Sticker Shock! Harbor Freight Icon Tool Cabinets Offer Pro Features and are Priced Accordingly

Harbor Freight first teased about their new line of Icon professional-grade tool storage products at the end of 2018.

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Well, Icon tool cabinets, top chests, and accessories are nearly here.

Go head, check them out on Harbor Freight’s site, and then raise your jaw.

The 8-drawer cabinet shown above, measuring 36″ wide and 25″ deep, has a list price of $2700. While most Harbor Freight shoppers might say “it’ll be cheaper with a coupon,” percent-off coupons don’t work on Icon tools or premium storage products, and an online search doesn’t turn up any active coupons and only a few expired ones.

When Harbor Freight first announced their line of Icon professional tools, they listed an early price of $2499 for their 56″ x 25″ x 45″ tool cabinet, comparing it to a leading tool truck brand’s $6775 price. When fully accessorized with a work center, end locker, and other add-ons, the total price was $7294 compared to $18,125 for the tool truck brand’s comparable setup.

At this time, with the Icon tool cabinets first launching on Harbor Freight’s website, the 56″ x 25″ cabinet has a $4000 list price. It’s unclear to whether the price difference is due to tariffs, a change in production costs, or other factors.

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What hasn’t changed is that Harbor Freight is still taking on Snap-on, with Icon marketing showing competitive and even favorable specs.

New Icon tool storage products are not yet available at Harbor Freight stores, or at least not where we’re based, but they should be heading there soon. When you order a cabinet in-store, the boxes will ship directly to your home/workshop/destination. On their website, Harbor Freight says that all Icon tool storage products come with free door-to-door delivery.

Features of the 36″ roller tool cabinet include 2,000 lb load rating per caster for 8,000 lbs total, 14 and 16 gauge steel framing with double wall construction, and each pair of drawer slides are rated to 265 lbs. There’s also an exterior power center, at the front by the top right corner, with AC outlets and USB charging ports. Each drawer also has adjustable drawer latches that control opening force.

The larger Icon tool cabinets have interior outlets, a power tool drawer with holsters for air and power tools and also interior electrical outlets.

When I spoke with Harbor Freight’s Wes Harmelink last week, he described how the Icon tool storage products would be extremely well-built and premium-featured.

I expected the new Icon tool boxes to be premium-priced, but I still recoiled from sticker shock.

Will there be promos? That’s hard to predict.

Harbor Freight’s new 36″ tool cabinet is better spec’ed than Proto’s 34″ tool cabinet. That Proto cabinet is just a completely higher level of quality compared to consumer tool boxes.

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These new Icon tool storage products are not consumer products. Enthusiasts might aspire to own one, but from the features, specs, and price tags, it does look like Harbor Freight really is aiming to grab market share away from Snap-on and other premium tool truck brands.

For Icon, the tagline is Tool truck quality, unbeatable prices.

Harbor Freight’s new catalog describes Icon as the ultimate in tool storage systems.

The new system is also said to be modular, with end lockers, top chests, hutches with doors, optional overhead compartments, light bars, stainless steel worktops, and slot wall accessories such as tool and document holders.

The new Icon tool cabinets and storage combos are way outside my price range for personal use. For professional use, I’d like to see Harbor Freight tackle Lista-style stationary storage! If Harbor Freight can get things right with their Icon tech boxes and workstations right, maybe they will enter into more industrial and workshop stationary solutions as well.

Select stores will have Icon tool storage on display, but you can order them anywhere.

Also, we’ve learned that Harbor Freight will launch a new store credit card in 2020, and will offer up to 36 months of 0% financing for qualifying purchases.

This is very uncharacteristic of Harbor Freight, but I’m happy to see it. If they can truly offer higher quality at competitive or better pricing, that could have trickle effects into their other tool lines.

Source: https://antiquewolrd.com
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