Best mobile socket orginizer?

[cgv69]

So I've been putting together a tool kit for the truck and I need some way to organize my sockets? Whatever it is it needs to be compact, light weight, inexpensive and most importantly, it must hold the sockets securely so that they don't come off as they get knocked around within the tool bag or all over the ground when I pull them out.

 

[jjjrmx5]

You're not going to get all those in one.

Good, cheap and fast. Pick 2.
LOLZ.

Good and compact. Twist lock socket rails.
Not cheap though.

Cheap is rails with clips.
Adequate and cheap. Not bad but not great.

Good and cheap are seldom in the same sentence in my life.

 

[cookefab]

Old school CM plastic socket rails...try to find them on EBay...should be <$3.50/ea...that's about as good & cheap as you're going to get...HF has 'Nese made knockoffs that ****...but they are cheap...

 

[Polski-Chevy]

Lisle makes it, you can find em on sale, but they have a strong magnet, and my FIL has used them for his impact sockets for years.

If they can survive my FIL then they can survive a nuclear strike

 

[Applesauce]

I'm not really clear on the context... I have to move my toolbox around the building fairly regularly, along with opening and closing shallow drawers many, many times a day. (Deep drawers and traditional socket racks aren't an option for me.) I riveted socket rails to the drawer walls inside many of my drawers. This allows me to open a drawer minimally if all I need is a socket, and it keeps them from moving around at all.

Not sure if you must have a bag, but riveting a socket rail to just about anything is pretty simple. (Don't use a toolbox you really like, however, as those holes aren't going anywhere.)

 

[cgv69]

You're not going to get all those in one.

Good, cheap and fast. Pick 2.
LOLZ.

Yeah well a guy can dream right?

Old school CM plastic socket rails...try to find them on EBay...should be <$3.50/ea...that's about as good & cheap as you're going to get...HF has 'Nese made knockoffs that ****...but they are cheap...

Are you talking about this type?...

Lisle makes it

Yeah, I thought about those but they seem kind of bulky and heavy for my needs? I haven't ruled them out yet but I'm hoping for a better option

Actually after posting this and looking around some, I came up with an idea that may work out pretty well if I decide to go through this much effort...

Get an appropriate size Plano StowAway box, cut out the dividers and get some high density foam and then custom cut it to fit the sockets, ratchet, exts, etc.. I can do one for 3/8 and another for 1/4". That wouldn't add much weight and could be kept very compact and organized. It would just be a PITA cutting out the foam. I could do wood instead of foam which would be a little easier for me but obviously more weight.

 

[Airframer]

I've had good luck with the lisle ones above and the mechanics time savers. Bout $15 a piece, but worth it imo.

 

[Airframer]

VIM has some mag rails on sale for around $5 a piece iirc. Haven't used them, but look nice.

 

[cgv69]

Not sure if you must have a bag, but riveting a socket rail to just about anything is pretty simple. (Don't use a toolbox you really like, however, as those holes aren't going anywhere.)

Yes, the application here is a small tool bag kept in the car or truck for emergencies. I'm trying to keep it fairly basic\minimal so that its easy to move from vehicle to vehicle or to were ever I need it.

 

[Super Sport]

Those plastic rails you posted a pic of should work fine for your needs. They are affordable and work great.

 

[texchappy]

Saw these mentioned in a thread the other day:
http://www.ernstmfg.com

Can't say anything about them but I might give them a go soon myself. They seem to have a lot of good designs.

I have the Lisle ones and they also seemed a bit bulky to me. The magnets do hold very well.

 

[texchappy]

BTW, the ernst stuff is available on amazon. Wiha has a rail system too (again no personal experience)

 

[jjjrmx5]

Lisle makes it, you can find em on sale, but they have a strong magnet, and my FIL has used them for his impact sockets for years.

If they can survive my FIL then they can survive a nuclear strike

Not in my lifetime.

They are good for tossing up for good ***** shooting tho.

They are also good for scattering your sockets on the roadway at 2:00am and make you look like Frogger picking your sockets up in heavy traffic.

BTDT.

Nope.NEVER AGAIN.

Ever.

And to quote Taylor Swift, "Never. Ever. Ever."

 

[Polski-Chevy]

Not in my lifetime.

They are good for tossing up for good ***** shooting tho.

They are also good for scattering your sockets on the roadway at 2:00am and make you look like Frogger picking your sockets up in heavy traffic.

Sounds like you had a great experience

To the OP, why not get a cheap set from HF for every vehicle instead of taking a set you might care about?

Just in case it gets lost, falls in a big ole mud pit, or rolls into traffic

 

[Mohawk Dave]

those Al ones from lowes look good...they're double sided, i like...

 

[cookefab]

those Al ones from lowes look good...they're double sided, i like...

They used to be around $5 ea, and displayed in the center aisles...I grabbed a few last year...I guess they're Ok...can't do the double sided thing...

 

[crewchief888]

best socket rails i've ever had were the metal rails and clips from snapon.

i ve some that are 20 years old, and still keep sockets tight.

i gave away all the CM ones i had some some unfortunate soul....

 

[skiingman]

I have used and given up on the cheap steel clips, the HF plastic clips, and some other random clip rails.

I have and very much like:
Ernst twist locks. I use these for most sockets.
Ernst regular clips. I use these for some sockets I have that face the markings in the wrong direction with the twist locks.
The Lisle magnetic trays. I use these for my Gearwrench pass through sockets. They work great for that. I wouldn't want to use them for side-of-the-road service. They are secure enough for everyday use but will scatter sockets if you drop them.

The Ernst rails rock. They work great, are fully customizable, and are cheap by even my Harbor Freight loving standards. Oh yeah, and made in America too.

 

[Gmonkee]

Can you bend sheet tin into a passable box? I used junk car fenders to make socket set tins.
Some of which are quite ugly and have held up to years of random abuse in mobile mechanic use all the same. I just make the dividers to meet the needs of whatever I want inside and always leave room for the ratchet and accessories.

Cheap, strong and durable, as compact as you desire. The big expense is the hinge and pop rivets.
Cost of the tin can be 'free' if you ask nicely at busy body shops in your area.

 

[shampoop]

best socket rails i've ever had were the metal rails and clips from snapon.

i ve some that are 20 years old, and still keep sockets tight.

i gave away all the CM ones i had some some unfortunate soul....

+1 I have been using the hansen trays for a long time and love them in a non mobile setting.

However recently I have been needing a mobile socket solution as well and remembered hearing good things about the standard snapon metal socket rails. I bought one as a tester and love it. Works awesome and seems very well built. Super cheap too. The back plate is very strong and the clips hold the sockets not too hard and not too soft, but feel like they're going to last a while. Going to buy a lot more of them soon.

I have the craftsman plastic socket rails and they're nice for holding things like impact driver bits in a non mobile setup, but they just don't hold tight enough imo for a mobile solution.

 

[Gregg33]

Old school CM plastic socket rails...try to find them on EBay...should be <$3.50/ea...that's about as good & cheap as you're going to get...HF has 'Nese made knockoffs that ****...but they are cheap...

Agreed, Can get these currently in Sears, Lowe's also sold the same style back in the Danaher days. Made In The USA. There are also import imitations that are soild in Princess Auto and HF. I have a a few of each, simply because each retailer sells different lengths. I've used mine a fair bit over the past 2 or 3 years. I think I've had 2 detent balls pop out. Other than that no problems. Overall they work good. I like the fact they can't rust and that they will sit in your box without fallin g over, unlike many of the metal rails.

 

[truckdriver]

This looks nice.
http://www.cal-conproducts.com/Fast-Rack.html

 

[scab]

For my truck, I bought metric and SAE sets made by Kobalt that come in their own hard case. They're 3/8 and the case is about 7" x 5". Works great for emergency use and I tend to like Kobalt tools. My good tools are kept in the garage so these work good for on the road or whatever.