Matt W. writes: “Here’s a slick socket organizer. The labels make it easy to identify the size, so you pick the right one to begin with, and it’s a snap to put it back in the right place. This gets your sockets organized and keeps them organized. Hansen Global’s wrench organizers have easy ID labels also, although I have another wrench organizer I like better. Website warning: Hansen Global’s website is pretty lame. Yhe young lady buyer here at work described it as “ghetto”. I am apparently not so young anymore.”
I have trouble with these because they won’t fit in my roll-away, but a friend of ours loves them. It’s very much a matter of your personal organizational taste.
Street pricing starts around $32.
Socket Organizer [Hansen Global, Inc.]
Street Pricing [Froogle]
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6 Responses to Reader Find: Socket Organizers
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Froogle is failing us here. They are $14-15 from Hansen direct, and about the same from McMaster Carr. Also- you need a drawer deep enough to store your sockets on end. As an example of their effectiveness, the sets I have bought for work have been in use for over a year in a lab with 10 engineers, and the sockets are still organized. That is a miracle.
These things are “all that” when it comes to organization. Nothing better for capacity and portability. You will need a deep drawer for the 1/2 inch tray, but the 1/4 and 3/8 ones will fit under the lid/top shelf of most tool chests. Save yourself time, aggravation and money, buy these first.
I like these, but there is a better solution. I’ve looked at tool organization a lot lately (for my new roller cab) and most of this stuff isn’t very well thought out. For example, the Hanson trays are great. They have clear markings, the sockets are easy to remove, and they stand up in the drawer. But….the sizes they have aren’t the sizes you have. For example, the 3/8″ tray is 6mm through 20mm. I have 7mm through 24mm. What do I do? I have similar problems with my 1/2″ and 1/4″ sets.
Check out the Ernst organizers:
See http://www.expeditionexchange.com/ernst/
Free shipping from http://www.azgrand.com/Socket_Racks.htm
The Ernst organizers are a supercharged version of the traditional metal socket rails, but they’re wider and a sturdy plastic. The sockets come off with one hand. It’s easy to customize anything you need, since the rails are available in two colors, various lengths, and they come with a zillion pegs and labels for every conceivable socket. Sorry to sound like a commercial. I have no connection to them, I just like the stuff.
Hey Matt W.
You mention you use a wench organizer that you like better than the Hansen. Which ones do you use and why do you like them better? Where did you get them?
KenB, I believe Matt W. referred to his preferred organizer on this post: http://toolmonger.com/2007/01/16/reader-find-lisles-magnetic-socket-organizer/
Correction to my above post. (My apologies.) It wasn’t Matt W. referring to his better liked organizer at 1/16/2007 (Lisle’s Magnetic Socket Organizer at Sears, Northern Tool, etc.) It was Paul Lapczynski who commented about the Lisle flat organizer that he liked the Hansen ones now. And so that I don’t mis-attribute someone again. Here’s his comment on the 1/16/2007 site I quoted above (although I think the Lisle organizer is very good)
Paul L.: “I have six of these (1/4 3/8 1/2 – SAE and Metric) [Lisle]. I have used them for about 5 years. I liked them initially since I was using the metal clip rails. But – with older sockets it can be a pain to read the sizes if you don’t put them numbers up. I am now using the Hansen trays. In my opinion they are easier the see the sizes and when something is missing you can tell what is missing.”