Old School Socket Rails

[Can I try?]

I know I'm in the minority here, but I happen to prefer old school socket rails to store my sets.

I've used the rails included with sets from several different US manufacturers, Proto, Williams/Snapon, and SK, (Wright uses plastic rails). The clips on these all had excellent socket retention. I've also purchased the Proto rails and clips piecemeal from Zoro.

On the other hand, I gave the rails from HF a try since they were inexpensive and readily available. How bad could they mess up a socket rail, right? Their clips are horrible at retaining sockets. Sockets end up all over the place. Never again.

So, my question is: Does anyone know of an OEM that the US tool companies are going to for these, or do they each manufacture their own?

I feel like one of the giants of GJ must know the answer!

 

[doublearon98]

Not sure I can answer your question but I love my urethane socket holders. Made in USA. Get them from weldtab.com

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[M_George]

Not sure I can answer your question but I love my urethane socket holders. Made in USA. Get them from weldtab.com

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

Those look real nice, inexpensive to. Do they hold the sockets well for you?

 

[Musicinabottle]

I use the Craftsman socket rails with the handles. The handles are nice for grabbing and walking your sockets to the project, but I sure as hell with they were a little bit longer for more sockets. They are American made which appealed to me as well.

Speaking of which, I need to run to Sears and get me a rail set for my 1/4 drive sockets which are in a metal box right now.

 

[4xdog]

I use the Craftsman socket rails with the handles.

I've been using those for almost forty years now. I've added more clips to them so I have one set for 3/8 drive short and deep inch sockets, another for 3/8 drive short and deep metric, and then a third one for 1/4 drive metric and inch short sockets.

That doesn't cover all the combinations but it's awfully handy and right there to use. For grabbing to use around the house it's been perfect for many, many years and I wouldn't change a thing.

I have a few more racks in another drawer with things like impact, 8-point, Whitworth, or swivel sockets.

 

[dr_clyde]

Snap on has the classic metal rails for only a few dollars. I believe they make their own. I have a bunch. They work just fine.

 

[doublearon98]

Those look real nice, inexpensive to. Do they hold the sockets well for you?

They are awesome. I was slinging a strip of socket around like a windmill. Only thing is you have to get use to twisting the socket onto it. I like them a lot

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[Musicinabottle]

I've been using those for almost forty years now. I've added more clips to them so I have one set for 3/8 drive short and deep inch sockets, another for 3/8 drive short and deep metric, and then a third one for 1/4 drive metric and inch short sockets.

That doesn't cover all the combinations but it's awfully handy and right there to use. For grabbing to use around the house it's been perfect for many, many years and I wouldn't change a thing.

I have a few more racks in another drawer with things like impact, 8-point, Whitworth, or swivel sockets.

That's me too. I added more clips. The set I just bought for my metric shallows in 1/2 drive goes from 12 to 25 millimeter and I haven't enough room on the rail for the 25. Other than that, I really like the rails myself, since they seem to be the best value and the most easily transported system.

I wonder if they make them for 3/4 inch drive sock's?

 

[plinker]

Snap on has the classic metal rails for only a few dollars. I believe they make their own. I have a bunch. They work just fine.

Yep they make them, fairly inexpensive as well last I knew and hold up well.

I've been getting the Gearwrench ( along with Carlyle & Matco) for quite a while and they are nice as well,

 

[vssjim]

Vim makes them for sure not just a reseller of socket rails and clips by others

 

[mudflap]

I love the internal gearwrench rails.. I buy them to put my Carlyle and SO sockets on. The Carlyle rails are the same as the Gearwrench external rails.

 

[Can I try?]

Ok, so it seems that the general consensus is that while there may be some subcontracting, generally speaking the companies are producing their own.

On one hand this doesn't surprise me because I would guess that the tooling and procedures followed in manufacturing a classic-style socket rail are fairly simple. On the other hand, it does surprise me because it is a common design (as in a shared design), and I would not be surprised if the companies were also sharing production abilities as a result.

Thanks for the input.

 

[lilcraigford]

The two major sources for plastic USA-made socket rails are VIM and Ernst.

VIM:
Armstrong
Craftsman
Kobalt *Formerly; can still be found NOS through places like Cripe Distributing.
Matco
McMaster Carr *I believe these are Wright branded.
SK *Called "Suregrip" Rails; I have only seen these included in socket sets.
Wright

Ernst:
Mac
Snap On
Tekton

Here is a post I keep adding to with more on the VIM rails.

 

[nbpt100]

I have the old style CM rails and some hold well and other don't. I find I have to keep bending the sheet metal retention piece to make sure it is not too loose or too tight.

I like the style with the ball detent better.......I did get a cheap set from HF to try and the detents work good but the rail is too flimsy. Ok for 1/4" drive but on larger sizes they bend too much. If you mount them to a surface or some kind of backing plate that helps and they will be ok. I was at Advance Auto yesterday and noticed they have exactly the same plastic rails as HF with their own House brand on it.

I do have one VIM rail that came with my triple square sockets and it is magnetic. It is nice. Very strong.

 

[markhm]

I have the metal Craftsman rails with the vinyl grips. They are made for Sears by Ullman.

 

[4 FN 27]

Nope!!! I used them for about 10 years and hated them. They were great for organizing and seeing what might be missing. But getting them on and off was problem. I even had them riveted to a piece of .090 Aluminum.

My solution...since I couldn't find anything else I liked.

 

[Mr_B]

Snapon metal clip rails, they less than 4bucks each and pretty good quality and have about 10 to 15 clips per rail.
I cut mine down to custom lengths with about 8 to 14 sockets a rail pending in socket size and drive. makes them very hand manageable/portable and take out couple rails and that all sockets at hand for the job in general . neat in main box or portable tote tray or on workbench/trolley plus always see if one missing .

 

[Can I try?]

The two major sources for plastic USA-made socket rails are VIM and Ernst.

VIM:
Armstrong
Craftsman
Kobalt *Formerly; can still be found NOS through places like Cripe Distributing.
Matco
McMaster Carr *I believe these are Wright branded.
SK *Called "Suregrip" Rails; I have only seen these included in socket sets.
Wright

Ernst:
Mac
Snap On
Tekton

Here is a post I keep adding to with more on the VIM rails.

This is excellent information right here. Thank you, lilcraigford. I especially appreciate your post that compiles the available configurations and their part numbers.

I have a feeling that the manufacture of metal rails may be a similar situation, but I've yet to confirm.

 

[tin medic]

Nope!!! I used them for about 10 years and hated them. They were great for organizing and seeing what might be missing. But getting them on and off was problem. I even had them riveted to a piece of .090 Aluminum.

My solution...since I couldn't find anything else I liked.

I'll take one of each.

 

[6PTsocket]

I love the internal gearwrench rails.. I buy them to put my Carlyle and SO sockets on. The Carlyle rails are the same as the Gearwrench external rails.

+1 for the Gearwrench internal rails.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[WWheeler]

They are awesome. I was slinging a strip of socket around like a windmill. Only thing is you have to get use to twisting the socket onto it. I like them a lot

Hahaha like this guy:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_HfUicL8y-c?start=45" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I'm glad you like them. For on-the-go sockets I think they're are friggin awesome. Drag them around under a truck and toss them in a toolbag - there's nothing else I know of like them.

I originally bought my first set of urethane socket holders mid-90s I think, for use in a worktruck sidebox that was used mostly by employees and family members where tools, and especially sockets, had a tendency to get misplaced/lost way too often. I put a brand new set of 1/2 Craftsman sockets on an orange urethane rail and a year later my brother and I couldn't believe it still had all the sockets on it. Everybody was using them AND putting them back, which was just weird. I think it's because it's always just easier to grab the whole set and take it to the work rather than just one or two sockets, which had always been the tendency before. Fast forward to today and though some sockets have come and gone, been replaced, and we've been through a few different work trucks, that same strip still rides with it. Still holds sockets like it did when new.

That said, they're a bit tiring for use in a home box though IMHO as it is a two hand thing to twist one off. If you just try to grab one socket one-handed you're most likely just going to pick up the whole set. For the garage I prefer a holder like the Hansen trays where I can just grab or set down sockets much more easily/quickly, except I make my own out wood. That way they fit exactly the sets I have, take up less space in a drawer, and cost next-to-nothing but time and sweat.

Attached image, left to right: The black urethane socket holders are new-ish from weldtab, the orange is ~25-ish yrs old bought at Northern. The black-stained wood holder with sockets on it is a test piece for the newer unfinished ones I've been working on. The wood stained one on the right is one of the first such sets I made in the late 90s, not too long after I bought those first orange urethane socket holders.

 

[Can I try?]

Not sure I can answer your question but I love my urethane socket holders. Made in USA. Get them from weldtab.com

Thank you for the heads up on these. I placed an order for a holder for field use at work. They look to be close to perfect for that purpose

 

[Can I try?]

Nope!!! I used them for about 10 years and hated them. They were great for organizing and seeing what might be missing. But getting them on and off was problem. I even had them riveted to a piece of .090 Aluminum.

My solution...since I couldn't find anything else I liked.

That is a great solution to meet your needs and preferences. Well done! Did you close in the bottom of the holders so that you can pull an entire set out of the box if need be?

 

[doublearon98]

[emoji38] Hahaha like this guy:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_HfUicL8y-c?start=45" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I'm glad you like them. For on-the-go sockets I think they're are friggin awesome. Drag them around under a truck and toss them in a toolbag - there's nothing else I know of like them.

I originally bought my first set of urethane socket holders mid-90s I think, for use in a worktruck sidebox that was used mostly by employees and family members where tools, and especially sockets, had a tendency to get misplaced/lost way too often. I put a brand new set of 1/2 Craftsman sockets on an orange urethane rail and a year later my brother and I couldn't believe it still had all the sockets on it. Everybody was using them AND putting them back, which was just weird. I think it's because it's always just easier to grab the whole set and take it to the work rather than just one or two sockets, which had always been the tendency before. Fast forward to today and though some sockets have come and gone, been replaced, and we've been through a few different work trucks, that same strip still rides with it. Still holds sockets like it did when new.

That said, they're a bit tiring for use in a home box though IMHO as it is a two hand thing to twist one off. If you just try to grab one socket one-handed you're most likely just going to pick up the whole set. For the garage I prefer a holder like the Hansen trays where I can just grab or set down sockets much more easily/quickly, except I make my own out wood. That way they fit exactly the sets I have, take up less space in a drawer, and cost next-to-nothing but time and sweat.

Attached image, left to right: The black urethane socket holders are new-ish from weldtab, the orange is ~25-ish yrs old bought at Northern. The black-stained wood holder with sockets on it is a test piece for the newer unfinished ones I've been working on. The wood stained one on the right is one of the first such sets I made in the late 90s, not too long after I bought those first orange urethane socket holders.

Yeah I'm glad you recommended them to me. They are great

Thank you for the heads up on these. I placed an order for a holder for field use at work. They look to be close to perfect for that purpose

I believe you will l like them. I know I do.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[4 FN 27]

That is a great solution to meet your needs and preferences. Well done! Did you close in the bottom of the holders so that you can pull an entire set out of the box if need be?

Yes they have Bottoms...My Impacts I made a tray so I can take them all out at once. Not that I ever have but I thought it was a nice touch for a revision change.