socket storage

[Catamount]

A lot of guys don't like 'em, but I do. The plastic HF socket rails. Easy to interchange, and much cheaper than the Crapsman equivalent (and some guys say, more fragile).

 

[zmotorsports]

Here is my socket drawer.

I use a combination of the Snap-On colored, magnetic socket holders for my 1/4" and 3/8" in both SAE and Metric, shallow and deep. This is convenient so I can take them out of the drawer and to the tool cart or car easily. Red/left side is SAE and yellow & green/right side of drawer is Metrics.

My 1/2" and specialty sockets I like the plastic Carlyle ones as the sockets are held on tight enough to lift in and out of the drawer if needs be yet not so tight that when grabbing one the entire rail comes out with the socket. For my 3/4" drive sockets and large axle nuts they simply just stand up towards the back of the drawer.

Mike.

 

[mds47588]

Hansen trays for me except for the recent Snap On acquisitions that already have their own tray.

 

[d.mcfarland]

A 1/4 piece of wood or plywood and dial rods could easily be customized to fit individual needs!!

 

[GreaseMonkey45170]

Im liking the look and ease of customization of the ernst. I think ima place a order with them shortly. Done picked everything out and its gonna be 50 bucks after shipping and handling.

 

[illmatyk]

Been using one of these for about ten years. I think mine is five deep. Plus a few extra rails on the side. They are awesome. You can set it up however you want if you get a bunch of extra clips.
http://tetoolsusa.com/tools/index.p...D=1638&zenid=92644ca1c8a5760b5a747627175d5eb2

I have one of these as well and it is a really nice organizer, way better than I expected considering its a no name brand and I picked it up at a flea market in Sydney. I am switching my sockets over to Hansen trays and using this for my specialty sockets and other sockets that's not going onto the Hansen trays.

 

[GTA Matt]

I have the hanson trays (16 of em) simply because the size is visible from the top. I can identify the size of a socket by looking at it, but it makes putting them away quicker. I have regular clip rails for other sockets, but waiting to find a deal on the Vim mag rails.

 

[OxJaw]

Harbor Freight socket trays for me. I've had them for about a year and a half, haven't had any problems with them and I would buy them again.

 

[scottdc]

Ok, since everyone else is posting photos of their socket storage here's my Westings. I kind of went nuts with the Facom socket labels when I went through a bit of "tool storage OCD" recently but it is convenient.

 

[RedneckWelder]

A lot of guys don't like 'em, but I do. The plastic HF socket rails. Easy to interchange, and much cheaper than the Crapsman equivalent (and some guys say, more fragile).

I brought two packs of those to try. Unfortunately within a couple of uses (literally) the retaining balls started popping out.

Currently using a couple of the cheap trays from Lowes (grabbed them when I brought my tool box). They seem to do well but I need something more rail like to be able to grab and go...if I was working with the toolbox or a tool cart right at the vehicle then the trays would be perfect.

 

[doan]

Early on, I considered most of those space wasters already shown, then decided to make up some custom boxes to fit the sockets I had on hand. Simple construction from bent up 18Ga sheet metal from an old dryer. These really do suit my needs in my DIY shop.

I really like these. Didn't you post a How-to on these somewhere?

 

[nicksnothereman]

A 1/4 piece of wood or plywood and dial rods could easily be customized to fit individual needs!!

Too much work bro... You could just throw smack some nails into a piece of wood and it would work much better than you'd think it would. I'm that cheap but too lazy to do it, I think the lowes rails are probably cheaper than good quality wood (oak) there.

Now that I gave myself an idea I'll probably end up using it for some deep impact sockets; I'll probably just use some odds and end studs I have in the garage (hem-fir).

 

[Chris_L]

Hansen trays but they're a little big and have extraneous sizes, at least on the small end of the 1/2's and 3/8's

 

[lilredex]

I really like these. Didn't you post a How-to on these somewhere?

It is here.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Tool-Box-Socket-Organizating/

 

[metaldad]

I work the night stocking for Lowes, and those are non-stock according to the computer and will fade away. Get them while they are in stock, at $5 per a set of 3 in metric or SAE is a steal. Here's mine in action when I went in to retrieve a broken timing chain tensioner guide.

i hope you realize 2 of your flex wrenches are out of sequence.

 

[metaldad]

i need to do some rearranging. some are double stacked, and i need a different place to keep the extensions. the trays in there are hf.

 

[GreaseMonkey45170]

Nice stuff guys! Does anybody perfer the pegs on the hanson trys over the twist locks on the ernst

 

[mark5767]

Nothing too special about my socket storage, but I did try one thing recently with favorable results...

I use Craftsman plastic rails which are ok, black for SAE gray for metric. They are somewhat overpriced for what you get, but not a big deal. Anyway, I picked up some HF knock-offs of these rails and they are pretty flimsy, not quite the same quality. However, the pegs are a little easier to remove the sockets from, which is a good thing. The Craftsman pegs are a little tight.

Since I ran out of pegs on the Craftsman rails I put some HF pegs on the Craftsman rails and I like the result. The pegs fit really snugly on the rail which keeps them from sliding unless you really want them to move.

And the HF rails are dirt cheap, so a blend of the 2 rail systems works out pretty good. Craftsman rails and HF pegs.

Thanks for the good ideas here, pretty cool stuff!

 

[RedneckWelder]

Just ordered a couple sets of the Ernst rails off of Amazon. Should be here next week. Ive been debating systems for a couple of weeks now but these look to be right for my application.

Sent from my LG-LS970 using Tapatalk

 

[spotco2]

I've been using rails for years. I've always liked being able to just pick up a rail out of the box and take them where ever I was working. I've been watching all of these threads about the fancy holders that people are using and they look fantastic. The only thing that worries me is they waste a lot of space and I'm not sure how portable they really are.

I've been changing some stuff around and trying to consolidate some stuff into one or two boxes but keep running out of room.

Here's what was in 3 drawers shoved into 1. Some of the rails are double stacked. It looks like a lot of extra space in there but I swear I can not hardly fit anything else in without stacking, and I hate stacking. I've still got another drawer of sockets, ratchets and extensions to fit somewhere.

Question for guys using the Hanson or Lowes trays. What do you use for the sockets that don't have holes through them like allen bits, swivel sockets, etc?

 

[reddog289]

I like my Hansen socket system, Yet I like being able to lay the sockets down to save space. About 20 years ago Sears sold a deal which I didn't like got my money back.

 

[NC-Shaun]

Nothing too special about my socket storage, but I did try one thing recently with favorable results...

I use Craftsman plastic rails which are ok, black for SAE gray for metric. They are somewhat overpriced for what you get, but not a big deal. Anyway, I picked up some HF knock-offs of these rails and they are pretty flimsy, not quite the same quality. However, the pegs are a little easier to remove the sockets from, which is a good thing. The Craftsman pegs are a little tight.

Since I ran out of pegs on the Craftsman rails I put some HF pegs on the Craftsman rails and I like the result. The pegs fit really snugly on the rail which keeps them from sliding unless you really want them to move.

And the HF rails are dirt cheap, so a blend of the 2 rail systems works out pretty good. Craftsman rails and HF pegs.

Thanks for the good ideas here, pretty cool stuff!

Thats odd, I found the Craftsman clips to hold the socket snug, releases socket easy, and not to slide on the rail.

I find the Harbor Freight clips dont hold as steady as the Craftsman which allow for the sockets to wiggle, yet sometimes some of my sockets stick on removal, and the Harbor Freight clips slide all over the rail too easily.

Overall I feel the Craftsman rails are more sturdy, and clips are of higher quality as well. They are overpriced for what they are and it sure would be nice to be able to select a few different lengths of rails. I dont need an 18 inch rail, for a 7 piece Torx set. They should be offered in 10-12-14-16-18-20 lengths.

 

[mrjaw14]

Here's what I made

Here's a whole thread for DIY socket organizers

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=185883