The title says it all really. However, let me share with you what is probably one of the silliest toolboxes I have ever seen because everyone wants a tool box with a clock, speakers, and a battery for charging phones — oh yeah it also holds tools!
When I came across this in my daily web travels, I just had to shake my head. Coolbox looks like a cheap plastic tool box with a bunch of things tacked on for the questionable price of $199. You can pre-order this thing, and it won’t get to you until February 2017.
So what does this “Coolbox” have? Well:
POWER
- 8ft AC Extension Cable
- 3 Fused AC Ports (Female)
- 2 USB DC Ports (Female)
HANDLES
- Dual Side Handles / Single Top Handle
- Premium Metal Lid Latches
- Able to Support 60lbs of Equipment
MAGNETIC LID
- Neodymium magnetic molded into underside of the Lid
- Able to hold 500g
AUDIO
- Dual 20W RMS 8Ohm Marine Grade Speakers
- Bluetooth 4.0 (BLE) Wireless Connectivity
- 3.5mm Aux input
DETACHABLE LED LAMP
- Custom Designed with internal rechargeable battery
- 480 Lumens Max Brightness
- Dual Brightness Settings
- 4 Hour Battery Life
MOBILE DEVICE INTEGRATION
- Custom Tablet Stand on Top cover (exterior)
- Custom Tablet Stand near Lid Hinge (interior)
- Hidden Mobile Phone compartment behind main logo on front
WHITEBOARD
- Removable and Clips into Underside of Lid
- Dual Side / Dry Erase Surface
- L12″xW17″
Some list, eh? So why is this a bad idea? Well, one problem I see right off the bat is that this stuff all probably adds extra weight to the toolbox which is also going to hold very heavy tools. Not exactly something I am looking for. Another is that products such as these tend to not be great at anything including the intended purpose: to hold tools. Also, have you ever had a TV with VCR or DVD player integrated? What happened to the TV when the DVD player died? Well, it still worked except you had to attach to it another DVD player and the integrated one is useless and probably makes the TV larger than it needs to be. The same with the Coolbox.
If the clock goes out in it, you’ll need to carry a clock. What happens if the internal battery dies? Can you buy a replacement battery or is that dead battery now dead weight? This extra stuff just seems to me to be too extra. While I am sure some guys might need that crap, I already have all of that and then some, and it all works. Some of my gear can even fit into a regular toolbox, and if something breaks I replace it and not the whole entire thing.
So what would I suggest? How about this tool box below.
This is the Blue Hawk 30.5-in Black Plastic Wheeled Tool Box is available now at Lowes for $49.98. It has a huge capacity, wheels, some trays inside, and not much else but it will work! All the time. Until you break it — and then you STILL haven’t spent the price of the Coolbox even after you buy another.
The Coolbox ain’t so cool. It advertises itself as the worlds smartest tool box. To me it’s dumb. I’ll take any number of cheaper alternatives that will do the job better and not have all the extra added weight for things I may not even need to carry. I’ll stick to the ones I already have.
Oh, and to the folks at Coolbox: if you want to send me one to review to try to prove me wrong, go ahead. You might convince me, but I am pretty leery that this is the Smartest Toolbox in the world.
