Tool Storage: The Best Pegboards and Hook Sets

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Click here to see examples of pegboards.
Click here to see examples of pegboards.
There are many ways to store your tools, and each has tradeoffs. Tool boxes are great for storing a lot of tools in a very compact space but you have to dig through them and move things around quite a bit to locate specific tools. Rolling tool carts have everything neatly laid out for you in drawers, but they take up quite a large footprint on your garage floor. And then there are pegboards, which require significant wall space but keep your garage floor clear of tools and also make it extremely easy to visualize all your tools and locate specific ones quickly.

In concept, a pegboard is pretty simple. It is a flat panel, typically made of medium density fiberboard (MDF), aluminum, plastic, or steel that you mount to your wall using screws or nails. The panel has a series of holes drilled through it that allow you to place hooks in a variety of locations. You can orient and locate the hooks in such a manner that you can hang tools or other items from them in an organized fashion. Whether it’s hammers, screwdrivers, power tools, wrenches, sockets, or similar, you can easily find a way to mount them to a pegboard.

The Best Pegboard

wall control pegboard
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When it comes to the best pegboards, our favorite is Wall Control. Wall Control’s pegboard is made from steel, so you won’t have tear out or bowing issues that you’d typically see with MDF or plastic pegboards, especially under heavy weight. The steel is also tough enough to resist hole elongation.

The Wall Control pegboard stands off the wall by 3/4″, which allows you to easily slide hooks in and out and reposition them at will without having to remove the pegboard from the wall. This pegboard uses conventional 1/4″ pegboard pens as standard, but you can also get away with 1/8″ pegs if you are willing to tolerate a looser fit. Wall Control’s pegboard also accepts slotted pegboard pegs and hooks, so you have lots of options for mounting features for your tools.

The set comes with a pair of panels that are 16″x32″. Since it will likely be holding some significant tool weight, you’ll want to make sure that you mount it to the studs in your wall rather than the drywall itself. It includes mounting hardware so all you have to do is drill some pilot holes in your wall and sink some screws to attach it. Some other notable highlights include that is made in the USA, it is magnetic, and it comes with a 1 year warranty against defects. You can also choose your color from a long list including orange, yellow, white, black, blue, green, and natural metal.

Overall, Wall Control makes far and away the best pegboard on the market in our opinion. As far as where to buy, we usually suggest Amazon.com on account of their competitive shipped pricing as it makes the overall price of something with dimensions this large hard to beat. We are confident that it will last indefinitely and that you’ll be a happy customer should you decide to pick one up.

The Best Pegboard Hooks

stanley pegboard hooks
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No pegboard setup is complete without a set of pegboard hooks so that you can actually make use of the space. The key to finding a good set of pegboard hooks is finding one that will both last a long time and offers enough components to give you the necessary versatility to allow you to tailor your pegboard layout to your specific tool collection.

Our favorite is made by Stanley due to its quality and versatility. The Stanley kit features 51 assorted mounting options for all your tools. Included in the kit are 4 inch straight hooks, 2 inch straight hooks, double straight hooks, curved hooks, a loop tool holder, a pliers holder, angled hooks, shelf brackets, and a multi-tool rack. The construction is steel and the kit is versatile enough to let you store everything from gardening tools to automotive tools to sports equipment. The possibilities are really only limited by your own creativity. One thing to note is that sometimes with pegboard hooks people will wrap a zip tie around the body and through nearby holes to make sure it always stays flat against the pegboard. This is common and help with pretty much any pegboard hook kit so it’s something to consider for your setup.

When it comes to organizing your tools on your pegboard, you may need two or three sets depending on how many tools you have. As far as where to buy, Amazon seems to have the best price around usually so it’s worth starting there. Overall we think you’ll be extremely happy with both the hooks and the pegboard because Wall Control no doubt makes the best pegboard around and Stanley makes the best pegboard hooks to match. Happy wrenching!