I have started testing out the new Milwaukee 366 piece master mechanics hand tool set, which ships with a full stack of Packout drawer tool boxes.
It took some convincing and waiting, but they sent over a sample package for review consideration. The tools arrived at a great time too, as I’ve been reworking much of my tool and part organization.
Having a mobile tool set is a great convenience in general, but especially given all of the work I’m doing right now.
So far I’ve used 2 ratchet sizes, a handful of sockets and extensions, several wrenches, and a bunch of the general purpose hand tools (mainly screwdrivers, hex keys, pliers, adjustable wrench, dead blow hammer, and tape measure).
The way the stack is organized came to me quickly, and I can play around with it later. I haven’t taken any of the trays out of the drawers, but love that it’s an option. The foam seems to be very well-cut and high quality.
Everything arrived on a pallet, and was ready to go in a couple of minutes. I was a little worried about damage, and was happy to see it was well packed. I removed the shrink wrap prior to taking the photo.
The tool trays are all shrink wrapped, with a piece of discardable foam helping to keep all of the tools in place.
There are (3) 4-drawer tool boxes – 1 with wrenches, 1 with sockets, and 1 with general purpose tools. The wrench and general purpose tool sets were packaged with the tool drawers preloaded within the wrapped traps, and the socket set came with the tool box and tool trays next to each other in a larger box.
The tool-foam fitment is good. The wrench trays have some space for small parts or accessories.
The modules can be stacked in any order, and you can also move the tool trays around.
I’m starting off with the wrenches on top, then the socket sets, and finally the general purpose tools on the bottom.
As these are Packout tool boxes, you can add any of Milwaukee’s compatible accessories or add-ons.
I already use plenty of Milwaukee tools. Show here are sample sets of Milwaukee combination and non-reversible ratcheting wrenches in the trays they came with.
I thought it would take some getting used to, to switch from plastic trays to foam insert trays, but I learned I’m fine either way.
I own Milwaukee 1/4″ and 3/8″ socket sets.
I’m used to opening one drawer to grab a ratchet, socket, and extension as needed. The Milwaukee tool set has 1/4″, 3/8″, and 1/2″ sockets in their respective trays, and then a single tray with ratchets and drive accessories. I’ll be reordering the trays a bit, but found I don’t mind having to open multiple drawers. That’s how I did things before I bought the Milwaukee socket sets – I had a drive tool drawer and then separate socket drawers.
The 366pc set retails for $3999.99. From what I’ve seen, freight is included in the price, but some retailers are charging a small fee for lift gate service.
Milwaukee worked with training programs to create a one-stop starter solution for automotive maintenance students. It’s a thorough starting point for students, and also serves as a very capable portable solution for professionals and other users.
It’s designed around the needs of auto mechanics, either beginners entering the workforce after their schooling, or others who want a compact and portable setup.
Pricing
Many of you will want to talk about this, so let’s talk about it.
To start off, you can buy the tool sets separately.
For pricing analysis, let’s consider just the 60pc wrench set, 48-22-9492, which comes with a Packout tool box. That set retails for $1200.
At the time of this posting, with the best promotional and bundle pricing I can find, here’s what it would cost to get approximately the same components (links are to Home Depot):
Packout 4-drawer tool box – $199
30pc SAE and metric wrench set – $199
30pc SAE and metric ratcheting wrench set – $399
So that’s around $797.
If shopping for things separately at today’s retail pricing, here’s another way how the price for an approximate set breaks down:
Packout 4-drawer tool box – $199
15pc SAE combination wrench set – $119
15pc metric combination wrench set – $119
15pc SAE ratcheting wrench set – $280
15pc metric ratcheting wrench set – $280
That’s around $997.
At full list price, which you’ll find at some suppliers right now, the non-ratcheting wrench sets are $160 each. So that would push the price to $1,079.
The 4-drawer wrench set is $1200, and comes with removable trays and custom-cut foam inserts that you cannot get separately.
The foam inserts and trays come at a premium, which is not unexpected. I’m sure there is a lot of labor and cross-shipping logistics needed in order to build these Master mechanics tool sets and the separate tool boxes, not to mention freight transport.
As shown above, there are ways to get the same Milwaukee tools for less money, but you don’t get the same storage setup. The standard wrench sets come with great trays that are meant for tool chests, rolling cabinets, and tech carts, but you’ll have to figure out how to get them neatly organized in a Packout drawer tool box.
I have not broken down the pricing for the socket or general purpose tool sets, but I imagine it’s similar.
The lower pricing I referenced above is possible because the bundles are sold in high volumes at Home Depot. You’re going to spend more – up to $1,079 – if you shop at some industrial and independent suppliers.
I think the Master mechanics tool set – or the separate tool sets it’s comprised of – is an option for the target users to consider, although it is not the only option.
For my own use, I might split the tower into two, with add-on boxes for more general purpose tools and accessories.
At this time you can buy the subsets separately, as well as individual tool trays.
Here’s how the wrench set trays are priced, with links via Acme Tools:
15pc SAE combination wrench set w/ foam tray – $200
15pc metric combination wrench set w/ foam tray – $200
15pc SAE ratcheting wrench set w/ foam tray – $320
15pc metric ratcheting wrench set w/ foam tray – $320
That comes out to $1,040, plus $199 for the Packout 4-drawer tool box, or $1,239. If you want all 4 sets, you save a little with the full 60pc tool set.
I mention all of this because I’ve seen a lot of complaints about the $4K price tag.
Milwaukee’s new Master tool set and 12 trays with foam modules seems to work well and checks off all of the boxes for automotive maintenance training programs.
I have used it daily for about a week, and am ready for it to replace my other wrench sets and my long-favored Milwaukee socket sets (they were a Black Friday purchase!).
I’m going to have more to say about this tool set as I use it more, and maybe as I split and expand it into 2 separate tool box towers.
Price-wise, you can build things up as you’d like. You can also shop around and build up a tool set piecemeal.
The foam trays and Packout form factor are a convenience. Whether it’s worth the premium or not is up to you.
Milwaukee sockets and wrenches have already been my go-to, along with some general purpose tools. I mixed in a lot of portable tool sets, and the mobile Packout configuration makes that less necessary.
Tool sets, modules, and Master sets like this always carry a premium.
Questions?
Are there downsides? Significant conveniences to the Packout with foam tray form factor? (So far, I think so.) There are a lot of things I’ll be taking note of and looking at as I continue to test it out.
Do you have any questions?
Also, was the breakdown of the wrench set helpful, and would you want to see similar for the other tool set modules?
Thank you to Milwaukee for providing the test samples.
