Harbor Freight's $19 US General Mini Tool Box Looks Like It Came From Snap-On

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Because of its century-old history, Snap-On is one American brand that has been passed down from one generation to another. For this reason, a lot of people are loyal to its great quality tools, even if there are significantly cheaper or more ubiquitous options available in the market. But while many fans of the brand will obviously still prefer original Snap-On tools for their collections, even going as far as looking for ones that are second-hand tools from garage sales, there might be more wiggle room when it comes to things like storage solutions. Thankfully, it's possible to get the Snap-On look with a Harbor Freight budget without sacrificing function or quality. 

Instead of getting Snap-On's eye-watering $131 Micro Top Chest, you can opt for the US General Mini Tool Box, a more budget-friendly alternative that may not offer the exact same features, but will at least blend in with the rest of your Snap-On tools. Priced at $18.99, US General's Mini Tool Boxes are not only a popular purchase from Harbor Freight, but they're also quite highly rated. So far, the tool boxes have collectively garnered an impressive average rating of 4.9 stars from over 2,400+ Harbor Freight buyers. On top of this, 100% of buyers noted that they thought it was worth recommending to other people. 

Between the two mini toolbox options, both Snap-On and US General options have top compartments that can be flipped open and drawers. However, Snap-On offers three drawers, while US General only has two. But take note, US General is much larger in terms of size at around 11 inches x 6 inches x 6 inches versus Snap-On's 8.5 inches x 4.5 inches x 4.5 inches. Unlike Snap-On's offer, which doesn't disclose its official capacity, US General notes that its Mini Tool Box can handle 5 lbs of equipment per drawer. In total, this adds up to about 10 lbs worth of capacity for your little tools and trinkets. Plus, Snap-On's 1-inch x 3.75-inch drawers are implied to have a lighter capacity, since it doesn't even list it and mentions it's made for "small items" on its listing.

In terms of material, Snap-On also doesn't officially list what is used for its Mini Tool Box, nor any special features. On the other hand, Harbor Freight lists things like powder-coated gloss finishes, corrosion-resistant aluminum, ball-bearing slides, magnetic locking, and non-slip drawer liners. Apart from the Snap-On-like red, this mini toolbox is also available in both black and blue. And of course, if you ever change your mind about blending in with your Snap-On items, Harbor Freight announced that it was also going to launch its US General Mini Tool Boxes in new, quirky colors like pink and orange.

Apart from the US General's Mini Tool Box, there are plenty of other highly-rated mini tool boxes that can look like Snap-On at first glance. In fact, some popular tool boxes with similar flip-top designs and drawers, which are priced somewhere in the middle of both US General and Snap-On tool boxes, include WORKPRO and P.I.T. To help you make a decision, here's how they both stack up to each model.

With a similar red color, the WORKPRO Mini Metal Tool Box measures 10.83 inches by 5.91 inches by 8.9 inches, which is slightly bigger than Snap-On's offer. Priced at $39.99, WORKPRO lists a 26.1 lbs load capacity. Despite being smaller, it has twice as much capacity as US General's offer. Alternatively, it's also available in pastel colors, like baby blue, green, and pink, which might make you change your mind about matching Snap-On. Collectively, they've garnered an average rating of about 4.4 stars from more than 700 Amazon customers. 

But if you need more drawers, P.I.T. sells both 3 and 5-drawer Mini Tool Boxes with prices that start at $40.99. An Amazon's Choice product, it's available in six color ways that include the iconic Snap-On-like red. With an average rating of 4.3 stars from more than 2,000 buyers on Amazon, the 3-drawer model measures 8.6 inches x 4.6 inches x 4.8 inches, which makes it very close to the Snap-On size, just with one more drawer to store things in.