# Stud & Stack

> Tool chests, workbenches and workshop storage, compared on published specifications rather than adjectives. Independent publication, US market, funded by Amazon Associates commission.

## What this site is

Stud & Stack compares tool storage on the numbers the manufacturer actually publishes: body steel gauge, drawer slide rating, storage volume and empty weight. Every derived figure - steel thickness in inches, the 80 percent working load of a slide rating, the cubic-foot conversion of a published volume, bench height from a body height - is computed from a cited published input rather than typed in.

We have NOT tested, opened, loaded or owned any product covered on this site, and every page says so. There is no test lab, no credentialed reviewer, and no numeric score for any product. What exists instead is a published, reproducible method: read the maker's listing, cite it, convert the units, and show the arithmetic.

Author: Scooter M., an enthusiast. No trade credentials are held or claimed.

## Key reference facts published here

- Steel gauge to thickness (Manufacturers' Standard Gauge for sheet steel): 18 ga = 0.0478 in, 19 ga = 0.0418 in, 20 ga = 0.0359 in. Lower gauge means thicker steel. 18 ga is about 33 percent thicker than 20 ga.
- Drawer slide ratings are published PER PAIR at full extension, and published design guidance is to operate at 70-80 percent of the rating. A 120 lb drawer is a 96 lb drawer in practice.
- Storage volume is published in cubic inches; divide by 1,728 for cubic feet.
- Workbench height follows the published elbow-height rule: about elbow height for general work, 2-4 in above for precision assembly, well below for heavy work. Elbow height is estimated at 62.5 percent of standing height (the only estimated constant on the site, labeled as such).
- Retail reality: U.S. General, ICON, Yukon and Bauer are Harbor Freight exclusives; Kobalt is Lowe's-exclusive; Snap-on, Matco and Mac Tools are dealer-truck brands. None of them can be bought through any affiliate program, and the site says so on every page that mentions them.

## Funding and prices

Funded by Amazon Associates commission at no extra cost to the reader. No sponsored content, no paid placement, no free product. Prices render ONLY from a live data feed with a visible "as of" date; where no live price exists the site shows "Check price on Amazon" rather than a remembered number. No prices appear in this file, by design.

## Sections

- [Tool chests, ranked on the numbers the box is actually made of](https://studandstack.com/tool-chests) - Rolling cabinets, combo sets and top chests compared on published gauge, slide ratings and volume, with priced picks in each size and price band.
- [Workbenches, judged on the top and the height](https://studandstack.com/workbenches) - Garage workbenches compared on published top thickness, rated load and drawer specs - plus the height calculator that decides whether a bench suits your body.
- [Stacking systems, compared on the number that actually limits them](https://studandstack.com/modular-systems) - PACKOUT, ToughSystem 2.0, Ridgid Pro Gear and Klein MODbox compared on published capacity, weather sealing and how big each range actually is.
- [The cheap things that decide whether the expensive thing works](https://studandstack.com/organize) - Drawer foam, liners, socket trays and rust control - the cheap fixes that decide whether a tool chest is a pleasure or a pile, with priced picks.
- [The reference desk: what these numbers actually mean](https://studandstack.com/specs) - Steel gauge converted to real thickness, drawer slide ratings converted to working loads, bench height from your own body - every conversion, shown in full.
- [Head to head, including where you can actually buy each one](https://studandstack.com/compare) - Brand and format matchups compared on published specs, each with a table stating where the product is actually sold and whether we earn anything.

## Trust and policy pages

- [About](https://studandstack.com/about)
- [How we research this](https://studandstack.com/methodology)
- [Editorial policy and corrections](https://studandstack.com/editorial-policy)
- [How this site is funded](https://studandstack.com/affiliate-disclosure)
- [FAQ](https://studandstack.com/faq)
- [Contact](https://studandstack.com/contact) - info@studandstack.com
- [Sitemap](https://studandstack.com/site-index)
- [Privacy Policy](https://studandstack.com/privacy-policy)
- [Terms of Use](https://studandstack.com/terms-of-service)

## Machine-readable

- XML sitemap: https://studandstack.com/sitemap.xml
- Atom feed: https://studandstack.com/feed.xml
- Long-form version of this file: https://studandstack.com/llms-full.txt