I stopped by a local Home Depot today and found that some of the holiday special buys are starting to drop in price. The most tempting thing I found, though, was that the DeWalt Tough System boxes have had their prices dropped! The small DS130 is now $26 (was $31), the DS300 is $34 (holiday price was $39, original price was $59), and the rolling DS450 is $49 (originally $59), for a total cost of $109 for all three.
I bought another DS300, but the jury’s still out as to whether I like the DeWalt boxes more than the Ridgid system. I’ve noticed a few issues with my DeWalt boxes in the last week: the DS130 doesn’t positively lock into other boxes (a few jolts and it comes loose); a piece of plastic seems to have broken off that same box; the DS450 handle cannot be used to pull the loaded boxes up a curb, as one side pulls out beyond where it should; and a side handle on the DS450 no longer has spring tension after using the side handles to move the laden box. Meanwhile, the Ridgid boxes I’ve used for going on two years are still going strong with no issues.
Despite the issues I’ve had, I’ll keep an eye on the DeWalt prices in hopes of completing another set. The boxes are sturdy and the set holds quite a bit in an easily transportable system.
I just grabbed the small DS130 tough box and asked HD’s customer service if they would reimburse the extra $10 that I just paid for DS450 – they did!
Possibly you got a lemon with your DS450, I would contact DeWalt directly and ask them if they are willing to fix this. I have no such issues with mine. Although I don’t have other tough boxes, I had DS450 loaded with a lot of tools and fasteners and yet it had no trouble traversing over curbs or even a short staircase. I used it as a seat and a step stool multiple times, the box is sturdy enough to hold my weight (195 lbs) without issues.
I have a ton of T-Stak toolboxes and plan to make a connection interface between the 2 systems as it would be very convenient to be able to load t-staks on top of the Tough System wheeled box.
My neighbor, best friend and I went to every Home Depot within a 5 mile radius of where we live and bought every one of each model type up, that was on sale. For personal use, not to re-sell. My neighbor even waited in line at the return desk, when he came across someone returning the DCS130 because it lacked the top handle on it. Then bought it at the return desk 30 seconds later for $26.
Some of these are still available around my area (Columbus, GA), but it seems they won’t be a regularly stocked item. It’s odd how Home Depot stocks the relatively expensive Tough System organizer (at $40, when a regular DeWalt stackable organizer or the Milwaukee version sells for $20-25) but most stores don’t carry other components.
As for the issues I’ve had, I may or may not contact DeWalt if they continue occurring. So far, none have been catastrophic, and at most they have been minor inconveniences.