Keeping your tools safe, together and in one place is imperative. Looking after your tools effectively will help reduce the risk of damage, loss or replacement in both the long and short term, ensuring your tools remain organised and in place at all times. Though it’s vitally important to take a strong personal responsibility to look after your tools, placing them safely in storage, keeping them in categories and taking stock checks, a tool chest, tool cabinet, box or kit can help save you time and effort, both in terms of finding your tools, but also placing them safely back into storage. In this article, we take a closer look at tool kits, and how best to keep them organised.
Choosing Your Tool Kit
There are a handful of options at your disposal when it comes to choosing the right tool storage solution for you or your business, and below, we analyse just some of the primary options one must consider, emphasising the differences between style and material, and how this impacts practicality and use:
Handheld Tool Box
Handheld toolboxes can be found in a whole host of materials, from plastic and stainless steel to aluminium or wood, and for this reason, are easily the most common form of toolbox you can find on the market today. Often used by professionals as a mobile alternative to a larger, free-standing toolbox, or for many property owners who need a place to keep their tools organised at home. Aluminium or steel toolboxes are considered much more durable than a plastic solution, with increased strength, structural integrity and weather resistance.
Let’s take a closer look at the differences between handheld toolbox materials and the impact this can have:
Aluminium Toolbox
Arguably the most common material used to make toolboxes, aluminium provides a lightweight but strong and durable solution for the safe storage of your tools. Due to their lightweight design, aluminium tool boxes are sturdy and durable, but also surprisingly mobile and practical. Able to protect your tools from the impact of rust and moisture, aluminium toolboxes won’t corrode and stay tough for an extended period of time.
Steel Toolbox
Stronger, heavier and tougher than aluminium toolboxes, a steel toolbox allows for the storage of much heavier tools and materials. With a high resistance to damage, weather, or general wear and tear, steel tool boxes are fitted with a special powder that keeps them resistant to the effects of rust or corrosion. Easy to clean and maintain, steel toolboxes are perfectly suited to any individual working in tough conditions.
Stainless Steel Toolbox
Unlike a stainless steel toolbox, a standard steel alternative doesn’t require a special powder coating to prevent rust or corrosion from occurring. Developed from a steel alloy that is inherently anti-rust, steel toolboxes are durable to the last. Strong, tough and resistant to chips, bumps and dents, steel toolboxes can be an excellent addition, but will typically cost a lot more than their counterparts.
Plastic Toolbox
Not particularly durable, a plastic toolbox does have the advantages of being incredibly lightweight, mobile and perfect for storing the essential tools in transit or to and from a job quickly, but won’t necessarily keep your tool kit maintained in the long term. Plastic can also break fairly easily, and as such, will need replacing more regularly.
Tool Carts
Perfect for combining strength and durability with some additional mobility thrown in; a tool cart is essential for anyone who needs to keep their tools close to them but requires the freedom of movement during their work. A tool cart is fitted with wheels, so you can move it freely around the room, keeping it either close to yours for accessibility, or away from the job at hand. For instance, should you find yourself fixing a car, you’ll want to navigate your toolbox so that it stays close to you but never gets in the way.
Tool Chests
If you’re storing a lot of tools, from the smallest components to the largest, a tool chest is an ideal solution. Similar in design to a chest of drawers, a tool chest is large, sturdy and capable of storing as many tools as you could really ever need. Many garages, workshops and households utilise tool chests to keep their tools safe and organised, making them a popular solution for all. Generally, the biggest difference between a tool cart and a tool chest is their mobility, with tool chests not having wheels, though because of this, they are considered stronger, tougher and more durable than a tool cart.
Organising Your Tool Kit
Organising your toolbox to suit your requirements is based entirely on the individual, but there are several practices you can put in place to ensure that you make the most of your tool kit and that you can maintain its efficiency for the foreseeable future. Below, we highlight a few keep steps to ensuring your toolbox is well organised:
Sort Your Tools
The first thing to do before you can even begin to think about reorganising your toolbox effectively is to gather all of your tools in one location and thoroughly sort them into neat piles. The set-up can be defined by the individual, but as a general rule; you should try and sort your tools into size and type. For example, large power tools should be grouped together, whilst hammers and screwdrivers will have their own unique piles. This will give you a clear indication of what tools you have, what you’re working with, and what you need to get rid of or replace.
Categorise or Dispose
Once you have sorted your tools and laid them out in front of you, perhaps even taking some kind of inventory, you should now group them into detailed categories. As mentioned, you should categorise your tools by size and type, to make it easier for yourself when making tough decisions. Be vigilant and unforgiving, if there are duplicate tools, tools you don’t use or recognise, broken tools or inefficient ones; they all have to go. If there are several duplicates, you can easily sell them online, or if you have a long list of broken tools, you should consider disposing of them.
Check Your Stock
Now you’ve gone through all of your tools thoroughly, categorising and disposing of unwanted or broken tools, you’ll have a much clearer perception of what exactly you’re currently working with and how your tool stock is looking. It’s important to have a strong selection of tools, but even more important, is that it’s nicely balanced. It’s great having sixteen screwdrivers, but where are they all going to go? And if you only have one hammer and no wrenches… Well, your inventory is going to start looking a little imbalanced. When organising your toolbox, you want the right amount of tools for the job, with just the appropriate amount of variation, so that you are both well stocked, but also not disorganised.
Using Foam
Once you have organised your tools, checked your stock and taken an inventory, you’ll now have a strong perception of what tools you own, what tools you need, and how to reorganise them effectively. We recommend using tool organiser foam to keep your tools safe, organised and in place at all times, to allow for a designated space for all of your individual tools, reducing the risk of mess, mix-up or loss. You can organise your tool kit, box or chest spending on your requirements, but be sure to keep it simple, straightforward and easy for anyone to use.
Be Vigilant
It’s vital that you are constantly staying vigilant over your use of tools. Whenever using tools, you should always place them back into their safe position as soon as possible, to ensure they are appropriately stored, secure and protected from any potential damage. Not only will this help the longevity of your tools, but it will also help keep track of your inventory.
MTS Trade Supplies LTD | Tool Chests
Whatever trade you’re in, if you’re working with tools, you need to keep them as organised as possible. However, knowing where to start when it comes to finding the right tool chest for you can be particularly tricky. There are enough choices out there nowadays to make your head spin. This is where MTS Trade Supplies come in. Our team can help you to find the perfect tool chest for you. That is why we supply a range of tool chests all across the UK.
MTS Trade Supplies was established as a company 10 years ago. as there was a potential gap in the market for high quality, direct from the manufacturer products & began supplying products such as tool chests, work gloves, masks, dust sheets, PPE and more. We provide high-quality items at the lowest possible prices, passing on those savings to our customers. Contact us today.
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