Kobalt Tools must have ripped a page straight from a Home Improvement TV show script when they designed the flagship of their cleverly designed tool line, the 53-inch stainless steel tool chest. Much like Tim Taylor’s completely over-the-top renovations that featured gadgets and amenities popping out of every nook and cranny, the Kobalt tool chest has been outfitted with an array of outrageous add-ons that will likely make it the envy of every nosy neighbor and tech-minded mechanic.
As the Tool Man himself would probably say, there’s only one trait that makes a tool chest worthy of that kind of admiration. Power. 120 volts, to be exact. The Kobalt tool chest uses a connection to a standard wall outlet to power a fully functional refrigerator, Pioneer sound system, LED lights, and power strip, making it one of the most versatile tool chests we’ve ever seen.
From the outside, it looks a lot like any other tool chest you might find in a finely equipped shop, minus the gaudy red paint job. This one’s naked: clad head to toe in bare stainless steel. Besides looking much classier than the old standby, you also won’t have to worry about it chipping or rusting, meaning it should be the shining jewel of your (otherwise filthy) garage for years to come.
Image Courtesy of Kobalt Tools
Underneath that hulking steel chassis, there’s a heavy-duty caster system that’s a step above standard. The wheels are built to handle 4,000 pounds – likely more than the car you might use your tools to work on – and they include a suspension system to smooth out the rolling over rough surfaces. Granted, you’re not going to be plowing this thing down a gravel parking lot like an F-150, but those tiny yellow shocks just might give you hand when you’re careening over the divots and cracks in your garage floor.
Inside, things start to get weird. For starters, the bottom left-hand drawer on this beast isn’t a drawer at all. It’s a discretely integrated fridge to squirrel away your lunch and other treats alongside your ratchets and wrenches. With 1.6 cubic feet of capacity, it’s only about the size of your basic dorm fridge, but that should leave plenty of room for a few cold brews to crack open for small shop victories, like celebrating the removal of that stripped bolt, or hearing a dead engine purr to life again for the first time.
And if you need a little musical accompaniment for your accomplishments, the Kobalt chest will oblige in that department as well. The top of the chest flips away to reveal a stereo speaker system from Pioneer, complete with a head unit hiding behind a little stainless steel door near the top. Metallica, anyone?
And if you need a little musical accompaniment for your accomplishments, the Kobalt chest will oblige in that department as well. The top of the chest flips away to reveal a stereo speaker system from Pioneer, complete with a head unit hiding behind a little stainless steel door near the top. Metallica, anyone?
At $1,600, there’s no question that the Kobalt chest is a little on the pricy side, but when a comparably sized chest from a big name like Snap-On can cost just as much, it’s worth weighing the options. We haven’t seen anyone park a 21,000 pound dump truck on Kobalt’s tool chests, ala Snap-On [PDF], but we suspect weekend warriors and mechanics that practically spend their lives at the shop might find cold drinks and music just as worthwhile as that little trick. More information can be found at Kobalt’s Web site.
