OmniWall - Mini Review of One Product - Drill holder

A couple of videos I've watched recently had some OmniWall (or similar) setups for on-wall organization. I've not really been big about that kind of thing, generally keeping most things in drawers, but a few things did catch my eye and I decided to try "one thing" to examine both the quality and judge whether or not a system like this might play at least a small role in the new shop building once it magically appears in the backyard. These systems typically have some form of metal replacements for what many folks have used pegboard for in the past, generally with regular dimensions so components and accessories can be standardized and are easily mounted and moved as circumstances change. In the case of OmniWall, the dimensions of the wall plates are keyed to typical 16" OC wall stud spacing, but they can be mounted "anywhere" with appropriate anchors if the wall is hollow. And yes, I'll acknowledge right up front that almost anything these systems do functionally can be built in-shop if one wants to do that. That's kinda why I wanted to do a hands on with one thing.

I chose the "universal drill/driver" holder as my guinea pig from OmniWall and it arrived today--several days to a week earlier than I expected it. I did not buy the wall system at the present time so I did have to adapt things so I could mount the D/D holder to the wall. Each of these accessories have tabs on the back that interlock with the metal wall system in the same manner that shelf supports typically insert into slots in the shelf standards you mount on the wall. The OmniWall system also includes some plastic push fasteners that lock the accessory to the wall plate for stability. It's a pretty well thought out system, honestly. For my test, I fastened a piece of scrap 12mm plywood to the back of the D/D holder to offset it out so that the tabs were clear of my wall. If I decide to buy a wall panel, removing the piece of plywood will take less than a minute as I used the OEM holes for the locking fasteners. In this configuration, I just used some 1.25" screws to fasten it directly to the plywood on the gara...err...shop...wall where an old subpanel used to live.

The product is built of steel, very nicely formed, well finished has some "heft" and is available in multiple colors if you want to match your favorite tool provider or embrace some flashy color in your shop...me...I chose black. :)

I will saw that the product does what it says it does as you can see in the photo below. Even if I don't further explore the system, I'm not going to regret the sixty bucks I paid for this accessory as it's a solid solution for something I really needed. It's covering all six of the Drill/Drivers I happen to own with the 20v, 14.4v and 15v tools "hanging" and the two CSXs on the shelf above them.

Attachment 481194

Looks better then the classic of old shoes and boots nailed to the wall.
Bill D

Do the metal edges of the slots wear a groove on the drill's casing / overmolding from repeated removing and re-inserting ?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Dave Sabo

Do the metal edges of the slots wear a groove on the drill's casing / overmolding from repeated removing and re-inserting ?

---

That's a good question, Dave. The edges are not "sharp" so that helps reduce the risk of the wear you mention I suspect. I could see that someone who constantly and repeatedly removes and reinserts a tool might see some wear, but I also suspect that most folks who are targets for the market are more weekend warriors who want clean organization and really don't do the constant cycle thing. For the most part, the drill/drivers I have "hanging" on mine are the "specialty" ones that I use for specific types of tasks...impact driver, hammer drill, old yellow that only gets used to raise/lower my scissor jack or occasionally as an extra drill for metal work and the heavier 15v Festool. I mostly use the two CSX drill/drivers (in the shop and for home improvement) which happen to sit on the shelf at the top. So for me, there's really no risk of the wear.

They really only have one other tool holder that I'm kinda interested in and that's a similar hanging solution for pneumatic tools. I believe it somehow allows you to hang them from the pneumatic connectors. My interest is for my nail guns which currently are in a drawer...which I generally like...but hanging might be more efficient in the new shop.

Jim — Thanks for the review. I saw this system recently, too … I think it was an e-mail ad from Tools Today. Looked interesting and glad it worked for you.

A 'Tuber I watch has the system. Thing is, I'm not a "pegboard" kind of person and never have been. That's why the "system" is of less interest to me than just a few components. For others, this can be a really nice setup if they like to load the walls with tools.

One of the first projects I built was a cabinet to hold my drills, battery and chargers. It turned out well and has been very useful, but I might have to rebuild it, as I now have more cordless tools than it can hold.

Attachment 481412

That's a nice setup, Derek. If that hanging shelf can be removed you could make another, close up the spacing and likely get two more in there... :)

thanks Jim, I've always wondered about that. I also think the designs like Derek's would be even more prone to scratching the drills case and cutting the overmolding.

Yea, it's really about a "frequency" thing, Dave. Consider that we can wear a hole in something with just our fingers with enough rubbing and time. :) :D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Jim Becker

That's a nice setup, Derek. If that hanging shelf can be removed you could make another, close up the spacing and likely get two more in there... :)

---

I have thought about that. The cabinet was put together with pocket screws, so the shelf is removable without much effort.

I have also thought about adding a section below the bottom shelf to hang more tools on. Or, maybe something simple like screwing hooks into the bottom to hang tools from.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Dave Sabo

thanks Jim, I've always wondered about that. I also think the designs like Derek's would be even more prone to scratching the drills case and cutting the overmolding.

---

I've had no issues with scratching. There is enough clearance above the slots that when I take the tools out, I lift them as I pull them out, so there is no rubbing of the plywood on them. Ditto when I put them away - I set them in rather than slide them.

As Jim noted, the slots could be closer together. I erred on the wide side of my spacing as I wanted to be sure I could get my hand around the tool without bumping the adjacent tools.

Derek