CollectingSnapOn.com

Does this box look like a Snap on? It has a Snap On decal but I can't find any ID Marks. It was given to me by my father.

A couple more Pics

I snap on box that would be like this, would have a Snap on name plate not a decal.. Check the back, it might have the model number etc. stamped on the back side. It does not look like a SO box to me, but its possible.

There is a spot where the name emblem used to be on the front cover. There are holes where rivets or bolts went through.

There was another company making tool boxes and selling them to Snap on. Snap on bought this company in 1958/59 and the tool boxes - as they were reviewed - changed from KR to KRA.

In 1924 Snap on was purchasing boxes from the outside - The early boxes (9/32 is a good example) were not marked in the metal – they had stickers. The bigger boxes has brass tags. In the late 20s (early 30s?) the some boxes were labeled by embossing the metal (again the 9/32 box).

I assume Snap on started with a small market share in their subcon and by 1959 they had 100%. So finding a “Snap on” style box with somebody else’s mark on it would be interesting

I think (I don’t know) the original box manufacturer was Weidenhoff Corp (they built automotive test equipment – they must have build boxes to hold it and they were in Algona. So the timing and location match.)

I do not know who bought these outside Snap on. I also don’t know if there were multiple vendors

Excellent info. I noticed inside where the drawer slides go there is an 8 1947 stamped in there. Wondering if that may be a date code.

there are several errors in the replies to this thread
the number stamped into the drawer slide 8-1947 is the part number. date codes were never stamped in any slides that i have ever seen.
date codes on tool boxes if there is one is stamped into the back of the box under the model number or on a sticker inside on newer boxes.
Snap-on started making their own boxes in 1959 when they built a 43,000 square foot addition to the Weidenhoff plant in Algona, Iowa which they had purchased in 1956 to add a line of automotive test equipment. prior to that they probably had several vendors make boxes for them. i do know that a major one was MBC Century (The Metal Box & Cabinet Corporation of Chicago) i have also heard a reference to the Master Box Company possibly a name change of the same company. I got this emblem off a tool box that i took in on trade in the early 80's and put a Snap-on emblem in it's place and sold it (i sure wish now that i had kept it).
The KRA series of tool boxes are the earlier ones that have the rounded corners such as the KRA59 & KRA380 series, the KR boxes are the newer ones with square corners covered by aluminum trim such as the KR537 & KR557 series, both series continued and evolved over the years and in the 90's most of the KRA series production was moved to a plant in Canada.
it is hard to tell from the pictures if this is a Snap-on box - the drawer fronts don't look correct.

for some reason this did not attach to the previous reply

I would very much like to get ‪”snapy64” to tell us more about boxes.

I did not know the name of the vendor until I read this posting.

These are my guesses about tool boxes

Snap on purchased tool boxes from an OEM manufacturer until 1958/9.

In 1958/9 they expanded the Algona factory in Iowa and brought the boxes in-house.

I think the KRA series replaced the KR series. Your posting seems to say that there are trim differences and some KR boxes appeared after the KRA series? I would like to understand more about this.

I think there are no new KR series after 1958. Maybe I am wrong?

I think K is originally for Kit


KR is Kenosha Red


KRA is Kenosha Red Algona

How close is this? I would very much like your insight on this

Thanks

Frank

This is some great reading, thank you.