Lista vs Lyon vs Stanley Vidmar

[Ultradog MN]

I see these brands of machine shop cabinets at auction fairly often.
They seem to be very heavy duty - and go for big amounts of money. Way more than I can afford.
Does anyone here have any experience with these style of boxes?
Those are just 3 brands I see often. Are there other comparable brands?
I keep hoping to upgrade my tool boxes - someday - and might start watching for a couple in the bottom feeder price range.
Here are some typical ones you see.
Thanks

Lista

Lyon

Vidmar

 

[Janicholson]

Kennedy cabinets are USA made and have proven to be solid. The link is an advertisement, but provides info. Jim
kennedy

 

[Hobo,NC]

Vidmar is hard to beat. I know you don't want to hear this HF for the money is hard to beat. They have upped their game and can compete with the top guns.

I don't need/like shallow draws I like 3" are better : ) So you lose a drawer are two nothing can be stored in a shallow draws that won't go in a 3" drawer : )

 

[leroy in ne]

8 Vidmar with various drawer setups were in the tool crib I operated 20 plus years. They were used when I started. 1 Roller sub assembly was replaced during that time. IT was a bottom drawer and the damage happened on second shift when no operator was present. Cause unknown. These cabinets were about 5 ft high and I would guess 30 inches square. By memory only, the factory closed and manufacturing moved out of state 19 years ago.

 

[Eric in IL]

The company owned cabinets where I worked were Listas. I never heard anyone complain about them.

All of us toolmakers were shoving around our Kennedys and only a few of those even had ball bearing slides.

 

[John Garner]

Don't know if Kennedy is still selling the line of Lista-Vidmar-equivalent cabinets -- branded Kennedy-Bott that they sold 30 years ago -- which, if I recall correctly, were German made -- but those cabinets were top drawer. (Pun? What pun?)

 

[caterpillar guy]

My brother had a set of Kennedy and I thought they were pretty much a junk box from what I saw of them setting in the shed yet they are from the late 70's I usually just cut and bend my own up from furnace tank material so most of the bought boxes are not going to compare. I just make a box with a lid no drawers or any thing like that. abouth the depth of a 1 inch deep socket or whatever tool I'm making them for. I'm going to make a couple more this winter for Muchric tools and SAE tools getting to be to many to sort through. though I may make it like those ones to hold sockets and wrenches on pins that are tight against the lid so they can't fall off bouncing across fields and falling off in the road or field. One like SV showed one time. Lid swings down to the pins.

 

[timcasbolt]

The drawer slides on all of those can handle 400 lbs. Rousseau is another brand.

 

[DoubleO7]

Here are some Vidmar cabinets in Monroe, Mi. Look like new.

VIDMAR

 

[Ultradog MN]

Yes.
400 lbs/drawer!
I don't need them that heavy but if
that'how they make them...
I had an older Kennedy main box but it was
pretty well worn out - had been overloaded
and abused before I got it.
I sold it recently.
I will look at Rousseau too.
Hadn't heard of them.
Thanks to all.
Always good advice here.

 

[Gary Reif]

We had about about 30 of the Vidmar brand in our parts room of the plant I worked at for at least 25 years, they had all types of parts stored in them and we never had a problem with the rolling drawer frames on any of them. We had some drawers loaded down pretty heavy.

 

[sammydwm]

The navy used a lot of Vidmars. Had a buddy that came upon a pile of them getting ready to go out to scrap because the shop was replacing them, (had some money left on the budget at year end) So he loaded them up and took em home. They were still in excellent shape after years of sailors abusing them...

 

[K Effective]

I picked up three similar models from online auctions the past few years. An 11 eleven-drawer Vidmar cleaned up really well, with new coat of paint. The key for the lock cost me $46 delivered ninety days after order. I'm slowly organizing it as my main mechanics toolbox.

A seven-drawer Lyons does not even need paint, and seems just as high of quality. I put it on large casters for ease of use, it holds all my machine bits and metrology.

I have a fifteen-drawer yet to be restored- it has a forklift hole near the bottom of the side panel. The drawers are a mixed bag of several manufacturers, but seem to work. It stands so tall I can not see the top drawer contents.

 

[MF294-4]

My son has stor-loc made in Kankakee IL I believe. You can stand in the drawers. They will make them any combination of drawers you want. Not cheap. Have a HF in the van at work. Ok for the price but drawer slides are small. Had to do some mods to keep the drawers closed. Being in a vehicle is tough on a box loaded with tools.