I know this will be subjective and will be different for all. I just wish I would have had a little more guidance before I went out and bought a bunch of storage before finding what really worked best for me. Anything I say here is just my experience and my opinion. I am just a DIY person, not a pro mechanic.
Spend on good tools storage second. Storage is just a box to hold everything. The tools do the work. Most name brand boxes will do the job. This said the low end that come out at Christmas time for $100 may bend when loaded with tools. Look at Craig's List for used etc.
Think about drawer size. I found a Kennedy bottom cabinet that was in near new shape for $50. Thought it was a great deal. Unfortunately all but one of the drawers are shallow ones. Cannot store many tools in it for its size. Another cabinet that I have that is narrower with few drawers holds far more since it has a mix of deep and shallow drawers.
Get a good bench. Weather it is part of a cabinet or not you can always use space to work. Place a vice on it. I have a small 4 inch vice with an anvil on one end. It swivels and has a cut out to hold pipes. I prefer wood tops. I also place a rubber work mat on it with edges so any spilled fluids or rolling nuts do not make it to the floor.
Big cabinets look good but do they fit your need? I bought a US General top and bottom. It hold allot of tools and for the price is an excellent box. I bought this after the rolling bench to hold all my tools. Issue was at the time I filled it 3/4 of the way but it was so big it stayed in the same spot in the garage all the time. I was always filling a tool box to work on a car that was only 30 feet away. It may sound lazy but it gets old quick walking back and forth to the tool chest all day. Now it holds my lesser used tools due to the next item I bought.
Last piece of storage I bought I should have gotten first or right after the bench. The US General 5 drawer cart. This swallows tools and is priced lower than most tool chest. All the tools I generally use are now stored on this. It even has a tray for common spray cans I use. Wheels are big enough to roll it to where I am working. There is a shelf that flips up on the side to use for work space. I still have the larger cabinet and it is full but all the tools in it are ones not used for most jobs.
On a side note the magnetic accessories save allot of space. I have two glove holders, one for my and the other for my kids size. Towel roll holders, small shelves, screwdriver racks, can holders etc. Each of these magnetic holders attach one more item to the outside of a cart that is no longer stored on a bench, shelf or floor.
Spend on good tools storage second. Storage is just a box to hold everything. The tools do the work. Most name brand boxes will do the job. This said the low end that come out at Christmas time for $100 may bend when loaded with tools. Look at Craig's List for used etc.
Think about drawer size. I found a Kennedy bottom cabinet that was in near new shape for $50. Thought it was a great deal. Unfortunately all but one of the drawers are shallow ones. Cannot store many tools in it for its size. Another cabinet that I have that is narrower with few drawers holds far more since it has a mix of deep and shallow drawers.
Get a good bench. Weather it is part of a cabinet or not you can always use space to work. Place a vice on it. I have a small 4 inch vice with an anvil on one end. It swivels and has a cut out to hold pipes. I prefer wood tops. I also place a rubber work mat on it with edges so any spilled fluids or rolling nuts do not make it to the floor.
Big cabinets look good but do they fit your need? I bought a US General top and bottom. It hold allot of tools and for the price is an excellent box. I bought this after the rolling bench to hold all my tools. Issue was at the time I filled it 3/4 of the way but it was so big it stayed in the same spot in the garage all the time. I was always filling a tool box to work on a car that was only 30 feet away. It may sound lazy but it gets old quick walking back and forth to the tool chest all day. Now it holds my lesser used tools due to the next item I bought.
Last piece of storage I bought I should have gotten first or right after the bench. The US General 5 drawer cart. This swallows tools and is priced lower than most tool chest. All the tools I generally use are now stored on this. It even has a tray for common spray cans I use. Wheels are big enough to roll it to where I am working. There is a shelf that flips up on the side to use for work space. I still have the larger cabinet and it is full but all the tools in it are ones not used for most jobs.
On a side note the magnetic accessories save allot of space. I have two glove holders, one for my and the other for my kids size. Towel roll holders, small shelves, screwdriver racks, can holders etc. Each of these magnetic holders attach one more item to the outside of a cart that is no longer stored on a bench, shelf or floor.
