Custom Leathercraft1539 Multi-Compartment 50 Pocket Tool Bag

So I bought this bag as a replacement for the older version of this Stanley 518150M FatMax 18-inch Tool Bag Stanley Fatmax bag that had been a mess and overflowing for a while now. I use this bag to house tools and enough hardware and parts for small-medium sound and lighting installation/troubleshooting. The Stanley, while able to hold a lot and held up well, was impossible to keep organized as there were, for me, nowhere near enough ways to contain individual items. Tools would also tend to fall out easily as most of the pockets were external and not very tight. So the zippered pocket design of this bag seemed awesome. After doing my research this bag seemed like the best thing for the money and based on all the great reviews I bought it. Like others, I am impressed with the size and capacity of the bag, its fantastic build quality (excluding the shoulder strap) and the overall professional ascetic of the bag. If you have a lot of tools you need to organize and take out from time to time this bag is a steal for $60. For my use, I would consider it a good value even if the price were doubled. I will agree that the shoulder strap clip design is pretty poor. With a lighter load it seems fine to me but if you load it full, more than around 55 pounds, it will start to pop the clip open and the strap will probably fall off when you set the bag down. It sucks, but to me it's no reason to not purchase the bag. The way I see it, if you're carrying around a full bag with 50-60 pounds of tools and equipment in it to do paying work, the contents of the bag probably cost at very least around $500. The cost of a high quality $22 strap probably isn't really a problem. I just ordered the Veto Pro Pac Contractor Strap from Tech Tool Supply today, it seems like it has more durable metal clips and looks well padded. Below is a list and pictures of the crazy amount of stuff I've managed to pack into this bag so far. ------Main Compartment------ Fishtape Cordless Hammer Drill Cordless Impact Driver Battery Charger 2 Drill Bit Boxes 2 Driver Bit Boxes Extra Phillips Drill Bits Box of Assorted Heat Shrink Bag of Various Drywall Screws Bag of Various Toggle Bolts Box of Wood Screws Box of Lag Screws Washer Organizer Eyebolt/Screw Organizer Gaff Tape 225’ Spool of String Cable Tester Multimeter 2 Disposable Respirator Masks (not pictured) Jar of Nails Box of Small Concrete Anchors Box of Large Concrete Anchors Socket Set Hole Saw Set ------Side Pocket 1------ --Inside Half-- Course Metal File Fine Metal File Round Metal File Paint Spatula Short Steel Prybar Extendable Mirror Right Angle Ratcheting Screwdriver and Bits Universal Socket Bit Flexible Drill Extension 3 Right Angle Screwdrivers 2 Short Stubby Screwdrivers 3 Extra Small Screwdrivers 2 Small Screwdrivers 2 Medium Screwdrivers Small Screwdriver Set Wire Cutters Crescent Wrench Channel Locks Wire Strippers Small Wire Cutters Pencil Sharpie Punch Tin Snips Scissors Vice Grips Needle Nose Pliers Small Needle Nose Pliers --Outside Half-- Multimeter Probes Earplugs Outlet Tester 2 Electrical Outlets 2 Ethernet Couplers 2 XLR Female Connectors 2 XLR Male Connectors 2 NL4 Connectors 4 1/4 TS Connectors 2 1/4 TRS Connectors 2 RCA Connectors ------Side Pocket 2------ --Inside Half-- Short Hammer Stud Finder Soldering Iron and Solder 4 Nylon and Metal Spudgers White Electrical Tape Extra Black Electrical Tape Plumbers Tape Large and Small Socket Extensions Drywall Saw Folding Razor Blade and Extra Blades 12” Long 1/2” Drill Bit Assorted Bits of Wire 5 Alligator Clips 5’ of XLR Cable Plastic Bag of Assorted O Rings Zip Ties Assorted Sandpaper 2 Extra Small Plastic Bags Small Steel Brush 100’ Tape Measure Laser Measure --Outside Half-- Headlight Bag of Batteries Bag of Superglue 8 Various Single Gang Wall Plates ------Exterior of Bag------ Light Weight Work Globes Bag of Assorted Wire Nuts 9x12’ Plastic Drop Cloth Bag of Disposable Gloves Tape Measure Red and Black Electrical Tape 5 Flat Metal Brackets Roll of Metal Strapping 2 Small Flashlights Lighter 16” Combination Square 2 Large Long Screwdrivers 12” Level 3 Carabiners For best results - put some thought into how you'll use the bag and what items will be used together often. A fair amount of creativity and Tetris skills are helpful when trying to pack this full but if you can fit it - so far it seems like this bag will hold it. My bag currently weights 65 pounds but is manageable for me considering I only need to take it out usually at most a couple times a week but it's mighty convenient having just about anything I could happen to need on hand between this bag and an organizer I keep in my car. I highly recommend this bag! Update 3/26/18 - A few months later the bag is holding up very well. The only bad experience I've had is I was carrying it down a few steps and the buckle in the strap gave way and the whole, jam packed, 60+ pound bag fell and literally bounced and rolled a few feet in some grass. The bag is unscathed and is truly a tank. However, I purchased a Husky replacement strap for $20, (Husky 44 in. to 60 in. 1680 Denier Padded Shoulder Strap) which is very padded and heavy duty. I would still highly recommend the bag. Just be aware, as many other reviewers have said, there is a good chance the strap will break if you're carrying more than 50 lbs or so. Read more

I normally write reviews of products that most would consider delinquint or late! Submitting a review on the first day of ownership is not a fair review, as I see it! Now to make myself a liar! Not really, I qualify this exception! I ordered this bag so I could centralize and have ONE bag that will do it all! I received the tool carrier today(01Mar2013) and I am so impressed in its, design, quality and construction that I am breaking my own rule and giving this early review! The following test is NOT RECOMMENDED by me or Custom LeatherCraft(At least I don't think they would recommend it): Today I tried to pull the handles off the 1539 carrier, on several occasions! Be advised, I tried and for my own benefit, not the bags, I will try no more! I also loaded it with weight, olympic weights and lead, suspending the carrier by the handles for more than 20 minutes! Size - It is a big carrier! It is the size claimed and that is what I expected! Material - Tough, dense, should last a lifetime for the home owner and decades for the Pro! Zippers - High quality, well stitched, tightly interlocking teeth, smooth! Handles- Built as part of the whole package not an after thought. Lift capacity seems to be greater than 200lbs weight! Straps - As above! Layout - Extremely versatile, accessible and useable! Function- Provides a vast amount of storage and organization for virtually any kind of technician - Home Handyman to Pro Overall -Outstanding product that is untypically worth more than its cost! I will be using this carrier extensively over the next few months and will update this initial review with any pertinent data or findings, positive, negative or subjectively observational! Read more

Trying out a new tool box or bag system is always a very personal endeavor. I've tried a lot of different brands -Veto, Occidental Leather, Dewalt, Rigid, CLC, Husky - (I haven't quite gotten around to the Milwaukee Packout System yet) and a lot of different models and styles. What's been working for me lately are open top toolbags. I've been using a few CLC #1530's - one for plumbing tools, one for carpentry and one for electrical tools. I work by myself, so I don't have to worry much about my tools walking off from the open top type of toolbag, but over the years the collection of tools have grown pretty heavy so the bags usually remain in the utility truck. At the start of the day, I will typically fill my pouches or a Rigid "Milk Crate" with the tools that I will need for the day's project. As the project scope expands, I can end up making several trips back to the truck for more hand tools. At the end of the day, I usually have a crate full of hand tools that I may or may not be using the next day and should really be put back into the CLC #1530's. The problem that I've been having with the older CLC bags is that they are so packed with tools (some of which I don't use very frequently) that it's hard to tell where the tools are supposed to be returned to or if something is missing. Lately, I've been doing some repetitive apartment renovation and find myself using certain variety of tools on a regular basis. I'm still using a lot of tools - some plumbing tools, some carpentry tools, some electrical tools. I can't really part with the large collection of tools, but I can try to cut down on my having to look for a needle in a haystack (staring into the 3 bags) by keeping my more frequently used tools together. I expect the CLC 1539 to be my new "Go To" bag. This bag is huge. The organization reminds me of a large Veto Pro Pack, but I actually like the layout better. It also reminds me of the Milwaukee and Rigid Tech bags where it has plenty of pockets behind zippered flaps on either side of the "narrow" center compartment. The 1539 is on the heavy side, but it has a nice "build quality" - heavy duty fabric, great zippers, nice handles. There is padding on the bottom of the middle compartment, but if loaded with tools (power or hand) I feel like the bottom will be bowed downward and the fabric will be touching the ground before the feet make contact - I plan to install a thin rectangle of plywood in that center compartment to help remedy this. The shoulder strap seems a little light weight, but the clips are heavy duty. The strap will probably last, but I doubt that it would be comfortable if you were to load up this tool bag with everything that you could fit in the 1539. With its 50 pockets, I am hoping to be able to load the pockets with some electrical, plumbing and carpentry tools and put a few 12v power tools (cordless drill, impact and oscillating tool), chargers, bits and blades and some safety gear into the center section. At the end of the day, I can put the whole bag into my cab and probably have room to store my empty tool pouches. This bag is as big as several bags on the market that have wheels. Ideally, if you had a ways to go from your pickup to your jobsite, you would want to put this on top of a rolling toolbox like the Milwaukee Packout, Dewalt or Rigid. Those toolboxes are like basic plastic boxes on wheels. I've looked closely at some of the soft sided toolbags (Husky, Milwaukee, Klein) with wheels an have been dissapointed with the layout and number of pockets. Even though you might be rocking different colors, the number of pockets and the well thought out organization will be worth getting one of these CLC 1539's. And if you just don't have the problem of too many tools, do yourself a favor and order the smaller CLC 1537 instead. Read more