Sortainers anybody use em?

[Rob Z]

Hoover, I bought two of those PDY containers and generally we like them.  I have loaded them up with various fasteners that seem to always be in short supply at some time or the other on the job.  We don't use them bor bulk storage but instead for specialized sorting.  The price paid seemed reasonable for how well-made they are.

I just remembered this storage system.  On another forum people had very good things to say about the customer service and a follow up post about the use, quality and how durable they are in the cold was very good.  They look like a really good system and at a great price.  The inventor/owner was in a business where he needed something and could not find it so it invented it.  Here's the post on the other board  http://forums.jlconline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43462&highlight=fred

http://www.pdysystems.com/tool_buy.php

 

[andylees]

Hi - I'm a kitchen fitter (in the UK) - I have various Systainers and a 4 drawer Sortainer. Its incredibly useful - i use the drawers for drill bits, screwdriver bits and spares etc. The lower main drawer has various wall fixings to cover all / difficult applications. Then I just carry a Systainer for screws. As the boxes interlink - at the end of the day they just stack in the corner of the kitchen we're installing - nice and tidy.
I dont know what styles are available in the US - probably more than we get in the UK, but you need to get one...or two! They are expensive, but last a lifetime.

Andy

 

[ajones]

Hi Andy
Welcome to the fog. (pauls having a day off) [big grin]

I do not have any, I use the Stanley organisers for all my bits and bobs or the mini systainers.

 

[Waka]

I find the comments above very interesting, I don't have any of the  sortainers but have been looking at them a lot.
As I'm a hobbyist and work mainly from my workshop the justification has got to be great before I'll fork out the cost of these, so the comments have been great. Looks like I might put in an order today for a 4 drawer, just to give it a try.

 

[Wonderwino]

I have 3 12-drawer that I got with screw assortments from McFeely's and one 6-drawer that I bought by itself.  I have them all sitting on a sys-dolly which makes it easy to move them around the shop to where I need hardware.  The one caution or criticism I have is to avoid stuffing the drawers too full of screws.  If the units are knocked around or drawers slammed shut, and a screw ends up pointing upward, the drawer will jam and can be very difficult to open.  If the design were changed to include a solid, smooth surface over the drawers, this would solve the problem.

 

[Wood_Junkie]

I use a Sortainer 4 drawer, and a Tanos Sortainer 5 drawer (it has two large drawers).  The latter is the bomb.  They did cost a lot, but I feel they save me a lot of frustration and wasted time.

The 5 drawer is my roll-around the shop everything accessory box.  In it I keep the MFT clamping elements, MFT F-clamps, some binder clips, pencils, note pad, safety glasses, some ear plugs, guide rail connectors, the guide-rail clamp thing (FS-rapid, IIRC), deflector, small tape measure, 4" sliding square, MFT table connector bars, the MFT cutting stop, guide rail stops, a Toolie, and so on.
I have it on a roll board and keep a few other Systainers on top of it, depending on what I'm going to be doing (i.e. fixing, assembly, cutting, routing).  I just move the whole thing to whatever MFT or table I'm working at and I have most things I need right there.  Also keeps me from losing the various little things.

The Sortainer 4 drawer is my portable necessities.  So if I take my tools and vac to work somewhere else, I grab this Sortainer and I'm assured of having:  spare Plug-it cord, vacuum bag and nozzles/brushes, Festool tape measure (imp & metric!), a Toolie, pencils, notepad, some large boring bits (1/2", 3/4"), safety glasses, ear plugs, 6" ruler, etc.  Wherever I arrive, I just put it on top of the CT and have a little mini workshop available.

I have not used them for screws and such as other have.  I am a big fan of the Sys 1 boxes.  I have two, with a very wide assortment of various quantities and screw sizes.  I removed the blue and green boxes and use only the yellow and orange (the smallest box).
The Systainers are heavy (esp. together), but I no longer find myself working on something and thinking "darn it, I don't have what I need".  They're my portable hardware store.

 

[stvrowe]

I have a couple of sortainers and will echo Wonderwino's comments about getting stuck with screws.  I will also comment that the latches are weak and do not always function in that they have a tendency to stick up.  I purchased several a long time ago to store sewing machine parts and it worked very well for that purpose.  We closed our store so, now they are in the woodshop and in that application, it is not so good and the drawers are much too small to store the hardware in the quantities that I purchase.    

 

[semenza]

Hi - I'm a kitchen fitter (in the UK) - I have various Systainers and a 4 drawer Sortainer. Its incredibly useful - i use the drawers for drill bits, screwdriver bits and spares etc. The lower main drawer has various wall fixings to cover all / difficult applications. Then I just carry a Systainer for screws. As the boxes interlink - at the end of the day they just stack in the corner of the kitchen we're installing - nice and tidy.
I dont know what styles are available in the US - probably more than we get in the UK, but you need to get one...or two! They are expensive, but last a lifetime.

Andy

Hi Andy,

Welcome to the FOG  [smile]

We can now get  all of the Tanos line in NA.  But not sometimes have not been able to get everything that Festool has in the line. So if anything it was the other way around ... you could get more in the UK than we could get up until about two years ago.

Yes, I agree with the handiness, organisation, etc  [thumbs up] 

Seth

 

[semenza]

I find the comments above very interesting, I don't have any of the  sortainers but have been looking at them a lot.
As I'm a hobbyist and work mainly from my workshop the justification has got to be great before I'll fork out the cost of these, so the comments have been great. Looks like I might put in an order today for a 4 drawer, just to give it a try.

It is surprising how useful they are even for working around your own place and the occasional trip to a freinds or relatives to do some work.

Seth

 

[Waka]

Your right Seth, I can really see the usefulness and will start with a 4 drawer and work my way from there.

 

[AlexThePalex]

Well, I owned a couple of sortainers and I wasn't satisfied with them. I had two 9 drawers and one 12 drawer sortainer. I sold them again, luckily with a nice profit.

For starters, these things are too heavy by themselves. To make them as rigid as they are, there goes a lot of plastic and metal into them. I'm not sure if a box for screws needs to be this heavy. Second, the space you actually use for storage is only just half of the entire thing. I find that way too much space loss for what you have to carry around in total. It was big disappointment to find out half of it's actual space is simpy wasted. And third, the stuck drawers is really a big annoyance. Happens constantly. It's a silly design fault, they should have made the roof of the drawers flat instead of what looks like an obstacle course of support ribs.

My advice, if you stay at home or in the shop, get a nice shelf unit full of drawers for screws (photo 1 & 2), and if you go to the job site, get a sys 3 or 4 systainer and stuff it full of assortment boxes (photo 3).

1 [attachthumb=1]  2 [attachthumb=2]  3 [attachthumb=3] 

 

[Brice_Arnold]

I have a couple of the 12 drawer ones. I picked up the first from McFeely's as a Spax screw kit. The second one I picked up for my pocket hole screw it. They are nice but they are expensive and not very efficient on space. In the past I have used the Plano tackle boxes. I have about a hundred of these organized with screws and hardware.

I saw a blog post on the wood nerd  using the Stanley boxes which looked like a good idea. I am thinking about implementing these into my shop. He made a wall shelf to stack them.

http://www.thewoodnerd.com/tips/smallParts.html

 

[tbellemare]

The SYS Box and SYS Uni are much better for stuff like screws. Sortainers are great for stuff that doesn't tend to "lock the drawers".

Tom

 

[semenza]

Well, I owned a couple of sortainers and I wasn't satisfied with them. I had two 9 drawers and one 12 drawer sortainer. I sold them again, luckily with a nice profit.

For starters, these things are too heavy by themselves. To make them as rigid as they are, there goes a lot of plastic and metal into them. I'm not sure if a box for screws needs to be this heavy. Second, the space you actually use for storage is only just half of the entire thing. I find that way too much space loss for what you have to carry around in total. It was big disappointment to find out half of it's actual space is simpy wasted. And third, the stuck drawers is really a big annoyance. Happens constantly. It's a silly design fault, they should have made the roof of the drawers flat instead of what looks like an obstacle course of support ribs.

The amount of wasted space is much less on the two types that have the large drawers.

I do use a couple of the small drawers for screws in my travel kit, but not large quantities. I have lots of other stuff in the drawers, with no sticking trouble. I think that the Sys - I box or the Racktainer is better for larger quantities of screws. 

Overall the fact that lots of other stuff can go in the drawers and the units fit  and latch to the rest of the system works well for my site kit.

Seth

 

[andy5405]

I am planning on using the Tanos version that has the two large drawers at the bottom as storage for my hand tools. This will be to replace a Stanley tote tool bag. The plan is to incorporate all my hand tools, drill bits etc into one stack which will be my existing 12 drawer and two of the Tanos ones. It will also include some plumbing bits and pieces as well and maybe the most commonly used screws. I intend to have them on a roll board with ply sides and back, similar to the concept for storing systainers so I will be able to attach spirit levels, guide rails on the back and maybe some hooks to keep things like mastic gun, common clamps, hand saw etc on the sides. I need to reduce my footprint on site as I am always limited on space doing kitchens and bathrooms. I want to be able to move everything that isn't a power tool easily as I constantly reorganising my workspace. It will all break down easily (I hope) as I move between jobs).

Anyone tried anything similar? 

 

[GreenGA]

We use these, from Stanley, all the time.

http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-014708R-10-Compartment-Professional-Organizer/dp/B000Q5NIE4/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1313153046&sr=8-3

We have 6 of them and they work very well.  We have two dedicated to electrical components, two more for Kreg screws, another for plumbing parts, another for "stuff to hang stuff".  We're going to get two more to store a wide assortment of wood screws.

They sell them at HD for about 16-18 bucks.  Some the of best money ever spent to store and transport things.

I have a couple of the 12 drawer ones. I picked up the first from McFeely's as a Spax screw kit. The second one I picked up for my pocket hole screw it. They are nice but they are expensive and not very efficient on space. In the past I have used the Plano tackle boxes. I have about a hundred of these organized with screws and hardware.

I saw a blog post on the wood nerd  using the Stanley boxes which looked like a good idea. I am thinking about implementing these into my shop. He made a wall shelf to stack them.

http://www.thewoodnerd.com/tips/smallParts.html

 

[fatroman]

I have one 9 drawer unit, but I don't use it for screws. That's what those Sys 1 boxes are for.

Instead, the small drawers hold drill bits, driver bits, pencils, sharpener, Collins clamps, marking gauges, small Woodpeckers squares, router setup blocks, and laser measuring device.

The large ones hold router wrenches, Festool router errata, combi square (have to separate it, but it fits), Woodpecker nesting triangles, folding rulers, torpedo level, calipers.

I hesitated for a long time before getting it, but all this stuff was just floating around my workspace with no place to live. I haven't regretted buying it at all. I pick up one box or take out a drawer and I've got what I need for a project.

Keep thinking about another one for hand tools.

I do wish that you could use the dividers on the long axis as well.

 

[fdengel]

I use them mainly for non-Festool products right now...  acrylic paints, pen kits, lathe chuck (big drawer), etc.

Whenever I finally get a Festool jig saw, I will probably get another one to organize the blades into.

I'm sure I would have plenty more of them right now were it not for the $$$.

For those who commented on Tanos having a wider assortment... remember that they are compatible...  the Festool ones are just a different color  8)

 

[semenza]

I have a couple of the 12 drawer ones. I picked up the first from McFeely's as a Spax screw kit. The second one I picked up for my pocket hole screw it. They are nice but they are expensive and not very efficient on space. In the past I have used the Plano tackle boxes. I have about a hundred of these organized with screws and hardware.

I saw a blog post on the wood nerd  using the Stanley boxes which looked like a good idea. I am thinking about implementing these into my shop. He made a wall shelf to stack them.

I have a wall cabinet almost exactly the same filled with 56 Plano 3700s. To me the purpose of the Sortainers is not for this quantity or type of shop storage, though they certainly could be used that way.

Seth

 

[semenza]

Hi,

Here are some pics of my Systainer / Sortainer site kit. One shows it set up, one stacked for moving, and a couple show  small , and medium drawer uses.

For a complete write up with pics of everything in all the drawers, and how the whole System works  go to this link. I have been planning to post it all here as well but just havn't had the time or ambition to redo the posting.

http://www.talkfestool.com/vb/festool-tanos-all-things-systainer/3066-site-tool-kit.html

Lots of pics and description.

Seth