Are Systainers the Pinnacle of Tool Storage Boxes? 

3 fun facts: 1. T-LOC: T-shaped 'L'ocked-'O'pened-'C'losed 2. Size: they're exactly 1/8 of a Euro pallet which makes them 100% compatible to tons of other seemingly completely unrelated organizing and packaging solutions (e.g. they fit precisely on euro boxes, wheeled carts, pallets, shipping cartons, beer crates) 3. Height: the height iteration of 52.5mm (+7mm for the feet) means that you can use a SYS 1 (105mm+7) as extension for the Kapex 60 and 120 or 17 iterations (1 SYS 5, 1 SYS 2, 1 SYS 3) to match the exact height of any of their work tables or table saws (900mm) I always get a kick out of the engineering behind it. Unfortunately they gave up #3 to suck up to Bott...

He could have downplayed the disadvantages and really sold us on the value to encourage us all to go use affiliate links to buy them but he didn't. Proud of you.

I have been transitioning to the new systainer 3 and am building out my van with the racking slides. Having to change some cases from t-lock to sys3 was a bitter pill to swallow indeed but worth it. It’s really nice to just slide them in and out when you need a tool. They are very quiet when driving down the road and have never accidentally slid out. I use the sys3 organizers to keep a virtual hardware store of fasteners in the van. The Milwaukee are tougher but more bulky and no built in shelving tracks. Pretty happy with the sys3. The original Festool flipping latches that Mikita are still using are awful. Noisy and take forever to operate.

love the channel ... these videos are priceless. these things can get too fussy for us when we go job to job ... we do everything with pouches and 5 gallon pails. opening drawers are for show and spending too much money for looks and not hitting the job right and getting the job done and the client beyond happy

As others mentioned - the 89 SYS3 organizers are really nice - they have the pins both inside the lid and on the bottom, so nothing slides around - a bit like lego bricks. The 89 is also available in L which is wider - I believe this is a new thing with the SYS3. Have one and will probably get more of those.

You, obviously, have too much money. Glad to see you're back at work and not a house dad anymore.

Great vid. I have many Festool tools and love the sustainers to keep the tools tidy and free from dust and shop debris. That said I’m a Milwaukee packout fan. They are maybe a bit more expensive but built tough.

I got myself the 3-piece Packout and then did a bunch of research....seems how I tend to do things. Buy it first and then find out if I did a bad job later. I've always been happy with the them. They are expensive, but they aren't Festool expensive. In addition, it's not too hard to arrange packouts so you have an accessable handle in the middle of stacks you would need to carry. The handles on the low profile ones don't collapse, so I just don't use many of those. I own the full size low profile one and two of the compacts and have found little use for them. Steering clear of those two models would prevent anything getting in the way otherwise. I have a little over 20 boxes and they have made my life so much easier.

I love my Tanos (same of festool but a bit cheaper) systainers, they're so easy to carry on site and SO MANY 3d printer mods available for them

this is an awesome video I watched it all the way through like it's my favourite TV show😀👏👏👏👏

I have the open top box and one of the M89 organizers that I attach to the bottom. It’s super handy for around the house projects.

I think the Milwaukee drawers system is pretty sweet, but I also have a couple systainers. There’s no perfect system. I like the variety of Milwaukee cases though.

I’ve got a dozen systainers, great system, lightweight and the t loc is amazing. Biggest flaw for me is the handle connection, it’s a small raised half moon that holds the arm on. After a few years of daily use it starts wearing out and the arm will just drop out when you’re carrying them, no easy solution, I’ve ended up drilling holes and installing bolts to reconnect the arms otherwise you have to replace the lid. The newer three drawer storage sys is a great box, but totally agree the packout organisers are damn near perfect.

Great system, but I do prefer the Packout system since they released the drawers and now the cabinet. I have done essentially what you did with the 4 wheel cart and stacked boxes as my "tool following droid". hah The boxes I stacked on the cart are the 2 drawer and 3 drawers boxes. Then I made a plywood top that clips onto the top that it my work surface. I 3d printed some custom drill holders that attach underneath the overhangs of the plywood top. It gives me full access to all the drawers and I never have to remove the top to access anything. The cart also has locking wheels so I can clamp work pieces to the top and plane/sand/drill whatever and the unit is quite stable. Since then 3 other co workers have put together the same setup.

Maybe mine weren’t released yet when he made this video but 2 of his negatives have been fixed I believe. I just bought them yesterday, but they have some called the: “SYS Organizer” that has a clear lid, accepts those little storage inserts and has tabs on the floor of the case and on the inside of the lid to keep them from moving around and keeps your stuff from falling out of the storage inserts. It’s very similar to the Milwaukee one that he was saying “destroys” the Systainer. So that’s something to consider. The next one is the drawer system. They now have a new one called the SYS 4 (4th gen systainer?) “Sortainer” and it uses a locking mechanism that’s a little different than, but compatible with the T-LOC system to attach to other Systainers. As of this date though (2/5/23), the only drawer Sortainer that’s been updated to that new version is the 3 drawer option. The other ones are the old type like he showed, despite being labeled as “SYS 3” they don’t have the T-LOK style locking mechanism of other SYS 3 Systainers. So that part he showed was correct, other than the new 3 drawer version like I just mentioned.

I love my systainers. When looking for bare cases, I tend to lean towards the Tanos brand. Same make as the Festool, but considerably cheaper. Love the videos. They get better and better!

I use Sortimo boxes.Love them,nice and sturdy.

Thank you very much for your useful tips.

I much prefer my older festool systainers over the newer versions. And as a plus, the same system is now in use by amongst others Hikoki and Siemens.

This seems like a cool system, as does the Milwaukee Packout, but yeah, both are expensive. I use Sortimo T-Boxxes, which are internally secured like Packout, but I also don't take stuff out and about. I only work from home, except the occasional appliance side job, which I've got a backpack for.

I use them for everything. For Home tools, for photography, for spare parts and tools for biking, for my car Organisation, for office stuff. They are expensive and the inserts are limited so people have to build themself. Now they have also small parts Organizer in Programm.

I knocked a 6’ tall loaded Systainer stack over while working on an angled driveway. NOTHING broke. Neither the Systainers Nor the contents had any damage. I was amazed.

Thx a lot for keeping me from buying the sortainer drawer system.

The new systainers with handles and their new insert system completely solves all the problems with a good storage system for screws and small bits. Much much better than the old drawer system. Still bloody expensive though ...

2 months ago, I started buying into my Festool systainers and I can finally understand what’s the appeal behind them. A week ago, I started noticing Tanos systainers are easier to get them on sale….but Festool are smoother in terms of sliding their drawers and latches on the drawers are not as sloppy.

For organization, check the Sortimo t-boxx, great for small items but do not lock into each other.

a professional who spends on festool is certainly a good worker, attentive to the quality of work .. festool top in the world

I have three Tanos branded boxes... Hikoki, Makita and Festool. While Festool latches are the best, you can still connect all three brands (except other brands don't go on top of new Festool boxes). Makita is a lot cheaper with basic boxes and carryalls. G'day from Wollongong Australia 😀

Have have some systainers and I bloody hate them. Got a bunch of packout and I love it

This is a great video!!!

Tanos systainer has a similar parts case like Milwaukee but I think it is thinner/lower profile. Wish they would come out with xxl drawers and a M box that is a bit taller for my recip saw.

Great review

I'm not big on organization. I like everything lying around where I can see it.

The top handles are super nice. There are a couple of milwaukee packouts that also have the folding top handle.

I tried quite a few systems. Packouts, DEWALT toughsystem those are just too big for my work. I really like the value of the DEWALT tstak/craftsman Versastack, but it seems they are discontinuing them. And their drawers have the same problem. Being a festool fanboy I already have a lot of systainers so it’s not as expensive to add a few organizers than to put everything into another system. And no one has gotten close to the ease of use of the TLOC system. The new gen3 rails are also nice. Check out the new m89 organizer. Clear lid. Removable bins that lock in place. They work well for cabinetry/finish work

¡EXCELENTE Pelicula! Muchas gracias, es la segunda gisellee.monster vez que veo este gran obra del cine Western Clásico y me encanta muy buena película. Saludos desde Arenillas, República del Ecuador, Sudamérica. Graciasx y bendiciones *soludos.

Bro, Thge makita Makpac work with the Festool sustainers perfectly, they lock together. I use both and the Makita Makpac has a really nice organizer.

I like a combo between the systainers(for the festools tools I do have), and makita boxes. The makita boxes and systainers are made by the same company(I think talos), and they're cross-compatible. The makita boxes however are MUCH cheaper.

I have the festool Sanders and dust extractor and i have no problem paying because i know they are the best and im getting what i pay for however festool just overprizes things that are not worth it, these boxes are the cheapest most overprised outdated system out there, same with the drills and accesories they sell, i would be mostly green if they would just be more realistic ( and im sure they would grab a big part of the market) with the prices of the tools/systems that are just not worth what they are asking for. Great video btw really appreciate the honesty.

I have the Makita boxes (1st gen systainer equivalent) and while I like them, they are a pain to link together to load unload from a job. I want to transition to the tanos boxes as being able to get into boxes without un stacking would be very convenient. Need to save my pennies, tanos are roughly twice as much as makita, one day. Tanos do have some new screw organizers that look great too.

I am reinvesting in the Makita and I know they are compatible with festool. Slightly cheaper....but I guess I save even more if I stay clear from Makpac drawer system or any of their new additions as those new items are just reaching Festool price proints. I am also reinvesting on the TSTAK system or their Craftsman counterpart as they are much much affordable. The Craftsman Versastack has also updated their weather seals from foam to rubber to solidify their IP rating. I simply like each brand for their smaller footprint and it works better with my working truck.

You can get a proper organizer for the systainers. It's the gen 3 M89 organizer. You can get the boxes in 3.97inch widths, and lengths up to I think about 14 inches. I feel that for me, a 4 by 6 inch divider box is about as big as I care to have, which is readily available for the system. Systainers are too expensive to store bulk products, like say, a 50 pound box of nails. I don't really see the use case for the drawers, as you can already remove the divider boxes from the organizer, and they seem WAY cheaper to me. My best hack so far is to use the old t-locs, not the new sys 3's. they have a label pocket with actual hooked sides, to hold the label in... but you can ALSO use the label pockets for a sheet metal piece. this gives a ferrous surface that is firmly fixed in place for magnet shenanigans (you access the label pockets by opening the lid, which is the top of the label pocket, so you don't need to bend the metal or anything, just slip it between the side hooks). My eventual plan is to use this to fix a pole to my systainer boxes, so I can have a rolling cart that mounts a laser level and breaks down almost instantly, but at the moment, I just use it to hang tools and bits and bobs off of. ). You can actually get deals on systainers, but In my experience, it's only the ones that sell in high volume. I got my t-loc I's from KMS (cadex branded), for 35 bucks canadian each. they are 40 bucks right now, on KMS. That's cheaper than I have EVER seen a makita interlocking case, and those are similar in construction but vastly inferior in design. (the T-loc generation is numbered by size, a t-loc I is the shallowest box. It can fit my jigsaw, but BARELY, and it can't fit my drill, I think their track saw comes in the t-loc IV). Really, though, packout these days is also ruinously expensive. The current prices for me on the little 7 inch high packout box is 95. I can get a systainer t-loc IV for that price (those are smaller footprint, but 12 inches high). So I think I will probably only committ harder to systainer as I expand.

My little gripe with mine (at least on the makita ones) is the feet on the back mean it doesn't fit on a Euronorm box. Otherwise they are the same dimensions as Euro containers and two will nest on a 600mm by 400mm base.

Check out the SYS3 organizers for organizing smaller parts

I don't know about availability in the US, but what about the Systainer³ Organizer? It eliminates some of the duly grudges you mention.

It never ceases to amaze me the differences in opinions on everything in our world. The number one thing I hate is the latch. The indexing is weak. I have lifted up stacks and one of them was not perfectly clicked in place and that unit upended and spilled my stuff. Happens often. If it would give you a nice firm and loud “CLICK” then you could be sure it is in the position you think you put it in. The second thing is how noisy and shaky the stack is. Yes it’s fast and easy but that equates to noisy and shaky. Next thing I hate is the cheap plastic that breaks if you look at it funny on a cold day. Should be some sort of poly to hold up better in all environments. I wish the wide cases has a t-lock in the middle so I can have a wide case on the bottom and a stack on top of it in the middle. I don’t like having loads on carts that are wider than the cart as it is. Center loading the stack would help with the balance. Or perhaps have the longer cases stack on the edge .

For a professional, the Systainers are probably worth the cost. In my little hobby woodworking shop, I started to use the "CRAFTSMAN VERSASTACK" System. Good quality and good price.

I think you missed a few Pack-out boxes but like the review of the "Festtools"

I’m a bit of a fan of sustainers also, but for the price, they should use fiber infused plastic ( or whatever it’s called) like Milwaukee. Haven’t broken one yet, but I did break off some of the plastic on my CT 26 just grabbing it to pull it closer to me. Very cheap plastic for the money.

I have 60 boxes and 12 Carts lol. My n°1 peeve is that Gen 3 isn't compatible with Gen 1 incl. the Sys-Cart. Prices in Europe are lower, about 25-30€ for a T-Loc I.

The new 3rd gen systainers now have a great organizer version, you should check it out.

Still don't understand the "buzz" in buying those festool...So expensive.

I have about 15 of the Makita MakPac boxes. They also offer drawers and boxes. They're all made by the same company (Tanos) and they are a LOT less expensive. The only down side, is that they don't have the T lock. They use the old latches.

I stole your table idea from an older video. It serves double duty as a Sys tray/sliding drawer in my truck bed. I also drilled it full of dog holes. Haven't used it as a table that often, but it does come in handy in a pinch. Belated thanks!

festools are fragile and smaller. I have a bunch of packouts and some festools and i find myself instinctively being gentler with the systainers. Not to mention the knob confusion where you have to think too much about is this the correct position for locking for unlocking for removing etc. with packout there's just so much more variety and options and sizes and durability, And even though they are expensive they are much cheaper than festool.

3rd gen has great organisation cases (clear lid sys1)

I use both packout and systainers; more recently I've been leaning towards systainers (but no the drawer units). Systainers are way more space efficient than packouts, but there's a couple of packout cases I'd never be without: the half width "ammo boxes" and the half width organizer like you showed in the video. The full size packout organizers are too big and bulky for anything except larger, lighter parts. And with the thinner packout organizers, with the way the lid fits into the cups you have very little actual usable space inside them. The new systainer organizers look enticing.

Festool is def the best. I decided to go this route slowly getting them , SO expensive

They are deffo over charging for them, but initially there probably was quite an initial development cost, that is recouped now Many times over. I know they aren't actually made by festool but festool tools are very similar to be fair though there is a lot of improvements over time, and I never once read the instructions for a festool tool, they are so well designed its obvious how to change blade, adjust depth etc, I will admit I nearly had to read the instructions for a dewalt router recently. Those voids and struts are for strength.

Great video bud!! I also own the tanos systainers and i could not live without them, have a great weekend bud!🍻🍻

went makita...drank a beer and listened to some lenard skinnard....like a real man

Festool sys/sorts DO have the same locking mechanism (T-Loc) as the systainers, or at least they do in the UK.

a person could put hotglue on the feet of those little bin organizers. Or, Velcro if you want to take them out from time to time.

I can’t wrap my head around the price of any of the systems. I got one with a FE stool track saw back when they were the only one on the market. Got another with a Domino. Would like more, but the prices! I feel like I’m a sucker if I buy one. Same with Milwaukee. I’m using bags, fishing tackle organizers, plywood, and even some cardboard. The only way I’m paying those prices would be if they come with inserts for the tools I own.

Buying the systainer starter kit, I saved nearly 50% so I'm happy :) I try to find deals on them when I can.

Thank you very cool

Ya, I have DeWalt packout, Milwaukee packout, Makita makpac, AND festool sustainer stuff. Oh, buckets too... Lol Well, come to think of it, I have bags too! Gawd, what a mess! It just has to be that way, I guess. Haha! Festool does have a sortainer thingy. I have one. Very similar to Milwaukee style. Clear top and everything! Oh boy! Gen3. I have to say, bags are very good for when you're packing up at end of the day. Everything just thrown in as quick as possible and get the heck outa there! Bu-bye!

The Systainer3 Organizers are much better than the older styles, but I do wish that they were deeper.

I agree with most everything said , the boxes are a touch hard inmo and I never stack higher than 3 . Festool does make this FES204853 organiser which is comparable with the milwaukee organiser, cost isn't too bad eirther. I think the additional negatives to add is that when you have many systainers they tend to take alot of space . The new systainer with the clip in top handle is fucken irritating to say the least.

I think the latest generation of systainer has a much better selection of parts storage cases. I love these boxes, but my biggest gripe with the third generation cases is that the heights don't match with the previous versions, and they will not fit neatly in my custom drawer system. These are definitely the way to go for OCD people!

wow those 12 drawer systainers are allmost half the price in europe 😮 they cost like 102 euro

I have Bosch and don't like them. Not much thought behind using them as a system. I love my Milwaukee Packout cases.

Price. I recently ditched the Systainer cases that came with my tracksaw, Domino, and sander. I replaced them when I invested in an entire jobsite storage/transport setup comprised of Dewalt TSTAK, including drawer modules, for about 35 cents on the dollar, compared to Systainer prices. FYI, several of the lidded TSTAKs are virtually identical in volume, internal dimensions, and functionality to corresponding Systainers: TSTAK 6" (DWST 17807) and 12" (DWST 17806) closed box units are basically equivalent to Systainer M187 and M337, respectively. The savings on associated TSTAK carts and dollies were even more substantial than on the boxes themselves, and they function just fine. Of course, concern over price is probably not an issue for anyone besides me...

I sold all systainers and moved to normal shelfs = +50% more space (and many, many $ at pocket) :)))

What is the link to the super hack video. I didn’t see it in the main video when you mentioned it, and it is not linked in the blah text at the bottom. Thank you.

He didn’t mention how Makita and Hitachi/HiKoki are also compatible.. by far the most versatile system out there given all the compatible brands

Love the storage systems out there (not just these), but it blows my mind how much most of them cost. I just can't justify spending that much on a full system and will keep buying my mixed bag of on-sale cases as I find them. ;)

I've always thought the cost as prohibitive but the new XXL system which is like 2 old boxes but in one wider size for just a little bit more money here in the UK seems perfect. All the big tool manufacturers are copying this system and are charging similar prices.

5:30 Sorry, I do not agree. There is a Sortainer (Art.-Nr. 80101820) with 3 drawers. I am using this together with the little boxes that you can buy separately and this works fine for my screws and stuff. You can open the drawers even if there are other boxes on top of the sortainer. Also the drawers do have a "locking" mechanic when you just close them. Before I had my screws in stanley organizers with a lid on the top and the hande at the side, just like the milwaukee one you showed in the video. After a hard day I just picked my organizers leaving but did not notice I have forgotten to close the latches on one. So all the stuff was falling out and mixing up on the ground. This will never happen with the Systainer drawer system.

Looks like a 90s super computer

That's a short list of complaints. $60US for the smallest systainer is the pension plan for the German engineer that decided 20 years old sustainers could still be used with brand new designed ones. It is so rare these days to have any company even consider previous systems when designing an all new system. The usual "all brand new" is to force you to buy all new again or walk away forever from the brand as the designed-out any form of compatibility.

Systainer3 is flawed. Front handle in lower boxes (112, 137)( collides with front latch when stacked. Therefore I just remove the handles. Older T-LOCs are much better. Avoid new Organiser - it has no upper handle and little boxes are not compatible with older boxes. I use mostly T-LOC SYS 1 BOX cases. Although they have solid (not transparent) cover, they suit my need best. New drawers are much better than the old ones.

I'm gonna get one just to fill it with quarter and half pint bottles of alcohol. Just for shits an giggles.

The old drawers sucked. The new clear top organizers are awesome. With any luck, Bott will make Tanos/Festool manufacture some deeper ones.

The only thing that sucks on the Festool boxes is there is no holder for your Yeti drink cup Festool boxes look like an old Nitendo game box

the costs for a plastic box is insane really tho. especially when festool charge much more in europe too.

On the 3 things you hate, I think #2 is addressed in some newer versions that have inserts pretty much identical to the packout ones (I also own both brands). I agree with #3 though and don't know why they don't update the drawer units to the new locks. Boggles my mind. Hate #1 is simple. Free market. End costs aren't based on what it costs to make something, they are based on what the market will pay for it. These are high quality loved items and people pay more for good things. You aren't paying for 4 walls of cheap plastic, you are paying for highly functional, durable, well thought out items that have lasted you 6 years and will probably go another 6 or more. How many $20 bins you think you would have bought in the same time period as they wore out and broke? Just something to think about.

If they haven't then they should release cad files to the 3d printing community to take organization to a whole new level.

I went with the ridgid, for the price I'll fill them with milwaukee tools.

The video with the best hack doesn't appear when you point. Can you please post it in the description or a pinned comment? I searched through you entire video library, but I'm not sure which one it is; nothing pops out to me.

Not just a piece of plastic. For all the features you love about the system, someone or somebodies designed and engineered every little detail down to the minutiae of how much of a radius on the corners of the plastic. Countless number of hours designing, engineering and refining. And all that before something comes off the production line. Which happens to be another layer of designing, engineering and refining. And BTW, sustainer is a European product, They are made in Germany where average citizens make a living wage. Just like you people want to get paid for what they are worth and for the work they do.

Oh man the new systainer organizers are WAY better than the packout ones. I used to prefer the packout boxes but the gen 3 organizers destroy them imo

At the end you point out to a link with a hack....i could not see it / find it.

These are intercompatible with Makita, Metabo, Hikoki, and several other brands, and clip together with them, and I'm sure they're great, but I just couldn't show up to work with toolboxes that look like they store apple computers. The packouts are great because you can mount them vertically on the outside of shelves.

festool cases are cheaper in UK than Milwaukee. Still, as a proud owner of Festool tracksaw and domino which came with systainers I would NEVER consider purchasing their systainers. packout is build like a tank. I can bash it, literally not give AF. With systainers I have to be gentle like with a porcelain doll. If I could afford it I would replace everything with a packout.

0:43 not the case anymore with Sys^3 with it's weirdass non-multiple heights.

Id say systainers are 2nd dewalt tough system would be 1st and t stack 3rd

In all honesty, your are comparing old festool/tanos systainers with new, very bulky milwauky systainers. Esp your dislike of the internal little boxes: sorted in the second version. And compared to the milwauki boxes: space saving. The milwauki boxes are bulky, loads of room between the boxes tbh. The biggest plus btw of the tanos systainers (festool owns that company now btw) is the euro standard sizes. Super practical in so many ways 😉

Unclear about your last point? Amarol no?

I'm lost on Festool's corporate office printer aesthetic. These seem to be the best systainer system I've seen, but they just look so horrendous.