What makes Systainers better than the alternatives?

[Crazyraceguy]

I love the Systainer design/concept. I have them on pull-out trays that are essentially shop-built Sysports. There are a few ordinary drawers in the stacks too, for other branded items. The ones mixed in with the Systainers have a handfull of Bosch Colts and the cordless Makita routers. I keep the original cases from the Colts for storing the extra bases, but I don't work from them.
The cloth bags that came with the Rigid trimmers are useless. So they sit in a drawer of their own, under the miter saw station. The Milwaukee body-grip routers are in another drawer blow them. They are in the next-best case that comes with the tools themselves. They are a simple blow-molded clamshell that doesn't really hold anything except the router, but they do it well.
I really don't keep "extras" in the Systainers either. They only have the things that Festool designed a place to fit them. Anything else goes behind the Systainer on the tray.
I do really wish they had designed in a place for the angle plate, mounting bracket, and chip deflector inside the box with the OF1400 and the OF1010. The inside of the MFK700 case has all kinds of dust collection parts, 2 bases, edge guide, etc. Both of the OFs have the places for the edge guide, why not the angle plate? The TS55 has the place for the parallel guide and extra blades.
However, I do not have to be mobile, at least outside of the building. I do move around to different departments sometimes, but that's when the CT26 comes in. It carries the Systainers needed and a small shop-built cart does the rest. Some day I may add a drawer to it, but it's been a year and a half in this facility, so no hurry.
Some people argue against using Systainers in a static situation, saying it takes too much effort to pull out the drawer, open the latch and lid, then close it back up, when a simple open-topped drawer would be easier. I don't mind it at all and the convenience of just taking the whole thing away in one grab far outweighs that. It's all there and I know it.
As stated before, I don't like the new sizes. They upset the fit of the ports.

 

[slavi.yordanov]

The biggest problem for me with Systainers is that if you have just a bunch of random tools, you are trying to organize, there are no dividers, no boxes (like milwaukee) or any other sort of organization inside. You have to buy a specific Systainer for specific task. Sortainers work for that use case, but they are heavy and bulky. For comparison, I fit my C18, Vecturo OSC18, charger, 3 batteries, all C18 chucks, all my blades for the Vecturo, my most used drill bits (I do plumbing) and extension into a single 10" Compact Packout Box. When I need most of the things inside this box, I just grabbed and go do what I have to do. I can stack slim Packout organizers on top for my screws. If I just need just OSC18 or the C18, I can open it without removing the organizers on top and grab what I need. Also the big Packout box with wheels sucks for loading and unloading all the time. I have strapped mine in the van, and filled it with tools, that I rarely use.

Systainers are great for tools like Domino, that you don't want to be sitting around when not in use. They are also great in the workshop. I recently bought a Strainer and mounted on top of my vacuum. It fits all my small tools, Bosch Flexiclick and other common things I use when I work on my house.

As others have said, just think about your use case, and what exactly do you need. Before the Packout was released, and before discovering Festool, I had a lot of my tools sitting in a bucket.

The worst boxes are the ones Milwaukee supplies with most of their tools. Or the canvas cases...

 

[mino]

Systainers are a German invention where apartments are the norm and space is at a premium. In the house, in the shop, in the van, on the site, etc.

So are laser-focused on space utilization efficiency and versatility.

That is why they are made from high-strength ABS plastic which is both tough AND strong.
That is why they have a very thin outer shell, so that the maximum volume they occupy can be utilized.
That is why they use a standardized form factor - so that there is no waste on the outside, and inside one can optimize by heights.

They were invented, originally, as shipping packaging for tools that "can do more than that" hence the concept of shipping tools in them and using inlays instead of separate boxes which works so well.

Think of it as classic Mercedes S or E series car. Priced to cost (not to market) and utterly unsuitable for riding off-road. It WILL still survive an off-road drive and protect you in crash though. The same a Systainer will not shatter and even when destroyed will protect the tool. But that is a once-in-a-lifetime terrorist attack scenarios when you will want to take advantage of that aspect. Neither are "rough work" tools.

Original Systainer market are fine-work contractors which come and go form site during the same day AND need to operate in a city where just rolling a pickup on customer's drive is no go as there is no drive to begin. Once you have to carry a bunch of incompatible heavy-duty tool cases half a mile across a condo complex you will understand the point.
Secondary market are hobby users working form a garage where the ability to neatly store tools and be able to use the same case for transporting them is a huge boon.

One last. The AUER cases are junk.
They cheaped-out on moldings so the cases are nowhere near as precise as Systainers. When you connect a couple of them you end up with a wobbly unstable mess of a stack. Avoid. You are much better off putting tools in the AUER Euro-containers at even better cost at that point ...

 

[yetihunter]

After a lot of contemplating I decided to purchase Systainers to replace my Dewalt Tstaks. As I wait for my Sys cart and L box to arrive I wonder if I made the right decision.

I've always been searching for the perfect mobile tool storage system but never found anything that suits me.  I've steered clear of the Packout because I owned something similar (Rigid) and hated removing boxes to get to other boxes.

I've been aware of Systainers but the price didn't seem justified but the L series and XXL are appealing.

Today I had a chance to see the Milwaukee Packout drawers and dolly and I can't help but think that's the better way to go.  I mean what can beat I nice big set of drawers on wheels for mobile repairs? 

Thoughts?

Milwaukee came to market WAY AFTER festool, sortimo, dewalt, and the Israeli firm Ridgid uses (don't know the name). You had better bet they were taking notes.  I'm on Systainers because that's what I have. But I presume the Packout line is infinitely better for most tradespeople. Everytime I see a new Packout product...it looks perfect for the task.  Ultimately, in comparison systainers are just a box full of compromises.  I use Festool, Mafell, Fein, Makita and some Metabo. Their stuff comes in systainers.    Bob's your uncle.  If I didn't, and I was starting over  on storage, I'd be all over that packout stuff.

 

[DeformedTree]

Best I can tell, the packouts are basically tackle boxes.  Good if you need a really strong box, to hold/sort a lot of little small things.  I don't see much use beyond that.  As they don't have to tool inserts, their exterior is bulky, I don't think they match up to the rather standardized form factors (Euronorm footprints).  They are more like either tackle boxes, or on the large scale a pelican case.  Either way, sorta misses the target of where systainers work and others design their cases to a similar idea.

Pelican cases have a place for expensive things that can't be damaged, thus you accept that extra bulk of the case.  But for most things, you are looking for something where the case is rather minimal.

 

[WillAdams]

...and the Israeli firm Ridgid uses (don't know the name). You had better bet they were taking notes. 

I believe that is Keter.

It does seem to be well-suited to trades work and power tool setups.

The drawer unit is interesting, and somewhat of an endorsement of my current plan:

- Festool MW 1000
- Bessey STC-S-MFT Systainer Toggle Clamp Set --- got this for the clamps and additional/raised/portable worksurface, though I wonder if I shouldn't've gotten the Veritas MFT Clamping Kit instead
- Mafell P1CC (in a T-Loc Sys 1) --- this and the clamps will go in the upper drawer unit
- Mafell A 18M bl Cordless Drill Driver (in a T-Loc Sys 2)
- Tanos T-LOC SYS-Sort IV/3 systainer --- this and the drill will go in the bottom unit. I'll use the drawers for accessories for the drill (hopefully a Bridge City Tool Works DJ-3 will fit) and hand tools and so forth

Still debating about how to handle the need for a cutting guide --- thinking I should just get a track saw and be done w/ it, but I don't use sheet goods much, so one of the smaller cross-cut saws is probably a better fit.

Rather regretting not getting the Veritas Marking and Measuring Kit or the Cabinetmakers installers kit back when it was available, but hopefully I can fit a reasonable assortment of things in the Sys-sort drawers.

 

[JonathanJung]

I've looked at them all. The 3 main things for me were

Weight - Systainers far lighter than anything else
Bulk - look at how many cubic ft is wasted by a Milwaukee packout for example. so much extra unnecessary bulk
Organization - already mentioned

 

[Vondawg]

While I’m a systainer owner/user...I’ve been around a lot of Pack out and the bulk does translate to strength and ruggedness IMO

 

[JonathanJung]

While I’m a systainer owner/user...I’ve been around a lot of Pack out and the bulk does translate to strength and ruggedness IMO

Hopefully that's true. For a multi-employee job site that's useful, for a trim outfit hopefully they'll take better care of them.
Systainers are remarkably tough. I've stood on mine from time to time.

 

[rst]

While I have an unreal number of systainers (all tools now in Festool excepting Metabo which mates with Fest), probably close to 100, I use packouts for my fasteners and small part and tool storage.  The various sizes make it great for those...waiting for the drawer units to be available.

 

[MaineShop]

I have quite a few sustainers prob a couple dozen and the same for tstak, prob about ten packout, 20 dewalt tough system, and 15 lboxx. Most of my work is shop based but I do go onto jobsite and usually have a trailer with me. While the packout and tough system are nice and rugged they tend to waste more space and when I am using them everyday hauling around the extra weight and dragging them on customer floors is a pain in the A. I find that I tend to grab the lighter cases more often just for an ease of use stance. Most of of cases get shuffled in terms of what is in them based on the job.

 

[woodbutcherbower]

I'll just leave these pictures here. They're two years old now - since they were taken I've re-jigged the racking and added an orange & black Sys3 for my Paslode nailer, an anthracite & blue Sys2-Combi for my biscuit jointer, biscuits, Spaceplugs, kitchen countertop bolts and 6 x 150mm Spaceplug screws, plus a green & white Sys2 for my Hilti diamond cutter.

It works for me