Festool Systainers and Sortainers are the ultimate storage solutions for your tools, accessories and hardware.
In general, I’m a big fan of keeping my shop somewhat organized, I’ll never claim I have the most organized space, but it works for me, I generally know where everything is…most of the time.
Systainer3 Rack SYS3-RK/6 M 337-Set, $229.00
Systainer3 SYS3-COMBI M287, $189.00
Sortainer3 SYS3-SORT/2 M 337, $215.00
Sortainer3 SYS3-SORT/3 M 337, $215.00
In my woodworking I do a wide variety of tasks. I may be on a job site one day, in the shop the next or even teaching a class at a local maker space. Over the years I’ve spent countless hours packing and unpacking a mixture of random toolboxes and bags, lugging a mass of whatever is needed, and then spending too much time reorganizing and always seeming to have misplaced something.
When I first got the Festool Systainer/Sortainer System, I assumed that it was just another drawer system to fill with random screws and hardware that would likely never get used again. Honestly, for a time they just sat in a corner of the shop. I tried to think of a use for them since I already had my “system”, and didn’t really need anything more. Then came along a day I needed to prepare for not only a unique job-site project, but also an upcoming class, both of which were days away and I wouldn’t have time to unpack, reorganize and repack for. So I needed to create multiple tool kits.
That’s when the Sortainers practically leapt out at me. In a matter of minutes, I was able to organize both the job-site tools and the classroom tools and supplies in two of the Systainers. By quick and easy reconfiguration of the drawer dividers I was able to pack everything from large tools and batteries to chisels, supplies and hardware.
Essentially, I created two grab and go tool kits. But then it got even better. With the project out of the way and time to think about the following week’s class I realized I had more than what could fit in one Sortainer. I proceeded to pack both a Sortianer and a Systainer, stacked them, locked them together and I was on my way.
Sure, it may not seem like that big of a deal to some, but even when you get on a job site or classroom, having a series of organized drawers for everything makes a world of difference. Especially compared to the hassle of digging through endless pockets or having all of your tools piled on top of each other at the bottom of a bag.
Overall, you can imagine by now I’m a big fan of the new Festool Systainer/Sortainer System, and I haven’t even really gone over all the features. I haven’t even mentioned the drawers are interchangeable from one unit to another, or the Mini Systainers from the Systainer Rack System are perfect for those tools that need to be separated from everything else, like block planes or chisels with razor sharp blades!
The flexibility and ability to expand or modify the system to meet my immediate needs makes the challenges of creating a mobile shop a breeze. For me this system has become a huge, unexpected asset in my shop and I look forward to using them to their fullest extent for years to come.
