I Had To Know More About How The Husky Rolling Tool Bag…Rolls

I Had To Know More About How The Husky Rolling Tool Bag…Rolls

 

A new assignment: Evaluate the Husky rolling tool bag to see how useful it might be in my contracting business.

First step: Go to Husky’s website and look at the background details on the product, see what it does, how it’s made, where it’s made, how strong it is. The usual information.

Wait, the Husky website is about fuel and has nothing to do with the Husky-branded, tool-related items I’ve seen and shopped at various retail outlets and websites for decades. I can’t find much about the Husky 22 inch rolling tool bag, nor the Husky 24 inch rolling tool bag. And the Husky 14 inch rolling tool bag? Nope. The Husky 18 rolling tool bag? No luck on that one either. If I wanted to know about Husky 22 inch rolling tool bag accessories, I’d be SOL.

So I went to my trusty F-150, unlocked my DECKED Drawer System, slid open one of the long ones and pulled out a spade. I thought I would need some help to dig up more information about Husky.

For a company with such a familiar brand, Husky hides its heritage in a strange way. I like to know who makes the things I buy, where they are made and how well they are backed.

So the obscurity of Husky made me wonder about the viability of the products. Just because the name sounds strong doesn’t mean the products are. Marketing can be misleading. I think my mother told me that.

And then I found the answer was just up the street from my home.

Husky, although a brand around since 1924, is actually the store brand for Home Depot and had been since 1992, when Home Depot made a deal with Stanley, which had acquired National Hand Tool. Do you follow that?

I guess Home Depot’s rights make Husky handy if not exactly transparent about all of that.

It’s quite a difference when you compare this rolling tool bag to the options provided by DECKED. And therein lies the story.

 

About the tool bag

I run my contracting business out of my pickup truck, and every item I carry inside and every place that item is stored has a purpose and provides a security that means everything to me.

If an item is precious or as delicate as paper, I know it will be kept dry and secure in my DECKED Drawer System and the various storage units I have purchased to use inside those tubs. That’s a foundational requirement. Each unit is like part of my office.

When I look at the Husky rolling tool bag, I find an interesting and perhaps useful concept – but also an item that doesn’t appear to know what it wants to be.

At first glance the bag looks durable, like it could transport heavy items. The specifications suggest it can hold 100 pounds, but that’s a heavy load for a bag made of canvas.

At second glance, this bag looks more like something you would carry onto an airplane to accommodate a change of clothes, toiletries, and your portable electronics.

Or maybe it seems to be a portable cooler for a tailgate party or a picnic.

It’s easy for me to see this bag in any of those roles.

And that’s because it rolls.

And it has a telescopic handle that makes rolling easier, even if it doesn’t pivot like typical roll-on luggage.

That’s nice, but would anyone who carries around tools want to be seen with such a mechanism?

Here’s how Husky – errr, Home Depot – describes this item:

“The large main compartment on the rolling tool tote provides easy access to hand tools, parts, or accessories, while 18 storage pockets make it easy to keep your items organized…also features an external tape measure loop for easy access. This rugged design holds up to 100 lbs. and is crafted with 600 Denier water-resistant material, making it a perfect choice for rough job site conditions.”

But the bag just doesn’t feel like it’s ready for rough job site conditions. Especially not when compared with the various options offered by DECKED.

After all, the rolling tool bag is only 18 inches by 17 inches and 9 inches deep. It does have 13 built-in pockets. Those are nice, but they are meager offerings to the organization that makes efficiency in the building industry.

And one more thing: I’m sure the wheels and handle are great rolling around a garage or even loading inside a truck. I can see those advantages and embrace them.

But most of the work sites I traverse are, for much of the time in process, made up of mud, debris, water, and otherwise uneven terrain. That telescopic handle and those wheels wouldn’t be of much use.

That means the 100 pounds of tools have to be carried anyway in a tool bag that doesn’t provide that option with any great aplomb.

 

Let’s compare

This is like throwing one pebble into the vast ocean of opportunity, but we have to understand how DECKED can provide every bit of the ease that a Husky rolling tool bag can provide – and a whole lot more.

Let’s go back to the basics of the DECKED Drawer System to understand how it provides a foundation for meeting my needs.

DECKED is a customized structure of drawers and compartments that fit squarely into the base of my truck. I drive an F-150, as I said, but this will work in any brand or size of truck. You can fit a DECKED Drawer System into your van or similar commercial vehicle. There are a variety of sizes – even options for colors – and I found fitting the bed was very simple.

The DECKED Drawer System is a seamless tub that fits my Ford securely and snugly. I installed it myself. You may have looked at inserts sold at a variety of retail outlets or tried to construct your own storage system, but DECKED just makes it much simpler, stronger, and – in my experience – much more secure.

DECKED has two long drawers that slide open onto my lift gate, and inside I employ a variety of Tool Boxes that serve those basic needs of my business, to contain the items I require in the way that works best for me. I love the versatility. I think in the end that’s why I liked the DECKED system.

Earlier I mentioned keeping my spade in a long drawer, which I do, along with shovels and rakes. Maybe you like to go fishing. This drawer can hold your poles or maybe the structure for a tent or awning. I even have seen friends keep their golf clubs inside. And you know how valuable those are.

DECKED also has inserts to carry rifles, which allow various weapons to be secured, with space for ammunition and other hunting elements. They call it this product Piecekeepers.

The greater value is in the second drawer, where I use a system of boxes and trays to hold so many smaller and more delicate items. I keep a laptop and company documents in them.

There’s also a box where I have a cooler for my lunch, snacks, and sometimes some beers for my crew on a hot Friday afternoon. Do you think that makes me their hero?

 

What you get

Now the marketing for that Husky Rolling Tool Bag (Home Depot) is that it provides a unique and handy structure, convenience, and organization for smaller items. But here are the options DECKED offers with its system of tool boxes that can be used in that drawer structure.

Each DECKED Tool Box comes standard with a waterproof D-Box that hangs inside the tub.  And each DECKED system includes these items that I mentioned earlier:

•  A D-Box and a CrossBox (in either Desert Tan or blue and black) that have nest storing
• A Snack Tray (which fits firmly in the DECKED tool boxes) is handy not only for snacks I eat but for smaller tools and gear, like ammo or golf balls or fishing lures or baseball gloves
•  A D-Bag (with the D-Rito Tool Roll, which snaps inside the D-Bag – more on this later)

 

This is a key point: Each drawer can hold up to 200 pounds, so you can manage your limits. And get this: Everything opens and closes with spring locks, so you won’t be slamming your fingers.

 

DECKED also offers a singularly mounted Tool Box, as are available in many brands, including Husky, but this box can include an optional Integrated Ladder for access from the side of the truck. This aluminum ladder slides out of the box and reaches the ground no matter how elevated your truck might be.

 

Another big edge

The tool box system is constructed of high-impact polymer and galvanized steel reinforced by aluminum designed to handle any item you throw at it. It’s also rust-proof. Durability is automatic.

That corrosion-proof exterior extends inside. All those boxes are waterproof, sealed tight by firm gaskets. The Tool Box has a seamless lid and tub, so water doesn’t get trapped inside. And the lip on top allows the rain to stream off.

The DECKED Drawer System also makes it tough on would-be thieves. Its sturdy structure can’t be opened with a crowbar. The design for the lid limits places where a pry bar could be inserted. That reinforced steel feels impenetrable.

A steel-armored locking mechanism combines with a driver-side lock to make forced entry nearly impossible. There are two keys, and the lid has to be open before a Tool Box can be removed from the bed of the truck.

That means everything I put inside – including those paper items and my laptop – are well protected.

 

Here’s the essence

Now all of that is why I purchased and loved my DECKED Drawer System, but it’s like using a nuclear weapon when compared to the Husky Rolling Tool Bag. So let’s be fair. What does DECKED provide that might be directly comparable to the tool bag?

Well how about that D-Rito Tool Roll, which snaps inside a D-Bag provided with the drawers?

The D-Bag provides me a lot of versatility because it’s really a backpack that I can use for a lot of activities, not just business. It also has that Tool Roll, which means I can use it for the exact same purpose as Husky’s bag. There’s also a duffle option to hook on.

This bag is weather-resistant and has aluminum handles on both ends. The straps are removable, and the zippers are sturdy. You know how those things can hang up.

And if size matters, this bag is 19 x 16 x 9 inches and offers about 2,500 cubic inches inside. So it’s slightly larger than Husky’s rolling bag.

So the only difference is the wheels, right? I didn’t consider that to matter very much.

 

The final piece

There is one other key element in comparing products, and it really takes us back to the beginning: Who is behind these items?

If Husky is really Home Depot, I get that, but where does Home Depot have these bags manufactured? What is their commitment beyond the advertised 3-year, limited warranty?

For what it’s worth – and it’s worth quite a lot – DECKED offers as LIFETIME warranty that is spelled out right on its website. You have that backing, too.

What gives me peace is that I know DECKED’s components are manufactured in Defiance, Ohio. The company’s website describes how its developers spent nearly three years designing, engineering and evaluating products until DECKED was opened in 2013.

Since then, the website touts, about 5,000 customers like me have given an average of 4.8 stars on a 5-star review system. They would seem satisfied.

DECKED is proud of its heritage and its employees’ commitments to its products and quality. If you visit our about us page, you will be introduced to the smiling face of each team member.

That’s putting a face on a product, not hiding it behind a huge retail brand or murky ancestry. Most customers like familiarity, and I’m one of them. This makes my purchase almost personal.

OK, I like Husky’s products. I’ve owned several of them, but I also buy selectively. I choose for my best needs and the best value.

No question I can sometimes spend less, but this is business, and I don’t want to receive less than I need.

So I’m willing to spend a little more on DECKED. After all, I know what I’m getting, and I know where it’s coming from.

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