Keeping your small hand tools organized and within reach whenever you need them is one of the biggest challenges of working as a crafts person.
It doesn’t matter the kind of crafts, job or projects you’re involved in, as long as you work with small hand tools like hammers, wrenches, screwdrivers, cutters, pliers and so on, you’re going to have to find a way to organize them, store them and keep them within your reach whenever you need them. Especially if you’re not working from a single work station or a workshop, if you’re going out there on the job.
The simplest solution for this problem is getting a portable tool box. Portable tool boxes help you do 3 important things.
They help you organize your tools, they provide a safe space for you to store them, and they help you keep them within reach whenever you need to use them.
The box is portable and you can take it with you along with all your tools inside, wherever you want to go.
We’re using this article to talk about the 8 best portable tool storage boxes we’ve used and absolutely recommend. We’ve tried and tested these toolboxes, used them in different environments and scenarios, and they held their own every time.
A tool box is not just a sack or an empty box to keep your tools together in the same place, it’s a specialized solution designed to organize them, keep them safe within reach, and prevent them from knocking and wearing against each other when they’re inside.
All of these storage boxes we’ve listed here meet these crucial requirements.
Here is the first one.
Craftsman VERSASTACK Rolling Tool Box
If you’re really serious about getting a robust tool box to safely store your tools, then I highly recommend you getting one of these. It’s the Craftsman VERSASTACK rolling toolbox.
This is a 3-in-1 modular system for storing both tools and accessories all in one rolling station. As you can tell from the name VERSASTACK, it’s stackable. You get 3 stackable units.
The first box is a small parts organizer box for storing small parts like screws, pins, buttons, or whatever type of small parts you use for your projects.
The next 2 are larger modular boxes for storing your small/medium-sized hand tools. Don’t worry, they’re not just big empty boxes. There are several built-in compartments inside so you can keep whatever you store in it organized.
All the boxes are dust and water resistant. So, you don’t have to worry about water getting into them or damaging whatever you store in them even if you get caught outside with them on a rainy day.
This is the ideal tool storage box for a professional craftsman who works on different jobsites to carry his/her tools from one jobsite to the next.
The bottom unit even has metal wheels on it so you can push or roll it along with you without having to lift or carry it.
Stanley 28-inch Tool Storage Box
This is a 28-inch toolbox from Stanley. Apart from the latches used for locking it, it’s all made out of plastic, but it’s thick and surprisingly very strong, tough and sturdy. It’s not plastic that breaks apart easily. It’s very strong and durable.
You can even sit on it, maybe even stand on top of it depending on your weight, to boost yourself up for maybe getting into the back of your truck or something. It’s not meant for that, but it’s that strong.
The box is big and spacious, and can hold quite a number of hand tools, accessories and whatever materials you choose to store in it.
There’s just one small tray compartment inside that can be taken out. What’s left is a big empty space where you can just dump your tools, materials and accessories you work with, and cover it up.
The empty box itself is not a heavy box. It’s very lightweight. That’s one thing I like about it. If you’re going to worry about weight at all, it’s only going to be the weight of whatever you put inside.
The box is also waterproof. There’s a yellow weather-seal that compresses when you latch it up and seals it, ensuring no water leaks into it even during a heavy rainfall, or damages your tools.
My only gripe is that for a tool box of this size, the handle is quite small. You can only hold it with one hand, not two. Although you can still carry it with both hands from the notches included at the sides.
Milwaukee Packout Rolling Tool Box
This is a rolling toolbox from Milwaukee. It’s one of the toughest and most rugged tool boxes I’ve had the pleasure of using.
It’s not a small tool box. It’s 22 inches wide and 25 inches deep. It contains and carries a lot of tools. Your power drills, small circular saws, tool kits, hammers and other small parts will get into it comfortably.
And the beautiful thing is that it has a very long retractable handle, and it’s got wheels on it. When you load it up with tools, it gets heavy, but you don’t have to carry it. You just roll it.
The wheels are even large enough to enable you to easily roll it upstairs if you need to.
It’s also stackable. When you get other Milwaukee toolboxes of this same style and design, you can just stack them right on top of each other, and they lock in place. Or you can just get the complete set all at once. One small parts organizer at the top, a modular box unit in the middle, and the rolling box with wheels below carrying the top two.
Overall, I’d recommend this unit for someone with lots of tools, who needs something portable to move them around easily.
Dewalt ToughSystem 2.0 Box
Once you veer into the Dewalt TOUGHSYSTEM territory, you’re getting what you paid for. I’ve talked about the Dewalt TOUGHSYSTEM tool storage boxes before. I’ve had some fun with them, and I tell you, they’re the real deal.
This is a 22-inch-long, 13-inch-deep box. It’s very spacious inside and can accommodate a lot of tools and accessories. You also get a small half tray with a handle that divides the box into 2 equal halves, which you can place on either side of the box.
This box is part of the TOUGHSYSTEM lineup of Dewalt boxes. This means it’s stackable and comes in different sizes. There’s a 3 in one unit that has 3 boxes. The largest one has wheels and a long retractable handle, and there are 2 smaller boxes that stack on top of it just like the Craftsman VERSASTACK I talked about above.
You also have the option to get a TOUGHSYSTEM storage rack you can fix on your truck or garage wall, which allows you to stack several of these boxes together to create a multi-stage rack for your tools and accessories.
All of the TOUGHSYSTEM boxes are easily some of the most sturdy, strong and durable boxes I’ve ever used. They’re basically like a cooler. But very strong and durable. The latches are solid and lock in place really well with a clasping sound. And there are both top and side handles for carrying each of the boxes separately.
Milwaukee Packout Tool Box
One of the most outstanding features I really like about the Milwaukee Packout tool box is the long handle that extends end-to-end from both sides of the box.
It’s not a very small handle like the one found in most other boxes. This one is long, can be held by two people holding the box from both ends, or you can fit both of your hands in there, side-by-side to lift it up.
And when you don’t need it, you can fold it flat level with the rest of the box surface.
I really like that.
Now turning attention to the box itself, the space inside is really big and holds a lot of tools. It’s 22 inches long and 16 inches deep. Your cordless drills, your impact wrenches, grinders, sanders, battery packs, chargers and accessories will fit in there snugly and securely.
The box is made out of plastic, but not just any plastic. It’s very thick like foam plastic, but it’s also very tough and durable.
We’ve been using these in the shop for quite some time. They get thrown in the back of the truck daily, take a lot of beating, and they still hold on to this day.
The latches are heavy-duty as well. They lock in place nicely and stay locked until you unlock it by yourself.
MAXPower 16-inch Portable Tool Box
The first small portable toolbox I’ll recommend for most people is this 16-inch unit from MAXPower.
It’s the perfect tool box for the average homeowner, DIY or craftsperson for storing all the small tools they use for their projects.
You can use it to store all the small hand tools you need for your projects, from the scissors, the screwdrivers, the hammers, pliers and so on.
Inside it are 3 different compartments that fold out when you open it, making it easier for you to separate and organize whatever you store in it.
On top of the main lid, there are transparent compartments for storing very small parts like screws, nuts, clips, and any other small parts you use for your projects. I think that’s my favorite feature of this particular toolbox.
The body is made out of plastic. It’s not just any plastic. It’s very solid, durable and will take a lot of hits without getting damaged.
Ever told yourself after using a tool for the first time, “I wish I found this earlier”? Well, that’s why I built this site. I built it to help you find all the most useful and time-saving tools you can use for your projects, so you always keep your tool arsenal up to date. Be the first to know about that new tool.