Milwaukee Or DeWalt: Which Brand Has The Best Storage Solution For You

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If you enjoy doing DIY jobs around your home, you know the importance of having the right tools for the job. Investing in high-quality tools is important, too, because they're less likely to break or cause damage to the unit you're trying to repair. When you want the best results for your DIY jobs, sticking with the best power tool brands is always a smart choice, and DeWalt and Milwaukee are two of the best.

When you are willing to invest in high-quality tools, you should take another step and invest in the best tool storage solutions. They protect the tools from exposure to the elements and save you time when searching for the exact tools you need. If you trust the Milwaukee and DeWalt brands, the good news is that both manufacturers create high-end storage solutions, too, that include rolling mobile storage, stationary storage, and add-on stackable boxes with metal-reinforced stress points.

The Milwaukee Packout system consists of modular pieces you can customize to fit your storage needs perfectly. It includes totes, bags, boxes, mounting plates, and carts. The DeWalt ToughSystem 2.0 is a similar modular system that lets you create a custom mobile rolling tool storage box to best suit your requirements. It can include bags, trays, totes, rolling boxes, and permanent storage boxes. Should you go with Packout or ToughSystem? Learn more about the pros and cons of both systems.

The Milwaukee Packout system is one of the top-rated tool boxes as ranked by reviews. It has a multi-year history of giving people successful results, as Milwaukee initially launched it in 2017 and greatly expanded the system in 2022 with additional products.

One of the best parts of investing in the Milwaukee Packout system is how all the parts fit together, giving you a cohesive storage solution that stacks securely and remains connected as you move it around. Additionally, the storage boxes have a durable construction that allows them to hold heavy power tools without suffering damage, which can be important in the sometimes unpredictable conditions of a job site. Some people find that Packout perfectly fits the needs of both workers who need portable tool storage and those who are permanently storing and organizing tools inside a workshop.

Because of its cost, one of the questions critics have is whether Milwaukee's modular tool storage organizer is worth buying. The Milwaukee Packout Rolling Tool Box costs $168, and other individual components can cost anywhere from $30 to $350. Some people feel they're so expensive that it's difficult to justify investing in the system. Some reviewers find that the configuration of the storage boxes doesn't quite fit their needs, which makes it difficult to pay a premium for Packout.

Although DeWalt introduced its first ToughSystem storage products in 2011, it made significant improvements to the system in its second version, labeled 2.0. DeWalt's ToughSystem 2.0 storage system hasn't been around quite as long as the Packout system, as DeWalt introduced it in 2019.

At about $109, the DeWalt ToughSystem 2.0 Mobile Storage is cheaper than the Milwaukee base box. Additional DeWalt modular components are typically priced between $25 and $300. As a general rule, the DeWalt components are cheaper than the Packout components when you're building your own system. The DeWalt units have a durable construction that keeps your tools safe in the sometimes chaotic worksite environment. A key advantage of the ToughSystem compared to the Packout is the one-handed latches on the sides of the boxes, making them easier to access than the latches mounted to the lids of the Packout boxes.

One disadvantage of the ToughSystem is the lack of strap points on the rolling box, which would make it easier and safer to secure and move all the modular components. When certain DeWalt system components are stacked, some of the lids might not open properly because of the location of the handles. When stacking the components with drawers in the DeWalt boxes, they may wobble under significant weight, which is a disadvantage compared to the sturdier Milwaukee system of storage drawers.