.asp?CATEGORY=ZAG+ROLLING+WORK&TYPE=PRODUCT&PARTNUMBER=020800R&SDesc=FatMax%26%23174%3B+4-in-1+Mobile+Work+Station
Click on the Product Demonstration button to see it in action.
I’ve been using one since I lost my workshop in Sandy. Not perfect, but it holds a lot of stuff and is relatively mobile. I wouldn’t want to lift in and out of a truckbed frequently, though!
It’s about $100.
D.
Handtruck/Dolly. I was a big believer in wheeled bags. I often worked on a site that required almost a mile walk to the work truck (no exaggeration). I’ve tried every rolling bag from Harbor Freight through Stanleys and none of them last, nor do they do stairs well. A hand truck will do stairs all day long and when you get to a point where you need to life your bag, you don’t have to bring the hand truck along.
This product has one major shortcoming, which is the very narrow handle. Once a rolling load gets tipped to the side, you want a *wide* handle to muscle the load back to a stable position. The narrow airline-luggage handle here does not give the leverage you’ll need for a 50 or 100 pound tool collection. I’ll stick with a proper steel dolly and locking webbing to move my toolbox around.
Well I wouldn’t check that on an airplane and you can’t carry them on an airplane so I personally have no use for it. The handle looks like the one for my briefcase. I do like the idea of the large wheels but like the handle they look cheap. I like the large tool cases from Jensen (now Stanley) that are built strong. They cost a little more than twice as much as this but they last longer and you can purchase replacement parts plus they have a place for your personal lock. This idea is great and can be improved. First, I would work on the wheels and the telescoping handle.
Im after two of these but ive had no reply from the us website. Is there a uk stockist? Because the shipping cost is nearly the same cost as the bag!!
Hi! I’ve been using one of two Veto ProPac toolbars since they first came out. I know they are working up their rolling toolbag at this time and probably begin to market it by the end of 2014. I currently have my LC bag on a Costco magna-cart hand truck, having permanently mounted it to the baseplate. It wasn’t intended to be my final method of transportation, but I’m currently trying to come up with a self-built rolling toolbox (hopefully to incorporate my Veto PP). I drive a Transit so I likely take my toolbag/cart in/out of my van 4-7 times/day, based on the number of service calls that I do, so I need it somewhat intact and not any heavier than it currently is.
What happened to this website? Nothing new for months.
I don’t know, it appears that someone abandoned it or something…. back to toolguyd
For only $30 I’d say it’s at least worth a try. Seems nice enough to me anyway.
useful tool box..
Would be a good tool bag if you have a ton of tools that you need to move around the job site with.
Certainly one of the better tool bags out there!
When is there going to be a new post?
Lame azzz website ain’t been updated in years…
bunch of azzhole faggits…
I am Charles Joseph Hurst of Pasadena Maryland and I am super gay for young virile black bucks to fill my little white azzz up with seed.
seems like a great idea and looks strong, but will it catch on i wonder. what happened to the tool belt and the metal box?
The main problem with these kind of products is not practicality but that it makes you look like a businessman on your way to a meeting! Like you can’t even carry your own tools. Personally, i would not care, but a lot of people i know would and DO!
WOW! It’s an amazing tool. I wanna buy it ASAP. Thanks for great idea.
Those are some rugged looking wheels on that bag.
Forget tools – that would be a great bag to take to the range.
I think this bag can be a great gift idea for my hubby. He is a construction worker and has to go for work those areas like that video. I am sure he will love it much. Thanks for sharing….
Good site bag and not a bad price.
It is a very good tool to help users in carrying tools.