The Systainers start to work best IF you go the full system approach. Meaning--- we really need the SysPorts. (Realized this when I went to Festool in Indy and saw racks of SysPorts) Then ready access to the contents of a top opening box becomes so much easier but--- so pricey if you don't make your own. I wish Festool rethought the pricing on the SysPorts. This is one item that should be offered at their cost including shipping as a finishing item to "the system". I don't complain normally about pricing on Festool stuff but the SysPort is really up there for what it is. I know shipping is a large part of the price just like it is on the long rails. Seems that they need to be offered in a knock-down version (maybe they are - never asked) to keep shipping low. One does not realize they need the SysPort until they develop a collection of the tools. By then they have a significant investment and Festool has made a fair profit. Just seems like a logical item to offer at as low a price as practical as a "reward" for the multiple purchases and as a reason or temptation to continue the tool addiction. Yea I am dreaming.    In my shop, most of my Festools reside on shelves to provide fast access since I don't have the ports. The SysPorts would sure make my life easier but I would need 4 to hold my stuff and I just can't justify $2300 for them and have other things to build instead of my own versions at this time. Come on Christian - a special offer to your loyal FOGgers!!!     How about a "group buy"?

Compare it to a Snap-on, Mac box of the same size?  I am asking a question that I don't know the answer to.   If sysports are the same or less.  I dont think there is an issue, however if sysports are more $$$ than these Top Shelf tools then I would have to say you are right.


Craig.....checking this out further


EDIT:  WOW and I thot Festool was $$$$$$$ they don't hold a candle to snapon

Mwuhahahaahahaaahahaaha mwuhhaahahahahahahaha mwuahahaahaaahahahahah - (Festool laughing all the way to the bank).

I just bought a handful of tools.  I really find the systainers to be a pain.  I have to stack, unstack, shuffle, restack, move, and then find a clean spot to open the thing, remove the tool, and then place the systainer somewhere.  It is really inefficient unless you have the sysport.  I think they realize that and that's why they charge so much.

I've noticed a trend with Festool.  The higher the convenience, the higher the price.  They aren't stupid and they realize that time is money, so they charge for that.  That's their prerogative, and it is consistent with my other recent posts.

One thing that puzzles me though.  Why does it seem like systainers are some sort of "prestige" item that elicits envy from others.  They are merely plastic boxes that are a pain to handle unless you have the dough to get the sysports.  I'm puzzled.

 

John
<<<i will be happy to buy your systainers.

Systainers and homemade sysports are Stupid  If any one wants to get rid of the dumb things PM me





   Craig

I don't have any Sysports, and won't (probably) ever buy any.  They're just boxes with wheels and drawers... and lotsa cash.  It pains me enough to buy empty boxes for over $60...

With that said, I recently finished making my own built-in sysport style thing under my workshop tabletop (pics to be posted at some point... shop is embarassingly messy).  Cost me about $100 for slides and plywood and holds a lot of plastic boxes.  I made them the depth of two Systainers (so they're vertical, as well as front-back).

As convenient as a real Sysport?  Heck no!  I have to remove each Sys to get into it's contents (they're set very close together so the lids can't open).  The trade off of only needing 6 sets of drawer slides was that I have two levels that are double-stacked.  So to get to my hole drilling unit, I have to remove my router which sits in front, then the rear-stack, and finally the router bit box that is the top of the stack...

Mine:  Space efficient, fairly convenient *storage*... not so convenient *access*.  Not mobile at all.

I think the Sysports provide all of these.  You are not buying a logical and cost effective shelving unit.  You are buying *convenience*....  Mobility, access, and storage.  It's like when Domino's (the pizza place, not the holy tool) came into being.  You weren't paying for their crappy pizza, but rather the novel and great idea of delivered food.

PS:  'fore you say 'What a dummo setting them so close together', I only had 24" of depth to work with, and 1/4" to spare width-wise... I'm pretty proud I have 16 Systainers in the space of a sink base cabinet for a hundo-bucks.   

Sell me your unwanted systainers, not Craig.

Once again like so many times over and over, why keep pissing and moaning about the price?

It is what it is, if it is too much found another route, or buy something else.

I would buy sysports vs. building them.  My time spent doing it would be more then just buying one.

I really don't have a need for one, I don't think I would be wheeling it in and out of my trailer or anything like that.

I'm just curious who you are refering to as nutball?

Where is that Shotgun toting Smiley when you need it   my 2 yr old, played havoc with some the other day.

Eden w/ Sharpie Vs Systainers

And my 9 yr old is using a sys2 for her "littlest petshops"
 

So Peter, your threats don't scare me
Craig

So this thread is about complaining about the price being the problem of a solution of something that I think is the real problem.....

Forgive me for this rather cryptic start.
Let me first introduce myself briefly at this 2nd or 3rd post here.

After a short while of lurking I joined this useful group and as a relative beginner in woodworking I learn a lot.
Projects in the past were doing the interior of my house-boat (still unfinished) and some rough furniture stuff for the children.
That made me decide to buy festool, because my motto is that developing your own skills using professional tools is cheaper than hiring the professional. After all, even if a project  fails the first time, the tools are still there. I'm nearly 50 YO, as my forum-name suggests, and might become a grandfather in the not so long away future.
So I started to think about creating wooden toys.

Now about the sysport/systainer/pricing thing.

The systainer solves the problem that stacked systainers are not accessible (at least their contents aren't).
So Festool came up with the sysport, that provides drawers to enable the owner to open systainers individually.
Isn't this describing that the real problem is the systainer?

I've read Steve Jones' thread Home made systainer and basis system and one of my plans is to adopt his idea with a slight modification: all boxes will have a drawer, so I can access the tools any time. I will make inserts for my tools. I move them to and from the boat, and having sysports in my garage and in the boat doesn't make sense.

Whatever way I look into it, the sysport is curing the symptom. Curing the problem requires redesigning the systainer. Of course, adapting the systainer concept to an all-over drawer thing would kill cash-cow that  sysport might be right now. But, IMHO, it is the ultimate solution.

CJ

Not you Tim.   Affectionately, all of my brother Festoolers that are pretty much "all in" with Festool.  To my friends in this area I am Festool crazy, while compared to my class I was a piker. 

Not to be a wet blanket, but a drawer system or even a single drawer would take up a lot of space resulting in a a much smaller cavity. Notice how small the sortainer drawers are. Even though you could go for a bigger systainer, you are still width constrained. Nevertheless a very creative thought.

Vijay

The drawer in a systainer doesn't need sides. Just a sliding front+platform with the right inlay for storing the tool+accessories will suffice. The tool won't hop out of the inlay during sliding the drawer. During transport it is protected by the sides of the systainer, just as with the current design. When the front tilts appr 30-45 degrees when pulled out the platform doesn't need to slide out completely. So, losing space in the sides is not necessary. There is no lid needed on the top, some space could be saved in the construction of the lid as well. Modern composites might allow the design of a rather thin but strong sliding system that sits under the platform. Overall, maybe 2-3 cm is lost in the height. That is important during transport only. I could live with that. How much space takes a drawer of a sysport? Much more!

CJ

For shop use,  what about a cart with an MFT Top and drawers that hold the systainer inserts?  Place the insert in the box put the tool in the insert.  If you need to take the tool some where keep a couple of sys3 or 4's and just slide the insert in one and off to the task.  The rest of the time the tool and its accessories are where you need them and you dont have to mess with the systainers.

Just a thot as I am on the total other side.  I have 40 of them and still "need" 13 more to make my work kits all fit the SYStem.

Craig

Craig's got me beat, I'm at 36 or so but I'm not sure.

I remember a couple of years ago Festool asked for some feedback on Systainers and I mentioned the drawer idea then. I love the idea of not unstacking.

As for the pricing on the SYSPort, I agree with Peter, discounting them would be great or a discount on buying multiple ports would be nice. I'd need at least 4 of them to make a big difference in my home workspace so I've not bought any. I might pick up one for use on the job site but I don't know how practical it would be to transport one. On the bigger jobs it might be nice.

Yeah, but I own a midget slider miter   cant play with you big kids and your Kapexes