Kobalt Aluminum Socket Rails

[Givl Reggin]

I bought these to replace the plastic Sears/Craftsman rail I'm currently using - I like them better because they don't flex & bend like the plastic rails and they're longer.

However, it appears that Lowes doesn't sell extra socket clips, so I might have to buy extra rails just to get the clips.

But, then I thought...
1) how do you get the end caps off? Pulling on them they don't budge is there a hidden screw somewhere? And...
2) will the Craftsman clips (http://www.sears.com/craftsman-studsskt-replacement-3-8-00941847000/p-00941847000P) fit this rail? The look awfully similar, now if I could only get the end cap off to see!

 

[cotjocky]

Picked up one of these just the other day. The clips slid right off for me, no problems. I figured I'd have to pop the end cap off too, but didn't have to.

These clips are specifically built to fit that rail. I had some craftsman and harbor freight rails laying around and was hoping the clips from one of those would work on the Lowe's rail. No such luck. Both will slide on, but both are a very sloppy loose fit.

Those aluminum rails only come with 16 clips and Lowe's does not sell additional clips. At $20 a rail, I'm not buying a bunch of additional rails just so I can steal the clips and have a bunch of extra rails with no clips lying around.

I returned it and got my money back. Until Lowe's can offer additional clipss, these are worthless to me. Otherwise they could be pretty nice.

FYI, looks like on Menard's site, they sell the same rails for near half the price. They don't sell extra clips either.

 

[454ragtop]

I notice the label says magnetic. Are they magnetic on the bottom to hold them up in a drawer?
Jim

 

[cotjocky]

I notice the label says magnetic. Are they magnetic on the bottom to hold them up in a drawer?
Jim

Yes, but it was not strong enough to stay stuck to a drawer through my drawer liner. You'd need to remove your drawer liner to get the socket off the rail or hold the rail down with your other hand. Works fine directly on a metal surface. It is padded on the bottom to so as not to scratch the metal surface it magnetizes to.

 

[jim1987]

Ernest rails or socket boss sounds up your alley. Or on that space you'd be using, the kobalt trays if your ok with empty spaces.

 

[Givl Reggin]

These clips are specifically built to fit that rail. I had some craftsman and harbor freight rails laying around and was hoping the clips from one of those would work on the Lowe's rail. No such luck. Both will slide on, but both are a very sloppy loose fit.

It figures that the Craftsman clips wouldn't fit, but when I was looking at the Kobalt rails in the store I thought that may be a possible route for extra clips.

Yeah, it seems like a waste, but I resorted to buying the Carftsman rails (http://www.craftsman.com/shc/s/p_10155_12602_00941829000P) to scavenge just for the clips too, because they were alwasy out of stock of just the bags with the clips in them.

I just did a quick inventory and discovered that I have 42 of the Craftsman rails with a total of 572 sockets on them. A rough estimate (at 16 sockets per rail) it will take 36 of the Kobalt rails to hold the same amount (probably more like 40 to accomodate the number of 3/8" sockets) -- so if I look at it that way, that I'm buying 40 rails for 640 socket holders and not worry about wether or not I actually use the rail it's not so bad. Only problem is the local Lowes doesnt'have that many in stock... I bought 6 of 1/4 & 3/8 and that was all they had of those sizes.

The Kobalt rails are very nice, the magnetic base holds juust enough so that you can pull a socket off without lifting up the rail, yet you can grab the whole rail and take it with you. The clips/studs fit much better than the Craftsmans, the Craftsman one really hold the socket in tight and it take two hand to get the socket off, but the Kobalts have much less friction and the socket pulls off with one hand easily. Another plus for the Kobalts are that they are aluminum and the end caps are press fit, so that they can be easily cut to a custom length. Overall I like them very much. The Craftsmans have the advantage of coming in black colored for inch and gray for metric, the Kobalts are only available in raw aluminum.

 

[Ware91711]

Reviving semi old thread, how long are these rails? Debating between the Ernst rails and these kobalt's. My drawers are only 16" deep, and I really don't want to run long ways across them.

 

[bob_the_builder]

I have a few of the Kobalt aluminum rails and what I did to get extra clips was purchase the red and blue aluminum rails for $9.85 and that gives you and extra 12 clips. If you buy online and sign up for their flyer you can get 10% off.

Bob

 

[92integra]

40 rails at 20 bucks each is 800 dollars you crazy Givl Reggin