One of the best Craftsman holiday tool deals is back! This Craftsman magnetic parts tray 2-pack is on sale again, for what I’m guessing will be a limited time.
The magnetic trays are collapsible, meaning they pop up when you need them, and stow away when you don’t.
There’s a lot to like about these parts trays!
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First, as they pop up, you don’t necessarily have to use these with steel parts. They’re intended for use with ferromagnetic steel parts – screws, bolts, nuts, and such – but I’ve used them for all kinds of stuff.
Second, they fold relatively flat for convenient storage, and I use them in this state as well. If I just need a safe place to put a couple of steel parts or small tools, I don’t bother to lift the side walls.
Lastly, I like how they can be stored on steel surfaces, such as the side of my tool box.
The price makes them this a hard deal to pass up – it’s a very useful workshop accessory at a great price.
Sale Price: $9.98
I bought a 2-pack a few years ago, and it’s still going strong. I gave in and just ordered a second set for myself.
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The price is regularly $15 to $18 or so. Lowe’s says $18, and so does an Amazon price tracker I checked, but I can’t shake the feeling that $15 seems right. Either way, the 2-pack is under $10 right now.
Craftsman’s not the only tool brand making or selling something like this.
EZRed has a 3-pack on Amazon for $18
OEM Tools has a 4-pack on Amazon for $28
Craftsman’s 2-for-$10 price is much better right now.
frobo
I have a couple of those, and used one just last night. Highly recommended.
Todd
The fact that they collapse is what made me purchase! Thanks for bringing them to my attention.
fred
Not magnetic – but one of my favorite parts trays has a “funnel-like” pouring spout:
https://www.amazon.com/Rockler-37081-Easy-Sorter-Funnel/dp/B001DSY5P4
I still keep mixed screws in jars/tubs/bins – so dumping them into this tray – sorting out what I want and pouring the rest back – is convenient for me.
MoogleMan3
Same here on the jars of mixed fasteners; I love those trays. I have a bunch throughout the shop and house. I even 3d printed some smaller variants but don’t use them as much.
aaron+s
That’s what we use for Legos in my household. You can dump out a bunch of pieces, sift through them and then put them back in bins
Stuart
We use that for sorting Legos too, especially when I buy mixed pieces from Lego Pick-a-Brick or 3rd party sellers on Bricklink.
Peter
Bugger on the shipping costs but otherwise a great tip.👍🏽
James
I just checked Amazon.ca and they’re $41 CAD plus shipping. Amazon.com at $2 + $8 shipping is annoying but a steal comparatively. I just ordered two although it will probably be months before we head to the cottage in Vermont.
S
Alternatively, they’re on amazon with out the craftsman branding for 6 for $31
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09Y5MZL9Y
Bill Clay
+1 on the Easy Sorter Funnel Tray. I have two of them.
Shocked
I just checked this at Lowe’s and found there are now three sizes in a set:
https://www.lowes.com/pd/CRAFTSMAN/5013245949
Craftsman #CMMT98371
The description says the magnetic mat can be removed for cleaning.
$39.98 for the set.
Stuart
I saw that too, but it seems like a “I LOVE the idea want something different/bigger” type of product.
Amazon has it for a few dollars less – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C4Z8M42X/?tag=toolguyd-20 .
Derek
Ooooo, that’s nice. Would fit in my tool bag a lot nicer than the thick one from Harbor Freight.
Robert
An interesting Felo ratcheting screwdriver set as KCtool tool of the day. Turns at least 90 degrees. Metric sockets and bits, nice looking box. $100.
https://www.kctool.com/tool-of-the-day/
Jager
I turn wrenches out of a truck for a living. Bought two last black Friday thinking meh maybe I’ll find a use and stuck them on the side of my truck box. Bought a few more sets at Lowe’s this week. They’re way nicer than metal trays. Especially nice to have like 6 on bigger tear downs.
Mark M.
Agreed, I’ve had a set for at least 3 years and they are super handy. I store mine on the lid of my tool cabinet. If you’re ordering/buying as a gift, get two sets! If you get one you’ll end up keeping them lol
Kraig
I bought a four pack ares branded from Amazon. Nice that they fold down but the magnetic strength is weak, on both the in-tray fastener strength and external attachment to metal. These look the same so wondering if it’s any different.
Stuart
It’s hard to say. I’ve only used the Craftsman and have been happy with them.
I’ve seen a lot of lookalike products in this space with varying build quality. OEM Tools makes a parts bowl that looks like Hazet’s. I bought one, and there were enough differences that I sent it back and bought another Hazet.
Mark M.
The magnets on my Craftsman set are pretty dang strong. They snap onto my tool chest and you could take one holding screws or bolts and turn it upside down and none would fall out.
Scott F
Thanks for asking before I did – I got a 2 pack from tractor supply (JobSmart?) a few years back, and they are terribly weak. I use them because I do like the form factor, but have always griped at their (lack of) magnetism.
I store them flat/stuck to the cover of my electrical panel next to my workbench, and they often fall down from small vibrations if I’m hammering at the vice.
If I can find $25 more dollars to spend at Lowe’s for free shipping, I’ll have to try a set of the Craftsman to see if they’re better. Will report back if I do that!
Randell Rude
Thanks for the heads up. Ordered two for me and two for my son.
Tdot77
Stuart, Amazon is now saying -“Consider these Alternative Items….” & there’s only a choice to buy used\returned ones right now, so it appears to be sold out\not available ATM. There is many other sets(2,3,4,6 piece) but none are this cheap per each. I was hoping to use big A’s fast, ‘free’ shipping, but it’s not happening now. I’ll have to go the Lowe’s route & ship to store just to make sure I actually get my hands on a set, cause I know these are gonna be gone real quickly!
Stuart
Thanks for letting me know!
It seems Amazon sold out. It’s worth checking back; given that this is a holiday deal, there’s a good chance that they will restock. It’s also possible that they set aside inventory for Black Friday promotion.
Lowe’s still has plenty, but with a minimum order amount for free shipping.
Nathan
I have those ez-red ones for a while. Can’t recommend them enough. Like dude above said good to have a few. They hold well
And. Being silicone covered I don’t mind the on painted parts.
Brian M
This, and the Milwaukee pen light 2-pack are the two best small items every holiday.
Scott ALKB
@Stuart, almost completely off-topic:
Home Depot stores in my area (north Texas) have upgraded their coin acceptors at the self checkout stations. Before, you had to slide in each coin vertically. Now there’s a dish-shaped thingy that you drop/shovel your pile of change into. The recognition and acceptance is very fast. And there’s no percentage off the top (like most other coin machines) since you’re making a purchase. Very Good Feature.
Doresoom
I bought a pack of these last week to supplement the Husky steel magnetic bowls I already had.
I like that the Craftsman are collapsible, but the magnet strength is a little underwhelming compared to the Husky ones: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-Magnetic-Bowl-HMBOWLN/301293875
Bonnie
Man, if these fit inside their small parts organizer it’d be a great solution. Anyone have both to check if that works?
Larry H
These Craftsman tool trays fit inside the Dewalt 10 compartment shallow pro organizer. When expanded the height is just right. They also fit well collapsed. It can fit 3 across and leaves a 2 1/8” gap.
I’m thinking it might be nice to keep one empty magnetic tray inside to grab as needed for projects.
Jared
Just curious, why no comments section in the recent deal posts Stuart? Is it just to avoid making them cluttered when they’ll be around for awhile and continue to be updated?
It only came up because I was going to say that, even though it’s rarely worth it to me to order something from the USA, I appreciate knowing what the deal prices are. There’s no Toolguyd-commensurate news source for Canada and it’s not like I’m memorizing the deals from year to year (unless it happens to be something I bought), so it’s useful to gauge whether something “on sale” here is actually a good price or not.
Stuart
This was something I started doing last year for Black Friday deal posts.
A lot of the better deals are discussed in their own posts. Come Thanksgiving night or Black Friday, when everyone is cross-referencing different posts and comparing prices, nixing the comments sections helps a lot with page loading times.
It also helps avoid confusion when a post might be updated a few weeks after it’s first published. I used to get a lot of emails and comments about long-expired deals mentioned early in the comments section.
Regarding deal prices, I tend to include them except in Amazon posts. Amazon changes prices a LOT, and it’s too much of a bother to constantly check and update. Amazon changed the price of a Bosch miter saw deal at least 4 times last week.
Jared
Ah! Fair enough. Thanks for clarifying. I figured it was something like that with the updates – didn’t even consider that the comments might become confusing when referring to previous iterations.
Stuart
It’s not just that, there might be an “oh [this other retailer] has a deal on [something else]” comment – or ten – , but fast forward a bit and I’ll get emails asking about a 3-week-expired deal of the day or flash sale, and some will yell about “bait and switch”.
The better deals are usually discussed elsewhere anyway.
I tried a catch-all post last year, but comments were sprinkled around anyway. I’ll see if I can come up with a better idea for next week.
John
Hopefully the mini tool chests return.