Clarke CTB5C Tool Chest & Cabinet Combo

 This is Clarke’s cheapest tool chest / cabinet set, available for around £100 from Machine Mart. It’s not as robust as more expensive versions (it’s made using fairly thin gauge metal) but for your average diyer, it’s plenty good enough. It’s big enough to store a lot of tools and it has decent sized casters, which make moving it over rough garage floors a doddle. It also comes complete with locking bars, so you can stop unauthorised tool borrowing, should you so wish. (I wouldn’t mind so much if they put them back after they’ve borrowed them!)

The drawers of the chest are foam lined - it’s thin, but it is there, and unlike some tool chests, the drawers can be opened without the lid having to be opened first. With the top being nice and flat when closed I’m in the bad habit of leaving stuff stacked on top of it, it’s really annoying to have to remove everything every time I need to get a spanner or screwdriver out of a drawer, so I like the fact that I don’t have to do that with this one. The other main difference between this and other similar toolchests is that it is narrower than usual, measuring around 500mm wide, rather than the usual 600mm.

 The cabinet itself has a large top drawer (again foam lined) with a cupboard underneath a one adjustable height shelf. The door has a small peg board and hook arrangement and there’s a dual purpose handle / tool rack on one side. Overall, there’s a lot of storage capacity for the money and unless you need something more heavy duty or really need one with a fancy name badge on the front, it’s well worth a look.

 If you've got a bit more money to spend Machine Mart also do the CTC800B Mechanic's Tool Chest & Cabinet. This is bigger, with the tool chest being the full size 600/610mm wide. It's also of a more heavy duty construction weighing a hefty 31kg compared to the CTB5C's 17kg.