Kennedy - let's bury this dog!

[NCjeeper]

It is interesting to see the prices people ask for their used Kennedy boxes. The only Kennedy box I have I paid 35 bucks for at a flea market. The felt inside has seen better days, but the drawers work and it is not all beat up so I figured it was a good buy.

 

[mmcmdl]

I sold all my Kennedy sets ( 5-6 complete sets , top , mid and rollers ) years ago when I bought the Vidmars . The Kennedys would not hold heavy duty tools which I was getting into . My one Kennedy mechanics box just got cleaned out and moved to the basement of shame , never to hold another mechanics tool . Only machinist tools will reside in its none weight bearing drawers .

 

[matthewsx]

Horses for courses.

Small shallow drawers make organizing specialty and measuring tools easy. My big US General boxes are great for mechanic and general tools too.

I own 4 Kennedy boxes, my dad's roller and clamshell boxes, plus two top boxes that I think I have about $175 into. The last one came with way more than that just in drill bits. I bought the front panel for that one from Kennedy because I wanted to have it in case I needed to move it loaded.
It sits on top of my dad's roller and looks the part.

We should keep in mind also that before Harbor Freight got into the act there weren't nearly as many good options new, and if you want to start in on overpriced/overhyped I think Snap On takes the cake on that one....

John

 

[woodchucker]

I have 3 Kennedy's (top) and all are great, no binding, no problems. I would suggest you check out your clips and slides. You can remove them all the way... something isn't right.
Mine have a had a bunch of weight and still worked great. I lightened them up.. I get that you are frustrated, but I can't comment on your situation. If you want, I'll take them off your hands.

I have 2 rebadged Kennedy lowers (badged Dayton), very good as well. Got them all used.

 

[Provincial]

I clean the contact surfaces of the slides and apply beeswax. Others use different lubrication, but grease and oil attract and hold dirt and other contaminants. I always felt that Kennedy chests were designed to hold measuring tools and little else. I do have some drawers loaded with lathe tool bits, drill bits, and reamers, but only the narrow drawers. The long ones are reserved for measuring tools only.

I have one bottom roller and I cleaned and lubed the slides of that one, too. One drawer is filled to the brim with combination wrenches (it just happened, not intentionally) and while it takes a strong push or pull to get it to move, once in motion it slides quite well. It takes more force to overcome the mass of the contents.

Every Kennedy I own is probably older than 1980, so I can't comment on the newer ones.

 

[jwmay]

I’ll get my shovel.

But it’s a very good point that crappy tool boxes were being made and sold for nigh on 40 years before Harbor Freight started selling good ones at good prices.
Go check out the boxes at Lowe’s. You could put a dent in most of them with your fingernail. And they ain’t cheap generally.
I do like the Bluepoint boxes. But again, the prices are up there.

 

[GeneT45]

I’ll get my shovel.

But it’s a very good point that crappy tool boxes were being made and sold for nigh on 40 years before Harbor Freight started selling good ones at good prices.
Go check out the boxes at Lowe’s. You could put a dent in most of them with your fingernail. And they ain’t cheap generally.
I do like the Bluepoint boxes. But again, the prices are up there.

That *is* a good point. It took me quite a while to find decent boxes at a reasonable price. I've flat out broken a number of 'no name' chests back in the day.
Snap-On is a little different - those are very good boxes, just fearsomely over-priced.

GsT

 

[C-Bag]

But it’s a very good point that crappy tool boxes were being made and sold for nigh on 40 years before Harbor Freight started selling good ones at good prices.

In 1980 I bought a 13dr Waterloo rollaway from HF. It was as heavy as the same SnapOn and a quarter the price. The SnapOn dealers knew that and couldn’t say anything except offer me some SnapOn stickers for it it’s held up just fine. I would have loved a Vidmar but like the SnapOn too much $$. I go by the feel opening the drawers and Kennedy I opened did not impress. By far my best recent toolbox purchase is the an old 5dr flat file I picked up for $35. Now there are some HD drawers with sealed ball bearings, and huge shallow drawers where everything is right there. Wish I’d known about them back in the day, not for rolling around in the shop but for machinist tools it’s the bomb for me.

 

[Dabbler]

@GeneT45 You bring up a great set of points. Everyone here seems to have had a parallel experience.

As do I. Sorta. Let me qualify. I own 6 Kennedy tool boxes, two Husky, One no-name offshore stainless rolling box and top, Several 1960s Craftsman and one late Craftsman that belongs in the house of shame. I have tried to by a Vidmar I really have. But guys around here pay *stupid* prices for Vidmar drawer units, usually needing new slides, etc.

There is a very good 'fit for use' argument here. The Kennedy boxes are targeted specifically in the specialist areas. Machinists and tool and die makers put their precious Interapid and Federal indicators in them. They store their transfer screws, tiny machinist squares and micrometers there. They are not *intended* for hard use, heavy use, or general use. Guys in labs, professionals, use them too. They also sell specialist watchmakers tool boxes, etc. Same goes for Gerstner.

-- see the pattern here? In their intended purpose, they last *forever* My friend Bert has a Kennedy upper/lower that he as used for 70 years. Still moves perfectly freely. "Fully" loaded all those years. Never abused or overloaded I might add.

For general tools, like wrenches, drills, angle plates and other heavier or more robust stuff, it used to be Snap-on and Craftsman were big brands. If you have opened a Snap-on tool drawer lately you know you are far better of with the newer Harbor Freight offerings at 1/5 the cost. It looks like Vidmar still has its original quality, but they are miles out of my reach.

I won't be giving up my Kennedy tool boxes any time soon. I have under 300$ invested in them and they hold my micrometers and pin punches very well, thank you. But I'm no religious convert. Of all my tool boxes, only the Husky rolling cabinet and upper were bought new. On sale. At a bargain price... That's my pattern: Bang for the buck.

-- If an affordable Vidmar came along I wouldn't say no. But I'm always in need of more drawers.

 

[682bear]

Since C-Bag mentioned Waterloo...

When I started my current job back in 1997, the company had a program in place which allowed us to buy tools and boxes from Mac, Snap-on, and MSC on credit and make payments by payroll deduction. The first purchase I made was a Waterloo 14 drawer ball-bearing roll-around... it was $400...



About 4 years later, I brought that box home to use and replaced it at work with a new Waterloo 23 drawer ball bearing combo... the bottom was $450, the top was $350...



I still own both boxes... they have been good, solid boxes... with a few repairs here and there on the blue one.

However, the last time I checked the price on these, just the bottom box was over $1400...! They aren't worth that... not by a long shot...

As far as the Kennedy boxes... I have two roll-arounds and two upper boxes... I have a grand total of $200 in all four... they are very useable, but I agree that they are not worth what they cost new. They are designed to be a light duty box.

-Bear