Unpopular Opinion - Tool Storage

[ItsNemo]

Milwaukee Packout, Dewalt Toughsystem, Flex Stack Pack, Tekton Stacking...all of them are terrible.

Let me state some reasons:

• They cost a lot for what they are
• They're made of plastic, no nice ball bearing slides or metal latches either on most
• They are FAR from optimal for storing anything, all awkward sizes and gimmicky little compartments
• You have to dig in them, nothing stays put, can't throw sockets on rails and expect them to be where they were, or not have to hunt through the dozens of wrenches for the right size
• A lot of people don't transport their tools in them, they just sit like a normal tool box, defeating their one useful purpose
• You have to unstack them to get at stuff

Back in the day, you could buy plastic tool boxes for dirt cheap but nobody wanted them, they wanted the metal ones...the plastic were relegated to under the sink for the person who didn't know how to use a hammer. Now they're the most common thing ever, yet for the same price you can buy an entire proper tool chest.

How did we get suckered into these systems? A bunch of fancy marketing photos showing tough trades professionals using them on a "job site" like this?



Let's face it, they're over priced storage totes with good marketing.

 

[American Locomotive]

Metal portable tool boxes blow. They get dented, bent and mangled and stop closing properly. Plus, they're usually pretty heavy. IMO, the classic metal portable tool boxes are basically only good for use around the shop as an alternative to having things thrown all over the place. They **** in "field" use.

Plastic is far more durable when getting banged around on a job site or in the back of a truck. Fancy ball-bearing slides would get destroyed within days on a portable box/chest. Way too much dirt, grime and water everywhere.

I don't know anyone who is using a stackable tool storage system as their "primary" storage means. Every one I know that bought into whatever system takes their tools with them frequently.

 

[mike93lx]

Why in the world would you compare them to a tool chest? They are for completely different purposes

 

[cgrutt]

I've had some Milwaukee pack outs for about 3 years I like the semi-deep style very much it stays in back of my pickup and has been used and abused still holding up good. I wish they made one specifically to store the cordless tools they usually reside in a 5 gal bucket lol.

 

[ItsNemo]

Why in the world would you compare them to a tool chest? They are for completely different purposes

Right, storing tools, completely different purposes...


Most of the ones I've seen outside of trades people are home owners using them in place of a tool chest.

 

[tez929rr]

We had our entire home plumbing system replace this summer (50’s galvanized pipe). All the plumbers (6 guys during the project) had Milwaukee pack out set ups and all loved them. I don’t have a need for it but these guys couldn’t say enough good stuff about it.

 

[mike93lx]

Right, storing tools, completely different purposes...


Most of the ones I've seen outside of trades people are home owners using them in place of a tool chest.

Yeah, completely different. Stationary vs portable.

How many people have you seen using them differently than designed?

I bet most of America gets by just fine on a small toolbox. This serves that purpose

 

[acer66]

I've had some Milwaukee pack outs for about 3 years I like the semi-deep style very much it stays in back of my pickup and has been used and abused still holding up good. I wish they made one specifically to store the cordless tools they usually reside in a 5 gal bucket lol.

I am using sortimo and use their largest offering for that.

Made a basic wood insert for 18V saw and drill, 12v drill plus chargers.

Getting these boxes helped me a lot to get organized.

 

[acer66]

Right, storing tools, completely different purposes...


Most of the ones I've seen outside of trades people are home owners using them in place of a tool chest.

There is a thread about Tekton offering that now for the home mechanic.

I have tool chests for stuff that stays primary in the shop and the boxes like in the op’s first post handle job site needs.

 

[mepstein]

They are an alternative to a mobile metal toolbox or tote, not a replacement to a fixed metal chest. Tell your displeasure to the millions of trades people who use them everyday, not just in the US but around the world. Some of new boxes open from the front. Don’t judge other peoples finances as your own. In my business, I often hear people stating something is too expensive that I find priceless and glad to have the opportunity to own, usually because it makes me multiples of what it cost me.
I just wish they sold black in the states.

 

[Bert_]

I don't really see the purpose either. Common tools all have a home in a compartment in the service truck. Don't like them for parts either, just never the right size or shape to really be efficient.

For really common parts I've been making open top boxes out of 3/8 plywood. This has been by far the best for me. I really love the small ones I made for conduit fittings. 1/2" EMT connectors, couplings, straps are in one box with dividers that can be grabbed easily with one hand.

 

[ItsNemo]

They are an alternative to a mobile metal toolbox or tote, not a replacement to a fixed metal chest. Tell your displeasure to the millions of trades people who use them everyday, not just in the US but around the world. Some of new boxes open from the front. Don’t judge other peoples finances as your own. In my business, I often hear people stating something is too expensive that I find priceless and glad to have the opportunity to own, usually because it makes me multiples of what it cost me.
I just wish they sold black in the states.

I have no problem buying expensive tools...

You do realize that a LOT of these are showing up in non-trades person use, where they sit in corners half empty and collect dust because they're the wrong solution.

They are also still super awkward to fill and make things easily accessible.

 

[liliysdad]

Im not a tradesman…and the vast majority of my tools are automotive in nature. Those tools live in a roller cab/toolbox.


As a homeowner I am often a woodworker, plumber, or electrician, however. In those instances, I typically need to carry my tools to the location the repair needs to be made.

As the resident “fixer” in my family, church, etc I often need to take those tools to where the issue is.

Those tools live in a Ridgid Pro 2.0 modular system, and they stay stacked and stored until I need them. It’s actually the perfect system for my needs. I need to buy some more boxes to further itemize my setup for plumbing need, electrical needs, carpentry needs, etc.

 

[American Locomotive]

Right, storing tools, completely different purposes...

There's are big differences in "long term storage", "readily accessible storage" and "mobile/luggable storage".

You do realize that a LOT of these are showing up in non-trades person use, where they sit in corners half empty and collect dust because they're the wrong solution.

Some people just need a lightweight plastic box that they can stuff in the corner of their garage and throw their tools into. The 4-5x a year they might need their tools, they're easy to carry/wheel out of the corner. A giant, expensive, heavy metal tool chest does not make sense for that application.

I don't really see the purpose either. Common tools all have a home in a compartment in the service truck. Don't like them for parts either, just never the right size or shape to really be efficient.

Apples. vs Oranges. You can't exactly get your service truck's compartments in to the basement of someone's house or the roof of a commercial building. For someone doing roadside repair, field welding, etc.. a service body's compartments are likely all you need. For someone showing up on a job site that needs to take a bunch of tools deep inside a building, the mobile storage systems make a ton of sense.

 

[dsaabm]

Terrible for your application maybe but that does not make them terrible...

What you be your suggestion for the electrician on the jobsite shown? milk crates? fabric zipup bags?

Yeah they are not efficient for a homeowner and tekton's version is not gonna be a huge seller but they work very well for traveling tradesmen and are well proven at this point.

 

[Bert_]

There's are big differences in "long term storage", "readily accessible storage" and "mobile/luggable storage".

Some people just need a lightweight plastic box to throw their tools and and stuff them in the corner of the garage. The 4-5x a year they might need their tools, they're easy to carry/wheel out of the corner. A giant heavy metal tool chest does not make sense for that application.

...and how do you get your service truck's compartments in to the basement of someone's house or the roof of a commercial building?

Most jobs I do in somebody's basement can be done with a hammer, a drill and a screwdriver. On a roof many things get prepped on the ground. Again I usually don't need that many tools.

Most of what I have to carry in is parts. And I have found open plywood boxes to be the most efficient for that.

 

[liliysdad]

Yeah they are not efficient for a homeowner

I find them to be very efficient for a homeowner. I can keep my electrical supplies, my nail guns and nails, my saws and blades, my plumbing supplies, and whatever else I might need is sturdy, easily transported boxes.

 

[flyingblind]

5 Gallon buckets with a skirt and a seat worked well for me back when I was a mall rat. That and a tool belt.

 

[KnurledNut]

Too bulky.
Bags for me.

 

[American Locomotive]

Most jobs I do in somebody's basement can be done with a hammer, a drill and a screwdriver. On a roof many things get prepped on the ground. Again I usually don't need that many tools.

- Installing a boiler or water heater: Drill, impact, recip saw, pipe cutter, tubing bender, solder, myriad of pipe wrenches, pliers, wrenches, press tool, torches, screwdrivers, misc. commonly used fittings
- Installing a outlet or light fixture: Multimeter, drill, impact, screwdrivers, drywall saw, recip saw, wire strippers, outlets, wirenuts, wire staples, bushings/romex connectors, misc. conduit fittings.
- Roof-Top HVAC Maintenance: Multimeter, leak detector, manifold gauge set, core removal tool, wireless probes, common run caps, contactors, fuses, screwdriver, drill, impact, coil cleaner, fin brush, etc...

The systems may not make sense for you, but they make sense for a ton of other trades. No one wants to climb down a roof top access hatch, then go walk down 5 flights of stairs because they need to grab their multimeter off the truck.

 

[Firebrick43]

I have no problem buying expensive tools...

You do realize that a LOT of these are showing up in non-trades person use, where they sit in corners half empty and collect dust because they're the wrong solution.

They are also still super awkward to fill and make things easily accessible.

Ok. Not the toolboxes fault the owner buys something unsuitable.

I have never seen them advertised to someone other than the trades.

 

[Bert_]

- Installing a boiler or water heater: Drill, impact, recip saw, pipe cutter, tubing bender, solder, myriad of pipe wrenches, pliers, wrenches, press tool, torches, screwdrivers, misc. commonly used fittings
- Installing a outlet or light fixture: Multimeter, drill, impact, screwdrivers, drywall saw, recip saw, wire strippers, outlets, wirenuts, wire staples, bushings/romex connectors, misc. conduit fittings.
- Roof-Top HVAC Maintenance: Multimeter, leak detector, manifold gauge set, core removal tool, wireless probes, common run caps, contactors, fuses, screwdriver, drill, impact, coil cleaner, fin brush, etc...

The systems may not make sense for you, but they make sense for a ton of other trades. No one wants to climb down a roof top access hatch, then go walk down 5 flights of stairs because they need to grab their multimeter off the truck.

That's fine if you like them, I don't. We both get to have our opinions.

I have two DeWalt ones. They pretty much just sit at the shop hardly ever used.

 

[liliysdad]

Even if you want it all that, carrying that many boxes would take multiple trips.

Thats literally the beauty of those systems…you build the stack you need based on the job at hand, and you roll it where you need it to be.

Some folks revel in doing things the way they have always done them, and the refusal to change. It’s human nature.

 

[Bert_]

Thats literally the beauty of those systems…you build the stack you need based on the job at hand, and you roll it where you need it to be.

Some folks revel in doing things the way they have always done them, and the refusal to change. It’s human nature.

I'm willing to try things, I've had a couple of the DeWalt boxes. Don't ever use them because there are better simpler ways

 

[shoot summ]

I use a Ridgid set up for transporting all of the cables and supplies for a mobile DJ light and sound setup, works great. Power cords in the bottom box , audio and light cables in the middle box, all of the small parts in the top box. Got it on a black Friday sale, it's been well worth the $$'s spent on it, no more carting tubs around.

 

[liliysdad]

I'm willing to try things, I've had a couple of the DeWalt boxes. Don't ever use them because there are better simpler ways

Well, in your defense I will say that trying to make these systems work with “a couple of boxes” does make it difficult. For it to be efficient and make sense, you need enough pieces to be able to really dial down your organization.

 

[gatewaysysop]

Personally I dislike plastic tool boxes of this type, but I'm not in the trades. I am quite confident that the tradesman I've hired who use them are enamored with the things, and likely have good reason to be.

If we're talking strictly about homeowners and garages, I'm in agreement with the Op that they're not the best option. They also seem overpriced for their capacity and I find most of them ugly as ****. But that's just my $0.02.

 

[Just_Steve]

5 Gallon buckets with a skirt and a seat worked well for me back when I was a mall rat. That and a tool belt.

I am a firm believer in the 5 gal bucket, If I'm doing small jobs in the house ie plumbing of pool open and close, electrical I pick out the tools I'll most likely need from the tool box or cabinet and load them in the pail and I'm good to go. And my bucket does have a skirt with a bunch of duplicate tools that reside there permanently

 

[Steve_P]

Somehow, they've sold millions of these things, but they're dumb, terrible, make no sense.... Yes, the purchasers have all been duped and are idiots, because they don't know what really works- like 5 gallon buckets. Got it.

 

[VolvoRyan]

How did we get suckered into these systems? A bunch of fancy marketing photos showing tough trades professionals using them on a "job site" like this?

Not having experience with something, but having an opinion seems like all you need for an uninformed opinion. I don't think you understand the problem they solve.

I would love a packout system for the salvage yard. Instead, I build up a few tool bags.... and lug 100lbs of tools in a bag out to the yard. Then I fumble with 100lbs of parts back to the checkout.

A 5 gallon bucket sounds like a trip to occupational physical therapy to me.

-Ryan

 

[jar944]

This thread reminds me of one in a similar vein that was about 4 in 1 screwdrivers. That op thought they sucked because you can't use them as chisels or prybars..

If you use a mobile tool storage system as intended they work well.

 

[richfinn]

Everybody likes a solid well constructed metal toolbox or cart, they work great in a workshop

If your mobile and work outdoors though they can be very heavy and cumbersome to lug around.

I like Veto Pro-Pac tool bags for my hand tools and Peli style boxes for equipment, Sortimo organisers hold up well for parts.

 

[Bubba Fett]

Stackable tool boxes have their place, but they could be better. I'd like to see more drawers (of different sizes), and a deep open top box at the top with pockets for vertical storage - like a tool bag - but lockable, and weather resistant. Maybe fold-out work surfaces/trays on the sides. Maybe I just haven't found one with all these features.

 

[mepstein]

Just like cooking a meal, presentation is a huge part of looking professional and getting paid for it. We send most of the cars we work on, out for a $500 detail. Why? Because someone spending $10-50k on a repair or upgrade, wants to get back a pretty car, no matter what condition it’s in. If I see a well dressed tradesman with a good looking stack of packout boxes, I’m going to assume they know their job, even if they don’t. The guy carrying a 5 gallon bucket from an old pickup truck might be an expert but we all judge on what we see. Just the optics of a nice set of packout boxes or something similar is probably a good business investment.

 

[dnschmidt]

NEMO: "GET OFF OF MY LAWN!!!"

 

[65k10]

Stackable tool boxes have their place, but they could be better. I'd like to see more drawers (of different sizes), and a deep open top box at the top with pockets for vertical storage - like a tool bag - but lockable, and weather resistant. Maybe fold-out work surfaces/trays on the sides. Maybe I just haven't found one with all these features.

That's where I am at. I wish these tool systems had some inserts that would make them friendlier for organizing hand tools in a way that keeps them readily accessible. Think like a Montezuma triangle tool box or the Hazet Cockpit. I have a couple Montezuma boxes for field use and being able to grab the one wrench, socket, or ratchet I need without having to unpack or go digging through boxes is great and I would like to emulate that with the Packout and Toughsystem boxes I have. Hopefully when I have some downtime this winter I can get to work on doing just that.

 

[KnurledNut]

Somehow, they've sold millions of these things, but they're dumb, terrible, make no sense.... Yes, the purchasers have all been duped and are idiots, because they don't know what really works- like 5 gallon buckets. Got it.

Which one will get stolen first?

 

[ItsNemo]

NEMO: "GET OFF OF MY LAWN!!!"

Hey, I said it would be an unpopular opinion lol

Stackable tool boxes have their place, but they could be better. I'd like to see more drawers (of different sizes), and a deep open top box at the top with pockets for vertical storage - like a tool bag - but lockable, and weather resistant. Maybe fold-out work surfaces/trays on the sides. Maybe I just haven't found one with all these features.

This...I find the arrangements all wrong...just plastic bins or small compartment trays for screws, but not actual organization.

To all those doing odd jobs all over, I get it...I built out a tool bag for exactly that purpose, I can do electrical, hang stuff on the wall, fix/put together the odd furniture thing, etc. with this one bag but everything is tucked into spots that are easy to find:

I can't imagine lugging a packout system to do the same thing.

I use a Ridgid set up for transporting all of the cables and supplies for a mobile DJ light and sound setup, works great. Power cords in the bottom box , audio and light cables in the middle box, all of the small parts in the top box. Got it on a black Friday sale, it's been well worth the $$'s spent on it, no more carting tubs around.

I'm surprised that's enough...usually when I bring my PA rig out (yes, another one of my hobbies - have QSC KS112's, K12.2's for mains and K8.2's and CP8's for monitors - amongst all the other supporting stuff like Shure SLX-D wireless, Soundcraft Ui24R, Traktor 3 setup, etc.) I'm bringing a 3 or 4 large rubbermaid style bins, hundreds of feet of extensions, dozens of XLR's and a snake, microphones, etc.

 

[f121]

Most of the trades I know have a rack system in the back of their van for these cases. Seems to work well.

 

[driftpin]

From my point, using a few heavy-duty canvas bags w/contents sorted according to function, and carried on a 4-wheeled cart, is how I can 'roll.' I have some empty smaller canvas bags I can add consumables to, according to what's being done: plumbing, carpentry, metalworking etc. It all goes in the back seat of my crew cab unless I'm making a direct-to-the-jobsite trip, and I don't need to stop. Then the pickup bed can take things, and I have an AMP Research bed-extender, which helps keep the bags from rolling around in the bed.

All my work is going from one house to another house, either in the family, or to a rental SFR.