Sysport availability and alternatives

[John T.]

It looks like the Sys Port 491922 is discontinued in the US. Is there a decent alternative besides making one from scratch?

Is it possible the Sys Port was just a rebranded item from another manufacturer that may still distribute it in the US?

 

[nclemmons]

I had a FT Sysport but sold it after a few years of use.  I found it heavy and the drawers were difficult to release and open.  Plus as my collection of Festool expanded, I didn't want to sink more money into more Sysports so I made my own with plywood drawers.  In time, Festool released the Sys AZ drawers and I shifted over to those completely - in both upright and under-counter drawers.

I like these much better than the old Sysport.  Lighter weight, easier to open and close, and much more flexible.  And I'd say less money too.

There have been a couple of older style Sysports for sale on the forum through the years, but I don't know that they ever caught on that strongly and thus was the reason for the discontinuation.

 

[SoonerFan]

Like [member=167]neilc[/member] , I made my own.  Biggest advantage for me was being able to build exactly the size I wanted.  In my case I built them to fit under my out feed table.  I used SYS AZ drawers in all of mine.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

I made all of mine too, but I didn't use the AZ drawers. I made my own from plywood, with an Oak front edge. Mine are deeper than necessary for a Systainer, giving me storage space behind them.
I keep over-flow boxes of sandpaper and other accessories back there.

 

[John T.]

Reviving a bit of an old thread. For those who have used Festool Sys Ports as well as Sys Az, how do you think they compare in terms of day to day use?

I can get a used Sys Port locally for about what it would cost me for plywood or extruded aluminum for the frame plus the Sys Az drawers.

This will be used with a bunch of sys 3 organizers for small parts storage. I'll likely go with Sys Az on an extruded aluminum MFT workbench for storage of tool systainers.

 

[squall_line]

I feel like the Sys PORT could end up with a lot of wasted space with Sys-ORG 89's, because they only have so many drawers and the ORG-89 is not very tall.  You may be better off switching which unit holds the tools and which holds the ORGs.  Depends on if you're planning to open the Systainers while they're still in the drawer or if you're just stacking them and using the drawers for storage (in which case the drawers are probably overkill and shelves might be better).

 

[Crazyraceguy]

I feel like the Sys PORT could end up with a lot of wasted space with Sys-ORG 89's, because they only have so many drawers and the ORG-89 is not very tall.  You may be better off switching which unit holds the tools and which holds the ORGs.  Depends on if you're planning to open the Systainers while they're still in the drawer or if you're just stacking them and using the drawers for storage (in which case the drawers are probably overkill and shelves might be better).

That's the advantage of building them yourself. Mine are adjustable to any increment of 32mm. Which is why they worked perfectly with the T-Loc system. Then someone tried to think......and failed.
The 89s should work ok though. I have a couple of them, but they aren't in the regular Sysports.
Maybe some testing is in order.

 

[John T.]

That's a really good point. Looks like the spacing on the Sys Port is pretty limited, and I think you're right I'd end up with larger gaps between them and wasted space.

I'm going to go with plywood cabinets or 8020 frames plus a mix of Sys Az drawers and 3D printed rails. I found these and for lighter organizers I think they'll work well.
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