The 4 (actually 5) levels of tool organization
Free time is not free. Free time comes with working efficiently, which minimizes the time needed to get the finished product you so desire. You could ensure your tools are all in the garage, suggesting they are technically all in one place. But nothing is more infuriating than spending five minutes wandering around the garage to find a tool you only need for 30 seconds. And then repeat it again for another misplaced item. It can literally drive a person mad.
On the other hand, there are people who genuinely believe organization is just a waste. Everyone works in their own ways, so we aren’t about to suggest anyone is wrong for keeping their tools how they please. But, with an interest in organization in mind, here are the four levels of tool storage you will likely encounter if you visit enough garages.
Level 0: I have one of those
You are elbow deep in a water pump swap at your friend’s garage when you realize you need a shallow 6-point socket on an 3″ extension. You friend looks at you and says “yeah, I’ve got one of those” and then starts picking up various items and projects on their workbench. Your automotive repair has now turned into a game of “I Spy: Garage Edition.”
We all get caught between projects from time to time, or something of high-importance rolls in and requires pausing something you were actively working on. We how these situations come to life. But if this is your modus operandi, perhaps it’s time to upgrade and quite literally get your poop in a group.
Level 1: It’s in the box somewhere
We have now advanced to the most basic level of tool organization: Having everything contained in one place. But the tools are loose and haphazardly mixed. Sockets and wrenches require picking up and turning to see exact sizing, as if denying that the two options of standard and metric exist. You are no longer walking about the garage searching for things, but still pulling drawers like a cabinet maker looking for that jig he knows he made back in 2011.
Not everyone needs to take out a second mortgage to have one of the tool trucks drop off the latest and greatest toolbox, but having one place for your tools is the best course of action if you own tools. Heck, most tool kits these days come in blow-molded packaging that can be downright annoying in some situations, but it undeniably keeps things together and halfway organized. The various ratchets, screwdrivers, saws, and hammers we accumulate with time last longer and work better when properly taken care of and not left in the dirt, or on the floor. (Or in the saltwater marsh that forms underneath anything I park during the winter.) Tools also work best when they are not lost. A tool in the hand is worth… five on the shelf?
Level 2: It’s in that drawer
The chaos in now reduced to a smaller space! The drawers wear a label describing what’s inside, and those items are returned to the same place. You still have to poke around to find exactly what you need, and it might even be a little tougher since everything in the drawer is the same type. Need a half inch box wrench in a drawer full of box wrenches? That’s just annoying.
I suspect this is the level most DIY and at-home mechanics operate on, mostly because it is the easiest to maintain. Clean up only requires wiping a few things down and then tossing handfuls back in the prescribed drawer. The time spent finding something is saved by how easy it is to put back. If you value your time at zero or know your tools extremely well, this is a relatively acceptable way to operate.
Level 3: It’s on a rail, in an organizer, or otherwise sorted
To most, this is the level that is considered “basic organization.” The toolbox now uses dividers in its drawers, or various fixtures to attach like-minded tools together. This creates an environment that makes for quicker locating of tools while working on a project. This level of organization also makes it easier when working on something new, or a project with mixed fasteners: I’m looking at you, American OEMs that mix metric and SAE fasteners.
When sockets are mounted to a rail, you can grab the whole rail and take it to your workspace, instead of making multiple trips to get the right size for the task. The rail also ensures sockets will not roll away while performing automotive yoga under a dashboard. Nothing hurts like watching something roll (or fall just out of reach) while literally shoulder-deep working on something. But sockets on rails can’t roll.
Level 4: It’s right there, and I can tell immediately if it’s not
For neurotic wrench turners, there is the ultimate in organization: Custom cut foam. It’s commonly referred to as Kaizen foam, but that is like calling all nose-blowing tissue a Kleenex. This is a multi-layer foam that can be sliced into, then pulled out in sections to exactly fit various tools or parts. We think it might have jumped into garages from the camera and film world, because this foam is great for packing delicate items into travel cases.
Each layer is 1/8″ thick, so it is as simple as tracing the tool you want to store, setting the depth of your knife, cutting the shape (while ensuring you keep the knife vertical), and removing the now-released foam. Bingo: you now have a perfect pocket for cradling anything you can imagine. And as a bonus, most of these foams have one color on top and a different color in the middle layers, allowing you to sight-check if anything is missing.
The idea of tool organization is likely as old as tools themselves, which means the cost to keep your toolbox tidy has dropped over the years. Time is money, and your time is not free. Socket rails and organizers are things that we can say with 100% confidence are worth a trip to Harbor Freight.
So where do you fall in this hierarchy, and do you want to see more tips on keeping your box organized and ready for work? We may have a few tricks that are cheap or free that we could be convinced to share, but only if you promise to not be a level zero organizer. Don’t worry, we’ll take your word and won’t ask for proof.
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Wow!! What a way to trigger anxiety. I bought a huge Craftsman rolling tool chest for $1000 back in 2010 as a Christmas gift to myself. I so badly want to get on level 4 with this tool chest, but I can never seem to find the time to do it. Even after 13 years. So the tool chest is still largely unused while I maintain at level 1 with multiple tool boxes and drawers. Maybe I will get a “round tuit” this year. Hmmm 🙂
To the jerk who organized my tools: I CAN’T FINE ANYTHING! Several of us have been in that situation. Still, it would be nice to put tools away after every job but I work on several vehicles simultaneously in the shop and/or outside under the canopy so have tools in different locations. I can deal with that. I return them to the tool boxes when I have a chance or when I can’t find the wrench or socket I need I return the tools from my cart to the tool box(s) then, amazingly, I find the tool I’m looking for in plain sight. My biggest problem was space in my shop due to the equipment on the floor; welder, torches, AC machine, battery charger, etc. and even a 15k portable Generac I bought for the right price. Tired of all the unusable space I completed my 12×20 tool room/parts room yesterday and already the clutter is all but gone and I can get a second vehicle in my 30×36 shop. Another problem many of us have is any flat surface such as a bench becomes a clutter magnet. Fasteners, extra parts, used parts too good to throw away, a broken tool you need to repair, your kid’s toy, something you bought, all things you have no designated location for, etc., all this becomes clutter we just don’t have the heart to throw away. And whatever we do throw away it is always something we will need within 2 weeks.
I am at level 2 on a good day lately. When you have long term projects is where it falls apart. Ten tools on under one car and some unknown number at various other places in the house. I have mostly a desk job at work with a tool box in the lab with two drawers; tools that will pinch you and tools that will poke you. I do love having a multi-drawer toolbox in my garage finally after decades of wishing. They always seemed to cost so much that I would rather have that money to buy more tools than just a box, but I finally found a nice one cheap enough that I bought it.
I always wonder if a socket that I knew that I had is forever gone and needs replacement, or just somewhere that I can’t remember. Once while disassembling a transmission I had two or three small children helping take off cover bolts. Out of the corner of my eye I saw one of my sons dropping a socket into the garbage can. Now I know where the 10mm sockets go to die. Better than dropping it down the intake I suppose.
In a previous life, I was a professional photographer. Every bit of equipment I carried with me was organized at Level 4. It was a great way to prevent leaving anything behind from a location shoot!
Everybody has their own way of organizing tool . I can find anything I have because I put it there but for someone else it’s a nightmare Hahahah. In a way that good because if they can’t find what they want they generally leave it alone. I had guys rummaging through my tool box at work and come up on them asking what are you doing in my tool box without permission. And the remark was I didn’t think you would care if I borrowed a tool . LOL Never mind though I can’t find anything I need in this mess anyways . Their is a method to my madness and it keeps my tools where I need them .
I’m definitely a level 3 guy. That said, I have been accumulating tools for over 40 years now so it can degrade to a 0 in a hurry if I let it. I still keep things like my Radio Shack multimeter in the original box it came in which proves if you take care of it it will last. My father was a retired Marine and a stickler for “if you use it put it away afterwards” I’ll never forget a dinner time argument when I was 15 or 16 where my dad accused me of leaving tools out on the workbench. I swore that it wasn’t me which made him even madder to the point he grounded me for leaving the tools out and lying on top of it. It wasn’t until I spent several nights in my room that my sister fessed up to dad that it was her that left the tools out. Dad apologized. I keep my tools organized to this day. I still love my sister!
I was a manufacturing engineer in the aerospace industry. Our company was implementing “5S” and Kaizen . I was tasked with implementing them in our department. No one wanted to do it at first. but once completed it was fantastic!
Definitely a level 4. Friends and family say that I am anal. I call it A.R.T. Anal Retentive Tendencies). Having been a professional mechanic for several years, and enjoying working on hot rods and classics, I have a fair amount of tools and $$$ invested in them. I know where my tools are (or aren’t) and can locate them quickly. This comes in handy when having someone working with me (helper) in that I can tell them what tool box, what drawer, and what area of the drawer a specific tool is located. I do not put them away after each task but, they are wiped down an put away in their designated place after each project.
My ‘shop’ contains ALL of those levels, and MORE.. LOL!
Guess I am a 4 maybe a 5. Also put tools in drawers in alphabetical order. Pliers above screwdrivers, above sockets, then wrenches etc.
My shop generally falls in the “It’s in that drawer” category. But not completely. Over time I have accumulated so many specialty tools for performing certain tasks on certain cars, that some of my drawers have become overfull. Many cars now require those very special tools that you must have but get used only once or twice. Some of those specialty tools get put in another specialty tool cabinet.
In fact, I sometimes forget that I have some tools and sometimes come across tools that I no longer remember what they were for. Such is the consequence of working on more modern cars.
I’m level 3. Years ago before I owned an engine hoist I asked a co-worker if I could borrow his hoist. He said yeah no problem it’s in my (unlocked) garage just un-hook the engine hanging on it and grab it. Sweet. I get there and it looked like a bomb went off. Lower the engine down and needed a 9/16” wrench or socket to remove the chain from the engine. Went to the toolbox and it was 3/4 empty. Tools were just scattered everywhere among car parts and other misc junk. Spent over 5 -10 minutes looking for a 9/16. The coworker and his son worked in that garage. Funny or scary part is his son is a mechanic
Definitely Level 2, but almost up to Level 3.
As far as the socket rails go, don’t buy the harbor freight version, they are junk. I know because 2 weeks ago I bought their complete set and then tossed them.
I ordered up a good made in USA set from Proto and couldn’t be happier.
I’m a level 2 and 3 in places. As mentioned, I leave tools by my project while working on it, but some take years, so I end up putting it all back. One car I’ve been working on since 1979, due to time, money and availability of parts. I love seeing level 4 toolboxes, but I have a three-car garage with four large toolboxes, three cabinets of tools plus tools in my RV and in my Jeep and a few in my Mustang and Challenger. The other cars not so much. Each drawer has more tools than would fit if it was level 4. All this after I gave away a lot of tools to my sons and daughter that used to be in tool bags for going places to work on a car or house somewhere.
Well as a youngster of 9 or 10 I would help my Grandfather work on the old chevy, straight 6 with external oiler on top of the valve cover as “those rockers don’t get enough oil ” etc etc. I digress, when he was finished I would work on my bike, fix a flat, tighten the chain etc etc. A week or two later when he would cut the grass he always found a rusted wrench laying buried in the dirt way under the grass and I would catch a few choice words about putting tools “back in the tool box or don’t use them” LOL.
So now about 50 years later I am finally pretty meticulous about putting “MY” tools away. Not everyday, but from time to time make a run throught the shop and pick up everything and put it back where it belongs. I have found that a separate tool box for all metric, all SAE and an old file cabinet found at a garage sale for under $5.00 makes great storage for power tools and larger stuff. I now have 3 file cabinets, one for air tools, one for electric tools and one for battery powered tools. With the advent of the latter, I don’tr find a use for the former, extension cords and air hoses hang peacefully on the wall lonely and yearning to be uncoiled once again LOL
Anyway, I anxiously awaiting level 5, the Nirvana, Promised Land, the Ultimate Efficiency Achievement of mankind.
Let’s have it, let me drool over the content and go in peace knowing I have lived and got to see the dream!