How are you sockets stored/organized?

Rockaholic555 · May 18, 2009

I've got more sockets than I really need and am having trouble storing them all without using rails. The Matco guy had some holders that used a bunch of drives on a little track that could hold them but I'd have to buy quite a few to store everything I've got. Right now they are kinda mixed between rails and nothing :wtf:

and my preference is to have them all sorted and held in a uniform way. What do you guys use?

Fedwrench · May 18, 2009

Craftsman plastic rails. Black for SAE and special purpose, grey for anything metric. You can cut them to fit smaller sets. Check the forum for Ernst rails too.

vette-kid · May 18, 2009

I got a set of the craftsman holders. They keep everything nice and easy to see/grab. But they do take up two drawers. And all though they have a spot for 6 and 12pt standard and metric, 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 drives, they dont have any place for deep wells.

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_...&+Tool+Storage&sName=Tool+Storage+Accessories

Vulturej · May 18, 2009

I have most in Hanson socket trays. The rest are on rails or the trays they came in.

GearJammer · May 18, 2009

I use the imitation "hansen" trays made by MIT and am kinda pleased. They were cheap and so far I dont have any serious issues with any of them fitting. I have a Menards 41" rollaway and the 3 major drive sizes fit pretty well in the full width drawer. I've still got another drawer with extras on rails, but more often than not I forget they are there when I grab a socket. I'd be interested to know how everyone stores their impact sockets, with them on the rails they are so heavy it makes it a pain.

lilredex · May 18, 2009

I had accumulated odd sets of sockets and wanted them to be organized and still fit in a drawer, so I spent some time and bent up some 18ga. boxes to fit. Here are a few samples............

Hoot · May 18, 2009

lilredex said:
I had accumulated odd sets of sockets and wanted them to be organized and still fit in a drawer, so I spent some time and bent up some 18ga. boxes to fit. Here are a few samples............

VERY nice......... :thumbup:

speed bump · May 18, 2009

Either with magic or rails.

magic

1-2%20stuff%20and%20sharp%20cuttie%20things.jpg

Rails

Big Bad Jon · May 18, 2009

I am a big fan of the Hansen holders. They go on sale at Sears from time to time. They work well and other than the annoying issue of filling the trays with sockets that you will never use just to complete the set (I think I might be OCD). Other "specialty" sockets go on the gearwrench rails. The best part about the Hansen trays is, it is painfully obvious when you are missing a socket.

Moose-LandTran · May 18, 2009

I wouldn't go as far as saying they're organised, but this is how they're stored:

Kevin54 · May 18, 2009

Some cheaper rails, some Poplar boards and a few screws

Weedwaka · May 18, 2009

Some great ideas.

I use CTA nylon racks with the fat bottoms and ball bearing stems. I love them.

How much is one of those big blue wheeled tool boxes :drool:

alex71 · May 18, 2009

Anything that fits on a hansen tray is on a hansen tray. Anything that doesn't is on rails (swivels, bit sockets, weird stuff), mostly the plastic craftsman ones.

goodfellow · May 18, 2009

I like the HF and Sears Holders

My 1/2" and 3/8" chrome sockets are in the top of the box

1/4" get separate drawer space

Impacts get a big center drawer

Uncle Buck · May 18, 2009

How all my sockets are stored.

Rockaholic555 · May 18, 2009

Some of those holders are pretty cool. I've been looking into the magnetic ones, but I'll only allow myself to buy a couple of those for my most common sockets, the rest will end up on something different.

Thanks for listing everything so far, it gives me a bunch of stuff to go look at

Uncle Buck · May 18, 2009

Rockaholic555 said:
Some of those holders are pretty cool. I've been looking into the magnetic ones, but I'll only allow myself to buy a couple of those for my most common sockets, the rest will end up on something different.

Thanks for listing everything so far, it gives me a bunch of stuff to go look at

Socket trays are where it's at man! :thumbup:

DynoDale · May 18, 2009

Hanson trays, in MTS magnetic holders and on MTS 1/4 turn lock-a-socket rails

Impact

Weedwaka · May 18, 2009

Dyno Dale does it again !! I have your ratchet drawer on my hard drive for inspirational purposes :bowdown:

GT89mustang · May 18, 2009

Picked up a bunch of the craftsman metal rails when they were 1/2 off, one of the best buys ive made.

volvo420coupe · May 18, 2009

the hansen trays are the BEST thing to ever happen to socket storage, So how is it that so many people out there insist on putting their sockets drive side down on these well thought organizational tools. It looks stupid, and makes you look stupid, the bottoms of the pegs are sized for that specific socket, if you put one thats too small on it wont go all the way down, and when the socket goes all the way down, it sits flat and doesn't wobble around. So why would someone decide to put ALL their sockets on upside down so they can ALL wobble around. Amazing.

Autoguy · May 19, 2009

I keep them in their original set boxes or in socket trays or clips. Thanks :beer:

Rickster · May 19, 2009

I've tried several different ways and settled on the Hanson trays with the mag sheets to hold the extras. I didn't like always having the wrestle off a socket from the clip rails and the HF MIT orange trays I found were too tight at the base and causing me to wrestle those off also and the they didn't fit all the sockets in a row in the larger sizes. I've had to trim a couple of stalks on the Hansons with a dremel, but for the most part they work best for me, Easy on and off, easy size identification and easy to find when ones missing. Here's a pic of some of the extras on the mag sheet, which I got at HF.

Merkava_4 · May 19, 2009

Rickster, I see some of your sockets are being stored on your Hansen trays drive side down ... volvo420coupe doesn't approve of that.

posaune · May 19, 2009

Merkava_4 said:
Rickster, I see some of your sockets are being stored on your Hansen trays drive side down ... volvo420coupe doesn't approve of that.

True, but it also looks like the shallows in the bottom left corner are drive side down but also sitting correctly! Is that true or is that just the angle? Did Hansen trays ever come without that hump at the bottom?

I use them too, but my only complaint (other than my "need" to fill every peg) is that the sockets have to sit drive side up. When I started using tools, my sockets were on rails and I got used to eyeing a fastener and just grabbing the socket that looked the right size. Now I find myself trying to learn the extra step of the actual named size. It would also be easier to see the 6/8/12pt sockets if they were drive side down.

Rickster · May 19, 2009

Nope on both counts! The round peg supports don't always fit into the socket 1/2 drive. Look closely and you'll see the shallows that are larger haave a reflection to their bottom in the pic but the smaller sizes fit flush and no bottom reflection. I can mount the shallows upright and view the size tabs but not possible to do this on the deepwells so they go in bottom up. I guess I forgot to mention this as an additional drawback to the Hansons. But still, the are the best setup I've come across. I've said it before; I never knew I had a socket storage problem until I found this website!

Jokeman · May 19, 2009

Hansen Trays

dfndr · May 20, 2009

Doesn't anyone use the Ernst holders?
I bought the complete set of C/M sockets on sale(every socket they make!)
It looks to me that the Hansens don't have spaces for every size on the prelabled posts--but with the Ernst I can put the size labels on myself and get all the sockets in order on the rails. Am I mistaken?

rsanter · May 20, 2009

I have 2 sets of each on most common use items.
I hold one set on the hansen trays and another set on rails

I pull singles off the hansen trays or I grab the whole set on the rail depending on the job I am doing

bob

peterbilr98 · May 20, 2009

i use the hanson

Paladin · May 20, 2009

Hanson trays here...

06wt · May 20, 2009

I tryed hansons for my 1/2'' drawer and i dont like them. 1/4'' is all rails and 3/8'' i have rails lay down trays twist locs, and 1 of thoose magnet stand up ones

scottmlew · May 20, 2009

Just got my Hansen's from Tooltopia. Got the 6 piece set for my 6 point Craftsman chromes, plus another 3/8 pair for my Craftsman 12 piece chromes and another 1/2 pair for my Craftsman deep impacts (hope to add shallows later). I've only setup the 3/8 12 points, and I haven't "used" them yet, but here are a few quick observations.

Overall I like them, but they do have their quirks. Good news is that they all do fit in the wide drawer of my Kobalt 41" bottom unit (the 1/2" just barely fit height-wise, but the drawer does close without clearance problems, even with the drawer liner in place. My units are red for SAE and gray for metric, so don't be surprised if you get this color combo instead of the black and gray you see pictured a lot here on GJ. As someone else mentioned, I had to shave down my 1/4" peg so that the socket would fit on. It is annoying that some of the pieces in my basic Craftsman set don't have homes...there are 2 deeps and 1 shallow larger than 20 point, so they're just loose for now. Finally, some of the units shown in pics here have Hanson printed on them (or have a sticker that is designed to be left on). Mine have no such logo...instead, they have stickers that are clearly designed to be removed before using them. Trouble is, the stickers are really hard to get off. I tried Goof Off, but it does discolor the plastic and change the texture of it, so I was stuck using my finger nail and WD-40...took me over an hour to get them all removed.

06wt · May 20, 2009

"scottmlew" use peanut butter to remove paper based stickers. it wont work for vinyl stickers, but it works perfect for paper stickers, just spread it over the sticker and let it sit for a few hours and it will come off with no problems and will not hurt any finish

PistolWhip · May 20, 2009

Hanson trays here too. I love them, but I've found its very hard to look at vacant pegs and holes. I find myelf buying sockets in sizes that I've never needed in my entire lifetime, just to fill the pegs and holes....

My 1/2" stuff is in the top of my box. The 1/4" and 3/8" stuff is in one of the drawers. Everything fits perfectly.

scottmlew · May 20, 2009

06wt said:
"scottmlew" use peanut butter to remove paper based stickers. it wont work for vinyl stickers, but it works perfect for paper stickers, just spread it over the sticker and let it sit for a few hours and it will come off with no problems and will not hurt any finish

Cool tip -- thanks! Wish I knew that a few hours ago, but I'll remember for next time!

dledinger · May 20, 2009

Rails.

I like to be able to take the whole rail out. I use metal rails with the handles cut off and cut to length for 3/8 and 1/2, and plastic with the retaining ball for 1/4. I never could get the metal rails to work well with 1/4" drive.

For those that use the Hansen trays.....every time I pass by them in Sears I see several broken ones laying around. Do they actually hold up in service? I thought about buying a few for the top of my box once....but upon seeing that I abandoned the idea with a quickness.

Garage_Mahal · May 21, 2009

Am I the only dummy here who bought Socket Logic holders? Wish I hadn't. They are not molded to positively retain the sockets, so one good jostle and the sockets fall out of their pockets and need to be replaced. Great concept, poor execution. One thing I do like about them is that they stack.

Merkava_4 · May 21, 2009

peterbilr98 said:
i use the hanson

How'bout some more shots of the box itself? :drool:

ultgar · May 21, 2009

In plastic storage modules or laser cut foam. SD

How are you sockets stored/organized?

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