When I’m working in occupied houses, my Festool dust extractor follows me from room to room like a puppy on a leash. By the end of the day, its top will be littered with loose tools and fasteners. It was always my intention to build a toolbox that could empower me to use the vac as a mobile tool cart, but now maybe I won’t have to. Festool’s new Systainer³ ToolBag (see photo, below) is a soft-sided tote with a hard plastic base that mates with all the company’s mobile dust extractors and both generations of Systainers.
The toolbag features two full-length tool trays on the interior, a zippered pocket on each exterior side, and a few open pockets of various sizes on the ends. Otherwise, the interior is a blank slate, with only a pair of Velcro strips to which interchangeable, pocketed inserts can be affixed. Included with the bag are two T1 inserts, which have four large and eight small, soft-sided, bottomless pockets; one T2, which has four large, soft-sided, bottomless pockets; and one T3, which has three tight, hard-plastic-lined pockets (see photo, below). The T3 insert is designed to provide safe storage for sharp tools such as chisels. A small, T4 individual toolbag and a padded shoulder strap are also included. Additional inserts can be purchased separately.
For testing, Festool provided me with four samples of each of the inserts, which allowed me to experiment with layout. For the carpentry work that I do, the winning setup proved to be a T1 and a T2 on each side of the divider and a pair of T3s, one on each sidewall. The T1 offers the most storage options, while the T2’s low profile affords more open space for hammers and saws. What impressed me about the T3 was the tight fit that kept my short screwdrivers and utility knives from dropping to the bottom of the pocket (more on that later). It’s nice to have the option to shuffle the inserts around, remove them completely, or outfit spare inserts with tools for specific tasks and swap one for another, depending on the job.
One thing I’m not entirely sold on is the bottomless “pocket” concept. Essentially, what the T1 and T2 inserts have for tool holders are not pockets but sleeves. The manufacturer touts this feature as an advantage because sharp objects simply drop in and sawdust is easily sucked up. In my experience, long tools and those that were widest on top were a good fit for the bottomless pockets. But short, skinny tools fell down the well and had to be rescued (see photo, below). Although my ability to employ an extra T3 insert made this a non-issue for me, I wonder if it might have been possible to taper the small pockets.
My other concern was that the toolbag’s dark blue interior sometimes made it difficult for my aging eyes to find what I was looking for. But that was solved by clipping a flashlight to the handle.
Despite these minor quibbles, I would gladly put up real money for the Systainer³ ToolBag and pay extra for another T3 insert. As someone who struggles with organization, I appreciate the ability to strap this toolbox on top of a dust extractor or another Systainer and move about the jobsite, knowing that everything I need is within arm’s reach when I need it, and that I can return it to its rightful place when I’m done. Cost is $200. festoolusa.com
