Keeping your tools organised is a great way of improving your productivity, whether you are a professional or a part-time hobbyist. Organisation is about more than just throwing your tools in a tool box and calling it a day – it is about making sure you can easily find each individual tool when you need to, and can see at a glance if something is missing or out of place. Here are our top recommendations for optimal tool organisation:
Chests
Tool chests are like a toolbox after several stages of evolution. Many chests are a combination of drawers, cupboards and compartments, with areas set aside for individual tool types and spaces for each tool. Have a full socket or wrench set? There’s a drawer for that. Need to use 20+ different screwdrivers? There’s a space for that, too. The great thing about professional tool chests is that you can find any combination of drawer and compartment imaginable, so you can tailor your chest to meet your specific requirements. Another benefit of this type of tool storage is security – it’s the only one of our options that allows you to easily lock away your kit to prevent things going missing.
Louvre panels
Louvre panels are a great option if you have a good mix of tools and smaller components. You can easily attach small plastic parts bins to louvre panels, keeping all your fixtures and fittings organised and within arm’s reach, and you can use hooks, spigots and other attachments to hold your tools alongside. Louvre panels are available for wall mounting, in free-standing options, on wheels and in cabinets for a more versatile tool and parts storage solution.
Perfo panels
Perfo panels are flat steel panels that have been perforated symmetrically across their entire surface. The perforations can be used to hold Perfo hooks and accessories, which in turn can be used to hold, organise and access a huge range of hand tools and other items. This is perhaps the most versatile of our recommendations, as you can add or remove the hooks easily to change your set up as your requirements change. Like louvres, Perfo panels can be found in wall-mounted, workbench-mounted, mobile, freestanding and cabinet variations.
Shelving
The simplest of our suggestions is the humble shelf. You can mount single shelves around your workbench to store bulkier and heavier power tools neatly, or you can choose from a large range of shelving units for a less tailored approach. Make sure your shelves are sturdy and have sufficient load capacity for heavier tools, and that you are not loading them unevenly or risking them falling down/toppling over. For power tools, you can even incorporate power points to allow for easier charging and to remove the health and safety risks/annoyances of having cables trailing all over the place. Be sure to remove drill bits and saw blades from your tools before you place them on high shelves – you don’t want your tools to drop on you either way, but it is better if it isn’t particularly sharp or pointed if it does fall.