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Tool boxes are designed to help you store, organize, and protect your tools. They’re made of multiple types of material, from flexible fabric tool bags to hard plastic or metal, and they come in all shapes and sizes, from handheld boxes to large immovable cabinets. A tool box or tool chest can hold tools, as the name suggests, or store craft and other hobby or DIY gadgets and gizmos.

When you’re just starting out with at-home projects, you can probably get away with a tool bag or a pre-made combination kit. But as you progress, your tool collection may begin to outpace what a bag or little box can handle. When that happens, it might be time to invest in something larger. 

The thing is, tool chests are designed to be universally useful. They are intended to appeal to the widest possible user base, which means keeping a relatively simple layout. The end result is a tool storage solution that’s pretty useful for almost anyone, but might not be perfectly useful for your purposes. To truly create the perfect tool box for your needs, you might need to make some modifications. These are five unique upgrades to make your tool box ever better.

Keeping tools in the drawers of your tool box is a simple way to organize them, but it can still make it tough to find a specific tool when you need it. If there are certain tools that you use more regularly, you can keep them isolated on the outside of your tool chest using a magnetic strip, provided they are made of certain types of metal.

Most common metals have unpaired electrons in their outer shells which generate a magnetic field. When in the presence of a magnet, ferromagnetic metals like iron align their magnetic fields, causing attraction. Basically, most kinds of tool steel will stick securely to magnets (though titanium doesn’t). It’s like an everyday magic trick, courtesy of physics.

To create more storage on the outside of the tool box, you can use the magnetic strip intended for holding knives in the kitchen to hold your favorite wrenches, screwdrivers, and other metal tools. And on a large tool box, you can place multiple magnetic strips and hold more tools or heavier tools. You can find magnetic strips of varying designs to fit your aesthetic style. There are thin rectangular strips and broader squarish magnetic boards. They come in plain metal, wood, or resin, all hiding rare earth magnets inside or behind. There are even strips with a bar underneath which can hold hooks for carrying even more tools.

Adding an array of pins or hooks to your tool box exterior will add another way for you store a wide range of tools and workshop accessories. There are a couple of ways to do this. 

The low-tech option is to break out the drill. Provided you don’t mind doing a little damage, you can drill small holes into the sides of your tool box and use those holes to hold peg board pins or hooks. Alternatively, you can find magnetic hooks which adhere to your tool box’s metal surface.

Once your pins, pegs, or hooks are in place, you can use them to hang wrenches or hold spools of wire, circular saw blades, and any other lightweight objects with a hole in the middle. Putting a few holes in the sides of your tool box should be safe, just make sure to remove objects from the drawers before drilling and don’t create so many holes that you compromise the strength of the box.

A tool chest goes a long way toward storing and organizing your tool collection. You can keep different sorts of tools in different drawers, but unless you incorporate some sort of firm organizational system, you’ll be rifling through a tangled mess of assorted debris before long.

Fortunately, 3D printers have opened up a world of possibilities for customizing everything in our lives, and that includes the workshop. If you’re having trouble keeping your tools organized, you can 3D print (or pay someone else to 3D print) custom tool holders customized for your tool box and tool collection.

These 3D-printed wrench organizers are made by HayslettFabAnd3d on Etsy and custom printed on demand. You can choose any color you like and get the precise number you need for your collection. Each holder securely grips a single wrench and they’re modular so you can string them together in a custom layout to fit your tool box. And when you’re done with wrenches, there are other 3D printed organizers for other types of tools, like this plier organizer.

When you have many tools floating around in your tool box, it can be easy to lose pieces of hardware, drill bits, and other small items in the middle of a job. A 3D printed triangle corner tray can nestle itself in the corner of your tool box drawer and give you a little cubby for holding screws, nuts, fuses, and anything else you want to keep separate and safe while you’re working.

These triangular corner cubbies are made by 4FPrintWorksLab on Etsy. They have a lip around the two outer edges to hang onto the edge of your tool box drawer. They come in many different colors, including glow in the dark, and two different sizes: 8 x 11 inches or 5 x 7 inches.

Each tray is printed on demand and you can even customize them to have a different lip width, depth, and angle, or add your name or company logo. You can mix and match trays on all four corners of each drawer so you never run out of extra storage space for your smallest bits and bobs. The well is deep enough to keep small objects contained while leaving plenty of space in the drawer to store your other tools.

For some jobs, it’s nearly impossible to avoid getting greasy hands in the workshop — that’s why it’s called getting your hands dirty. Likewise, it’s difficult not to let that grease and grime spread to the rest of the workshop, getting all over work tables, tool boxes, and tools. A funnel holder and drip collector helps minimize the amount of oil and grease floating around your workspace. When you’re done pouring oil, coolant, or any other common workshop liquid you can put the funnel in the holder instead of putting it on or in your tool box where it will get everything else messy.

A magnetic holder takes advantage of your tool box’s metal construction to adhere to the side. It holds a funnel and allows oil to drip into a plastic bottle. This funnel holder from Generic has a graduated funnel hold which cups your funnel and accommodates funnels of various sizes. The bottom is designed with threads like a bottle cap, so you can attach any standard 20-ounce bottle to collect drippings. There’s also a cap holder, so you can store the soda cap for safe keeping until you’re ready to screw it back on and dispose of your collected drippings.

The future is bright — we mean that quite literally — and it’s on your roof, or at least, it could be. As of 2024, five million Americans had installed solar panels on their homes, and that number is expected to hit ten million by 2030, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). Most people install solar panels hoping to lower their electricity bills, but the upfront costs can be significant, and the average cost of installation is over $30,000. To avoid those initial costs, some people choose to lease the equipment, including the solar panels, and sign a contract to use the system. Whichever path you choose, however, you should always read the contract before you sign your name, and that’s one lesson that a Texas resident learned after receiving a six-figure bill for her solar panel installation.

Local Houston news station KPRC 2 News reported that Frances Holt answered the door to a solar panel salesperson in 2024. She reviewed and electronically signed a 43-page contract on the spot but admits that she didn’t thoroughly read the contract and never received a physical copy. Ultimately, a company called Sunrun installed the solar panels, a process which Holt claims damaged her roof. She then decided not to activate the system, only to receive a bill for $134,097.18, a balance she believes was supposed to have been spread out over 25 years had she activated her account. In the end, Sunrun agreed to remove the equipment at no cost and Holt is off the hook for that massive bill.

The solar company involved in this particular incident, Sunrun, stated to KPRC 2 News that “[w]e regret the difficulties Ms. Holt has experienced and acknowledge that we did not meet our high customer service standards in this case.” It’s not clear if the company intentionally misled Holt or if she simply misunderstood the terms of the agreement, but one thing is obvious — it’s vital that you read the entire contract and understand all the terms and conditions before you enter into any agreement.

KPRC 2 News reports that AARP Texas has detailed a deluge of complaints related to solar panels in recent years, with a more than 500% increase from 2018 to 2023. One challenge for consumers is when contracts are presented only on electronic tablets, which can make them harder to read. Texas recently passed the Residential Solar Retailer Regulatory Act, which gives the state the ability to more closely regulate residential solar sales. It will take effect later in 2026. Other states have passed similar legislation, including Nevada and California.

There are simple steps that consumers can take to protect themselves from any kind of fraudulent contract. First, be prepared to say no to door-to-door salespeople and shut your door if you must! Never sign a contract without thoroughly reading it in its entirety, and research any company before you sign. Look for consumer reviews and complaints and be sure to completely understand both upfront and any continuing costs that may be associated with the product or service. Finally, in the case of solar panels, be sure your roof is suitable for such an installation.