VIM Magrails or Westling Machine trays?

[m6z]

I've been trying to get my sockets arranged for quite awhile now.

The super crowded picture was my first attempt. Too crampted to be usable. The second picture shows the approx arrangement if I was to order the Westling Machine three row 1/2 trays and keep everything else I currently have.

Or do I say screw it and spend $500 on Magrails?



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[Grant Gunderson]

I have the Westling and am about to ditch them as I dont like the re-set lengths. With Vim you can order any length you want.

 

[vertguy]

Yep. I am in the same boat with Westling's... great quality, but the different lengths for each ratchet size makes the layout a PITA.

 

[VolvoRyan]

VIM is great for a service cart where you're moving the cart to the job. If you like grabbing a rail of sockets for a tool bag, use something else. The single-rail, Ernst twist-locks (rebranded as Tekton) are my faves. Organizers with "presets" make me scream. Unless you're an A/C mechanic with FOD worries, pre-set organizers eat up too much space, and space is seems to always be the most expensive thing in a tool box.

-Ryan

 

[pcmeiners]

Have a large socket and wrench set. The equal to magrails, they were the only solution, especially for a growing tool set. Same as below, but different company, I suppose I have a good $600 in the socket organizer type below, expensive but worth it.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Magnetic-L...566112?hash=item3d842d4be0:g:8KoAAOSwu2tccThv

 

[shawhite]

Have a large socket and wrench set. The equal to magrails, they were the only solution, especially for a growing tool set. Same as below, but different company, I suppose I have a good $600 in the socket organizer type below, expensive but worth it.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Magnetic-L...566112?hash=item3d842d4be0:g:8KoAAOSwu2tccThv

Yep I have similar rails. It does appears as if westling is starting to make different length organizers so if you haven’t looked lately you may want to take another look.

https://mechanicstimesavers.com/pages/lock-a-sockets

 

[Fatboy148]

Have a large socket and wrench set. The equal to magrails, they were the only solution, especially for a growing tool set. Same as below, but different company, I suppose I have a good $600 in the socket organizer type below, expensive but worth it.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Magnetic-L...566112?hash=item3d842d4be0:g:8KoAAOSwu2tccThv

What is the advantage of these vs the Magrails?

 

[shawhite]

For me I use the non magnetic ones and the socket twist and locks into place. This allows me to grab the whole rail and take it with me without loosing sockets

 

[m6z]

Alright. I tried again with what I had over the weekend. Ended up putting the larger impacts in my bottom drawer on the Mechan organizers. I'm going to order a few 12" Magrails or similar for those sockets at the front. I also cleared out the duplicates and the never used 12 point stuff.

The reality is I need a bigger box for the amount of stuff I've got, but I don't have the space.

Had some unexpected (deer) expenses last week, so I'll need to hold off on the 100% Magrail switch.

 

[Odd-job]

Not sure if this helps, but VIM website clearance page has the old magrails on clearance FYI. Not as low profile as the new ones, but I actually prefer them as I can actually grab the rail out of the tool cart. The one magrail TL I have might be permanently stuck to my cart and am not going to invest in the pull handle either.

Sorry to hear about the run in with that deer.

 

[redragoon]

I've been happy with a set of Hansen Global Organizers. I never take those out of the drawer, so I don't need them to be magnetic or retain the socket. I like that the labels are on the top of each post so I can read them even if I can't read the socket. Also easy to see which ones are missing when I'm putting them away.

 

[magtl]

For placing Magrail TL"s in a tool bag you might try attaching two back to back. I think this will solve your problem.
Ron

 

[m6z]

Not sure if this helps, but VIM website clearance page has the old magrails on clearance FYI. Not as low profile as the new ones, but I actually prefer them as I can actually grab the rail out of the tool cart. The one magrail TL I have might be permanently stuck to my cart and am not going to invest in the pull handle either.

Sorry to hear about the run in with that deer.

Is the bottom magnetized on the old magrails? Also, do you know how long they are?

They're very reasonably priced.

 

[Fedwrench]

Although expensive, I love my Vim magrails

I have the westling trays but, don't care for them that much. I also hate the hansen style trays and all of their knockoffs. The idea of having preselected sizes that I never use is offensive to me. Trays by their very nature, take up too much room. All of that wasted space adds up.

 

[Fatboy148]

For placing Magrail TL"s in a tool bag you might try attaching two back to back. I think this will solve your problem.
Ron

A word of experience.....

DO NOT get any of your skin in between the two Magrails when you put them together or you will not be a happy person for a few days till you grow some new skin. If you are lucky, you may just get a blood blister but they may also actually remove a chunk of your hand. Don't ask how I know...... I have had some pretty bad knife and wood chisel "accidents" over the years, that have inflicted less pain and suffering than the Magrails inflicted upon me.

 

[Odd-job]

Is the bottom magnetized on the old magrails? Also, do you know how long they are?

They're very reasonably priced.

Not magnetized on the bottoms which personally I think is better if you are apt to grab rails.

Because they don’t stick and are higher profile I think they are best suited to 3/8 and 1/4 sockets. Can’t see putting a 36mm 1/2 inch deep socket on them.

A hair under 14 inches.

 

[magtl]

When attaching two Magrail TL's back to back, touch the two ends at 90 degrees and rotate them into place. To separate, grip the sockets and open like a book.
Hope this helps.
Ron

 

[m6z]

Not magnetized on the bottoms which personally I think is better if you are apt to grab rails.

Because they don’t stick and are higher profile I think they are best suited to 3/8 and 1/4 sockets. Can’t see putting a 36mm 1/2 inch deep socket on them.

A hair under 14 inches.

Thankyou.

 

[serdvd6]

Westling Machine, they freed up a lot of space


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[Wolfe 21]

I have the Westling trays also. Like them well enough, but they are a bit of a PITA to fit into a layout that doesn't waste a lot of space because of the varying lengths as mentioned above, but I like puzzles so it works ok for me. I have a 36" top drawer that's about 21" deep and will likely have to keep impacts in a different drawer of a cart as the chromes have pretty much used up the space available. I will likely use some type of aluminum fail along the sides and front for swivels and torx/hex bit storage.

Overall, I'm happy with them if you've got the room to arrange them suitably.

 

[m6z]

I finally finished this up.

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[tjpavlov]

Anyone with Westlings that is looking to sell, send me a DM. I could use some 1/4 inch and 3/8 rails. I like mine but it is annoying that they are different sizes.

 

[Badger 13]

The Westlings work fine for me, I have them for my 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 drive sockets.

 

[MadeByMiller]

Love my VIM Magrails!

 

[RolexMechanic]

Westling Machine, they freed up a lot of space.


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Only two things I would do differently is to use bins for extensions. A bin with nothing but 3/8 extensions takes very little time to pull out the size you want. Socket wrenches, put them in bins head to foot. Your sockets stored vertically looks great.

 

[infinite97]

ordered ~$200 worth of westling racks a few days ago for my new field service truck. I’ve always just used the blow molded cases in my snappy box but I think having the racks in my truck will be much cleaner.

 

[shawhite]

ordered ~$200 worth of westling racks a few days ago for my new field service truck. I’ve always just used the blow molded cases in my snappy box but I think having the racks in my truck will be much cleaner.

I am opposite of most of the guys on this forum. I don’t care much for the westling trays. First off they go from largest on the left to smallest on the right. Second on some of the numbers there is an arrow pointing to the peg for the size. The sae tray is wider than the metric tray. I recently found some mts lock a socket rails like the new snap-on ones at half the price.

 

[Steve_P]

A word of experience.....

DO NOT get any of your skin in between the two Magrails when you put them together or you will not be a happy person for a few days till you grow some new skin. If you are lucky, you may just get a blood blister but they may also actually remove a chunk of your hand. Don't ask how I know...... I have had some pretty bad knife and wood chisel "accidents" over the years, that have inflicted less pain and suffering than the Magrails inflicted upon me.

I got bitten like this also. Very painful! Didnt remove a chunk of flesh, but it wasn't fun. I wasn't a fan of them prior and planned to change those sets to Ernst rails, but the magrails got me first.

 

[Fluxion]

I went with the VIM magrails, I don't have any regrets. I love that I can grab a ratchet and a rail of sockets and take it to the job and they don't fall off along the way.

 

[BlackBowtie]

Does no one make a metal version of the Hansen tray? I have some tekton rails now, vim magrails look nice too but I like the Hansen peg style since I can easily and quickly see the size I need. Down fall is these and every replica of them are always plastic.

 

[Bige441]

I always come back to the metal rails that I get from the snap-on fella. Tight fight, multi lengths, multi size clips and just hold right. They are cheap and available as hell. They are like the HF ones but actually work plain and simple. If I were to go to something else, which would be mag rails, I would be in the neighborhood of $700. I’m not saying they are not cool as hell, I have a few on my roll cart lid, but $50 vs $700 is a no brainer in my book. All sets separated how I wanted, mobile and sturdy.

 

[m6z]

Alright. I finally ordered some more magrails.

Anyone have a line on the red 20" single magrails? I can find the doubles, but not the single 20" long in red.

 

[m6z]

Progress