Though I could not locate a canvas bag in the United States, I found this synthetic bag at Sears.
On the mid-atlantic coast of the USA, it’s hard to find a hardware store that doesn’t carry canvas tool bags. In fact even Sears carries the Klein Tools one. Personally I prefer the big Veto Pro Pac with the shoulder strap, though.
Looks like a nice bag.
I have been using the Custom LeatherCraft 1173 32-Pocket Socket Tool Roll Pouch (also from Amazon), and find that to be the best solution for me. This particular tool roll has a special holder for you sockets. Either is a better solution than a tool box.
I use the Bucket Boss wrench-rolls (one for metric, one for SAE) and although I can’t strongly recommend those particular ones I do love having my wrenches organized that way. Reach in the bag and pull out all the wrenches without fumbling around and without taking up a whole lot more space than just the wrenches themselves, and almost no extra weight.
I seriously considered the roll you mention - looks nice - but I have absurd numbers of sockets so I need a whole separate toolbox just for them.
In 'Murika, we call these “ammo bags.”
If you’re short on space, though, the good thing about toolboxes is they’re stackable.
Something I figured out while working as an AV installer: get a mid-sized bag and a smaller bag, and split your toolset that way. For me the split point is structural vs. signal, and I don’t need the wrenches and the multimeter banging around together. It also lets me grab only tools I need: if framing a room or doing a brake job, the big bag; if your stereo stopped working, the little bag (and probably the DeWalt case with either).
Also, if your town has a Grainger store (doubtful in Singapore?), they tend to have a good selection of toolbags at surprisingly good prices.
I used to use an old Samsonite fiberglass briefcase as my main toolkit. It could carry a surprisingly large amount if the contents were arranged carefully, and when it was packed that full they mostly stayed where they had been put.
My dad used an actual ammo box as his portable tool box.
It slid comfortably under the front seat of his car. A bit shallow for the 1/2" socket set, but the 3/8" fit just fine, along with a few combination wrenches and screwdrivers and spare parts and such. I’m more of a packrat (plus I prefer to use the bigger 1/2" drive sockets for most automotive jobs), so my car toolbox is kinda big and cumbersome by comparison.
The WW2 vintage M2 50 cal ammo boxes has a much squarer shape and fits snugly into a plastic milk crate with room for other assorted junk.
You will pay more for the Klein Tool bags, but they are well made and adapt to many different work needs. I’ve used them in the past when I’ve worked doing display work for stores and other location work that requires changing out toolkit regularly. Currently I have a workshop that has to handle a lot of different types of work and tools, and have a modular collection of boxes to manage the mess.
This bag and the 18" one were on sale online at Sears just last week as a combo pack for $8. Might still be going, should you need more…
I’m a certified bag-and-bucket guy for the last 15+ years; 30+ bags and 10 buckets. Other than tools that are self-contained (shovel, tile saw, etc.) or come with their own parts-storing hard cases (nail guns, circular saws, etc.) the rest of my (literal) ton of hand- and portable-tools are bagged or bucketed. (Small lie - there’s a couple of milk crates in use, and several of these great little DeWalt $6 hard cases.)
I also generate wallets and sub-bags to keep the parent bags organized. Carhart fabric, seam tape, and boot laces are all it takes; super simple to cut and sew a tough drawstringed, square-bottomed bag, for pennies.) Each big bag gets a list of contents, and there’s a master list of all tools-n-parts and where they go.
All this organization somehow offsets my ADHD when it comes time to pack up or take inventory, and getting ready to work couldn’t be easier – load up any big stuff, snag a few bags, and I’m ready to roll. The last decade has seen a nice explosion of durable, inexpensive bags, allowing me to mix manufacturers and use color-coding for more convenience. Even Harbor Freight has good bags!
Perhaps best of all – it’s near impossible to bark a shin while carrying a bag, and dropped bags don’t kill toes.
Thanks for the link to the little cases, I like the magnetic option.
Buckets are definitely the best for certain tool sets (like plumbing, plastering and masonry for example). My plumbing kit is actually built around several nesting buckets. You always need a extra one… and you can turn over a bucket and sit on it if your feet get tired!
I still haven’t figured out the best case for my new Fluke T5-600, though; I need something that will hold the extra probes and alligators and maybe a roll of tape, and the Fluke-branded cases and holsters are both cheesy looking and ridiculously overpriced.
I believe you are looking for a Shure mic bag. My soldering kit lives in one, and I wish I had five more.
I’ll take a look, thanks!
I have enough crap that a small “portable” tool box is kinda necessary to organize (I have this box and love it: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000WCFX2Q/ref=pd_rate_rs ). Plus, slightly OCD about having a place for everything. It’s a bit heavy once filled with sockets and crap, though. I have a cheap canvas bag I picked up from Harbor Freight for a few bucks and store it in the tool box. I fill it with the tools I need for the particular job and go. I find that the best compramize between organization and portability.
I prefer fishing tackle boxes to those kind of plastic toolboxes. They seem to be more waterproof and equally durable, at roughly the same price.
Well, that one has metal trays, which are nice, and spends almost all its time in my utility room, so waterproofing isn’t an issue.
But I like the idea or using a tackle box! I have a small red toolbox with no organization for my electrical stuff and I might see if I can find a tackel box to repalce it with. All the little storage compartments would be great for butt connectors and the like. Just have to make sure there’s a compartment large enough for my cheap-o multimeter.
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