Have you considered the Blue Hawk Steel Pegboard to organize your tools?

Before you go any further, let this review be a warning about what you may or may not encounter after installing and organizing all of your gadgets  with this particular steel pegboard for tools. If admission is the road to recovery then I’ll just start by stating that I like to have my tools organized. This might be viewed as being obsessive compulsive but I have a different view on the matter.

My former employer instilled in me the value of the 5 S system.

The 5 S system is: Sort, Straighten, Shine, Standardize, and Sustain.

I’m not going to go into too much depth on this other than to summarize that this system is basically a way to have things that you need readily accessible. It provides an orderly manner so that anyone can find what they are looking for, and also to note where to return it when you are done with it. This last part would entail outlining specific tools on a rack so you would know exactly where to return it. Since Silke and I are the only two invested in all of this, I don’t need to go that far into the process.

When I first saw the Blue Hawk Steel Pegboard for tools, I was impressed with the design & structure.

The outer tabs allow you to add on additional peg boards so you can build your organization area to your own dimension. By attaching these boards directly to the studs in your work area, you can feel secure in knowing that the steel pegboard will not be coming off the wall after you’ve attached it. Currently one 16″ square board retails for $12.98.

I wanted to organize my tools in the garage. It had to look neat and allow me to easily access what I needed. At this point I was willing to make an investment into something that was going to be utilized almost daily and provide a way to take care of my tools as well.

Easy to install pegboard and it looks awesome.

I went ahead and purchased eight panels that conveniently covered the entire area behind my work bench. With the lighting directly above and my steel pegboard in place I was ready to begin hanging all of my tools and accessories. There are various plastic bins and hooks that are offered to help you with the job.

My extensive cordless tool collection needed organizing! Having a space for each individual tool involved getting the right sized coated hangers and strategically laying out the board to accommodate the size of each tool.  I purchased several large coated hangers that came with a plastic clip to ensure the attachment of the bracket.

The larger hangers have performed wonderfully on the steel pegboard.

I can easily get one of these power tools off the rack and grab a battery on my way to do a project with no problem at all. I also purchased a multi-tool holder that can keep various screw drivers, pliers and chisels within easy reach. Once again, this bracket is easy to access and works trouble free.

This is where aggravation for this steel pegboard enters the equation.

I have two fork pronged hangers for hammers and two straight hangers for various clamps. It almost feels that if I look at these hangers wrong they will literally fall off the peg board. It’s very frustrating!

This isn’t actually the case, but if I try to remove one hammer, the whole clip comes off the board causing the rest of the tools to fall off as well. I’ve tried leaving just one hammer on the pegboard but it still ends up with the same result. If I reach for just one clamp, the bracket falls out and all the clamps come falling down. This is annoying and it has ruined things that I’ve had sitting on my work bench.

Pegboard Pros, Cons, and other various insights.

This steel boards looks great and can be a good solution for any DIY enthusiast.  Half of the tools that are on my steel pegboard are actually easy to access as long as I use the large coated hooks. When using the smaller hooks, I know once I touch a tool, I will be re-hanging it plus whatever else it managed to knock off.

One solution might be to simply use the pegboards for my larger tools.

I can always set something else up on the bench to accommodate the other various hand tools that I have. Of course this is defeating the whole purpose of being able to hang my countless tools to free up space on my work bench.

My love hate relationship with the Blue Hawk Steel Pegboard is on-going.

Having invested so much money and effort into setting up with work space has prevented me from simply replacing the whole thing. If we sell our  house I’ll leave the steel pegboards behind and start fresh. A pretty radical solution to a really stupid problem.

Do you own the Blue Hawk Steel Pegboard for your tools? Please leave us a comment below. We would love to hear from you.