Kaizen Foam vs Pick and Pluck

[trentwalker]

I'm trying to figure out what's the better option. I do lots of traveling with my equipment, looking to get some recommendations based on experience with the two

 

[Firebrick43]

Don't care for either but definitely kaizen foam over pick and pluck. I hate that $&1!

 

[Walterchang]

Pick and pluck is trash.

 

[AngryBeaver]

pick and pluck *****. I use a pelican case for traveling. the foam lasted about 8 months before I got fed up and **** canned it. I ended up using klein canvas bags and separating things that way until I got a Veto tech pro backpack. I rarely use the pelicans anymore.

 

[Kaizen]

Ha


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[Trey T]

They have their purpose. The pick-and-pluck foam is for "lower resolution" organization method and required by sensitive equipment. The Kaizen foam is for "higher resolution" (high density) organization and required by sensitive (or non-sensitive) equipment.

Pick-and-pluck foam can be used for camera equipment as they're sensitive to impact and the foam is a good suspension.

The disadvantage of the two types have already been discussed.

 

[jgromada]

Is Kaizen foam any good for storing things like router bits? I have a nice little box with a latch that i wanted to use for storing my router bits but was trying to figure out what the best method would be for keeping them organized and not flopping around the box while they were being moved.

I have no clue what the pick and pluck stuff is.

 

[velillen01]

Is Kaizen foam any good for storing things like router bits? I have a nice little box with a latch that i wanted to use for storing my router bits but was trying to figure out what the best method would be for keeping them organized and not flopping around the box while they were being moved.

I have no clue what the pick and pluck stuff is.

Pick-n-pluck type foam is just a bunch of tiny squares that you "pluck" out to form the space for the item you need.

The kaizen type foam is a solid sheet of foam and you use a knife to cut out foam for the item.

Either would work for router bits, just depends how you want to store them exactly

 

[Trey T]

No, the pick-and-pluck is the soft foam, like seating foam. Kaizen foam is hardly a "foam" that everyone thinks about, there's zero cushion!!!

Pick-and-pluck is intended for sensitive equipment, like camera equipment, which people have used for ages. The kaizen is the opposite and you can use it for router bits.

 

[jgromada]

Excellent, thanks for the response.

Now the question is where is the best place to buy kaizen foam for my little router bit box or a tool chest drawer?

 

[fstbusa]

I used to buy it direct until shipping became ridiculously priced and costed more than the foam itself.

 

[Colin Len]

I recently ran into this issue using pick n pluck with some equipment at work. Some of our guys were really careless and the foam fell apart, others treated the kits with respect and the foam is holding up pretty well - but not great.

The solution I found was to spray the foam with Plasti-Dip. It takes quite a bit of the "dip" and I haven't fully put this to the test yet as I've only done one of our cases and it's seen little use so far. But, I'm thinking this will likely be our solution. Or, seeing about having foam custom made to fit our gear (I'd probably use pick n pluck to test the design and then use that as a base for measurements for the custom foam).

 

[Brian_P]

Depends on what you're putting in the cases. I actually like the standard Pelican foam, cut with an electric carving knife (hot wire works too but I don't own one). It's reasonably dense while still being soft. However, I'm storing things that aren't very breakable and I'm not taking them out and replacing them multiple times a day. Adding plasti-dip strengthens the foam at the cost of being a little more abrasive. If you're talking electronics, I don't know the right answer.

 

[RocketScott]

Go look at some gun forums

Lots of how-tos for cutting foam and pelican cases. The pelican cases don't come with foam that's as dense as the kaizen foam.

Pic and pluck *****, it falls apart eventually. The plasti dip is a great idea, I've seen that done with regular open cell foam. Would be interesting if that keeps the pnp foam together.

 

[Grant Gunderson]

I ship camera gear all over the world on a weekly basis. The Kaiden foam is the only way to go. Plus it’s strong enough to hold up to shop use in all of my tool drawers.

 

[Murphy'sSidekic]

Kaizen foam for sure is the way to go.


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[Resident1]

I've always been very disappointed with the way pick and pluck foam turns out. Imo Kaizen is a much better choice. I have had some issues sourcing it before though. As an alternative, I've found that HLB packaging foam does a pretty good job. Relatively easy to cut if you've got a steady hand and a sharp blade.

 

[rlitman]

No, the pick-and-pluck is the soft foam, like seating foam. Kaizen foam is hardly a "foam" that everyone thinks about, there's zero cushion!!!

Pick-and-pluck is intended for sensitive equipment, like camera equipment, which people have used for ages. The kaizen is the opposite and you can use it for router bits.

"Zero cushion" is way off base. The same material that Kaizen foam is made from is the ONLY material I see computer equipment shipped from the factories in nowadays. Laptops, desktops, huge servers requiring team lift. They all come in PE foam, as do many other delicate things (PE foam is used in better musical instrument cases for example, hidden under velvet).

Yes, PE foam is a lot harder than pick-and-pluck. But it's also not going to turn into a sticky gooey gritty dusty mess that destroys equipment after a few years. And if you design your foam support correctly (not simply bury things in a solid block), it still has plenty of spring to cushion all but the most sensitive of equipment (like perhaps jeweled d'Arsonval movements).