Ernst Socket Rails & Screw Driver Rails

[70chevellegsp]

I found you guys a couple days ago, and my control has been limited. Yesterday I bought a Wiha Microfinish HD screwdriver set after reading a few screwdriver threads. Today I couldn't help myself but buy a pile of the Ernst Socket Rails (the full set and then a bunch of singles) and 2 sets of the Screw Driver Rails.(Again after reading a few organization threads) Looking forward to getting rid of my old socket rails that are twisting and weak, and also getting some organization in my screw driver drawer. I ordered the Ernst stuff from www.automotivetoolsonline.com (Anyone order from them?) The prices were substantially lower than Ernsts website and also Northerntool, which were out of stock. Thanks for fueling the obsession. I'm going to checkout some more threads to see what else I can't live without this week

 

[mikebramel]

Look up the Armstrong Maxx Locking flex ratchets. Thats another $200 lol

 

[70chevellegsp]

Done! They're on the list!

 

[amolaver]

i'm slowly converting from the metal friction rails to the ernst twistlocks. made good headway today

ahm

 

[70chevellegsp]

I placed 3 orders in the past 2 days. I was a little concerned about the order for my Ernst stuff since it was substantially less than any other site, but I ordered yesterday and got a shipping notice, tracking number, and delivery date of Monday yesterday evening. Now, if it all comes thru, I'll be a happy camper.

Last nite, I grabbed 2 of my top boxes for a reorganization. Not sure exactly how it's going to shake out, but I remembered that I had a Craftstman top buried in one of my smaller shops that was pretty empty. Once I get my organizers, I think I'll be able to open up a drawer or two.

 

[amolaver]

i wish i had known about that site earlier! only oddity is they don't list any of the 13" rails, only 18". i'll email them and see if they carry or can get the 13" if they're cheaper than ernst directly (where i ordered mine). in my HF 4x" box, the 18" don't work well - they'd have to be lengthwise and i found them not stiff enough for a full rail of 1/2" deep impact sockets. granted, it was my bigger ones (27mm-36mm), but i wasn't comfortable with how much flex was going on. the 13" have worked out great, and i'm using the 18" rails i originally ordered in my second box for SAE / chrome. since i rarely use either these days, at least they aren't wasted. especially for 1/4" and for some of my 3/8" sockets, i've added the twistlocks to the 2nd side of the rails and lay them down in my low-height drawers. just a way to make use of them and the available drawer space that i have...

being able to stand them up, i was able to consolidate 3 of the other drawers into the big top one, so a huge space saver. for me anyway, the rails seem spaced perfectly using ernst's magnetic mounts - i can reach in and grab a rail w/o disturbing the rest and they come in and out easily but are very stable. we'll see how durable they are, but so far, i'm quite pleased with them.

ahm

 

[TheDukeofDeere]

Here is a post from another thread on "Socket Organization". Figured another picture wouldn't be too out of line in this thread.

Ernst rails are really nice. I like the flexibility they give you. Just a word of caution, don't pick up any Snap On Dual 80 ratchets. It will just lead to a downward spiral of ratchet sickness if you do.

I use two different brands for my socket organization.

For my impacts I use the Hansen trays:

3/8" and 1/2" Impacts:

For my chrome sockets I use the Ernst Socket System (www.ernstmfg.com):

3/8" sockets:

1/2" sockets:

I really like them both for different reasons. For my regular sockets I like the Ernst rails because you can do any combination imaginable. It is basically infinitely adjustable, which really allows you some flexibility on how you can organize sockets within a drawer or multiple drawers. Because any socket clip and fit on any socket rail, you can put 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2" sockets on a single rail (if needed).

For my impacts I like the Hansen trays because the clips on the Ernst rails gripped the sockets a little too tightly, causing issues when removing sockets from their rails.

If you could combined the two principles, you would have, IMO, the best of both socket organization designs. Basically, use the long Hansen pegs as clips to attach to the Ernst socket rails. That would be great.

Hopefully you find the best socket organizational system that works for you and your box!

 

[MalibuLX3]

Thanks for that link. I've been looking at their stuff for awhile now but I haven't decided where to buy them from. Let me know if can get the 13" rails from them also,that's what I'm looking for.

 

[TheDukeofDeere]

i wish i had known about that site earlier! only oddity is they don't list any of the 13" rails, only 18". i'll email them and see if they carry or can get the 13" if they're cheaper than ernst directly (where i ordered mine). in my HF 4x" box, the 18" don't work well - they'd have to be lengthwise and i found them not stiff enough for a full rail of 1/2" deep impact sockets. granted, it was my bigger ones (27mm-36mm), but i wasn't comfortable with how much flex was going on. the 13" have worked out great, and i'm using the 18" rails i originally ordered in my second box for SAE / chrome. since i rarely use either these days, at least they aren't wasted. especially for 1/4" and for some of my 3/8" sockets, i've added the twistlocks to the 2nd side of the rails and lay them down in my low-height drawers. just a way to make use of them and the available drawer space that i have...

being able to stand them up, i was able to consolidate 3 of the other drawers into the big top one, so a huge space saver. for me anyway, the rails seem spaced perfectly using ernst's magnetic mounts - i can reach in and grab a rail w/o disturbing the rest and they come in and out easily but are very stable. we'll see how durable they are, but so far, i'm quite pleased with them.

ahm

AMO, did you ditch the center pad on the Ernst Magnetic Mount? The center bar (see the pictures I posted in the above post), will help alleviate the sag you have experienced in your heavy 1/2" sockets on the 18" rail. Once I put that center pad in, spacing it exactly where the sag was worst instead of the center of the rail, it really help make the rails feel sturdy again.

Just a thought. Hope you are liking your new "organized box". Looks good!!

Here is another picture of my 1/2" sockets on Ernst rails. You can see the center pad a little better in this pic.

 

[amolaver]

yes, i'm not currently using the center pad. the sag i was referring to was when i had them in my hand, not in the drawer. i may throw the pads in now that i have a layout i like.

i like to take a rail or two with me where i'm working. until my building goes up and i'm still working on jack stands, i tend to have the rails with me under or next to the car/bike or sometimes on my cart. the 18" were just a little 'floppy' loaded up with 1/2" impact sockets. i've found almost all my sets fit on the 13" rails, so it hasn't been a big issue.

that said, if i had a 24" deep drawers, i would probably use the 18" rails for 1/4" and 3/8". honestly, i wish ernst would embed a steel (or maybe AL) 'spine' in the mold at least for the 18".

ahm

 

[TheDukeofDeere]

yes, i'm not currently using the center pad. the sag i was referring to was when i had them in my hand, not in the drawer. i may throw the pads in now that i have a layout i like.

i like to take a rail or two with me where i'm working. until my building goes up and i'm still working on jack stands, i tend to have the rails with me under or next to the car/bike or sometimes on my cart. the 18" were just a little 'floppy' loaded up with 1/2" impact sockets. i've found almost all my sets fit on the 13" rails, so it hasn't been a big issue.

that said, if i had a 24" deep drawers, i would probably use the 18" rails for 1/4" and 3/8". honestly, i wish ernst would embed a steel (or maybe AL) 'spine' in the mold at least for the 18".

ahm

Yep, I totally understand what you mean now. The 18" rail is a little flimsy loaded with hefty 1/2" sockets. The steel or aluminum core wouldn't be a bad idea. You might want to e-mail them that suggestion. They really seem to be extremely open to customer ideas and suggestions.

I also wish I had deeper drawers. The small drawers really bug me. Oh well, I know what I want in my next box now.

 

[amolaver]

agreed - i'm also using the ernst wrench racks and discovered that my flex head stubbies won't fit in their stubby rack the gentleman i spoke to was very polite and forwarded it up the chain at my request. we'll see if they introduce something to address that. i'd also really like something to deal with the craftsman x-force / gearwrench x-beam wrenches. i'm not 100% sold on them, but have two sets and have to use their big blow-mold case to store them which wastes a bunch of space.

i think i'm going to end up customizing my eventual big box. i'd like 2x 56" wide deep (5") drawers (for metric and SAE sockets), then a boatload of the short ones (2"). the mega deep drawers i don't feel like i use efficiently. i end up putting the stuff that has to stay in blow mold cases (dremel, sensor sockets, rear caliper retractor tools, etc) in them but i don't like it because inevitably they don't fit well and i end up with lots of unused space. not sure of a better way, but don't like that. some of it i'm now leaving on the bottom tray of the cart. since this is my garage / shop, i don't have to worry about people walking away with stuff so what works for me may not apply to a pro. i also would like a wrench rack thing for my big wrenches (big for me is anything over an inch / 27mm). their beams are too thick to fit in the 'normal' racks. i may just use the foam style for them since i rarely need to break them out and its almost always for just one fastener whose size i know (so i don't need to drag the set to the work).

ahm

 

[amolaver]

Thanks for that link. I've been looking at their stuff for awhile now but I haven't decided where to buy them from. Let me know if can get the 13" rails from them also,that's what I'm looking for.

i sent them an email...i'll post back here with any response.

ahm

 

[Garage_Mahal]

For my x-beam/crossforce wrenches I use the Mechanics Time Savers hanging magnetic racks. I haven't found a better solution.

 

[amolaver]

i'll have to see if i can rearrange the drawers to use those MTS pieces. if i can get one more set in my main wrench drawer, and one more in my 'specialty' wrench drawer, they'd be worth the bucks.

thanks for sharing. those look like they would address the stubby flexes as well. just so dang expensive!

ahm

 

[Garage_Mahal]

I meant I actually hang 'em outside my boxes. I haven't found a good solution for inside a drawer. I don't think the magnet is strong enough to hold them in place inside a drawer, but I haven't tried it.

I did cut some Ernst wrench racks in half and use them with a craftsman rack reversed for the other side for a while. It worked OK, but it was still a pain to deal with. I can take a pic if you would like to see what I did.

 

[70chevellegsp]

Well, I placed my order on Friday and it arrived today! When I saw all the racks I bought, I thought I was going to have extras. Finished up loading my sockets and I'm short 1-1/4", 4-3/8", and 2-1/2"! I like the racks and how the sockets lock on and it seems the quality is pretty good. These are 10x better than the metal clip holders they are replacing. I did have a slight issue while I was putting a 1/2" snap-on ratchet and extension into one of the side mount units and snapped a clip. I emailed Ernst to see how to use the warranty, hopefully I'll hear something soon. Still re-organizing my stuff and finding that I'm missing a few pieces.

 

[70chevellegsp]

Follow-up for the warrantee issue. I sent an email yesterday to inquire what to do about the 1/2" ratchet holder and quickly rec'd a response to call. I called today and spoke to a very pleasant gentleman, explained what happened, and he happily got my address to mail me a new piece. So, with the quick order/shipping from http://www.automotivetoolsonline.com/ and the excellent service directly from Ernst, I'm a happy camper. I ordered the rest of the racks I needed yesterday also, so they should be here shortly.

 

[GBNZ]

Very professional people to deal with thanks again Ron Cook/Katy Sanchez.

 

[miccontreras]

I found you guys a couple days ago, and my control has been limited. Yesterday I bought a Wiha Microfinish HD screwdriver set after reading a few screwdriver threads. Today I couldn't help myself but buy a pile of the Ernst Socket Rails (the full set and then a bunch of singles) and 2 sets of the Screw Driver Rails.(Again after reading a few organization threads) Looking forward to getting rid of my old socket rails that are twisting and weak, and also getting some organization in my screw driver drawer. I ordered the Ernst stuff from www.automotivetoolsonline.com (Anyone order from them?) The prices were substantially lower than Ernsts website and also Northerntool, which were out of stock. Thanks for fueling the obsession. I'm going to checkout some more threads to see what else I can't live without this week

Thanks for posting this website. I ordered 12 from them and they arrived very quickly (even with a couple of days delay due to snow). They had great prices on the socket rails. I wish they had a full selection of Ernst's products.

 

[TheDukeofDeere]

Very professional people to deal with thanks again Ron Cook/Katy Sanchez.

Ron is a great guy to deal with!!

Glad you were able to deal with Ernst direct.....great product, great service. Can't beat that!