Every Major Truck Bed Toolbox Brand Ranked Worst To Best

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As an experienced mechanic, I know the value of a good place to store those tools in a garage. As a person who's willing to help out a friend, I know the value of having a way to carry those tools around. A truck bed toolbox is a great option, not only for mobile mechanics but also for contractors, tradespeople, and folks who just enjoy the outdoors. Rather than tossing a backpack or duffel bag in your truck bed, a truck bed toolbox provides security, protection, and organization for your stuff in a semi-permanent storage solution.

Truck bed toolboxes are available in various places, from Amazon to big box stores to specialty dealers. Most are made from aluminum, steel, or high-impact plastics, and they come in an array of shapes and sizes. How to pick one depends on what you'll be using it for and what features are essential to your needs. Things like weatherproofing, locking options, and fitment are generally some of the more important factors.

Some brands are better than others in providing those elements. While SlashGear has covered portable toolboxes, which are great for moving tools from place to place, this article will rank every major truck bed toolbox brand. To do that, we'll be using sales data, recommendations from pros and everyday users, and reviews from trusted sources.

Keep in mind that even the lowest-ranked truck bed toolboxes on this list are still in the top ten, which is impressive given the dozens of manufacturers and dealers out there.

The venerable Craftsman brand makes good tools and good truck toolboxes to store them in. The brand has been around for nearly a hundred years, and while it has changed hands a few times and tool quality has fluctuated in that time, Craftsman is still best known for its reasonable prices and impressive warranties, even on new lines like its Overdrive mechanics' tools.

All five of Craftsman's boxes are aluminum, and while there's not a ton of variety between them, they get the job done at a decent price. Side mount and three sizes of crossover tool boxes are available in both bright silver and black. For the uninitiated, side mount boxes secure lengthwise to the top of your pickup's bed, while a crossover box hangs across the bed, usually near the cab. Diamond plating, pneumatic lid supporters, and push-button releases are included on most of Craftsman's boxes, and, like most other Craftsman products, they're available in-store or online at Lowes.

Some users complain that the aluminum used in Craftsman truck toolboxes is too thin, but for an entry-level or budget-priced box, this should be expected. Other frequently mentioned issues among owners of Craftsman truck toolboxes include poor weatherproofing seals that allow water into the box, undependable latches, and shipping damage. These problems are by no means deal-breakers, especially when you consider that pros recommend swapping out the locks and latches on any truck toolbox after purchase, but they are things to think about when choosing a toolbox brand.

Buyers Products Company, founded in 1946 as a regional truck part distributor, is now a leading manufacturer of truck, trailer, and plow equipment. It's a company with a massive catalog — in fact, a recent expansion of Buyers Products' Ohio distribution center was required after the company's business grew beyond the capabilities of its original warehouse.

Buyers Products Company makes and distributes a ton of truck-related gear, from accessories like truck bed toolboxes, lighting, electrical upgrades, and towing accessories to more heavy-duty stuff for larger vehicles, including cargo controls, tarp systems, snow plows, dump inserts, and salt spreaders. Buyers Products Company manufactures all of its truck, trailer, snow, and ice equipment in the United States. The company's accessories are popular due to low prices and good construction.

Buyers Products Company makes dozens of toolboxes, from simple open-top trays to two-tier contractor topsider boxes. Buyers Products Company truck bed toolboxes and other equipment are available from local distributors, but it also has a large storefront on Amazon. In fact, three of Amazon's top fifteen best-selling truck toolboxes are made by this brand. However, it's worth noting that common complaints include poorly aligned latches and faulty waterproofing on these toolboxes. It may not be as well-known a name as some of the other manufacturers on our list, but Buyers Products Company produces a wide variety of boxes — an almost overwhelming variety, to be honest — earning it a spot on our ranking. 

Founded in 1989, Better Built is a manufacturer of truck bed tool boxes, jobsite storage solutions, and transfer tanks that have grown in popularity, thanks in part to its commitment to providing innovative products for the value-conscious customer. The company was acquired by ProDriven Global Brands (better known under its former name of Werner, Inc.) in 2019, but Better Built maintained its separate brand name in the acquisition.

Better Built steel and aluminum truck toolboxes are available in a good variety of styles, from crossovers to tongue boxes, allowing truck owners to customize their storage options while still providing for as much bed storage as they need. Despite its budget-friendly reputation, many of its boxes include features like full seal weather stripping to protect your cordless drills and other power tools from the elements, gas springs to help lift the box lid while keeping one hand on that coffee mug, and low profile design to provide better visibility when looking back from the driver's seat.

The brand's affordable truck bed tool boxes are available at brick-and-mortar shops like Tractor Supply Co. and Lowe's, where Better Built ranks in both retailers' top ten best-rated truck bed toolbox brands. Better Built tool boxes are also available at online retailers like Acme Tools and Northern Tool + Equipment, where customers praise the ease of installation and storage capacity.

Vevor is an interesting addition to our list, in part because of its massive scale. This isn't a specialty manufacturer that makes automotive accessories. Rather, it's a company that prides itself on its range of over 20,000 products for the entry-level consumer, whether that customer is interested in automotive repair, backyard shenanigans, or home improvement. Established in 2007, Vevor's products now ship to over 190 countries from its 100 warehouses located around the world.

Vevor makes and sells a ton of products as both a brand and a retailer. Its jack-of-all-trades mentality means it makes many entry-level automotive products, including everything from electric car jacks to mechanics tool sets. Its truck toolboxes come in the expected steel and aluminum options, but Vevor's plastic wheel well boxes are cool and unique enough to warrant a special mention. Rather than the standard crossbody box, it's a smaller swing-out unit that mounts near the tailgate, sacrificing size for easy access. The box's shape limits what can be stored in there, but its design, which tapers off above the wheel well of your pickup, allows smaller items to be securely stowed in your truck's bed. As a plastic box, some customers complain about fragility and security, but when used under a tonneau or hard cover, it's a handy piece of equipment.

Vevor's truck bed toolboxes, along with any of its thousands of other products, can be ordered from the company itself as well as the brand's storefront on Amazon.

One thing that always stood out to me during my time as an automotive technician was how far people would go to organize their pickup beds. Tonneau covers, plastic totes, and plywood drawer systems covered in stickers and carpet swatches were some of the standout systems, and they reminded me that people can be really creative when it comes to truck bed storage.

Building on that kind of innovation is Decked, an Iowa-based company that makes some of the coolest truck storage on the market. Founded in 2014 with a design sketched on a bar napkin, Decked's pull-out truck bed drawer systems are what made the company famous, and they're a cool solution to truck bed storage that also provides top deck storage of up to 2,000 pounds, but the brand's sliding cargo beds, D-co cases, and truck tool boxes are great, too. SlashGear has written about Decked before in our article on budget DIY truck bed mods, but the brand's offerings are good enough to earn it a spot on this list, too.

The Decked Tool Box is dent-proof, ding-proof, and rust-proof because it's primarily made from high-density, high-impact plastics. It is 100% weatherproof with a steel-reinforced lid to deter thieves and is covered by a lifetime warranty. Purchasers praise the box's durability, ease of installation, and available accessories that help organize tools, although a lack of size options leaves some truck owners to look elsewhere for a truck bed toolbox.

Many Decked products are available in person through local dealers, and you can also order through the brand's Amazon storefront or website.

Protech says it's made up of "American truck people making high-quality tools for American truck people." The company was founded in 1980, making exclusive products for the transportation industry, before expanding as its reputation grew. Today, ProTech has operations in Washington state and Tennessee, along with delivery hubs in Wyoming and Texas, and it sells to both industry professionals and the general public.

Protech manufactures toolboxes, drawer modules, and cab racks for class-8, medium-duty, and light-duty trucks. Heavy-duty offerings also include flatbeds, chain hangers, and backpack boxes — four-door storage boxes designed to be mounted between a flatbed and truck cab. The brand's truck bed tool boxes come in cross body, in-bed, contractor-style, and rail box varieties, and Protech also makes a storage box specifically designed for SUVs. Most of these boxes come in aluminum or steel construction options, and boxes can be purchased from the company's 1,200 dealers across both the United States and Canada or through online retailer Elite Truck.

Protech's products aren't cheap, but they are generally considered some of the most demanding and reliable on the market. Customers specifically mention Protech's truck bed toolboxes' great latches, dent resistance, and quality weatherproofing. One should expect nothing less from a company that started out making its products for one of the toughest industries in the world.

Dee Zee's truck accessories have been around since 1977, and the company boasts that many of its products are used by automakers like Chrysler, Ford, GM, and Honda. The company is one with a very respectable mission statement: Dee Zee makes products that "sustain the worker, the weekender, and everything in between" while also practicing green manufacturing techniques. Dee Zee's central Iowa headquarters consists of seven buildings that contain over a million square feet dedicated to manufacturing, shipping, and packaging, and the company employs its own engineers to design products custom-made to fit its customers' vehicles.

Dee Zee has a great outlook on its business, but its products are what earned it the reputation it has in the aftermarket industry. While pickup truck accessories like lighting, tailgate mods, and transfer tanks are its bread-and-butter, Dee Zee also makes bed mats, cab racks, and product lines specifically for Jeeps and Ford Broncos. Its truck toolboxes come in several styles, with plastic, steel, and aluminum construction options. Some boxes feature self-adjusting latches and adjustable lid strikers, which allow customers to ensure a smooth, secure close every time, and Dee Zee's V-pan lid stiffener (or its double-walled lid for plastic boxes) keeps one of the more vulnerable parts of any truck bed toolbox rigid and strong. Reviews mention the brand's easy installation, durable construction, and well-built hinges.

Dee Zee tool boxes and whatever other truck accessories your heart desires can be purchased directly from the manufacturer.

American Aluminum, the parent company of CamLocker, has manufactured aluminum products used by the FBI, law enforcement, and the military for over 30 years. The E/Z Rider K9 Container was first built by American Aluminum in 1992 to provide a safe way to transport canine officers for law enforcement. Since then, the company has grown and evolved to build animal control containment solutions, inmate transport, and contraband containment.

American Aluminum created the CamLocker brand to sell its products to the general public, and the brand's truck bed tool boxes include several features that help them stand out in a crowded field. CamLocker's aluminum boxes feature carbon steel, chrome-plated T-handles, insulated lids, and felt or carpet-lined boxes — many with tool trays included. CamLocker's commercial dealers mention that while the boxes are a little more pricey than budget picks, their feature lists make them great for everyday use. And while many truck bed toolbox owners will tell you that the first thing to do when purchasing a new box is to replace its lock, CamLocker claims that its non-duplicable key system makes its boxes some of the most secure on the market — in fact, a truck tool box break-in back in 1989 was the motivation for the company's founder to build this more secure storage unit! 

CamLocker truck bed toolboxes can be ordered directly from the manufacturer or via the CamLocker storefront on Amazon.

UWS is a toolbox brand made by Lippert, a massive worldwide manufacturing company that makes components for recreational vehicles, automobiles, and watercraft. That experience in large-scale manufacturing is seen in UWS's truck tool boxes, which are assembled in the U.S. and feature its patented RigidCore foam-filled lid that reduces warping, extra thick aluminum construction, and easy access from either side of your truck, thanks to handles mounted as far apart as possible.

UWS is easily one of the most popular truck bed toolbox brands, with both pros and weekend DIYers praising its sturdy construction. As of this writing, four of the highest-rated truck bed toolboxes on the Lowes website are UWS boxes, and Car and Driver praised the UWS Crossover Toolbox for its durability and well-designed interior. UWS boxes come in a massive variety of styles, from low-profile truck bed toolboxes to gullwing-style boxes that allow better access from the sides of your pickup, and you can get them from several different retailers, including the UWS storefront on Amazon.

Overwhelmingly the most recommended truck bed toolbox brand on our list, Weather Guard has expanded dramatically from its birth as a 10-product line made by a St. Louis sheet metal company. That company, bought by tool box maker Howard Knaack in 1968, has added both production capability and a number of innovative tool box designs to make it one of the biggest truck box manufacturers in the country. The brand is now owned by ProDriven Global Brands, the same company that owns the previously mentioned truck bed toolbox brand Better Built, but its reputation remains nearly spotless.

Weather Guard truck bed toolboxes are known for incredible security and durability. A quick glance through the brand's product testimonials page reveals stories of attempted burglaries thwarted by Weather Guard boxes' heavy-duty construction, as well as resistance to vehicle collisions, daily use on harsh construction sites, and even hurricanes!

Weather Guard manufactures storage solutions for vans and trucks and racks to store those recently purchased Harbor Freight ladders. The brand's toolboxes come in an array of shapes and sizes and are available in a few different colors, too. Aluminum and steel construction options and unique designs like the pork chop box — Weather Guard's take on the wheel well style — are also sold in a few different configurations. Thorough truck fitting guides, online training, widespread availability, and a limited lifetime warranty add to the value of these boxes, making Weather Guard the top truck bed toolbox brand on our ranking.

SlashGear decided on our ranking of every major truck bed using a variety of data. We aggregated reviews and sales data from places you'd expect to buy a truck bed toolbox, including Amazon, Lowes, Home Depot, and Tractor Supply. We looked up reviews of both truck toolbox brands and individual toolbox reviews from trusted sites like Car & Driver and Popular Mechanics. We also checked forums that are frequented by contractors, outdoor enthusiasts, and folks who work out of their trucks for their favorites. Finally, I factored in my own experience shopping for a truck bed box for my Ranger last year.