Icon Or US General: How To Choose The Best Harbor Freight Tool Box Brand For You

If you are a keen DIYer or home auto enthusiast, your collection of tools can soon outgrow the small, portable boxes most people start out with. If you want to take things to the next level and organize your garage like a professional, chances are you'll look at steel carts and rolling tool boxes like those offered by the Harbor Freight brands Icon and U.S. General. So how do you choose between them?

The U.S. General range is much more extensive and varied than Icon's. It starts with a highly rated mini toolbox and extends through 88 different models. By comparison, there are just 11 Icon tool boxes. Prices for the latter are two or three times higher, and each has 'Professional' in its name, giving a strong indication of who the brand is targeting. DIYers and hobbyists will probably find all they need with U.S. General.

To provide a quick comparison, we checked out the U.S. General 56 Inch x 22 Inch Rolling Cabinet (at $899.99) and the similarly sized Icon 56 Inch x 25 Inch Professional Rolling Cabinet (at $2499.00). Both are steel, both have rolling and locking casters (though the Icon's are visibly more heavy-duty), and both have ball-bearing slides for the drawers. However, the weight capacity gives a clue to the difference in the underlying construction. At 4400 pounds, the U.S. General seems pretty good, but at 8000 pounds, the Icon is clearly a lot stronger.

There are plenty of popular tool boxes that aren't worth buying, according to reviews, but both of these brands receive stellar feedback from owners. Ratings for U.S. General and Icon tool boxes are typically 4.7 or 4.8, and an impressive 98 percent of customers would recommend them. Buyers of U.S. General models frequently comment on the value, saying things like "great quality for the price" on the Harbor Freight website. Icon customers make similar comments, although they tend to be making comparisons with premium-priced tool boxes from Snap-On, one of the market leaders.

Interestingly, feedback from Facebook users indicates that although Icon tool boxes are hands-down the better products, U.S. General models are perfectly adequate for most people. One user noted via Garage Journal that Icon models were simply overkill for the majority of DIYers. That seems to be the crux of the matter: invest in Icon if you've got the money and you need the durability that professionals demand. Icon tool boxes have a lifetime warranty. On the other hand, very few people have been disappointed with U.S. General tool boxes, and they are significantly cheaper. That said, the warranty on U.S. General tool boxes is only 90 days.

One final note: the larger U.S. General and all Icon tool boxes need to be ordered in-store. Icon toolboxes have free delivery included in the price. Shipping for U.S. General toolboxes costs extra, or you can collect.