herk1
05-15-2010, 11:49 AM
Horizon just started carrying the "Lift-n-Lok" tool box, and I had been intending to get one, so I put it on my latest order from Horizon. It just came yesterday. Up until now, I just carried my gear in a canvas bag. I had been getting tired of digging around thru the bottom of the bag to find my screwdriver set or my needlenose plyers, etc.
On the plus side, the new "Lift-n-Lok" toolbox seems to be of very rugged construction, and the drawer locking system works smoothly and effectively as advertised.
On the minus side -- and I already knew this from the advertising photos -- the compartments in the drawers are too narrow and small...like it was designed to be used for containing an assortment of small hardware like screws, bolts, etc. (Personally, I don't carry small hardware like that to the field.) The left-to-right compartment dividers are optional/removeable, but unfortunately the fore-and-aft dividers are molded right into the drawers (probably to make it more stable/sturdy). One middle drawer has the compartments sectioned 2-5/8" wide, the other middle drawer has them sectioned only 1-7/8" wide. I took some tin snips and wire cutters and cut out one divider. It was a pain too cut it all out, and it still isn't smooth...I would probably have to finish with a Dremel sanding drum to get out the remaining jagged bits (see photo). I'll probably cut out another divider or two. Still, some of the little molded-in sectioned compartments around the drawers' edges are just a waste of space, for my intended use (maybe not for others), which contributes to making the whole toolbox too big. Which comes to the next issue...
The second thing I don't like about Lift-n-Lok is that it's a little bigger, and a lot heavier than I expected (see photo size comparison with DX7 transmitter and Spektrum case). I weighed the empty toolbox at 6 pounds, 10 ounces (yes, it really is that heavy). The canvas bag that I was using to carry my gear before weighed just a little over one pound. But since I will only have to lug it from the house to the car, and from the car to the setup table at the club, hopefully that will be tolerable.
Lift-n-Lok: http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=PDSPDYAE107
On the plus side, the new "Lift-n-Lok" toolbox seems to be of very rugged construction, and the drawer locking system works smoothly and effectively as advertised.
On the minus side -- and I already knew this from the advertising photos -- the compartments in the drawers are too narrow and small...like it was designed to be used for containing an assortment of small hardware like screws, bolts, etc. (Personally, I don't carry small hardware like that to the field.) The left-to-right compartment dividers are optional/removeable, but unfortunately the fore-and-aft dividers are molded right into the drawers (probably to make it more stable/sturdy). One middle drawer has the compartments sectioned 2-5/8" wide, the other middle drawer has them sectioned only 1-7/8" wide. I took some tin snips and wire cutters and cut out one divider. It was a pain too cut it all out, and it still isn't smooth...I would probably have to finish with a Dremel sanding drum to get out the remaining jagged bits (see photo). I'll probably cut out another divider or two. Still, some of the little molded-in sectioned compartments around the drawers' edges are just a waste of space, for my intended use (maybe not for others), which contributes to making the whole toolbox too big. Which comes to the next issue...
The second thing I don't like about Lift-n-Lok is that it's a little bigger, and a lot heavier than I expected (see photo size comparison with DX7 transmitter and Spektrum case). I weighed the empty toolbox at 6 pounds, 10 ounces (yes, it really is that heavy). The canvas bag that I was using to carry my gear before weighed just a little over one pound. But since I will only have to lug it from the house to the car, and from the car to the setup table at the club, hopefully that will be tolerable.
Lift-n-Lok: http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=PDSPDYAE107