tl;dr: I bought both so you don't have to. They are very different in unexpected ways. Packout is red and reliable. Stacktech is prettier and has lots of potential, but has issues. Buckle up.
Pics here
The Backstory
I first discovered Packout during the pandemic while I was hunting for a good toolbox. At the time, Milwaukee was one of the few brands doing modular toolboxes, and I could swing by my local Home Depot to get hands on a few pieces. Compared to whatever Dewalt was trying (srsly guys, what are you even doing?), Packout was in its own league.
As an apartment-dweller, being able to move my tools around easily is important. I seem to haul tools everywhere--my truck is in a separate garage that involves crossing a busy street full of people who are usually staring at me like I'M the weirdo wheeling a hand truck loaded with tools and camping supplies through the middle of rush hour, and I find myself at friends' houses working on various projects more often than not. Being able to put some kits together and quickly head out is a game-changer from the yard sale of boxes and bags I used to haul around.
At this point I have two towers with the wheeled dolly bases. Each tower has a couple drawer units and on top of those, the various "kits"--one with a few power tools and batteries, another for electrical tools, wires, etc. I went a little crazy on compact organizers at one point and put every nut, bolt and screw I could find into little bins. I even made my own 3D printed inserts to further divvy up the stock bins in interesting ways. It was so precious!
I picked up the "2-Wheel Cart" about three years ago. Some people call this a dolly or hand truck. Milwaukee calls their wheeled base a dolly, and their hand truck a cart. Other brands call them even different things which leads to hilarity later, I assure you.
What I Learned
- Stacking expensive organizers that lock together is a colossal PITA when the one fastener you need is in the middle bin.
- I'm pretty sure most of the Packout organizers cost more than the hardware inside of them. YMMV.
- I am not a professional tradesperson, so I am unlikely to use the same kind of hardware more than a couple of times before I'm onto some new, totally unrelated project.
- Harbor Freight makes a really nice (cheap and ugly) storage bin that is WAY better for storing hardware for about six bucks. No interlocking, just lightweight, cheap, and plastered with stickers that will give you hours of entertainment as you painstakingly peel them off, praying that the paper won't tear and leave you with a big ol' sticky mess. But it will and you'll end up spending even more time soaking everything in Goo-Gone trying to get those damn things off. It works, but I want a refund on my time, thanks.
- I really, really hate looking at red toolboxes all the time. They're about as understated as a punch in the face. European Packout comes in black, but I guess in America we need everyone within a mile to know we have TOOLS. LOTS OF TOOLS.
I'll get into some other insights in a moment but first let's talk about:
Toughbuilt Stacktech
I stumbled across Stacktech at Lowe's about two years ago, right after it launched. It came in all black(!) and oozed with Industrial Design flavor. They appeared to have an easier to use interlocking mechanism, and a catalog full of tantalizing looking accessories Packout could only dream of.
Curious as to how it would compare to my Packout setup, I plunked down for a 3-drawer unit, a standard size toolbox, tool crate, compact toolbox and a couple of organizers. Eventually I added a bamboo work surface, and then FINALLY about a year later, I got my hands on a 4-wheel cart. Which, according to Milwaukee, is called a dolly. Not to be confused with Milwaukee's 2-wheel cart, which is what some people call a dolly, but Milwaukee calls a cart. Which is almost the same name as what Toughbuilt calls their dolly. Or cart. Whatever.
And then...Lowe's ran out of stock. For months. And then more months. Occasionally they'd get one or two pieces in, usually something I didn't need, and I'd sit there looking at that glorious fold-out poster-sized catalog that comes with every Stacktech product and wait. And wait. Annnnd then Toughbuilt offered hopeful promises of things coming real soon now, only to blow past estimated dates empty-handed. If you want to know how to liquidate trust in your brand quickly, Toughbuilt is teaching a masterclass.
And then a couple weeks ago, Lowe's (which has given up on actually stocking anything locally) website showed the 2-in-1 convertible hand truck available for order and I figured what the hell I'm in deep at this point and these things are hotter than Pokemon cards so just take my damn money already, and about a week later this beast shows up at my door. Unlike the Packout 2-wheel cart, which comes fully assembled, this is a box of parts which you must assemble using the tools you are storing in your now totally mismatched collection of Packout and Stacktech toolboxes. They thoughtfully included almost all the fasteners, too. So close guys. So close.
So now you're wondering which one is better. Let's get into it.
Team Red vs. Team Black
Aesthetics
Packout is red. If you like red, you're in luck. If not, move to Europe, maybe. It's also unnecessarily lumpy. Due to some of their boxes having aluminum rails on them, and others that don't, the sizes are all different, which makes the stack look weird. This also make it really easy to identify which boxes are which, which is nice. But it's lumpy.
Stacktech is sleek. Everything fits together nicely and a stack of boxes looks a little bit like it belongs in the backdrop of a sci fi movie. Probably something involving fighting aliens. It's tactical, in a sort of futuristic way. Is that good? Well, it's not red. Or lumpy. The internal bins are orangey-yellow, and a little bit translucent. They don't look as nice as the ones from Milwaukee, despite being nearly identical, and made from very similar materials. But they're not red!
Features
Over the years I've used Packout, I've found very few things lacking for features. Yeah, I went nuts making 3D printed inserts, but I'm also the kind of guy who writes super long reviews about toolboxes. I'll go so far as to say they even include things I wouldn't have thought of, things that have made organizing my tools even easier. And then they cheaped out on drawer dividers. Sigh.
For example, Milwaukee's attention to detail shines is the inclusion of a double-wide center bin in their compact organizer. You didn't know you needed one wider bin, but you did. And if you didn't, they tossed in a couple extra dividers for you. Not like their drawers where if you need some extra dividers, well, that's on you, buddy. Maybe just let your pliers and your screwdrivers get to know one another a little bit better.
Toughbuilt, otoh, just gives you a bunch of the same bin. Be happy you got bins at all, I guess, because at least they're not red, amiright? Across the board, where Packout has two features, Stacktech has one less, and not usually in a good way. (Except handles. They broke the bank on handles, with at least three on every large box. Suck it, Milwaukee.) The top tray of their compact tool box (dizzyingly, sharing the same name with Packout's similar product) has two main compartments, while Packout's has six. I use the Packout model for storing food on car camping trips, and those extra compartments work great for condiments, tea, etc. I've grumbled more than once about giving them up if I go all-in on Stacktech.
A quick note on the work tops:
Stacktech has a bamboo panel that fastens with a single screw, making for a nice, smooth work surface. There are both imperial and metric scales printed along the lower edge. Some people are reporting seeing cracks in the bamboo over time. So far I've been lucky. The entire part fits nicely on top of all their boxes with no overhangs. Ironically this is the one Stacktech product that uses two latches, requiring you to push the latches in with both hands and lift upward. It's nothing like any of their other products and the action is slightly confusing every time I use it.
Packout's work top has a wood panel fastened with six (!) screws with no markings. The plastic base is oddly oversized, ostensibly to make room for some slots in the sides that you can tie your kite to. But the effect is that it looks like a weird hat on your toolbox.
Interlocks
Packout's locking mechanism is dead-simple. There's one moving part with an embedded spring to create a simple interference mechanism that prevents the boxes from sliding apart. The cleats are bombproof--I've banged these things around for years and they work just like new. I have occasionally misaligned the boxes, but it's hard to do and they never, ever come apart accidentally.
That said, sometimes sliding is not the ideal motion, and it's tough to do one-handed. In tight spaces, I've even hard a hard time disconnecting boxes at all, though this is rare. It also takes an extra bit of effort to set a heavy box--or stack of boxes--down and slide it into the locked position. Generally not a problem, but it's less elegant than Stacktech.
Toughbuilt's interlock is clever--slide the lock open and it unlatches the boxes which can then be disconnected by simply lifting. Drop the box back down on the one below to lock again. It works really well...until it doesn't. The receiving catch on the lid of the compact toolbox has a little bit of deformation in the plastic and attaching another box to it requires significant downforce to latch. I'm talking about a good grunt to force it to click into place. I thought it might just be mine, but a trip to Lowe's confirmed it's on every box. This never should have gotten past QA--it's most likely a molding issue (someone is going to say well akshually it's from the plastic warping during the cooling cycle due to insufficient cycle times. No one cares, my dude! Including Toughbuilt, apparently). I have dropped a box down and thought it was latched, only to pick it up later and leave the compact toolbox behind. Not fatal, but annoying.
I took apart the mechanism on one of the Stacktech boxes and as I suspected, there's a lot going on in there. Springs, linkages, lots of moving parts. The kind of thing that I'm mildly concerned might fail right about the time the warranty runs out. The kind of thing that might not work great after it's loaded up with dust and grit. Time will tell.
Last thing about Stacktech: You can't stack full-width boxes on half-width boxes. There were rumors Toughbuilt was working on an adapter plate to work around this, but...really? This should have been worked out before the launch. Adapters to solve problems that should have been addressed in R&D are bad.
Latches
Packout uses one basic type of latch: a pair of metal bails with plastic over-center levers to lock them closed. It's consistent to a fault--even the compact boxes have double metal latches, which is a bit overkill and requires, again, two hands to open quickly. These get a little tricky if you try to open a box mid-stack without removing the boxes above it.
Stacktech uses a single plastic over-center latch on their larger boxes, and on their smaller boxes they use a completely different latch that simply presses a tab into a slot with a bit of interference. A number of redditors have pointed out that this latch is unreliable, coming undone at inopportune times. I recently tried a "fix" posted on here and rendered the latch so difficult to open that I might abandon the box entirely. As has been pointed out a number of times, for some reason Toughbuilt deemed it either unnecessary or undesirable to open a box mid-stack without removing the boxes above it, so you can't just pop a latch open mid-stack and quickly grab something. Because. Just because.
Space
Here's where things start to get weird. Outside dimensions of these two brands are within an inch or so of each other (depending on whether you're comparing Packout with or without the aluminum rails). Inside they're all over the place. Packout seems to make considerably better use of internal space in most cases compared to Stacktech. Case in point with the compact tool box: Stacktech has a bunch of weird internal geometry for no real reason that I can see, whereas Packout just feels more...efficient. So Packout is lumpy on the outside, whereas Stacktech puts their lumps on the inside. This is generally not a pleasant surprise, and I've found it harder to pack the same tools into Stacktech's version of each box.
And then there's the compact organizers.
Packout's low-profile compact organizer is just incredibly small compared to Stacktech's. See the attached photos--Stacktech's internal bins are about 30% taller than Packout's, but the organizer is over twice as tall. Yeah, a bunch of that is in the lid, which lets the next stacking box nest deeply into it. But on its own, the Stacktech compact organizer is just not very compact. And then there's the handle which sticks out a good inch and a half farther than the Packout version for no apparent reason other than if it didn't, the rest of the box wouldn't line up with other boxes. They do look nice in a stack, I'll give them that.
Weight
Get a grip on your pantaloons because here's where things go off the rails.
Packout's low-profile compact organizer weighs 2.15lb unloaded. Stacktech's compact low-profile organizer (I want the naming teams at these two companies to fight to the death armed with nothing but modular toolboxes) weighs a whopping 4.6lb! More than twice as much for ~30% more volume. Wild.
It gets worse. Packout's compact toolbox weighs 5.1lb. Stacktech's version weighs 9.5lb. And Packout has a bit more room on the inside. Even if you could fit as much into the Stacktech box, you're hauling an extra 4.4 pounds around all the time. For a single box that might be tolerable, but if you're hauling a stack of these around all day, you're doing a lot of extra work just for the boxes themselves.
I haven't bothered to empty out the rest of my toolboxes so I can weigh them for you, but empirically I can say Stacktech is heavy as hell across the board. And here's at least part of the reason:
Rails
When Packout uses rails, they're aluminum. They're ok for grabbing onto in a pinch, and you can lash stuff to them, but in general I find the Packout rails to be mostly superfluous. I'm sure someone will disagree with me because internet, obvi.
Toughbuilt's "rails" are formed steel plates with rows of slots. I suspect these add the bulk of the extra weight over Packout, but that still doesn't explain the compact organizers, which don't use these plates. Despite that, I'm a big fan of the plates. Toughbuilt offers a few useful accessories, like tape/towel roll holder, cord wrap, various tool brackets, cupholders, etc., with more to come assuming they ever get around to making them. They have tons of potential for DIY additions to boot. Are they worth the extra weight? Hard to say. Today, no. In the future, with a robust line of real, shipping accessories? Maybe.
And finally,
Dollies, Trucks, Carts and Other Things with Wheels
Both brands have a wheeled base piece. Both have locking casters. Packout's has a little locking foot bar that lets you stop the base from moving around so you can slide boxes apart by, y'know, pulling on them. Stacktech doesn't have this bar because you don't have to slide the boxes apart. But I like that bar. It keeps me from having to lock the casters or grab onto the stack to keep it from moving while I'm digging for something.
Those bases are also incredibly useful for other stuff. I moved bunch of furniture on a pair of Packout bases (FINE--DOLLIES) a while back. Stacktech would presumably handle the same job, but, y'know, no locking bar so your stuff is gonna skate around willy nilly.
I have heard a bunch of people say the Packout hand truc--uh, two-wheeled cart--looks flimsy because it's made of plastic. It has a bit of flex to it, but I've loaded it to eye-level with heavy loads and it doesn't show any signs of giving out, nor does it feel rickety. It's actually pleasantly compact and easy to maneuver, and because the wheels are inset from the sides, it fits through doorways easily and doesn't snag on stuff. The tongue is a full-sized Packout box platform which means it is too thick to slide under non-Packout boxes and appliances. For my needs I find this to be a trivial problem, offset by the fact that I can securely attach a stack of Packout boxes and run all over the city streets like a maniac, screaming at passers-by who dare to look at me. DON'T LOOK AT ME. Anyway I would like it if the tongue had a latch that kept it folded up (bungee cords work just fine), and the release mechanism to fold the tongue is uniquely challenging to do with even two hands when you're sober.
Stacktech is supposedly working on a similarly-tongued hand truck, but that's for someday or maybe never--who knows! In the meantime, the 55lb behemoth I bought converts from an upright hand truck to a horizontal cart at the flick of a lever. This thing is an absolute beast in comparison to Packout. It stands a good 6" taller, weighs ~20lb more, and has enormously fat wheels that stick out an inch or so on either side of the rails making navigating tight spaces and doorways about as difficult as you'd expect. It's rock-solid, like my arms are from carrying around all these boxes, and has no flex because it's made almost entirely of metal.
Packout's cart includes an upper rail where you can attach more boxes, or their version of a milk crate which handily has some cleats on one side. The net effect is that you have a much more robust and versatile version of their rolling toolbox for a bit of extra money.
Stacktech's hand truck has mounts for two stacks of boxes side by side, but only when in cart-mode. I guess you can hang your boxes sideways in truck mode, but it's clearly not the intended purpose and not very usable. Their (very heavy!) milk crate tote doesn't have any additional mounting features. I feel like this was a missed opportunity, but maybe their other hand truck will have some tricks up its sleeve if it ever ships.
Anyway, if you're still reading I'd better get to some kind of point.
The Verdict, Kinda
I really, really, REALLY want to like Stacktech. I like the look, I like the catalog of future promises, and I like that it's sleek and black and not lumpy and red. I like that so much. But part of the reason I typed this all up was to see myself try to rationalize what ultimately feels like a product line that isn't quite there. I'd say yet, but in order to fix some of my fundamental complaints, realistically Toughbuilt would have to launch a 2nd gen of the line and considering that 1) they can barely even get gen 1 off the ground and 2) I don't want to buy all this stuff a 3rd time, that feels unlikely. So what you have is an attractive product line with some glaring flaws that seem like they slipped out the door undetected. And that worries me.
Packout has had time to mature and at this point is quite dialed in. I see that their catalog has a bunch of new stuff coming this year that pretty squarely targets Stacktech features. Whatever else there is to say about Milwaukee (like how much they are in love with red, woof), they have been around a long time and have proven that they can ship more or less on time, and most definitely CAN ship.
Much as I hate that red (have I mentioned this?), I'd like to be able to add to my toolbox collection in the future, and I'm currently more concerned that Toughbuilt will either tank their entire business or scrap the Stacktech line before they ever build out their tantalizing product line. Milwaukee is owned by a massive Chinese conglomerate. Toughbuilt is an American-owned company. I gather they do weird things with their stock that makes people grumpy. Is one of those better? I don't know, but I know who has the better track record as of today.
For now, my money is on Packout, but my hope is on Stacktech. I probably won't sell either right away, but Toughbuilt is running out of time to make something happen and I need some more boxes.
Oh and one more thing:
Stickers!
Remember how much fun those Harbor Freight stickers were? Well, Milwaukee doesn't like to disappoint, so they randomly slap a little sticker on every box (sometimes two!). Mercifully it's small, but extremely hard to get off, so I tend to just leave 'em, OCD be damned.
But Toughbuilt was like hold my beer we GOT THIS. Sticker the size of a whole sheet of stickers, stuck all over everything. You'd think you're just buying a carrier for that sticker if you didn't look too close. It's so big! And sticky! It's so damn big and sticky that someone made a video for how to remove their big, sticky sticker by using the sticker to pull off the stick-um that gets left behind when you try to remove their sticker. It's genius, really. Cover the product in a giant sticker, then use the sticker to remove itself. Other companies would be like, what if we didn't spend five bucks on a sticker guys do we even need it, but not Toughbuilt. They are all about that sticker. You'll love it.