Looking for advice on brands of rolling workbenches

SubjectivelyObjective wrote: ↑ Honestly, it ultimately depends what you're looking for, and how often you need to cart your tools places or you just want them to always be in their place in your workshop.

For me, I basically have my tools organized in either systainers or packouts of the most part. I have a pretty big french cleat wall in my basement as well as some smaller pegboards.

I've slowly been getting rid of packouts and shifting towards smaller things, such as systainers, but ultimatley, Ill still probably have one stack of packouts always. I have a cutting things packout with all my circ saw, recip saw, grinder, etc, a nailing things packout, with my 23, 18 and 15ga nailers, and a few other categories which usually live in packouts in groups. Most of my hand tools, or good hand tools are either wall mounted, such as big hand saws or live in a systainer drawer or open top such as electrical and finer woodworking stuff.

In regards to that 72" bench, have a workbench around that size that I built, and is on wheels, although it rarely moves. Its about 6 x 3, and then has an opening about a foot below the bench to just put stuff in temporarily, and then has custom shelves and drawers below. The good part about building your own is you can decide what tools you want where and design a spot to accommodate it. That said, given your giant list of tools, if you're just looking for storage space for as much as possible, probably something can find a space in each drawer there.

Ultimately, I would start with thinking about what you want and where you want it, ie how you use it, and then plan according to that. If its in a workshop, you want to make it make sense for workflow, and ease of getting out and putting it away in its actual space. If you think you're never going to be using said tool in that room, then having a toolbox you can just pick up and take to your work spot makes a lot of sense. I'm kinda on the fence between these two, but the new systainer drawer slides are great, and packouts arent all too cumbersome to get into, but they do take a bit of extra effort for sure.

CaptSmethwick wrote: ↑ Interesting. I never gave the systainer approach any thought. I will consider it. Thanks!

CaptSmethwick wrote: ↑ Have seen Husky at HD and Lowes seems to have gone full-on Craftsman but don't know if these are any good either.

Open to any and all advice.

Thanks in advance.

SubjectivelyObjective wrote: ↑ Honestly, the older I get, the more and more I like systainers. When I was younger, my thoughts were generally along the lines of "Omg, these are so small and so expensive, I can get a packout with double the space for the same price or dewalt/whatever way cheaper", but when it comes down to it, the systainers are just near perfect organization, everything has a dedicated place and its easy to access. And the weight is always nice to carry around, sure I can bench 200lbs #humblebrag, but I don't want to be carrying around 50+++ lbs packouts everywhere I go. My nail packout which is the mid size and has 23, 18, and 15 ga nailer, batteries, and maybe 10,000 nails, weighs way too much imo. My sawing things packout which is the large one, weighs a ton too (it is on wheels so thats good), but also its just a pile of tools inside, circ saw, grinder, recip saw, multitool, etc. So that will probably eventually be replaced by individual systainers, not like I use a circ saw at all anyways.

The time savings, accessibility, right weight, etc etc of all the systainers is well worth the price imo.

Also, with the new Sys3s, the rails are amazing and cheap. https://www.atlas-machinery.com/festool/fes-204871/ These things are great, just build a cabinet box with the right width, and you instantly have every toolbox instantly accessible to you at any time.

I built a 8/4 hard maple top probably about a year ago, and eventually my next bench is going to be mostly just storage for sys3 and a few other things. They usually have sales or group packs of systainers, which helps a bit, and the old ones (ie non sys3) they have been clearing out for a bit.

One of my favorite combos or most uses is a sortstainer + toolbox on top. Those two basically accomodate all the hand tools I need for woodworking and electrical and can easily be carried in one hand. Bring a few more tools to where you're working in systainers, and put it on the cart, and its a great thing to wheel around with you as you adjust things or do electrical work.