The Good: Surprisingly durable, Stores most basic tools, Inexpensive
The Bad: Tool-oriented people will likely need a larger box than this, No tray.
The Basics: A good toolbox, the Keter 16" plastic toolbox does what it is supposed to by holding tools.
A few months back, I reviewed my first toolbox, the Plano 16" Pro X Deep and I was quite happy with it at the time. Unfortunately, freak accidents being what they are and a rather massive chunk of ice falling off the roof onto it and I suddenly found myself in need of a new toolbox. For that, I went with one that looked remarkably similar to the Plano, the Keter 17331490 16" Plastic toolbox. And while I have not had this one for the years I had my other one, I am already quite happy with it and confident I will have it for a good number of years.
My new toolbox is the Keter 16" Toolbox. This toolbox is a plastic toolbox which is 16” wide, 9” deep and 8” front to back. The Keter 16" Toolbox is made of a surprisingly solid black plastic which has a matte black finish. On the top lid, there are two compartments with translucent lids which have small dividers intended to store small blades, screws, nails and other small pieces one would not want knocking around the toolbox proper. These compartments open sideways and only offer storage space for two groups of small items on each side (i.e. wirenuts and screw, but nothing so long as an X-Acto blade). Unlike my prior toolbox, there is no tray in this one, which means one has an 8" X 8" X 16" space to fill with tools. That is a decent amount of depth for most hammers, mallets, and small prybars, but not a huge amount of space for a professional array of tools.
The Keter 16" Toolbox has a single latch in the front, which was a key selling point for me as it is a metal latch. The back has two metal hinges, but the front is sealed by a steel latch on an embedded steel plate. For the last five months of use, the Keter 16" Toolbox has sealed and opened as it is supposed to without any real issues. This is a surprisingly durable toolbox which has also never fallen open when I have accidentally dropped it.
The handle for the Keter 16" Toolbox is a plastic handle on the top cover for the toolbox. It has a rounded grip to comfortably fit the hand of the person using the toolbox. Like the latch, the handle has not yet shown any significant wear and no breakage, despite a few tools hitting it at awkward angles.
The Keter 16" Toolbox is appropriately durable and because it is made of plastic, it is very easy to clean. Because it is plastic, it may be hosed out if anything spills in it and one need not worry about rust.
This is a great toolbox for most home repair enthusiasts, if not those working construction who might need more space for larger tools and who would appreciate better organizational mechanisms built into their toolbox.
For objects in my toolbox, please check out my reviews of:
Stanley 66-183 Screwdriver
Stanley 8" Adjustable Wrench
Soundbest International 8" Round File
6/10
For other tool reviews, please visit my index page!
© 2010 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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