How do you keep your socket sets?

[the cueball]

Morning all,

I'm having a garage revamp at the moment, and keep having the same issue.

I have a 9 drawer tool cabinet.

Within them, I have a few socket/torx etc sets in their own cases.

I also have 2 further socket sets sitting in cases.

Feels like I really need 1 or the other, so wondering what everyone else does??

Do you all, like me, open a drawer in your tool chest, to remove a case and open that to get your 10mm socket?

Have you taken off the lid of your socket set and work that way?

No tool chest, lots of sets lined up on shelves?

Should I go the whole hog and get foam lined drawers and dump the cases (well, keep them in the loft "just in case")

What?? I need some ideas please...

[Olas]

You can buy racks or rails that your sockets sit on, they go in the draws on your cabinet. Keep the cases in the loft.

This amazon link shows you what they look like
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Socket-Organiser-Storage-...la-440121566770&psc=1


I keep everything on shelves because I bend/weld my own brackets and have lots of scaff board to use up.

Quickest solution for you would be to cut the tops off your sets, and leave them in your cabinet.

Think about how you work and which option would be the easiest to adapt to

Edited by Olas on Tuesday 25th February 09:42

[Evoluzione]

Something called a 'Socket rail'.

[Drogo]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Plastic-Socket-Holder-Met...

In a tool chest draw.

[ou sont les biscuits]

Drogo said:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Plastic-Socket-Holder-Met...

In a tool chest draw.

I'd second that. They are more practical than rails IMHO, which either need to be screwed or riveted to the bottom of the drawer to stop them flopping about. They are also colour coded - in this case black for metric and red for AF.

[kambites]

Mine live in their original plastic cases on a shelf separate to my tool chest. Extra sockets, extension bars, torque wrench, etc. live in a drawer of the tool chest (on a rail in the case of the extra sockets).

I find it much more convenient to have all of the normal sockets in their case next to me when I'm working on the car than having to go to the tool chest for each individual socket I need. It also means if I go to help a friend fix their car, I can just grab the set in its box rather than worrying about which bits I might need.

Edited by kambites on Tuesday 25th February 10:33

[the cueball]

Thanks all... like the idea of the socket trays...

I'm guessing the actual ratchets and extension bars then just sit in a different drawer...

Olas said:

Think about how you work and which option would be the easiest to adapt to

Ehh.. hmm... I usually work like.. oh thats an easy job with 1 spanner... 10 minutes later I have all the socket sets out, still can't fix it, get the hammer out, swear, swear some more, take car/bike to proper garage.

[Olas]

the cueball said:

Ehh.. hmm... I usually work like.. oh thats an easy job with 1 spanner... 10 minutes later I have all the socket sets out, still can't fix it, get the hammer out, swear, swear some more, take car/bike to proper garage.

If that’s true your best option is to sell up. There’s no point paying to own tools if you give up and pay a garage to do it.

[ou sont les biscuits]

the cueball said:

Thanks all... like the idea of the socket trays...

I'm guessing the actual ratchets and extension bars then just sit in a different drawer...

Yup. Deep drawer for the sockets. The ratchets and extension bars fit in a slim drawer.

Completely off topic, but the Wera ratchets in the picture are the best ones I've ever used. The ones with the swivelling heads are particularly useful.

[Jakg]

The boxes they come are great, but all it takes is a couple of extra sockets off eBay and the whole system falls apart.

I use a tray of socket rails. Organised by drive / size.



I also have another couple of draws for special sockets (duplicates, imperial, stud removers etc).

Similar system for spanners

[the cueball]

Cabinets look good, cheers...

ou sont les biscuits said:

Completely off topic, but the Wera ratchets in the picture are the best ones I've ever used. The ones with the swivelling heads are particularly useful.

I've looked at Wera a couple of times... I current have a mixture of Draper (Old tools, not the modern stuff), Bahco and Norbar.

[Olas]

the cueball said:

I've looked at Wera a couple of times... I current have a mixture of Draper (Old tools, not the modern stuff), Bahco and Norbar.

Seconded on Wera and Bahco.
Facom used to be good but not so much anymore.

[the cueball]

Olas said:

Seconded on Wera and Bahco.
Facom used to be good but not so much anymore.

Now looking at Wera...tools are the same as bikes really..

How many sockets sets do you need = current amount+1

[Evoluzione]

bluezedd said:

for some reason, I've always wanted to get one of their bottle openers:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/WERA-Kratform-GREEN-Scr...

Ask for one of their advent calendars in December

[Drive it fix it repeat]

Recently made myself another tool box, all of the tools are layed out and let into mdf so they dont move around, uses up alot of space this way but is super convenient, use this for all of the regularly used tools and then duplicates and lesser used stuff is in the top drawers where you cant see into or elsewhere in cases. It's got full width handles on now before someone pulls me up on that, Works well.

[Drive it fix it repeat]

[Desiderata]

fk me! Does no-one else keep them in an old biscuit tin, roughly even mix of metric,AF, and whitworth, mixed in with a handful of rusty nails and bolts?

[Drive it fix it repeat]

Desiderata said:

fk me! Does no-one else keep them in an old biscuit tin, roughly even mix of metric,AF, and whitworth, mixed in with a handful of rusty nails and bolts?

Haha, the rest of my life is like that but tools are sacred.

[tapkaJohnD]

Jakg said:

I also have another couple of draws for special sockets (duplicates, imperial, stud removers etc).

Similar system for spanners

Storing spanners in their original racks loks to waste a lot of space. You can buy self adhesive spanner rack in lengths, like this



Stick them to the floor of the drawer, cover in between with drawer liner, et voila!

[For some reaosn, the website can't see the picture of two dozen spanners all in a line, gleaming like a celebrities teeth! You'll have to imagine it!]

Edited by tapkaJohnD on Thursday 27th February 10:25

[Drive it fix it repeat]

Or make your own