Maxi Systainer Review - What Festool doesn’t say that could change your life!

[Steve R]

I never use to buy tools because of how they were packaged, then I met Festool.

Like most, I purchased my first Festools because of their quality and what they can do. I liked that they came in case as I work on location and getting everything there and back safely is important. But they did seem a bit boxy and I wondered if they would hold up to Minnesota weather. A swing of 142 degrees Fahrenheit (– 37 to 105) at my house.

I don’t know when it happens but soon you see that the Systainers are not just a box, but a system to organize, protect and transport your tools in a very effective manner. You soon find yourself looking at your other tools and thinking…. “Why don’t my DeWalt drill cases stack and lock together…. Hmmmm what rube can I sell them too and buy Festool drills so my stacks match”.

I have purchased a few more systainer to put some other tools in but I have only purchased more of the systainer I already have as I can test other tools in them and know what will and won’t fit it them fit in them. I wanted to go larger

The Festool catalog is never far away but it doesn’t show the accessories and what they really do.  Coming from a marketing background I would call the Festool catalog more of a product list. It doesn’t how tell or show interior size with any useful reference.

I have larger tools that I have wanted to put in a systainer for a long time but. I have been stopped from doing that has for two reasons. One, my local dealer doesn’t have them in stock. Two the catalog and webs site says… “MAXI Systainers have a larger footprint and do not connect to regular Systainers, Sortainers or CT Dust Extractors.” 

Well I ordered one and want to prove to you that, that statement is not fully correct.

It is correct that they are too big to fit on top of the CTs
Old style 1 – 5 Systainers will fit on top of the MAXI Systainer and you can go as tall as you want.
You can also put at least one layer of new style systainer I need a few new style so I could test.

List of images
001 Note the classic closing latches and folding latches on top in the middle front and back.
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002 How big is a MAXI I wanted to protect a new framing gun you can an idea of depth. Note I have not padded the box yet.
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003 Looking straight down in the manual is 8.5” x 11” so you see how big it is
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004 Back view note white latches
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005 Right side
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006 Left side
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007 You carry it like a suit case not from the top. So make sure you pad and secure whatever you put in it as it is going to get tossed around when you flip it over.
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008 This images shows the latches up as they would be used to attach more boxes on top. The four corner latches are put in place after you place a systainer on top.
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009 This is how the middle latch works the Standard Systainer’s front pegs slide in.
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010 This shows the Systainer fully in place
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011 The front and back latch on the MAXI locks to the side pegs of the normal systainer
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012 The center latches are deep enough on the MAXI to hold two Systainers
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013 If you use the same size systainer on the other side this is what you get
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014 If you want another layer you need to put the normal Systainers front latches all the way up before you load the next layer
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015 The latches act as the MAXI center latches
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016 How the second layer connects
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017  Add one more
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018 I find picking up the whole stack with two handles easier than having four in one hand and the MAXI in the other.
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Cheers,
Steve

 

[leakyroof]

Nice review Steve. I own 1 Maxi that holds my Shinex and all of its assorted polishing items. My local dealer pointed all of your info when I was buying the thing, which was great as you already know you own a rare bird in the Systainer world once you've bought a Maxi-Sys.
I knew nothing about them at the time of my purchase, so thanks for taking all of these great pictures.
I bought the honeycomb foam insert to keep my Shinex from bouncing around inside the Maxi-Sys.

 

[semenza]

Steve,

Nice review.

I don't have any MAXI Sys, mostly because of the way they carry.  As individual units, the side handle means that everything gets tipped / tumbled.  How about a pic of how you carry the twin handle  stack. I always imagined it to be very awkward to do.

Seth

 

[Steve R]

Steve,

Nice review.

I don't have any MAXI Sys, mostly because of the way they carry.  As individual units, the side handle means that everything gets tipped / tumbled.  How about a pic of how you carry the twin handle  stack. I always imagined it to be very awkward to do.

Seth

Look at image 018 and read the caption.  [poke] it is very easy to carry.

Seth you do need to pad and pack it right or you are going to bang up tools if you use the side handle.

One other point I didn't make in the review is that with a Two wheel cart that goes down to a 4 wheel that I use to get into condos. You can place the MAXI the the wide way it and it will still go through a doorway. I have yet to measure but I think I can get 3 MAXIs on my cart that I use. If I can, that would give me room for 6 stacks of tools and if done level a very easy way and safe way to carry a Kpex and/or or the CT on top.

Cheers,
Steve

 

[DKurzweil]

It is correct that they are too big to fit on top of the CTs
Old style 1 – 5 Systainers will fit on top of the MAXI Systainer and you can go as tall as you want.
You can also put at least one layer of new style systainer I need a few new style so I could test.

Steve,

I do not own a maxi, but by looking at your pictures I would say you can stack multiple t-locs.  

Here are the steps I would take:
1.  make a stack of t-locs
2.  lock them together as a single unit
3.  place the stack on the maxi as if it were a single systainer.

Can anyone confirm what I just said.  As I stated I do not own a maxi but by the looks of it this method would work.

Great review and pictures.

Best,
Daniel

 

[Steve R]

It is correct that they are too big to fit on top of the CTs
Old style 1 – 5 Systainers will fit on top of the MAXI Systainer and you can go as tall as you want.
You can also put at least one layer of new style systainer I need a few new style so I could test.

Steve,

I do not own a maxi, but by looking at your pictures I would say you can stack multiple t-locs. 

Here are the steps I would take:
1.  make a stack of t-locs
2.  lock them together as a single unit
3.  place the stack on the maxi as if it were a single systainer.

Can anyone confirm what I just said.  As I stated I do not own a maxi but by the looks of it this method would work.

Best,
Daniel

Daniel, I think you are correct and hope to from others also. 

Also if you want to mix "T" locks and "Classic" you would need to put the "Classic" below any "T" locks.

Cheers,
Steve

 

[semenza]

Look at image 018 and read the caption.  [poke] it is very easy to carry. 

Yes,  this is carry by the handles in two hands holding in front of you?

Seth you do need to pad and pack it right or you are going to bang up tools if you use the side handle. 

Of course, some things can take a lot of lid foam or immobilising foam  etc. to keep them in place. I just like the fact that the regular top handle design lets everything just be  in place. One of the things that I really like about the Systainer design compared to other tool cases.

One other point I didn't make in the review is that with a Two wheel cart that goes down to a 4 wheel that I use to get into condos. You can place the MAXI the the wide way it and it will still go through a doorway. I have yet to measure but I think I can get 3 MAXIs on my cart that I use. If I can, that would give me room for 6 stacks of tools and if done level a very easy way and safe way to carry a Kpex and/or or the CT on top.

That sounds like a great plan for moving everything! Could even put a MFT/Kapex on  top of the stack and the Kapex on top of that.

 

[Steve R]

Look at image 018 and read the caption.  [poke] it is very easy to carry. 

Yes,  this is carry by the handles in two hands holding in front of you?

Yes, out in front

Cheers,
Steve

 

[BJM9818]

I have 6 Maxi-Systainers.  Two are Festool and the rest are Tanos.  I like the handle and feel of the Tanos much better.  They are great for organizing a bunch of non Festool related stuff and stack easily(side handle up) on the shelves in my shop. 

 

[rookie08]

BJM

Thinking about getting a couple of those for a cordless set (circ saw, sawzall, impact driver etc for when I's somewhere I don't have access t power.  Do you have pics by any chance?  Do you know how tall they are inside?  Are the Tanos larger?

Thanks!

 

[Steve R]

These images might help show size. Baseline is you need to try one at your dealer to know if things will fit for sure.

019 6.75 to 7.25 inches tall
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020 22 inch wide at the narrowest points
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021 13.5 inches Front to back
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022 Framing gun and full sized sawzall
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023 Framing gun, full sized sawzall and full sized hammer drill
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Cheers,
Steve

 

[BJM9818]

BJM

Thinking about getting a couple of those for a cordless set (circ saw, sawzall, impact driver etc for when I's somewhere I don't have access t power.  Do you have pics by any chance?  Do you know how tall they are inside?  Are the Tanos larger?

Thanks!

They are exactly the same size as the Festool ones, I just like the handle better.  I think they have a few edges that are a little more rounded than the Festool ones???  Who knows but I think they just feel/fit much nicer.

I use my two Festool ones to keep spare boxes of sandpaper and vac bags in as well as other misc stuff.  THe others I have Vacuum bagging accessories in one, epoxy supplies in another and so on. I'm rebuilding a boat and needed something other than the black bins with the yellow tops I had from HD/Lowes.  I was getting sick of always wanting the one that was on the bottom of the stack.  

For cordless tools, If you have the same brand tools I would see if you can get the large empty case on ebay that comes with a multi tool kit.  I know DeWalt has one that holds 5+ tools I think.  Due to their size and price if you have a drill/impact/sawzall/circ saw there is no way you could fit everything in one Maxi if you are concerned with them ratteling around .  At that point I think it would be easier and a lot cheaper to buy the manufactures tool case. You also dont have to be as careful with those cases than the systainers.   I think the best you could fit into a Maxi with a foam insert would be a Impact/drill/sawzall along with an assortment of blade/bit cases.  I don't think my Makita cordless 6" saw would fit in one.  

 

[rookie08]

Thanks for the responses and the pics.  I think the biggest obstacle is the circular saw.  Maybe I'll have to break it into a Maxi and a regular.  And the stack grows!  [scared]

Cheers

James

 

[duburban]

if there was an easy way to cleanly foam things in place i'd be in. maybe the cloth and spray foam trick would work well for this. i'd like to see my makita LXT tools in there. 2 drills, 2 impacts, saw, light, 2 chargers and 5 batteries.

 

[TomGadwa1]

One method for doing this is called foam in place. The way to do this is to bag the tool in a polyvinyl bag to keep the foam from attaching to and harming the tool. The tool is then placed into a slightly oversized box. Now spray some of the expanding foam into the bottom of the box. Before the foam hardens completely set the bagged tool onto the bottom layer of foam. Now spray the foam around the rest of the voids in the box. Next after the foam has cured the box can be cut into two halves such that the tool can be removed. This way even shipping companies have to work extra hard to destroy the contents packed in this manner!

 

[leakyroof]

The Planex is arriving in a larger than normal Maxi Systainer.  When I put my Maxi-Sys next to it, or on top of the Planex box, it's easy to see the larger width and height of the Planex Sys. Is this a Maxi 2 Systainer.  Note, I tried to post a picture of this taken with my iPhone4, but was unable to edit it small enough to be accepted.

 

[Steve R]

The Planex is arriving in a larger than normal Maxi Systainer.  When I put my Maxi-Sys next to it, or on top of the Planex box, it's easy to see the larger width and height of the Planex Sys. Is this a Maxi 2 Systainer.  Note, I tried to post a picture of this taken with my iPhone4, but was unable to edit it small enough to be accepted.

Hope you can find a way to show a side by side image! That will help the rest of us know how that could fit into our tool organization plans.

Cheers,
Steve

 

[leakyroof]

The Planex is arriving in a larger than normal Maxi Systainer.  When I put my Maxi-Sys next to it, or on top of the Planex box, it's easy to see the larger width and height of the Planex Sys. Is this a Maxi 2 Systainer.  Note, I tried to post a picture of this taken with my iPhone4, but was unable to edit it small enough to be accepted.

Hope you can find a way to show a side by side image! That will help the rest of us know how that could fit into our tool organization plans.

Cheers,
Steve

  I'll ask my local dealer, who has the tool, to post a pic if they can

 

[duburban]

One method for doing this is called foam in place. The way to do this is to bag the tool in a polyvinyl bag to keep the foam from attaching to and harming the tool. The tool is then placed into a slightly oversized box. Now spray some of the expanding foam into the bottom of the box. Before the foam hardens completely set the bagged tool onto the bottom layer of foam. Now spray the foam around the rest of the voids in the box. Next after the foam has cured the box can be cut into two halves such that the tool can be removed. This way even shipping companies have to work extra hard to destroy the contents packed in this manner!

wow, thats a really great idea.

 

[tbellemare]

The Planex is arriving in a larger than normal Maxi Systainer.  When I put my Maxi-Sys next to it, or on top of the Planex box, it's easy to see the larger width and height of the Planex Sys. Is this a Maxi 2 Systainer.  Note, I tried to post a picture of this taken with my iPhone4, but was unable to edit it small enough to be accepted.

Hope you can find a way to show a side by side image! That will help the rest of us know how that could fit into our tool organization plans.

Cheers,
Steve

  I'll ask my local dealer, who has the tool, to post a pic if they can

The Planex comes in a regular Maxi Systainer with a custom insert to hold the goods. Just like the one mentioned in this thread.

Tom

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