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[Viral_Jim]

Just bought the three piece advanced tool chest at my local Halfords for £465 (rrp about £720). Trade club offer, but they just signed me up in store so no worries there. Very happy with the quality for that kind of money.

[Sir Tigger KC]

I'd want more than three pieces in my toolbox for £465!        

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

Just bought the three piece advanced tool chest at my local Halfords for £465 (rrp about £720). Trade club offer, but they just signed me up in store so no worries there. Very happy with the quality for that kind of money.

Do you have a link to pictures, Jimmy?

[TheBoy]

Just bought the three piece advanced tool chest at my local Halfords for £465 (rrp about £720). Trade club offer, but they just signed me up in store so no worries there. Very happy with the quality for that kind of money.

The black ones?  Decent stuff, though keep an eye on paint flaking early on (and insist they replace if it does).

[YZ250]

I see that the 200 piece advanced socket set has gone back up to £330. When I went in a couple of weeks back it was reduced to £200, which is a massive saving, although I’d never pay the full price as they are periodically reduced throughout the year. 
The advanced stuff is lifetime guarantee and My experience is that they do honour with no quibble. 

[biggriffin]

I see that the 200 piece advanced socket set has gone back up to £330. When I went in a couple of weeks back it was reduced to £200, which is a massive saving, although I’d never pay the full price as they are periodically reduced throughout the year. 
The advanced stuff is lifetime guarantee and My experience is that they do honour with no quibble. 

 I'm old enough to remember paying £150 for mine..

[YZ250]

I see that the 200 piece advanced socket set has gone back up to £330. When I went in a couple of weeks back it was reduced to £200, which is a massive saving, although I’d never pay the full price as they are periodically reduced throughout the year. 
The advanced stuff is lifetime guarantee and My experience is that they do honour with no quibble. 

 I'm old enough to remember paying £150 for mine..

I'm sure that's what I paid for mine. The plastic hinges failed on my case (case not covered under lifetime guarantee) so I replaced them with proper hinges and put swing over catches to hold it closed.  The case has been modified since I bought mine.

[Viral_Jim]

Do you have a link to pictures, Jimmy?

Top box
Middle box
bottom box

They are the narrower ones, which TBH suits me fine as floor space is at a premium for me. With all three stacked the top cabinet is at eye level (I'm a hair over 6'0") so works really nicely. It will also accept a side cabinet if I manage to fill it up which is unlikely as I'm consciously trying to buy fewer tools. 

I'm old enough to remember paying £150 for mine..

Think I paid £150-160 on a boxing day sale for mine about 5yrs ago and it's been excellent. Only things I've broken have been hex bit sockets, all replaced without argument or question 

The black ones?  Decent stuff, though keep an eye on paint flaking early on (and insist they replace if it does).

Yes, but slightly different now I think. There used to be the bog standard (red), professional (also red iirc) and industrial (black). My dad got the industrial about 15yrs ago and it's still fine. Now it's just advanced (black matte finish), they seem to have the same soft close and metal latches as the old industrial. So I bought them on that basis. Plus anything else I'd be shooting in the dark and paying £750+.

[countrywoman]

But I have a 50 year old Snap On box that is still perfect and it was used when I got it from the dealer!!!! Top, middle and roll cab with side shelf.

[Viral_Jim]

But I have a 50 year old Snap On box that is still perfect and it was used when I got it from the dealer!!!! Top, middle and roll cab with side shelf.

I'd love a strap on box  . But even in battered condition they are way more than I'm going to pay these days.

[biggriffin]

But I have a 50 year old Snap On box that is still perfect and it was used when I got it from the dealer!!!! Top, middle and roll cab with side shelf.

I'd love a strap on box  . But even in battered condition they are way more than I'm going to pay these days.

 Snap on is Overpriced to allow the dealers to make a living, there's other tools which are just as good for half the price, I have a very mixed tool collection, Even when earning a living with them I didn't buy much Snap-on, My Cabinets are Sealey HD, I've a Snap-on middle which I acquired as payment,

[YZ250]

But I have a 50 year old Snap On box that is still perfect and it was used when I got it from the dealer!!!! Top, middle and roll cab with side shelf.

I'd love a strap on box  . But even in battered condition they are way more than I'm going to pay these days.

 Snap on is Overpriced to allow the dealers to make a living, there's other tools which are just as good for half the price, I have a very mixed tool collection, Even when earning a living with them I didn't buy much Snap-on, My Cabinets are Sealey HD, I've a Snap-on middle which I acquired as payment,

When I was working we had a big (red) Snap-On trolley with all the drawers and top cabinet which cost our company thousands. Each drawer had the foam organiser in which cost absolutely stupid money for a bit of foam. Only benefit was that you instantly knew something was missing, so it was like a shadow board.
Our second tool chest was a Snap-On (black). We kitted it out with Blue-Point (so still Snap-On) but we didn’t have the foam organisers, we just had the rubber drawer liner. We obviously got far more in the one without the organisers as we just used socket rails, spanner racks etc. which are as cheap as chips.
Only really worth paying the price if it’s your trade, as they’re too expensive for the DIY’er.

[Viral_Jim]

I'd agree with all of that, for me, snap on just isn't worth it for a DIY'er. And tbh even if I was in the trade I'd probably only buy a few bits.

When I was working we had a big (red) Snap-On trolley with all the drawers and top cabinet which cost our company thousands. Each drawer had the foam organiser in which cost absolutely stupid money for a bit of foam. Only benefit was that you instantly knew something was missing, so it was like a shadow board.

When I worked for GKN a few of our aerospace sites that did engine assembly had snap on boxes that had foam cut outs, but also had built in scales on each drawer so the box 'knew' if there was something missing. Any gaps and it would put a red light on on the drawer front. Foreman had to sign off on the boxes being full before an engine could progress to the next work station.

All in aid of certification and to ensure you didn't put a jet in the air with an extra 10mm socket in the fan casing 

[Doctor Gollum]

I'd agree with all of that, for me, snap on just isn't worth it for a DIY'er. And tbh even if I was in the trade I'd probably only buy a few bits.

When I was working we had a big (red) Snap-On trolley with all the drawers and top cabinet which cost our company thousands. Each drawer had the foam organiser in which cost absolutely stupid money for a bit of foam. Only benefit was that you instantly knew something was missing, so it was like a shadow board.

When I worked for GKN a few of our aerospace sites that did engine assembly had snap on boxes that had foam cut outs, but also had built in scales on each drawer so the box 'knew' if there was something missing. Any gaps and it would put a red light on on the drawer front. Foreman had to sign off on the boxes being full before an engine could progress to the next work station.

All in aid of certification and to ensure you didn't put a jet in the air with an extra 10mm socket in the fan casing 

The sign out sheet and tool counts as well as the tool box check before and after all have to be signed by the storeman, the B1/2 sponsible for the aircraft and the C responsible for the shift.

And if you did lose something and didn't report it, ie it was found to be missing during the end of shift check, and there wasn't a very good reason, then you can potentially lose any privileges of licence/approval and potentially your job. Equally if you found something missing when you went for it, you had to report it instantly. Usually it was because someone had picked it up to use it in the vicinity rather than going down to the boxes/stores.

But it is most definitely a thing and actually pretty good practice, even at home.

Most everything is engraved or watched to the box it comes from and you sign for it either via the storeman or the electronic draws.

[Viral_Jim]

And if you did lose something and didn't report it, ie it was found to be missing during the end of shift check, and there wasn't a very good reason, then you can potentially lose any privileges of licence/approval and potentially your job. Equally if you found something missing when you went for it, you had to report it instantly. Usually it was because someone had picked it up to use it in the vicinity rather than going down to the boxes/stores.

My dad worked for RR at Hucknall in the 1970's, apprentice first, then fitter, testing and later config. While he was a fitter, they had a shift where one of the teams had misplaced a socket in the build up of an RB211, they searched everywhere, spent the second half of the shift tearing the engine back down looking for it. Nothing, couldn't find it

End of shift one of the guy's found it had dropped through a hole in his overalls pockets into the turn-up of his jeans.

Unpopular doesn't even begin to cover it