Which office storage cabinet is best?
Most home and business offices can benefit from being better organized. The quickest way to get organized is by having the right places to store everything you need to keep your business running smoothly. The right office storage cabinet for you is the one that is built to hold the things you need and is easy to access while fitting comfortably in the space you have.
If you are looking for an elegant two-drawer office storage cabinet, you may like the Sauder Edgewater Lateral File that uses built-in sliders to hold lots of letter and legal file folders.
What to know before you buy an office storage cabinet
Storage needs
Start by figuring out what you want to store. Choose an office storage cabinet that is designed for the shape and size of the things you want to store in it. For example, hanging files call for narrow, deep drawers, while blueprints call for wide, shallow drawers.
Functional vs. decor
The choice is yours. If you buy a plain, institutional-looking cabinet for your home office, you may find that it doesn’t fit in with the rest of the items in your office.
Fixed vs. mobile
Most office storage cabinets are designed to stay in one place, especially the larger ones. Some of the smaller office storage cabinets are made to be used in different places. They need wheels or casters to easily move from desk to desk.
For more information, take a look at the full office storage cabinet buying guide from BestReviews.
What to look for in a quality office storage cabinet
Materials
Metal is the cheapest material used in office storage cabinets and makes up the majority of filing cabinets and all-purpose storage cabinets with doors. Metal office storage cabinets are favored by the budget-conscious and often have that industrial look.
Wood is warmer and has more of a home look than an office look. Wood office storage cabinets are favored by people with home offices.
Operation
Drawers
Inexpensive drawer mechanisms are spartan in design, have a flimsy feel and do not open and close smoothly and securely. These are typically single center-mount or bottom-mount slides. Look for drawers with heavy-duty side slides and glides with ball bearing mounts that roll smoothly and easily.
Doors
Two doors cost more than one but make access to the contents easier. They also don’t open so far out into the aisle that they obstruct someone’s passage. Look for heavy-duty hinges, handles that are attached securely and easily operated and a way to lock the cabinet to keep the contents safe.
Configuration
There are several types of office storage cabinets:
Vertical office storage cabinets are the way to store the most things in the smallest footprint. Vertical office storage cabinets can be file cabinets with anywhere from three to five drawers and are typically used by offices that generate lots of things that need filing. Vertical office storage cabinets can also be utility cabinets. These are typically made of metal and have four or five shelves with doors. This type of office storage cabinet is often used to hold office supplies, cleaning supplies and all the things needed to keep an office humming. Vertical office storage cabinets tend to be functional and usually have a simple, utilitarian design.
Horizontal office storage cabinets usually have two drawers that are designed for hanging files but can be used for anything. They are often made of wood and look more like furniture than storage units. Horizontal office storage cabinets are also functional, but tend to be designed with style in mind.
How much you can expect to spend on an office storage cabinet
Size is the biggest factor, but construction is important, too. Smaller office storage cabinets can be found under $100. Better office storage cabinets will cost between $100-$250 on average. Designer and specialty cabinets can easily run into the thousands of dollars.
Office storage cabinet FAQ
What is something most people overlook when choosing an office storage cabinet?
A. When they measure the space where they plan to put it, most people don’t take into account the space it will occupy with its drawers and doors open.
Why do some lateral filing cabinets have mechanisms that allow only one file drawer to open at a time?
A. There is always a danger when you shift the weight of a drawer and what’s in it to the outside of the center of gravity established when it is closed. While most lateral and vertical office storage cabinets are built to be stable with one drawer open, when two fully loaded drawers are open, most office storage cabinets will tip over.
What’s the best office storage cabinet to buy?
Top office storage cabinet
What you need to know: This stately office storage cabinet has large drawers that can hold many different things at once.
What you’ll love: The drawers of this office storage cabinet have sliders built in to hold lots of letter and legal hanging file folders easily. The 33- by 23-inch top surface is large enough to hold a table lamp, books or sculpture. Internal locking mechanisms protect the unit from tipping over by allowing only one drawer to be open at a time.
What you should consider: This office storage cabinet is big, heavy and hard to move around.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Top office storage cabinet for the money
Topsky 5 Drawer Mobile Cabinet
What you need to know: This small, wooden five-drawer mobile cabinet is great for moving around to different workstations.
What you’ll love: The only assembly this office storage cabinet needs is to put the casters in because the rest arrives fully assembled. The five drawers with durable ball bearing slides are built to hold shallow, flat items that you can move around to be near whoever needs them. The handles are built in and don’t stick out.
What you should consider: To prevent tipping over, the drawers do not come out all the way.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Worth checking out
Fedmax Large Industrial Cabinet with Adjustable Shelves and Locking Doors
What you need to know: This six-foot-tall locking office storage cabinet holds up to 900 pounds on five sturdy shelves.
What you’ll love: Four of the five shelves can be adjusted to accommodate whatever size and configuration you need. The two doors open to the sides to allow full access to all the contents. The handy built-in leg levelers are adjustable, so this office storage cabinet sits firmly on uneven floors and the built-in lockset comes with two keys.
What you should consider: Fedmax says their assembly instructions are the easiest in the industry, but some consumers disagree.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
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David Allan Van writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
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Read More:The best office storage cabinet
2022-03-02 08:29:18
