# Systainers



## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

I'm looking to outfit my little wagon with basic supplies and thinking of using Systainers.  They stack and lock together so you can just grab and go. Anybody use them? Expensive but they are German. Quality should be good. Any recommendations on what configurations to buy? Mostly doing renovation work now.


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

Here's a video


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## Mate (Sep 5, 2009)

http://toolguyd.com/festool-sortainer-organizers-review/

http://toolguyd.com/best-modular-tool-box-system/


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## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

These look cool too...


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## Going_Commando (Oct 1, 2011)

Dewalt tstaks are cheaper and work about the same. If you are dead set on sustainer's you can get them from the actual manufacturer for less money. I think they are made by tanos or something like that.


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## Mate (Sep 5, 2009)

Going_Commando said:


> Dewalt tstaks are cheaper and work about the same. If you are dead set on sustainer's you can get them from the actual manufacturer for less money. I think they are made by tanos or something like that.


Festool


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

Not a DeWalt fan. DeWalt and Fatmax boxes come out of the same Chinese factory.


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

Not sure what the relationship is between Festool and Tanos. They seem compatible.


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## Satch (Mar 3, 2011)

*TANOS*

I am pretty sure Festool only buys Systainers from Tanos. I like to go to Tanos' website and use the configurator to design custom boxes. You can get the body, latch, and handles in differing colours and each part is replaceable if you mangle it. 

I have looked at the more industrial sized DeWalt storage box system at Home Desperate and while it is rugged it does not have the versatility the Ssytainers or L-Boxxes seem to have. I cannot speak to them directly since I cannot find one to check out in person. One thing I think both Tanos and Bosch should do is change the latches to metal like the DeWalts. Saying that they seem to have sold a LOT of boxes with the plastic latches and no major complaints I have see in reviews. I just wish we could get some of this stuff in big box stores here in the States.


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

I think I'm going to buy a few of them and see how they work. The idea would be to carry around only what I need for the day and leave the rest in the shop. If I'm only doing finishing work there's no sense transporting a ton of rough-in materials. I don't want a warehouse on wheels. At the cost of these things I would only buy a few at a time anyway.


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## Satch (Mar 3, 2011)

99, this is what I have been working on in my spare-time-imagination. Our employer re-tasked all of us a year or two ago and instead of an mix of install(commercial and some industrial) and maintenance, I am doing almost all maintenance now. This can cover commercial ranges to motor control buckets. So a variety of hand tools is necessary. Like you I really don't need(or want) a rolling tool warehouse. 

I keep investigating how to best go about organising the tools for easiest use and immediate retrieval and more importantly, the same routine for putting the ruddy things back where they belong. I CANNOT STAND digging around for tools that should be to hand without thinking. The lads at work laugh at me a bit but I keep my leather tool pouch organised this way. I can tell by feel which tool I am grabbing by position in the pouch. The extra tools you keep in a bag or box are another matter. I have been looking for a vertical tool solution for years. Veto came to mind immediately but after checking them out first hand they have their limitations as well. Their pockets are very generic and rather large front to back and side to side. You really need to jam three or four tools together in each one to keep them sorted. And they are not tall enough to keep long shaft drivers upright in my opinion. 

I would suggest taking a look at Adam Savage's "*First Order Retrieveability*" principal. It goes along the lines of nothing should be moved to reach any tool and so forth. Of course his boxes are loaded with model making equipment and so would need more than a tool kit most times. The principal is sound though. This sort of thing is represented in a way by this man's Systainer tool box. 



A lift out tray with everything upright and ready to use. I need something similar to it but with a wall in the middle like the Veto with tall holders in the middle for my nutdrivers and long screwdrivers and then taper down from there. Same thing on the other side for insulated drivers and extra stuff like data tools, snips, and whatever. Stuff you use a lot but not every trip in from the truck. This guy's use of a systainer is pretty useful.


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## chewy (May 9, 2010)

99cents said:


> Not a DeWalt fan. DeWalt and Fatmax boxes come out of the same Chinese factory.


Tough Boxes are made in Israel which is why I made an ethical decision to no longer use them.


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## Voltage Hazard (Aug 10, 2009)

99cents said:


> Here's a video
> 
> Video Link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=baRR2YnrTmo


Looks like a cool locking system. But, from the video, I see nothing that says these could take any kind of abuse. That handle looks like it would just snap off when those boxes get loaded with heavy tools.


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## jigs-n-fixtures (Jan 31, 2013)

Huskey/Keter boxes: I use the Keter 22-inch cantilever tool boxes and storage containers. Home Desperate sells them branded as Huskey. Both of them have storage bins in the lids. 

The "Storage" box has bins on both levels. The "Tool Box" has a deeper bottom and no bottom bins. 

They are 23-inches long. The boxes on the service trucks are 24-inches deep. So they just slide in the boxes and stack up.

Here are a couple of pictures I bought for home:




















The first one is the organizer, the second is the tool box.


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## jigs-n-fixtures (Jan 31, 2013)

Forgot to mention the other option: The Bosch LBOXX system. Has about the same features and quality as the systainers, for less money. 

All the new Bosch tools come with cases the are part of LBOXX system.


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## jigs-n-fixtures (Jan 31, 2013)

Forgot yo mention that the JLC did a review of the systainers, LBOXX, and tstak systems a few months back. I recommend reading it if you can before you invest in any of the systems. IIRC, they felt the Bosch were the best buy. Less expensive than the systainers, better engineered and built than the tstak. 

Sorry about the multiple posts. Forgot my meds this morning and I'm a bit off. Took them about twenty minutes ago so I should get back on track in about half an hour.


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## daveEM (Nov 18, 2012)

Well did you get a couple? I looked at KMS? - didn't see any empty ones. LeeValley might have them in the back.

The Tanos site is nice, but to get them here...
http://www.tanos.de/007/En/Home.html


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

daveEM said:


> Well did you get a couple? I looked at KMS? - didn't see any empty ones. LeeValley might have them in the back.
> 
> The Tanos site is nice, but to get them here...
> http://www.tanos.de/007/En/Home.html


Not yet. I'm doing a west end run next week. I'll check out KMS and Lee Valley unless you beat me to it  . Lee Valley has Tanos on their site.


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## FrunkSlammer (Aug 31, 2013)

I hate Dewalt, but I love the Dewalt Tough System boxes.. they are strong as hell and actually TOUGH. Must have been some other company that designed them and just sold them under the Dewalt name.


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## daveEM (Nov 18, 2012)

99cents said:


> Not yet. I'm doing a west end run next week. I'll check out KMS and Lee Valley unless you beat me to it  . Lee Valley has Tanos on their site.


No they have systainers...
http://www.leevalley.com/en/home/Search.aspx?action=n

^^ You might have to type in Systainers in the Search Box with the above link.

*Edit:*

In fact if you go to the Tanos website...
http://www.tanos.de/007/En/Home.html

you will see a couple of tabs have Systainer as labels. They must be one and the same.


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

FrunkSlammer said:


> I hate Dewalt, but I love the Dewalt Tough System boxes.. they are strong as hell and actually TOUGH. Must have been some other company that designed them and just sold them under the Dewalt name.


DeWalt doesn't "stack up"  .


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## daveEM (Nov 18, 2012)

FrunkSlammer said:


> I hate Dewalt, but I love the Dewalt Tough System boxes.. they are strong as hell and actually TOUGH. Must have been some other company that designed them and just sold them under the Dewalt name.


I must admit the systainers fell pretty chintzy. I wonder how they will last. Seem to have a following tho.


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## FrunkSlammer (Aug 31, 2013)

I can stand on the dewalt tough system cases.. even 3 or 4 of them stacked together. They are freeeeeeakin strong bra! 

I highly recommend them, but they are Dewalt, so I can't blame anyone for not wanting to risk it. :laughing:


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## Satch (Mar 3, 2011)

The DeWalt Tough Case certainly has the right idea with metal hasp/catch closures. I was looking at the specs on their site and the intermediate sized box weighs over ten pounds. I saw the reviews at Tolguyd and I think he had it right. Tough Case for rough and outdoor use(they're water sealed) with heavy tools. I think the L-Boxxes or Systainers would be great for parts and terminal organisers and hand tools or lighter power tools. One of the smaller Systainers would be a great container for rotary tools like Proxxon or Dremel.


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## Wpgshocker (Jan 25, 2013)

99cents said:


> DeWalt doesn't "stack up"  .


I used the Tough System, great boxes but too clunky. I got rid of them for the Tstak boxes. While not as thick, the Tstak system is easier to stack and carry. The organizers are better too.


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