Big-Time Boxes: Michael Capozzio, Snap-on

March 12, 2019
From a new box every month to the best-of-the-best.

Before Michael Capozzio settled on his 127” long Snap-on Epiq setup, his wife referred to him as a member of the ‘Toolbox of the Month Club.’

Capozzio worked out of just about every brand of toolbox sold.

“I never kept one for more than a couple months and they’d roll in with another one, and I’d buy it,” he says. That was until Snap-on released their Epiq line and he never looked back.

After purchasing his 68” double bank main box six years ago, Capozzio has since added a top chest, two side lockers and a work bench. He’s even thinking he’ll add a couple more lockers on for additional bulk storage.

To Capozzio, a long-time technician, previous tool dealer and current shop owner of Classic Corvette Restorations, the investment was worth it for how well the boxes are made.

The toolbox features 23 drawers organized neatly by category, starting with sockets and ratchets in one, wrenches in another, and then screwdriver and pliers in their place and so forth.

“Everybody makes fun of me but everything is laid out like super neat,” Capozzio says of his spotless drawers. “All the screwdriver handles have to be laid with the label up. I like all my stuff being laid out, not just in piles, so when I open a drawer I can visually see if something is missing.”

At more than 74” high, the flip top storage space in the top chest is relatively out of reach. Capozzio uses this space to store pry bars and other lesser-used tools. In this setup there’s no room on the box for work space. Instead, this shop owner opts to perform tear down and assembly work on a separate Snap-on stainless steel work bench.

“I’ll tell you when I had just the hutch on the toolbox and not the top chest … what would happen is by the end of the day you keep setting things up there instead of putting them in the drawers and you’d have this big pile of tools laying on top,” Capozzio explains. “So now … the workbench is for working at and I don’t have to worry about setting things on the box. It forces me to put things away.”

Capozzio uses the two side lockers for bulk storage. The eight drawers, four in each side, store things like spray guns, sanders, gaskets and gasket sealants. In addition, the doors feature a peg board which Capozzio uses to hold products like spray cleaners, chrome polish and lubricants.

For power, Capozzio has added battery chargers in the left-hand locker, and installed an outlet strip on the back of the box for additional power.

About the Author

Vesna Brajkovic | Associate Editor - Vehicle Repair Group

Vesna Brajkovic is a former associate editor for the Vehicle Repair Group.

Brajkovic has covered the transportation industry for a number of trade publications, with a focus on the vehicle maintenance and automotive aftermarket industries since 2016. Prior to that, she covered the global aviation industry as assistant editor for Endeavor Business Media's AviationPros.com, and held a number of editorial positions at an award-winning community newspaper.

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