How They Stack Up: Lowe’s Kobalt Truck Tool Box vs DECKED Tool Box
Who doesn’t like extra storage and a little bit of rivalry?
A truck bed drawer system is a smart investment and owners are wise to do their due diligence and research what competitors offer. Today, we’re going to pit two heavy hitters against each other: the Lowe’s Kobalt Truck Tool Box vs the DECKED Tool Box.
When it comes to finding extra storage for your truck or cargo van, truck bed toolboxes are the obvious choice to help organize your tools and maximize storage. The problem? There are plenty of options on the market, with Lowe’s and DECKED being top-tier options. The good news? We’re here to help you choose.
Gather around folks, today, we’re going to compare two of the biggest names in truck drawer systems and help whittle down which of these two US-made brands best belong in your truck bed.
First things first, let’s quickly summarize a little bit of background for both brands.
What is the DECKED Tool Box Drawer System?
DECKED’s truck bed drawer tool boxes are a simple, DIY organization system for your truck bed or cargo van. The DECKED Tool Box comes with a built-in Drawer System, a one-stop storage solution that is nearly indestructible. With DECKED, truck and cargo drivers are given easy eacces to their equipment and gear with ease — like a filing cabinet for your vehicle.
Founded in 2013, DECKED is an all American brand, with 100% of its manufacturing done in the US, headquartered out of Northwest Ohio.
The Drawer System offers owners a do-it-yourself, easy to install toolbox option that fits into practically every model of truck and/or cargo van.
The DECKED Tool Box comes with 2,000 pounds of evenly distributed payload capacity and each drawer has a payload cap of 200 pounds.
The Drawer System has a slew of accessories and toolboxes that can pretty much turn your truck bed or cargo van into a mobile garage.
Throughout the past near decade, DECKED has put major scientific engineering into its product and conducted years of research and design to ensure its products are made from materials of the future. As DECKED puts it, this Tool Box is from this century.
What is Lowe’s Kobalt Tool Box?
Lowe’s Kobalt Tool Box is a system that offers a wide variety of low profile toolboxes and cargo management systems to help keep trucks and vans organized.
Owners can choose specially designed Lowe’s pickup truck toolboxes or a more general truck toolbox that works for many different truck styles.
Lowe’s Tool Boxes are designed in both steel and aluminium, along with an assortment of colors to complement driver’s trucks or van’s body paint.
Owners can accessorize Lowe’s Tool Boxes with cargo racks and accessories to build a customized storage system, on wheels.
Specifically, the Kobalt brand began producing toolboxes in 1998 and is headquartered out of Mooresville, North Carolina.
As we pit both brands against each other, we’re going to compare Lowe’s Kobalt Tool Box design, security, durability, accessibility, accessories, installation, and price against the DECKED Tool Box, before crowning an overall winner.
DESIGN: DECKED Tool Box vs Lowe’s Kobalt Tool Box![]()
When it comes to these two competitors, there are major differences in both product’s designs.
DECKED Tool Boxes are made out of high density polyethylene (HDPE) which is essentially the cockroach of plastics: virtually indestructible. DECKED makes its durable Tool Boxes with some galvanized steel and a little bit of aluminum as its frame and reinforcement. The Tool Box, made out of all recycled material, is constructed using injection molded high-impact resin and a UV inhibitor that keeps it from getting sun-dyed.
Lowe’s Kobalt Tool Boxes (the Aluminum Universal, Full-Size Slimline Low Profile, and Aluminum Mid-Size Truck varieties) are made out of heavy duty diamond tread plate aluminum. All models feature a stainless steel paddle handle latch feature that guides the lid striker into the lock which allows owners to easily open the box.
Toolboxes that are made entirely out of aluminum are a touch outdated. The style was popular when truck toolboxes first hit the market, over five decades ago. Because of DECKED’s contemporary design and the fact that it’s constructed out of US-made polyethylene thermoplastic polymer, we’re going to declare DECKED the winner in the overall design department. This ain’t your grandad’s toolbox, because it’s not 1973. The unfortunate truth is, toolboxes that are made completely out of aluminum will rust — it’s inevitable. We’ll chalk this one up to DECKED because it looks like it came from this century.
Winner: DECKED Tool Box
SECURITY: DECKED Tool Box vs Lowe’s Kobalt Tool Box
Besides organization and design, another important feature of toolboxes is security. Because, what’s the point of storing your goods in the back of your truck or van if they can be easily stolen?
With that said, the DECKED Drawer System is built with security in mind. It features a galvanized steel subframe with two locking points. One is the Tool Box itself and the other is the truck’s tailgate when it is up and locked. Because the Tool Box is made out of the aforementioned ultra-tough HDPE, it’s basically Fort Knox. Nobody is getting into the DECKED Tool Box or Drawer System, it’s that simple.
On the other side, Lowe’s Kobalt Tool Box is made out of aluminum which unfortunately, can be pried open rather easily with a crowbar. Lowe’s Kobalt Tool Boxes also have a tendency for its locking mechanism to break after a while and the latch and lid, because of its aluminum makeup, tend to rust and wear down over time.
Tally another point for the DECKED Tool Box.
Winner: DECKED Tool Box
DURABILITY: DECKED Tool Box vs Lowe’s Kobalt Tool Box
No truck owner wants to just stick to the concrete jungle, you want your truck to withstand all types of weather Mother Nature throws its way. The entire DECKED Truck Bed Drawer System works as tough as the drivers. The entire system is fully weatherproof and waterproof. HDPE is impervious to all types of elements and it doesn’t degrade over time. DECKED hardware is made with rust inhibitors and has built-in UV protection so none of the DECKED products will crack, dent, ding, or rust when exposed to too much sun, rain, snow, or even hail. The DECKED system is created with an upstanding lip that automatically gets overlapped by the lid, acting as a rain gutter on the product. When open, the system has a seal and gasket which covers the entire lid and the frame has anti-corrosion treated steel and aluminum hardware for added durability.
Your tools are expensive and they’ll remain in good condition inside the DECKED Drawer System and Tool Boxes. It’s impossible to dent but easy to love.
Kobalt Tool Boxes at Lowe’s don’t pass the rust test, unfortunately. The toolbox’s aluminum makeup means it's too susceptible to all of the Earth’s unavoidable elements which can result in cracks, dents, and holes. Sure, storage is important, but if it comes at the cost of ruining your equipment and tools, it might not be worth it.
Let’s rustle up another point for team DECKED.
Winner: DECKED Tool Box
ACCESSIBILITY: DECKED Tool Box vs Lowe’s Kobalt Tool Box
Because one of the highest priority with the DECKED Truck Bed Drawer System is organization, accessibility comes naturally.
DECKED uses sealed bearing skateboard-type wheels that slide out smoothly. DECKED doesn’t use tracks or slides, meaning the drawers don’t get stuck or bend. The more weight you put in them, the smoother they slide out. It’s that simple.
Lowe’s Kobalt Tool Box has one major downside — it has no storage trays. The Kobalt Tool Box varies in height, usually from 12 to 14 inches, but that’s it.
Another point for the DECKED system.
Winner: DECKED Tool Box
ACCESSORIES: DECKED Tool Box vs Lowe’s Kobalt Tool Box
DECKED offers a wide variety of add-on accessories, sort of like LEGO. Here are just a few extras to complete the DECKED Truck Bed Drawer System:
- DECKED D-Box: A large, lockable, weatherproof and gasket-seal toolbox that is safe and durable. Owners can fit two in a short drawer and three in the standard. Or, take it out and use it as a regular toolbox.
- DECKED Crossbox: A smaller version of the D-Box (but still as strong) that fits into all DECKED drawers, while keeping all of your tools safe and dry.
- DECKED Drawerganizer: Along with having a great name, the Drawerganizer helps to keep all those vitally important nuts and bolts together. When you’re looking for a smaller tool, you don’t want to go hunt for it — it’ll be in the Drawerganizer.
- DECKED Ladder: The DECKED Ladder is like magic. Tucked neatly into the Tool Box is an add-on ladder that can be pulled down to the ground which opens as seamlessly as your tailgate. Forget stepping up onto the tire to prop yourself into a tool box or your truck bed. Crawling into the back of your truck once is too many times. The DECKED ladder is one of the brand’s most popular accessories, giving truck owners a great vantage point, without sacrificing storage space.
On the Lowe’s side of things, there are a few accessories to choose from:
- Truck Box Non-Skid Mat: This mat can be cut to fit the size of any tool box. It has a soft finish to keep your items from sliding around while keeping it all protected.
- Kobalt Trailer Tongue Box: This add-on tongue box fits at the front of most trailers and is used ideally for storing tie downs and towing items.
- 5-Pocket Deep Truck Box Tray: This plastic tray helps to keep bits and pieces organized and stored inside the Kobalt Tool Box.
- LED Truck Box Light: Lowe’s LED truck light box attaches to most surfaces and has three different light settings to choose from.
DECKED’s system is more customizable and has plenty more add-ons to choose from, we’ll tally up another point for DECKED.
Winner: DECKED Tool Box
INSTALLATION: DECKED Tool Box vs Lowe’s Kobalt Tool Box
The Truck Bed Drawer System takes about two minutes to install. By using a bracket and bolt system, there’s no drill necessary. Slide the structure into your truck bed, anchor it, and slide in the drawers.
The Kobalt Tool Box has a minimal install. The system comes with leg brackets, flat and plastic washers, six nut locks, and head bolts. With a little bit of elbow grease, installation isn’t too daunting.
The DECKED DIY install is too easy to oversee, point earned.
Winner: DECKED Tool Box
PRICE: DECKED Tool Box vs Lowe’s Kobalt Tool Box
The price for the DECKED Drawer System starts at $1,349 and can range up to $2,099, depending on add-on options. It sheeps free to the continental US and includes one D-Box (in desert tan), one Crossbox (in desert tan), two drawer dividers, and one Drawerganizer. DECKED also has financing options, offering 0% APR financing for up to six months.
The Lowe’s Kobalt Tool Box ranges from $309 to $629 in price and is available for delivery across the US. Because truck owners can get the Lowe’s option for considerably cheaper, we’re going to award the Lowe’s Kobalt Tool Box as this category’s winner.
Winner: Lowe’s Kobalt Tool Box
Final Verdict
After a friendly competition, the final verdict is going to side with the DECKED Truck Bed Drawer System and Tool Box over Lowe’s Kobalt Tool Box.
Securing tools and storage capacity is an important priority for truck and cargo van owners so doing your due diligence is important to making the right choice.
We crowned the DECKED system as the winner because it has so much going for it. The entire Drawer System is easy to install, it’s durable and weatherproof, won’t ding or rust, and is all locally made in the USA.
The DECKED Truck Bed Drawer System ships for free and can be delivered right to your door, across the continental United States. Currently, the system ships within seven to fourteen days and the brand’s financing options make it an intriguing buy, even if you don’t have the money up front.
When it comes to design, security, durability, accessibility, accessories, and installation, the DECKED Truck Bed Drawer System has more benefits than that of Lowe’s Kobalt Tool Box. The Lowe’s truck tool box is about one third of the price of DECKED but cost doesn’t always reflect quality (you get what you pay for, remember?). Step up your game and give some serious consideration to the DECKED Truck Bed Drawer System, the toolbox that looks as good as your truck.
