Socket organizer trays that don't ****?

[Jimithing616]

Best deal going now for socket organizers imho....

Lowes (Snap on Clone) magnetic holders - http://https://www.lowes.com/search?searchTerm=magnetic+socket+tray&inStock=1&rollUpVariants=0

Lowes metal base 1/4-3/8-1/2 holders http://https://www.lowes.com/pd/Kobalt-Multiple-Drive-Steel-Storage-Tray/3381278

Or my new fave is
Home Depot husky version of the Hansen socket trays for 1/2 the price of Hansen - http://https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-3-8-in-Drive-Socket-Organizer-Tray-Set-SAE-mm-2-Piece-H3DSOT/302755048

That's a link for the 3/8 but they also have 1/4 and 1/2 versions, you get one metric and one sae for $15 which Hansen ones are $12-15 for one in my experience. These however do say they're made overseas where Hansen are USA made, however side by side I don't see any difference whatsoever.

All 3 options I posted are for sale in my local stores, respectively, so that is nice to be able to see them before buying them... the HD ones were displayed by the toolboxes at my store which made them kinda hard to find as the other socket holders are by the sockets... go figure.

I own all of them and I think I prefer the good old Hansen clones honestly

 

[Rickster]

I can't believe I'm actually considering switching up from my Hansen trays but those darn Lowes clip trays look really nice. They would solve several problems I curently have; could mount two same size sockets side by side and would have spots for flex sockets, hex & torx sockets and other oddballs. Plus allow me to set spacing to fit more. Found the extra clips on Amazon, just need to head over to Lowes tomorrow to check them out.

 

[ThatSickRip]

I can't believe I'm actually considering switching up from my Hansen trays but those darn Lowes clip trays look really nice. They would solve several problems I curently have; could mount two same size sockets side by side and would have spots for flex sockets, hex & torx sockets and other oddballs. Plus allow me to set spacing to fit more. Found the extra clips on Amazon, just need to head over to Lowes tomorrow to check them out.

I highly recommend, theyre awesome. Plus their shape is perfect for doubles/triples in the drawer, where as the plastic/Hansen style, which are different lengths/widths and can mess up the flow of the drawer if youre OCD

Though the pro of the plastic/Hansen style is that its nice to know with a quick look what size is where...but this is GJ, who doesnt know the socket size by jst looking at it?

 

[Tynee]

Does anybody have experience with the Olsa/Area aluminum rails? I’d like to know if they are flat enough on bottom to stand up like the Gearwrench would as you open and close the drawer.

I’ve got a bunch of money ******* in pseudo Hansen style trays rights now. One of my problems is I can’t find any more red ones with metric markings, at least not in 1/2”. I started out many years ago keeping my metrics in a red tool box and my SAE in a black one, so I stuck with that scheme when I bought my socket trays. Didn’t know I was doing it the reverse of the rest of the civilized world.

 

[ckblum]

You can buy most any colour of Hansen style tray in metric or standard off the truck. I have my metric in green trays, standard in red. Also have a mix of black trays in both MM and SAE for chrome sockets, as I use 99% impact sockets.

 

[Dookie2122]

For fans of the Hansen style trays check out the offering from OEM Tools...all sizes available, lime green for SAE and grey for Metric, much cheaper than Hansen, same layout and quality.

 

[cesski]

I absolutely love my VIMs. Pretty expensive but exactly what I wanted.

 

[77Mini]

I absolutely love my VIMs. Pretty expensive but exactly what I wanted.

Do you have the ones with the round adjustable studs and the aluminum rail?

I like the look of those. I had not seen those before.

 

[Jtels85]

I can't believe I'm actually considering switching up from my Hansen trays but those darn Lowes clip trays look really nice. They would solve several problems I curently have; could mount two same size sockets side by side and would have spots for flex sockets, hex & torx sockets and other oddballs. Plus allow me to set spacing to fit more. Found the extra clips on Amazon, just need to head over to Lowes tomorrow to check them out.

I’m curious what you decided to go with...

I have my sockets on Hansen trays, but I have my hex and torx sockets on one of red Kobalt steel socket trays. I like it a lot and have been debating getting more and putting my regular sockets on them. I like the Hansen trays, but the 1/2 is too big and skips sizes.

 

[Mr Ratchet]

For standard length and deep walls I use the Hansen trays. The are a little deeper than they need to by because they don't stagger the size. That extra gap does get put to good use as I like the pull the whole tray for some jobs. I put extensions and the drive tools in that gap and carry the whole thing in a nice tighty package.

I also use some Hansen bit trays, rails, a metal tray and some home made holders. They all work well for my needs.

Every type will have advantages and disadvantages. It's up to each person what works the best for themselves.

 

[Tynee]

Do you have the ones with the round adjustable studs and the aluminum rail?

I like the look of those. I had not seen those before.

Link, please? When I looked up VIM, what I saw didn’t look like what you’re describing.

 

[fos373]

^^^ i'm assuming you are looking for these

http://www.vimtools.com/store/page30.html

I use them as well as find them to be great

 

[bob15]

You see that's why I like the GearWrench design better; the clips are on inside of the rail instead of wrapping around the outside like the Matco. The GearWrench rail sits flat on the table and are very stable without toppling over.

Mine stand up fine, with deep & shallow sockets. The socket clips don't make it fall over either.

 

[77Mini]

Link, please? When I looked up VIM, what I saw didn’t look like what you’re describing.

http://www.vimtools.com/store/page30.html

 

[Rickster]

I’m curious what you decided to go with...

I have my sockets on Hansen trays, but I have my hex and torx sockets on one of red Kobalt steel socket trays. I like it a lot and have been debating getting more and putting my regular sockets on them. I like the Hansen trays, but the 1/2 is too big and skips sizes.

I picked up a couple of the Lowes trays for my 3/8 socket drawer. I'm worried they may cause my deep sockets to be too tall for my older model box's drawer. Have to take things apart and see if I can make it work. Have relatives over for the holidays will need to wait till next week before I can spend some time screwing around in the garage. But they do look pretty heavy duty, I was impressed.

 

[ThatSickRip]

But they do look pretty heavy duty, I was impressed.

Told ya

Wait to you start moving the holders around and being able to completely customize your layout

 

[zbyler]

I just bought the Ernst twist lock socket organizers (aka the "socket boss") and I love them. You can choose form various length rails and each socket boss comes with 1 rail in each of 1/4", 3/8", and 1/2" sizes, for a total of 3 rails per set. I bought the 18" length rails that have 15 socket holders per rail for about $25 on amazon. They offer blue, red, and high-vis green rails.

 

[Tynee]

^^^ i'm assuming you are looking for these

http://www.vimtools.com/store/page30.html

I use them as well as find them to be great

http://www.vimtools.com/store/page30.html

At the risk is sounding needy, I get. 404 error from both of these links.

 

[pcmeiners]

VIM rails look nice. I thought my time saver aluminum rails were expensive.
Like the low height of the VIM rails.
Like the idea you can get a 24" rail

If you have a large socket sets, VIM or Time Saver rails are the way to go. At double the price of Time Saver rails, hard to justify the added expense.

 

[zbyler]

Turns out the Ernst twist lock rails and the Tekton rails are identical. Ernst package is cheaper though.

 

[Wyoming09]

Turns out the Ernst twist lock rails and the Tekton rails are identical. Ernst package is cheaper though.

I use the Ernst rails and like them very much. I tend to roll the box to where I am working so I don't ever carry a rail to the worksite. If one decides on the Ernst rails the cheapest place I've found is either Summit Racing or eBay.

 

[6PTsocket]

I am down to two types. For the heaviest stuff, like impacts, I like the MTS aluminum rails with magnetic back and their Lok-a-socket posts. For everything else, I like the Gearwrench plastic rails with ball detent posts. The MTS rails are also sold as Craftsman but are slightly shorter and hold a few less sockets. The MTS are also availalable as non magnetic back plastic rails. I saw these under another name but l forget the brand. The MTS have one potentially serious problem. If the detent in the socket is too far from the end, the post cannot rotate and lock. They are aware of the problem and advertise " fits most sockets". I have some 3/8 stuff that would not work with them. If your sockets fit, they are great. The Gearwrench rails are glass reinforced nylon. They flex a bit but are very strong. No magnetic back. The MTS rails only come in red. The Gearwrench come in blue, red and green. They both use C channel rail that encloses the posts. I think that is a better design than the posts that wrap around the rail. There are replacemet posts avalable for both.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[pcmeiners]

"The MTS rails only come in red."

There are other companies with rebadged copies of the MTS rails with different colors, Westward has black, I remember at least one company has them in blue. I have about 40 MTS magnetic aluminum rails, better made then the composite rails.
As to the locking issue, I have no issue locking them but I have yet to need the locking mechanism; the post hold the sockets well. I can't imagine locking them every time I used a socket I would go nuts, basically only people with OCD could really appreciate it.

 

[cesski]

http://www.vimtools.com/store/page30.html

Yup! These are what I have except in red. Bought them off of ebay. Just search VIM MagRail TL and they should pop up. I bought 3 8" rails for about $40. Love that they are very low profile and sockets never come off. The magnets in them are crazy strong!

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[6PTsocket]

I've been using craftsman trays but i need more of them and can not get them anymore without ordering online and they are $20 each. Are there any other trays to get that are not made of plastic?

These are the one i have.

What do you guys do when you have multiple sockets of the same size?

That rail is the one principally sold by Mechanic's Time Saver, MTS. The MTS is 16 socket, 22" and the Sears version is 13 socket and a bit shorter. I am not sure about differences in the 3/8 and 1/4 sizes. MTS also makes it in a non magnet backed, plastic rail version. NOTE: They do not work with all sockets. It even says so on MTS site. Some sockets have the ball detent too deep in the socket to match the ball on the rotating post so the post cannot rotate and lock. I like these rails when they work with the sockets I want to put on them. Some did not. I've seen the plastic version branded with another name, that I can't recall, as well.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[jimreed2160]

I just got these Kobalt magnetic trays for my 1/4" sockets and they are great. Deep sockets go in the back and shallow in the front. The ratchets are in a deli meat container and everything fits nicely in my little canvas tote bag.

 

[Druder]

Turns out the Ernst twist lock rails and the Tekton rails are identical. Ernst package is cheaper though.

Ernst makes a lot of stuff for Tekton and you can save a good bit just going straight to the source.

 

[Astro_Pneumatic_Tools]

Our anodized aluminum Nano socket rails have square drives with detents. I've considered offering these alone if I can get the street price can be low enough. Blue for metric, black for SAE.

 

[Druder]

I just moved all my sockets into my new HF 44 top drawer but right now they're in the Craftsman 4 drawer inserts and they practically take up the whole drawer. The set comes with so many different sockets that I'm worried one Ernst setup isn't going to do it. Does anyone have pictures of how many sockets fit on one of their rails? My set has a ton of 1/4" comparatively so maybe I just need one extra for those.

 

[Tallpilot]

I don't like locking rails (ball detent or twist) for sockets that get used often. It takes too much time to take them off and put them back. For heavy sockets the Westling machine are great and they don't fall off...for lighter sockets the Hansen are good and I like the Snap On 3 row for the sets where I have mid lengths.

I do like the aluminum rails with ball detents or a VIM mag rail for less used sockets. Olsa tools sells a nice rail for a good price. The VIM rails are awesome but expensive if you don't get them with a socket set.

 

[BDT/NWMN]

There recently was a set of six Hansen socket trays on eBay for $21.?? shipped.. I thought "Ya Really" and ordered a set that were due to arrive today.. The seller is sold out of the 240 sets they had available, and has not responded to My email... PayPAL will take care of the refund, so I had no concerns about any loss.

I was curious if anyone else looked over or ordered this dreamish eBay deal?

 

[JazzBlueRT]

I use these from Rural King:
I use these.

https://www.ruralking.com/tool-shed-1-2-metric-socket-tray-67241.html for $3-$5 they are less expensive than the HF ones, hold the sockets with the square drive down and have the sizes on them.

In store usually has SAE (red) and metric (blue), I do not shop there online.

 

[Empty Pockets]

Mine are kept in sets, in the original boxes. They are easy to grab and go to the project, if needed.

I also have a set of sockets stored in Hansen trays. Those are for the project(s) taking place in the shop.

Extra sockets are stored in plastic boxes, sorted by drive size. Broken sockets are generally tossed in the scrap bucket

 

[Djui5]

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mechanic...62587&wl11=online&wl12=34811446&wl13=&veh=sem

I have this same thing from Matco. It’s nice because I can put all my 3/8’s sockets in it and carry them around. My other socket holders are Hanson type plastic trays. They’re great for staying in the tool box.

 

[jimreed2160]

This thread got me interested in organizing my assorted piles so I bought some trays and rails from Lowes. Then I realized that my tired eyes had trouble seeing the sizes so I ordered some stickers. These would probably not hold up to heavy use, but will be OK with my light work around the woodshop.

 

[anndel]

I have Ernst, Westling and Hansons and they each have pros and cons.

I like Ernst because I can take the entire rail to the vehicle from my box I like them because they twist lock and won't fall out. They are marked with socket sizes and color coded for metric and inch.

I like Hansons as the spindles are tall and reach over the deep sockets and have sizes imprinted at the tips. But they are tall and take up room as some of my drawers don't have enough depth to clear the spindles. I just glance and take the sizes on a magnetic holder and take them to the vehicle.

Westlings are well made, sturdy and low profile. The sockets don't lock and if you jerk the drawer the sockets don't fall out. They are unmarked but color coded for metric and inch.

If I had to do it over and had deep drawers (depth-wise) I would go with Hanson since they are marked. For low profile or shallow drawers, Ernst. If I had a larger box but the drawers are shallow Westling all the way. Yeah I know this probably didn't help you.

 

[16again]

Got these ModBox rails on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073VRJZT8/?tag=atomicindus08-20
16 pegs on the 1/2", 18 pegs on the 3/8" and 24 pegs on the 1/4".
Tested them out by putting the 1/2" sockets on a rail and shaking it upside down. Rail retains them just fine. I'm not fond of the magnetic units when I'm working in the street under my car. These will be perfect for when my Westling Machine rails (they stay in my box) are not appropriate.

 

[Tallpilot]

Those are excellent and cheap. I use them for my less used sockets (swivels, 12 point, etc). I don't like them for everyday sockets because of the locking mechanism. I want to be able to grab a socket with one hand easily.

 

[16again]

Got these ModBox rails on Amazon. 16 pegs on the 1/2", 18 pegs on the 3/8" and 24 pegs on the 1/4".
Tested them out by putting the 1/2" sockets on a rail and shaking it upside down. Rail retains them just fine. I'm not fond of the magnetic units when I'm working in the street under my car. These will be perfect for when my Westling Machine rails (they stay in my box) are not appropriate.

I see guys spending big money on these things. I just found this three rail set for $26.99. Good reviews. 1/2, 3/8, & 1/4. 16 holders each.

Exactly what I paid for the items I pictured. Notice the ones I purchased have 16, 18 and 24 holders. Can also be cut into smaller sections and they even provided the extra end caps for that.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073VRJZT8/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[ptgarcia]

Exactly what I paid for the items I pictured. Notice the ones I purchased have 16, 18 and 20 holders. Can also be cut into smaller sections and they even provided the extra end caps for that.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073VRJZT8/?tag=atomicindus08-20

They look like the same product with a different name screen printed on the rail.