[Spike00513]

How do you organize your toolbox?
So far the best options I've seen are Tool Grid and VIM magrails.
Matco seems to resell Tool Grid at a higher price.

VIM magrails seem more universal because they can be lifted, moved around, and have pins to hold sockets.
I've seen people space the pins to hold wrenches, extensions, etc. but IDK how well that works or if it's the best way of doing it.

I'm not sure which is more cost effective, because for Tool Grid you then have to buy different holder bits. Like pins for sockets, and cups that can hold more stuff like even ratchets.
Any time I close a drawer my ratchets just go flying all over the place and lose their original spot, turning organization into a mess again quickly.

Another way for things like that though might be a strong neodymium magnet strip. Laid accross the center, ratchets can drop right on it and stay put during drawer closing/opening.

The magrails can also mount sideways or upside down underneath a toolbox lid, like if you have a tool cart with a lid that stays open using gas struts. If you're worried about gas struts, there's tools that clamp/lock them in an upright position.
No reason both (magrails + tool grid) can't be used together at the same time

I don't know how the Tool Grid socket bits hold. They might require a twist off (seems like added waste of time)
vs. VIM being magnetic, you just pull the tool right off it, then place it back on.

Another one is foam, whether buying pre-made or cutting your own. I hear foam floor tiles (like what you might put on a home garage floor or home gym) work well for this.
Sonic Tool kits (expensive) come with them.

use of space seems like a big factor given the more tools you have the better. And those center Tool Grid 1/4 bit holders seem to take up a lot of room...

Foam doesn't seem good because if you buy a new ratchet, it won't fit

 

[elite.mafia]

I have my sockets in a harbor freight organizer and my wrenches in the holder they came in, other than that, it's really not very organized. Wish I could afford to have a garage with fancy toolboxes with organizers like those pictures but most of my tools are kept in the house in a closet.

basically I have these:

Peg-Type Socket Tray, 3 Pc. - Metric Black

3 Pc Peg-Type Socket Tray - Metric Black

www.harborfreight.com

and my wrenches came with a thing like this:

 

[tardman91]

I came to post the same. lol
These are great for sockets if your drawer height allows. Makes it super easy to find the size you need. https://amzn.to/3sxrD6e
These are great for wrenches. https://amzn.to/38NrUdl

 

[dunhamjr]

I haven't done too much of this but I did start getting some pieces for my sockets but not much else yet.

I am using Olsa brand socket organizer bars. I wanted something that was more mobile then the trays with the pegs, since I also end up taking tools with me from time to time in a toolbag.
I am using blue for metric, red for sae, and yellow/gold for adapters, wobbles, shorter extensions.

I bought some extra 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 clips so I could arrange on the organizers as needed.

I also got an Olsa magnetic hex bit holder to gather up random bits that were floating around.

Sent from my HD1907 using Tapatalk

 

[dunhamjr]

I did also consider spanner wrench trays to lay them out by size, but I have more wrenches then most holders have slots. I have dups of some of the common sizes I use. And most of the trays wouldnt quite fit the drawers I have available so I would end up having to angle them at a 45 across the drawer and overall would end up not being able to get all spanners in a single drawer like I have now. The only way I think I would want these, at least with my current toolbox, would be if they were magnetic and I was storing the wrenches on the side of the box instead of in a drawer.

I never considered getting the foam cutout versions, since I feel like that would use up a lot of available storage in the name of being cleaner to look at.

 

[JMURiz]

If you want a foam setup, get a cheap yoga mat and cut for your tools with a razor knife

 

[The A1 and A2 German]

You don't know till you know...


Open close open close open close....after a decade I had enough. I built 9" tall trays, everything arranged by heart, small to large (Phillips on left, flathead right, square bolt in rear, picks in the center, etc)....

Another for ratchet extensions, ratchet conversions, misc...

On the wall I installed 4x8 sheets of wood, installed 1"x2" wood strips, for magnetic bar strips to rest on...now all sockets of every variation are displayed. Of all the things to hold wrenchs....nails...that easy.

The ability to have everything out, available and present was night and day. Everything is one handed reach, grab, remove and place back. If I have a project like say a rear caliper, I can simple lift off the entire magnetic strip off the wood strip and set down nearby. The toolbox holds ~garbage sacrifice tools, junk drawer, old drills bits...stuff that isn't needed regularly.

Same with the power tools, always digging things out....now everything is hung, already plugged into a power strip, already to go on the fly. All the drills are holstered, all the cords drop behind the cabinets outta the way.

 

[ADDvanced]

That stuff looks nice, but then you get another tool and it needs to go into that drawer and you're boned. I just use anti skid mats and arrange things neatly... ish.

 

[Stromaluski]

Organization? You mean my tool box shouldn't look like somebody just vomited wrenches into drawers and them shoved them closed?

 

[freedo84gti]

Organization? You mean my tool box shouldn't look like somebody just vomited wrenches into drawers and them shoved them closed?

thats how mine is 😂 organized chaos.

 

[PZ]

That's much too neat for me. I had the socket holders and wrench trays when I worked as a real mechanic almost 40 years ago, but now it's not quite as neat. I still have the sockets and wrench holders, but a smaller setup and it's more crowded. I tried the tools on the wall over the workbench, but they kept flying off when I had to hammer a CV off an axle in the vise.

 

[thegave]

Boxes? I just have a bag for all my tools so I can easily throw it in the car whenever I'm expecting a breakdown. ie whenever I'm going out. There's a socket holder in there, but most of the sockets end up falling off and roll around at the bottom of the bag.

 

[@McMike]

I thought I would be clever and get some floor mats and cut out some custom inserts.

I finished my 3/8" drive drawer because I started it and didn't want to quit. Didn't do another one because it was a PITA.

 

[dunhamjr]

Boxes? I just have a bag for all my tools so I can easily throw it in the car whenever I'm expecting a breakdown. ie whenever I'm going out. There's a socket holder in there, but most of the sockets end up falling off and roll around at the bottom of the bag.

Bags are fine to take tools to jobs around the house or away from home etc, but I have way too many to ever consider keeping even 1/4 of them in a just a single bag.

I have a 6ft tall box, a 4ft tall box, a smaller mobile box... Then a couple of bins for hammers, pry tools, and other construction tools. Top that with all sorts of power saws, grinders, drills, etc.

Sent from my HD1907 using Tapatalk

 

[candywhitepassat]

In my “dream” garage (if/when I have the budget to do so), I want to have a full set of Stahlwille tools complete with their organization trays(examples below). However in real life, I use a collection of generic organizers that I’ve procured from Amazon, eBay, and Harbor Freight.

 

[sicklyscott]

What I've found is the more organized toolboxes run out of space, quickly. All dividers, foam, even molded plastic trays create dead space. I don't know what your toolbox is like, mine certainly doesn't have the capacity for dead space, your's might.

I'm using the magnetic socket holders from home depot found at the link below. What I like about them is the clear number and the magnetic base. It makes taking a socket out much easier compared to the older style clip-in rails.

Industro 3/8 in. Drive Metric Magnetic Socket Holder (30-Piece)-115 - The Home Depot

Provide an essential and ideal tool by selecting this affordable Industro Drive Metric Magnetic Socket Holder. Offers great durability for long life.

www.homedepot.com

 

[@McMike]

What I've found is the more organized toolboxes run out of space, quickly. All dividers, foam, even molded plastic trays create dead space. I don't know what your toolbox is like, mine certainly doesn't have the capacity for dead space, your's might.

That's another reason why I only did the one drawer with the foam. There is no way my screwdriver, pliers, or many other drawers would would work with a system like that. I have partitions in some of the other large drawers to separate types of tools, but that's it.

If I added anything to that drawer with the foam, I would have cut new openings or redo the whole thing. I think the same thing whenever I see OCD porn like candywhitepassat's dream drawer above. What if want to add a 1/2 - 3/4 adapter, or some odd extension? Just throwing those add-ons in a perfectly organized drawer would defeat the purpose of having such a perfect system.

 

[Metallitubby]

I have and still use all of the organization methods mentioned already. I don't think there is one method that will work for all tools and/or boxes just due to the variations of tools and preferred types of storage.

Most professional auto technicians have "their way" of doing things, and since that way worked for me for 20+yrs, I am going to continue using it in my home shop. I keep most of my frequently used tools in a roll-cart, and the vast amount of storage for the toolbox itself.

 

[@McMike]

^^^ Exactly. As long as you know where everything is, who cares? Sure, I'll look at someone's system and roll my eyes thinking "eww, how in the WORLD can you work like that?????" but if they can... again, who cares?

Now, if you share a toolbox with someone else, or with a team of people? Oh lord, that's a completely different thread.

 

[tardman91]

I love the shallow drawers and non-slip mats in my new Husky toolbox.

For my sockets I was able to just take the lid off of the case they came in and side it into one of the deeper drawers. They're all nicely organized in there.