Tool Organizer

[Walt300]

I am looking for comments anyone has on the Festool tool Organizer 491-301, good or bad, likes and dislikes.

Thanks
Walter

 

[Sweet]

Hi Walter,

My Brother and I both bought the festool hand tools organiser when we were first buying into 'the system'. To be brutally honest I haven't used it all. It is designed wholly around festools interpretation of what hand tools a joiner/carpenter needs and as such is set out specifically for German hand tools. Either keep your money or invest in what I have found to be the best solution, a Veto Pro-pac. In the UK it is on par with the festool price and innovation. I love my XL, it's a great bit of kit and is wearing well after about 3 years of hard use.

http://vetopropac.com

Dan

 

[quijas23]

I will second the Veto Pro Pac; if your a professional and you actually need to use your tools on a day to day basis, it will madden you to try and fit everything in that little box at the end of the day (beleive me I tried)...
If the Veto is out of your price range (i doubt it since your posting about purchasing the festool tool carrier) get a few bags from CLC; personally i like the open mouth bags and they will last at least a few years. For the complete collection, go to there  website and check it out.
One of the reasons why I like the open bags is that when I am working in a house, I can carry a drill etc. AND SEE DOWN TO THE BOTTOM OF THE BAG. unfortunately you cant do that with the Veto. Another problem with the Vetos is the weight. Im a big guy, and even for me, at the end of the day, a Veto fully loaded is alot of work.

 

[sroxberg]

Another vote for the Veto system. Expensive like Festool, but it works very well.

 

[fscraftsman]

work at a festool dealer part time and owen 2 diffrent veto bags and will take them any day over the orginizer. While i have put most of my other brand power tools into systaniers cant make what i need on a job site fit in the orginzer and have tryed sevral times and diffrent ways

 

[Frank Pellow]

I have had the organizer for about four years and I do use it.  Somehow it works for me -but I do have to make some compromizes. 

If I were designing it, there would definately some changes.  And, I expect that some day I will do exactly that. 

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

Another for the Veto XL.  I make sure no matter what, that my C12 and my pro pac are in my suburban everyday.  Those two things are always with me.

 

[EcoFurniture]

Just found this one:

http://www.kurswerkstatt.de/heimwerken-ratgeber/werkzeug-artikel_1658.htm 

Let me know if you need me to translate german into english. ;D

 

[nickao]

Oh my gosh I bought one of those, filled it with tools about 9 months ago and just thought about it right now after reading this post. Its been under one of my work tables with all my other cases  since! I guess if I never thought about it I do not need it.

Anyone want to buy a brand new one, never used?

 

[Peterm]

I had the Irwin version of the veto bags - this one:

[attachthumb=#]

...and dumped it for the Festool tool organiser as soon as I saw one. I don't disagree with other comments on this thread about the Festool's strange idea of what a carpenter might use, but for me, to be able to have a standard 'stack' of systainers (tool organiser, sys 1 with a C12, sys 1 full of screws and fixings) on a roll-board makes all those little jobs much easier.

As someone else said further up this thread, when you load the 'tote' style bags up with what you think you might need, they get very heavy. I do quite a lot of small 'handyman' type jobs, so where the Festool scores for me is that it's on wheels so the only time I have to carry it is up stairs, and also I can stand on it if I have to, 'cos the hop-up is still in the van and I've had to park 3 streets away.

Think about how you might use it; with a little adaption it works for me, but it's clearly not for everyone.

Cheers, Pete.

 

[Frank Pellow]

Oh my gosh I bought one of those, filled it with tools about 9 months ago and just thought about it right now after reading this post. Its been under one of my work tables with all my other cases  since! I guess if I never thought about it I do not need it.

Anyone want to buy a brand new one, never used?

Nick, what about the tools that you filled it with?  Don't you need those either?  Maybe if you filled it with tools that you actually use, you would find that you like it.

 

[Frank Pellow]

Just found this one:

http://www.kurswerkstatt.de/heimwerken-ratgeber/werkzeug-artikel_1658.htm 

Let me know if you need me to translate german into english. ;D

Thanks, I think that an organizer built similiar to the one in the plans would work better for me.  You have probably encouraged me sufficiently to go ahead and build something.  If I do build something, I will post a picture in this thread.

 

[Frank Pellow]

In thinking about it a little more, if I build my own insert, I will probably build it to fit into a Sys5 systainer.  With the insert that I have now in a Sys4, there are a few tools that I want to carry that just will not fit in.

 

[Tech]

FYI,
The smaller Veto propac fits nicelyly into a sys5 if you are so inclined. It's a little overkill but if your a belt and suspender guy.......
Also the insert in the 491301 is easly customizable. A lightweight canvas insert for a systainer might be a interesting concept.
Tech

 

[Dave Ronyak]

Just found this one:

http://www.kurswerkstatt.de/heimwerken-ratgeber/werkzeug-artikel_1658.htm 

Let me know if you need me to translate german into english. ;D

EcoFurniture,

Thank you for posting the above link!  In looking through the linked website, I found many other items that may be of interest to many members of FOG.  For example, this thoughtfully designed and organized, wall mounted tool chest.  Even if you cannot read German, there is plenty of useful information given.
http://www.kurswerkstatt.de/heimwerken-ratgeber/werkzeug-artikel_228.htm
Included are close-up photos showing details of various tool holders, exploded view assembly drawing, cut lists for the components, and many photos showing how the tool chest was made using various Festool products.  The photos also show how the tool holders were made.  Anyone with a dovetail jig and router table could come close to duplicating this chest if they wanted to, even if they cannot read German.

My apologies to all for "hijacking" this thread from those focused on portable tool boxes and bags.

Dave R.

 

[johnsonri]

That German website has some very interesting things. Here is a translated to English link of the site.
kurswerkstatt

By the way, this Google applet will translate languages of a website for you...not perfectly, but enough so that you understand.
http://translate.google.com/

The Veto looks rock solid.

 

[Forrest Anderson]

The subject of the Festool Tool Organiser was discussed back in 2007 in another thread with the same name as this one. In that thread there are some photos of the wooden insert built by FOG member Paul Franklin, and they may be of interest to those who are thinking of building their own custom inserts:

(See the original thread for the other two photos)

The Veto and Systainer 5 are also discussed in that thread.

Forrest

 

[Dave Ronyak]

That German website has some very interesting things. Here is a translated to English link of the site.
kurswerkstatt

By the way, this Google applet will translate languages of a website for you...not perfectly, but enough so that you understand.
http://translate.google.com/

The Veto looks rock solid.

Thanks, Rey. That Google translator works rather well.
Dave R.

 

[Frank Pellow]

Thanks for the reference to the other thread Forrest.  Paul's design looks like it would work quite well for me.

 

[bill-e]

For me, Tool and Organizer is an Oxymoron   Actually bill-e and Organize is an Oxymoron as well