HART Tool Storage
HART 36CH4XD and 36MWC5XD Tool Chest Combination Review
HART 36CH4XD and 36MWC5XD Tool Chest Combination Review
Manufacturer: HART
Model number: 36CH4XD and 36MWC5XDIn April and May of 2020, I moved into a new shop and I thought it was a great time to get started on the next steps to organize. A few months later, I found a cornerstone piece – the Hart upper and lower tool chests. Unfortunately, COVID, spinal issues, and the craziness of 2020 meant that I did not start the review process until very recently. To date, I have not yet started the process of loading this storage unit with tools. I hope the lull between Christmas and New Year will give me the time to outfit the HART Tool Storage units.
Historically, tool storage chests, rolling cabinets, carts, and specialty toolboxes have been making mechanics’ and technicians’ jobs easier for a long time. Today, contractors, woodworkers, and anyone who has countless tools to keep track of can appreciate the storage capability and organization that a large, high-capacity tool storage chest provides.
If you stroll in any of the home improvement centers near you, you will see a wide variety of tool storage chests and cabinets. They come in many different sizes and quality. This HART Mobile Chest and Base combination is on the very large end of the spectrum, represents a great value and is certainly worthy of your attention.
HART Tool Storage – Tool Chest and Base Combination
HART fabricated their 36-inch wide steel tool chest top as an industrial-grade storage, organization, and mobile unit that will stand up to every day tough use. Coupled with the HART base, this combination rolling storage system is what most folks call a “mechanics tool chest. This is a huge piece of equipment that will no doubt help you keep your workshop or garage space clutter-free.
If you are looking for this exact configuration, I wanted to note that this particular base unit is a very popular and fast moving product, The link for it is https://www.walmart.com/ip/Hart-36-In-Wide-x-24-In-6-Drawer-Rolling-Tool-Caninet-HART36TR6XD/782856863. HART produces a slightly different model that you should consider.
If you are looking on line, you will see that HART offers a nearly identical unit with 5 drawers that has an integrates power strip and a wooden top for the base cabinet. The 5 drawer base unit is model 36MWC5XD. Again, the major difference between the two bases is that the newer version comes with a wooden removable top and an integrated power strip with six outlets and two USB ports.
The 36MWC5XD power strip is on the right side as you face the unit. You can see the convenient cord storage and the vertical orientation of the power strip.
HART Tool Storage – Drawers
Both the Upper and Lower components have soft-closing ball bearing slides that prevent them from slamming shut. The drawer slides are rated for 100 lb. capacity per drawer. The drawers have full-width light Blue colored drawer pulls. I tried to open each drawer using only the very end and the slides worked flawlessly. The drawers open with a bit of a pull, but I am ok with that. I am reminded when I open a drawer that I am using a very well-designed storage unit. The self-closing is a nice feature because there never will be a slammed drawer. A side benefit is that whatever you place in the drawers will remain in place when you shut any drawer.
The lower drawer in the lower unit is 10” deep and can accommodate larger tools.
The drawer area is really impressive in size. A full 36 in x 24 area is a lot of real estate. I expect that I will spread out my various collections of pliers or screwdrivers or sockets. That way, I will easily spot what I am looking for.
HART includes full-width foam drawer liners for each drawer and for the hutch top.
I think I will look into drawer organizational dividers so that I can use the drawers for more than one tool type if it works out that way. For example, I think I will take one half of a drawer and use it for ¼” drive sockets and the other half for my 3/8” drive tools. I can see another drawer divided in the exact same configuration for my metric sockets.
HART Tool Storage – Upper Tool Chest
The HART 36CH4XD tool chest is another impressive component. It has four sturdy soft-close drawers and a top hutch with a front opening lid. This unit has an enormous capacity of 7,559 cubic inches of storage space.
The same blue aluminum full-width drawer pulls come on the upper chest. These pulls operate with the same ease as the lower cabinet and can be opened using the far end of the pull on either side. Similarly, these drawers will not slam shut and that ensures that whatever is in the drawer stays in place.
The hutch door is full width and opens up to allows me to place large items on or take off the shelf. The weight of the hutch door is counter-balanced with two gas struts, one on each side. The top opens and closes effortlessly with the assist from these struts.
I like the power strip that comes with the unit and is located on the right-hand side of the shelf. The strip contains 5 outlets and two USB ports, One of the outlets is offset from the others and allows me to place a large power pack or adapter in that location and not lose an adjacent outlet location. That is a well thought out feature.
Durable
The HART constructed the mobile tool chest upper unit out of double-layered steel walls. The base frame has a heavy-duty, welded steel construction. In case the user dents the inside walls, The outside of the tool chest will remain intact. The entire unit has a black powder-coated finish. I expect that this finish will last for a long time under normal wear and tear in the shop. The bottom chest has the same powder coating.
Mobility
HART combination chest has 5-inch x 2-inch wide industrial-grade casters and easily glide along the floor. The set of wheels on the right side swivel to allow you to move the unit around the workshop. These casters will support 1,200 pounds of load. The swivel casters lock with a foot-operated lever and the cabinet will certainly stay in place while the wheel locks are engaged.
The combined empty weight of the two units is over 310 pounds, so along with the tool load; the casters need to support a heavy load.
The right end of the workbench has a full-size tubular side handle at the swivel-caster-end of the chest. I like the heft and diameter of this handle and it makes moving the unit around the shop a breeze.
I also find that I guide the combined unit with the handles that are located on the side of the upper chest. These handles are flush to the side when not pulled out. I find them a handy way to maneuver it around the shop.
HART Tool Storage – Capacity
The HART combined tool chest is a large unit. The upper component has a capacity of 13,987 cubic inches. The lower unit has a larger capacity of 17,014 cubic inches. Together, these two pieces provide the user with over 31,000 cubic inches of capacity.
Security
To keep the contents of the tool chests secure, you use the locks in the top drawer of the bottom unit and the lock in the bottom of the top unit. HART ships the workbench with a set of [2] keys for each lock. One key will lock all of the drawers for that particular unit.
36CH4XD Upper Cabinet Features and Specifications
- Welded Steel Construction with Black Powder Coat Finish
- Weight – 135.3 lbs.
- Full-width Blue aluminum Drawer Pulls
- 13,987 cubic inches of storage
- 100 lb. rated Soft-Closing Ball-Bearing Drawer Slides
- Gas Struts assist with opening and closing the top lid
- Integrated Power Strip with 4 Outlets and 2 USB Ports
- Drawer Liners and Top Mat included
- Coordinating Rolling Cabinet (Model HART36TR6XD) sold separately
- Product Dimensions: 35.8 inches Wide x 24.2 inches Deep x 25 inches High
- 3-year Limited Warranty
36TR6XD Lower Cabinet Features and Specifications
- Welded Steel Construction with Black Powder Coat Finish
- Weight – 163.5 lbs.
- Full-width Blue aluminum Drawer Pulls
- Soft Closing Ball-Bearing Drawer Slides support up to 100 pounds.
- 17,014 cubic inches of storage
- Double set of slides on the 9.75-inch deep bottom drawer
- Internal Locking Mechanism with two keys included
- Drawer Liners included
- 5-Inch x 2-Inch Casters support up to 1200 pounds.
- Product Dimensions: 36 inches Wide x 24.5 inches Deep x 37.1 inches High
- 3-year Limited Warranty
HART Tool Storage – Price
HART sells the tool chest components separately. The Upper unit 36CH4XD is priced at $282.00 at Walmart. The lower unit that I have is the 36TR6XD and it is priced at $ 332.00, again at Walmart. The wooden-topped 5-drawer base unit 36MWC5XD is priced at $367.00
Summary
Besides just being a place to store tools, tool chests provide two basic functions: organization and security. An organized toolbox makes it easier to find what you need, saving time and ultimately making you more productive
I am glad to say that long ago, I graduated from milk crates and mud buckets for organizing my tools. I currently have a number of smaller capacity tool chests and toolboxes. While I am far from reaching the stage where everything has its designated place in the shop, no duplicates, and a shop floor devoid of temporary storage items. The size of this HART configuration will make a marked difference in my shop. The addition of this HART Combination Tool Chest will be a dramatic step along the way.
The HART Tool Storage 36CH4XD upper unit, 36TR6XD and 36MWC5XD with their rugged design, heavy-duty construction, large capacity drawers, safe and accessible tool storage, have all of the features of a great tool chest solution. The care and quality that HART put into this tool storage system will not only make it functional, durable, and secure but also become a focal point piece in your shop or garage.
I have looked at a lot of tool chest and storage solutions and I rank these HART solutions as an excellent value for the money.
Start Getting Organized!!
About the author
Stan Durlacher
Stan has been involved with Design and Construction in the commercial industry since 1975. He is currently the President of Design and Construction for a major St Petersburg, FL developer. Before that, he was a Project Executive for a prominent Boston Construction Manager, building high-rise apartment and office buildings. One of the hallmarks of his career has been innovative problem-solving. As Assistant Secretary of Transportation for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Stan was instrumental in bringing the hydro mill slurry wall machinery and technology to Boston in the 1990s for use on the Central Artery Third Harbor Tunnel Project. Stan has been an avid woodworker since college and brings an innovative point of view to this field. Before Florida, he owned an 1886 farmhouse near Concord, Mass, and his skills and time were never idle for long. His barn and attached spaces serve as his ever-expanding workshop. Stan is a self-avowed tool hound. In 2013, Stan decided to design and build his own CNC router. This machine has become a centerpiece of his woodworking and craft focus. Stan will share many of the ways that this innovative technology has solved many current problems and how CNC will begin to impact the woodworking and home renovation businesses.
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From above
“HART sells the tool chest components separately. The Upper unit 36CH4XD is priced at $282.00 at Walmart. The lower unit that I have is the 36TR6XD and it is priced at $ 3332.00, again at Walmart. The wooden-topped 5-drawer base unit 36MWC5XD is priced at $367.00”
When you mention the lower unit’s price, you have included an extra digit. The price is not $3332.00
How about $332.00?
Thanks nice catch.
How can I get a key for my tool chest. The key number is A11
You’d need to contact HART Customer Service.
Hello and thanks for the great review – I was wondering if your top hutch has an issue where the side walls are bulged out ever so slightly where the top shelf is? On mine, the right hand side has a noticeable bulge outwards at the level of the shelf, you can both see and feel it. On the left hand side it is less visible, but you can still feel a slight bulge. Wondering if this is common with the unit or if I may have gotten a defective one that I should return/exchange. Thanks in advance for any help you can provide!
Hi Frank. My upper chest has no bulge on either side as you described. I went and checked the sides near the top shelf and they are extremely flat. If it is causing you issues, I recommend you get a replacement.