Wrench Organization: Opinions?

fotoflojoe · Mar 26, 2008

I'm looking for advice/tips on storing wrenches. Currently, I just sort and lay them flat in their draws. Eventually though, they just end up in a jumbled mess. Clearly that's not working - for me anyway.

I'm not crazy about wrench racks in general. All the ones I've seen lock each wrench in place so the whole rack can be carried around. Nice to carry, but a pain when you just want to reach into the draw with one greasy hand and pull out a single wrench. I have meat hooks for hands and that's not so easy! :bounce:

Does anybody have any experience with Ernst Mfg's Gripper racks? they claim the ability for one-handed operation.

Then, there are rails. Will wrenches stay put using these when draws are opened and closed?

Does anybody have any ideas that I've missed?
Sorry to be so **** about this, but I have a lot of wrenches and I only want to set them up once.

Side note: Does Ernst make any of Sears' tool organization stuff? Their draw dividers and plastic socket rails look an awful lot like Ernst's.

Thanks!

Sack · Mar 26, 2008

I use just mainly SK wrench racks. I don't like the gripper ones. I think my main metric and SAE combo wrenches are in the black SK 19 wrench rack they make. I do have a gripper for my ratcheing combo wrenches because they are short enough that I can't find a non-gripper narrow enough. Then I have a dupe set for my craftsman wrenches in a reverse rack.

oxycodone · Mar 26, 2008

drawer.

84TurboBuick · Mar 26, 2008

I was wondering about this to.

I am torn between the racks and the long strips that you can cut to size.

I'm leaning toward the strips but wonder how well they stick to the drawer or drawer liners.

Do the strips hold up over time? I've seen quite a few tool boxes on this forum that have them and wondered if anyone could give some feedback.

nissan_crawler · Mar 26, 2008

I like the foam strips from sears - 65397.

They've been in my work toolbox for 6 years, haven't had any problems with them.

jniolon · Mar 26, 2008

I just bought the 40 wrench set (two seperate strips) from Ernst and am pleased with them... they do not have the grippers and you can get your wrench with one greasy hand.

also bought the v-shaped racks for my stubbys and others and like them also..

I'm like you... I don't care for the grippers. I never take all my wrenches to the jobsite... just what I need.

they were a little slow on delivery... out of stock they said ?? how does a wrench rack maker run out of wrench racks ?? funny... they shipped the next day after I called... I think they just dropped my order somewhere and forgot it...

good price and good quality on the product

john

eschoendorff · Mar 26, 2008

nissan_crawler said:
I like the foam strips from sears - 65397.

They've been in my work toolbox for 6 years, haven't had any problems with them.

Those are cool. Maybe I should upgrade my current setup to that....

Merkava_4 · Mar 26, 2008

http://www.protoco.com/auto.html

NOMAD · Mar 26, 2008

I don't have a tool cart for the garage and don;t need one but I like to transport the tools I need for the job and set them by the car. I use the craftsman wrench racks, socket rails and screwdriver holders. At first i didn't like them but I think they work well for what i need after using them for a bit. I can just grab wrench, socket, screwdriver, few pliers and i'm set.

PoorOwner · Mar 26, 2008

I have the proto ones but they are really meant to sit in a drawer, because if you try to hang them the angle makes it impossible to read the wrench unless it's above your eye.
They pretty much face down.

fotoflojoe · Mar 26, 2008

Are the bottoms of these magnetic or sticky?
Thanks

nissan_crawler said:
I like the foam strips from sears - 65397.

They've been in my work toolbox for 6 years, haven't had any problems with them.

Kevin54 · Mar 26, 2008

I just went thru the Ernst site looking at the wrench holders. For the price I am sold on the 40 piece. I have the steel gripper type in my box and hate them. You can't grab a wrench with on hand or you pull the complete set out. My nephew uses the type like Ernst and is completely satisfied. Easy to put the wrench in and out. What I like about the 40 piece set is that one holder is angled one way and the other is opposite so you can get all the wrenches in one drawer.

Chris Adams · Mar 26, 2008

On the Ernst racks, I picked up a couple sets of the 40 strips (8 pieces, hold 80 wrenches) and they are pretty good.
They are a lot like the old ones I have from Craftsman in the 80's, but longer and with a different angle.
Each rack consists of two strips and one strip is longer than the other, so it works well putting two 20 wrench sets beside each other.

They work great in drawers 14 inches deep or deeper, best in 16-17 deep.

I've found that putting long pattern and 'semi-long' pattern wrenches in the same drawer you get the ends touching. If your drawers are more than 23 inches that may not be an issue.

Or if you are putting short pattern with long it would work.

Don't forget the thickness of your wrenches. I find that 1'' 1/16 wrenches are about the max you can use in a 3 inch drawer without tipping the drawer above it on closing.

Overall the Ernst ones are a better deal than the other 5 methods I have tried.
If you buy from Ernst consider the screwdriver racks.
It’s not perfect but it allows me to put 40 screwdrivers in a shallow (16 inch) drawer and still be able to grab what I want and not get them rolling around.

Combining shipping is the way to go with internet buys.

youm0nt · Mar 26, 2008

http://fom-loc.com/OrderPage.htm

anyone own these?i really like the idea.

Moose-LandTran · Mar 26, 2008

That's not a toolbox, that's a sterile environment!

Uncle Buck · Mar 26, 2008

Merkava_4 said:
I like the WrenchRacks in the 12 slot forward and the 12 slot reverse; I wouldn't use anything else.

In all sincerity I mean no disrespect but I looked at that picture very close and I saw no evidence that any of those tools had ever done anything more than collect dust! Do you actually put your tools to hard use, or are you more of a collector? I mean even with my new tools it does not generally take too long before they start showing marks, dirt, occasional scars and simply general wear. Mind you I would not say this would be the first time i suspected that based on pics someone posted, I was simply curious. :headscrat

Merkava_4 · Mar 26, 2008

hholmberg said:
In all sincerity I mean no disrespect but I looked at that picture very close and I saw no evidence that any of those tools had ever done anything more than collect dust!

Yes and I'm extremely embarrassed about that dust too; I hesitated before posting the picture.

Uncle Buck · Mar 26, 2008

Merkava_4 said:
Yes and I'm extremely embarrassed about that dust too; I hesitated before posting the picture.

Great indeed! :lol_hitti

Kevin54 · Mar 26, 2008

On the Ernst racks, I picked up a couple sets of the 40 strips (8 pieces, hold 80 wrenches) and they are pretty good.
They are a lot like the old ones I have from Craftsman in the 80's, but longer and with a different angle.
Each rack consists of two strips and one strip is longer than the other, so it works well putting two 20 wrench sets beside each other.

One thing I did notice on the Ernst site that is impressive....Made in the USA and Lifetime Warranty :thumbup:

And they will send you a catalog. Their socket rails look like the Kobalts at Lowes. The Ernst is about half price of what Lowes was for the Kobalt. If I remember, Kobalt was something like $11.95 per rail :wtf:

Too rich for my blood. Especially when a person needs a hald dozen or so.

hamburglar · Mar 26, 2008

...........

Lyaec350 · Mar 26, 2008

Ernst stuff is great but shipping on their site is killer.

Lyaec350 · Mar 26, 2008

hamburglar said:
I'm 100% blow mold case and wrench rolls. Draws? We don't need no steenking draws.

Also whats the deal with the word "draws"? I've noticed that a lot of people here seem to use it--are you referring to the thing in your tool chest that rolls out on slides otherwise known as drawers? I've never heard it with the -er chopped off, must be a regional thing. :headscrat

Moose-LandTran · Mar 26, 2008

i like the blow-mould holders, like Snap-on provide with their sets, but i think that you lose a lot of space by using them. they are very nice, they look nice and are good for tool control because you can straight away see what's there and what isn't. but using racks/holders means you can make the most of the space you've got. if you got a huge tool box and plenty space, hell why not?

Merkava_4 · Mar 26, 2008

Moose-LandTran said:
i like the blow-mould holders, like Snap-on provide with their sets, but i think that you lose a lot of space by using them.

Yes you do; that's why I'm hoping WrenchRack comes out with a flare wrench holder.

Moose-LandTran · Mar 26, 2008

do you mean a holder that "grips" the wrenches? i like the look of the Snap-on holders that you can cut to length, except the wrenches "sit" on them. i suppose unless you really slam the draws hard.

DiStOrTiOn · Mar 26, 2008

I've been using the craftsman wrench racks for a few years now, and so far I've been quite happy with them. That said, today I bought the Stor-a-Wrench thing from Sears, thought I'd give it a shot to see if it saved me some room. I've got a bunch of wrenches just sitting in the drawer, so now with that, hopefully they can all have a home. I also just ordered the Ernst complete tool organizer set for work today, I'll let everyone know how that works out when it comes in. I'm hoping it'll let me see what they didn't put away at the end of the day. (Usually everything they took out.) As for the blow-mold stuff, whoever came up with that needs to re-evaluate. That stuff looks nice, but it always, no matter what, takes up way more room than it has to. If I had infinite room, yeah, it would be great, but who does? I also hate when they make the stuff fit so tight in the case, that you need another tool to get the tool you need out of it. That annoys me to no end.

wilbilt · Mar 26, 2008

Lyaec350 said:
Also whats the deal with the word "draws"? I've noticed that a lot of people here seem to use it--are you referring to the thing in your tool chest that rolls out on slides otherwise known as drawers? I've never heard it with the -er chopped off, must be a regional thing.

It bugs me, too.

I am reminded of Norm Abram on "The New Yankee Workshop". He would be building a cabinet or bench - which contained drawers - and was obviously struggling to get that final "er" out.

I have often wondered what sort of voice coaching was involved, and how many takes it required to achieve a "draw-free" episode.

JB740i · Mar 26, 2008

DiStOrTiOn said:
I've been using the craftsman wrench racks for a few years now, and so far I've been quite happy with them. That said, today I bought the Stor-a-Wrench thing from Sears, thought I'd give it a shot to see if it saved me some room. I've got a bunch of wrenches just sitting in the drawer, so now with that, hopefully they can all have a home. I also just ordered the Ernst complete tool organizer set for work today, I'll let everyone know how that works out when it comes in. I'm hoping it'll let me see what they didn't put away at the end of the day. (Usually everything they took out.) As for the blow-mold stuff, whoever came up with that needs to re-evaluate. That stuff looks nice, but it always, no matter what, takes up way more room than it has to. If I had infinite room, yeah, it would be great, but who does? I also hate when they make the stuff fit so tight in the case, that you need another tool to get the tool you need out of it. That annoys me to no end.

I've got that sort-a-tool thing from sears too. I like it and it looks organized in the tool box. Even have pulled it out to take it inside when I didn't know what size I need.l

But when I'm out in the garage I always grab on of the ones on the pegboard before even considering even looking in the toolbox.

When we get our house and garage built I think I'll put up some good pegboard for the wrenches.

Uncle Buck · Mar 27, 2008

JB740i said:
But when I'm out in the garage I always grab on of the ones on the pegboard before even considering even looking in the toolbox.

When we get our house and garage built I think I'll put up some good pegboard for the wrenches.

I find that I tend to grab wrenches I have hanging on the pegboard over my workbench much more frequently than I ever thought I would! :headscrat

Uncle Buck · Mar 27, 2008

Merkava_4;195028 I through all my wrenches into a dish pan tonight and gave them a bath. I used a bar of soap that had oatmeal extract and rose hips. :)[/QUOTE said:
I find that very disturbing! BTW Do you have a woman?

Merkava_4 · Mar 27, 2008

hholmberg said:
I find that very disturbing!

Did you see how dusty they were in the first picture? Flat out disgusting.

hamburglar · Mar 27, 2008

...........

nissan_crawler · Mar 27, 2008

fotoflojoe said:
Are the bottoms of these magnetic or sticky?
Thanks

double sided tape, works great. I prefer the foam over the plastic holders, because it grips the wrench and doesn't let them move around.

Uncle Buck · Mar 27, 2008

Merkava_4 said:
Here they are rinsed and dried.

Here they are put away.

Merkava_4 said:

Merkava_4 said:
They look better from this angle I think.

OMG boy do you ever close the toolbox and give the Snap-on on the brain thing a rest! Look at your posting times! :shocking:

PoorOwner · Mar 27, 2008

Hey Merkava did you forget to polish them with something like 3M chrome polish?

http://www.3mestore.com/60980023323.html

84TurboBuick · Mar 27, 2008

Just ordered 2 40pc wrench rails from Ernst, black set and red set. I'm taking the leap here and hoping these do the trick.

I do gotta say though that Ernst's prices are great, but OMFG the shipping is friggin sky high!

89MustangGX · Mar 27, 2008

I like the look of a lot of the products here. Currently I a couple trays that look "similar" like Ernst Grippers except they have the sizes labeled on them. I like this. I wish they took up less space or used it better like some of the designs I see here.

Does anyone else like to have wrench sizes listed or am I alone? I'm always looking for a new/better system and this is one of the things holding me back from trying any of these others.

Adam

Kevin54 · Mar 27, 2008

I used a bar of soap that had oatmeal extract and rose hips.

Not only will they smell good, the chrome will have a little exfoliation also. :lol_hitti

GDA · Mar 27, 2008

I like to be able to grab a couple wrenches quickly so I went with the magnetic holders. Not super cheap but I like them.

LeadDoggy · Mar 27, 2008

LeadDoggy's wrench organization needs so work.....

Wrench Organization: Opinions?

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Banned

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

MEMBER EMERITUS

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Banned

Banned

Banned

MEMBER EMERITUS

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Banned

Well-known member

Well-known member

Banned

Well-known member

Banned

Banned

Banned

Well-known member

Well-known member

Banned

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

MEMBER EMERITUS

Well-known member

Well-known member