I’ve seen a lot of portable screwdriver bit holders, and these Railer accessories look like perfection.
I know very little about Railer tools, and I can’t find much about the brand online either. They seem to be a small company hyper-focused on bit storage products.
Let’s take a quick look at some of their bit holder keychains, which have been in my shopping cart since talking about other styles of bit holders earlier this month.
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These are 5-hole bit rails – I guess this is where the brand name comes from – with a small accessory-type carabiner clip.
You can get the 2-pack in black with orange clips, orange with black clips, or in a variety pack as shown here.
You pop in some 1/4″ hex screwdriver bits, and get to work.
This looks to be a great way to keep some commonly used bits easily accessible on the outside of your tool bag or similar.
If you need to carry more than a couple of screwdriver bits, Railer also offers larger sizes.
You don’t get a lot of color options, but I did spot hi-viz green. There’s also a darker “camo green” option.
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Not sure which size you want? There’s a variety pack with 5-hole, 10-hole, and 20-hole bit holders.
There’s another style with 10 screwdriver bit holes and a built-in magnetizer.
“But the holes are too close together, what about fitting nutdrivers?”
The rails all seem to have pass-through holes and work by friction-fit. This image of a Railer 5-hole bit holder and a set of their own branded nut drivers show that it’ll work if you populate the holder from both sides.
For longer nut driver bits, get the 10-hole rail and skip some of the holes.
Railer bit holders are made from a “soft rubber material” and are “designed to be crushproof, weatherproof, and chemical resistant.”
Prices vary, with the 2-pack of 5-hole bit holders selling for $10, and the 20-hole bit holders selling for $10 each or 2 for $15. Railer also has sets that come with screwdriver bits.
Railer also makes quick-access individual bit holders similar to the type we talked about earlier this month (see Cheap Bit Holder Keychains aren’t Terrible). They’re selling 5-packs in orange, black, or hi-viz green, plus a carbiner clip, for $18.
What do You Know About Railer Tools?
As mentioned, there’s not much I could find out about Railer.
Railer bits and Bitrails has been custom designed by a company with over 30 years of manufacturing focus and expertise in screwdriver bits.
What are your experiences with their products? Would you buy these bit holders?
fred
Justia says that the trademark is owned by Core Tool Group Inc.
https://trademarks.justia.com/owners/core-tool-group-inc-3475821/
I’ve never heard of the company – unless they are related to the Canadian firm : Core Tool Technolgies – a Bosch subsidiary that produces torque-controlled and other assembly tools.
Stuart
That’s all I could find as well. I found 2 screwdriver bit patents, also distinctly for “Core Tool Group,” which is registered in California.
eddiesky
Corona, California…
https://www.trademarkia.com/railer-88857743
David
That adeess is right around my house and I have never seen that company name anywhere in that plaza. Seems like a fake adreass as they don’t even include the exact suite instead only a range.
The only store in that whole plaza are Albertsons, Chase bank, 7-11, Postal Annex, Subway, Wing stop, Baskin Robin’s, Carl’s Jr, Star Bucks, Fresh Wok, Master Smokes, Tae Kwon Do, Sunny Donut, UPS store, Great clips, Kona cleaners, Chat tea café and a optometrist .
JR Ramos
Appears to be a UPS Store location….very common for micro and small business owners (and individual people) to use those types of stores as a registered address to receive mail rather than giving a home address. I think it’s a pain in the butt because in legal matters it often makes service dubious or worse. But it’s quite common. The other address shown looks like the offices of their IP lawyer (also very common, and better than using UPS or a PO Box…..).
Curious, snooping around, and it would appear that maybe a Taiwanese fellow is the impetus behind Core Tool Group and it’s just a typical small offshore importing biz…probably has a small storage space/warehousing to hold goods, if they aren’t totally stored as Amazon FBA in their facilities.
He has three patents…two ornamental design patents for screw bits and one actual patent that is claiming raised rings around the shaft, spaced particularly, increase the life of a bit 20-30 times via “distributing torsion in the bit.” Looks an awful lot like Makita bits other than claiming different spacing for harmonics.
https://image-ppubs.uspto.gov/dirsearch-public/print/downloadPdf/11839956
So many of these “brands” and “companies” are just one or three people importing whatever and trying to make a buck in the market and they aren’t really what should be thought of as a “company” per se. A step above small home businesses and flea markets in a lot of ways.
Personally, I’ve often snooped out third party sellers on Amazon before using/choosing them as a seller and it’s remarkable how many appear to be just…a residential home, or a small storage unit, or some shim sham location…and a great many UPS Store addresses. I usually steer clear unless other things make it look ok to me.
Railer is probably just like “Michael Tools” and a host of others….just a guy reselling. At least this one does have a little more meat behind the name and products, as navigating the world of patents and IP takes some effort and not-inconsiderable expense.
Stuart
That’s possible, but these look to be unique products that have also went through some iterations.
If it’s run by one person or a small team, they look to be doing a great job.
A company reached out last week seeking my partnership. They described themselves as a leading tool brand with a vast catalog. The company didn’t exist 2 months ago. This has been the norm. From what I’ve seen, Railer is run with more focus and tighter marketing than a lot of the small brands slapping their name on whatever generic brands they can partner with.
Saulac
I am a bit wary of friction-fit. Evident is the old vs the new Milwaukee bit holders. The current one with the insert side way is a world different. Will be much more complicate, but I want to see a button/mechanism that hold the bits by their groove. Much more easy to remove and secure.
Jared
That would be my reservation too. I’m not saying Railer gets it wrong – just that I’d have to try it and see.
However, the Picquic “the PIC” is still my go-to (albeit limited to three bits).
Chris
I have a set from them that hangs free off my main tool bag which gets thrown around everywhere. Never once has a bit came loose or out. The friction fit is totally fine, trust me. These are a really great buy. Quality of bits is nice too. Not wiha or wera level, but on par with big box brand stuff.
MotorCityCraftsman
Same. I use one on tool bag for miscellaneous bits. Their functionality has allot to do with what specific material is used. Railer has engineered the proper solution. This is definately not so with Milwaukee or most other bit cases.
Rob H
Thanks for sharing this. New/different product discoveries are always enjoyable. Reporting on team Red/Yellow/Green/Blue is necessary but it’s always kind of refreshing to see a new doodad from out of nowhere.
Nathan
Interesting. I can’t say I see using a 20 or so. At that point give me a box I guess. And the 10 also seems extreme but I can already think of having a 2 sq bit in 2in 4in and 6in in the holder with a 2 ph bit on 2 in and 4 inch. That’s five. Just on my belt for normal woodwork projects.
Might have to try one out
Mike S
Just 3D print the same thing for pennies…
S
Not really.
Printers cost money, as does filament, consumables, and electricity. Which all printers use.
If this is the first foray into 3d printing, they will be far more expensive than the manufactured product.
My initial cost estimates for my planned 3d printer purchase in the next year are putting the startup/buy-in costs at roughly $1500-2000.
Of course, the more things printed, the more that cost is amortized over time. But it it would take years of printing to get to that point.
MIke S
I presume everyone here buys tools b/c they build things with the tools that they acquire. A 3D printer is a tool. Don’t buy tools, just buy finished products? The cost of tools goes up a lot over time. Buy your tools early, learn to use them, and enjoy the fruits of your labors, I certainly do.
The Bambu A1 mini was $200 for months, and filament costs $5 to $30 a pound – which is a ton of plastic. I personally went with a Prusa MK4S for $750 as a when it was kit on a bit of a special – and they even threw in a 1kg roll of filament.
Stuart
Why did you buy a 3D printer kit with premade parts instead of designing and building your own?
Mike S
I was most interested in getting a printer up and going quickly so that I could focus on using it. I’ve built a lot of PCs from scratch over the years, but this felt different. I was also unsure if how much tuning would have to go into a self designed kit and figured that a Prusa kit should be fully capable of being just as “perfect” as a Prusa built unit; and I have high confidence in following directions and building the unit accurately. Will my next printer by one that I design from scratch, maybe? I feel the printer is a little bit like a table-saw jig; are you interested in building it from scratch yourself or are you interesting in using to build other things? Some of us buy jigs, some of us make jigs. I mostly wanted to get started using a 3D printer. It took me about 12 hours to build the unit from the kit provided – so, even using a kit to build a printer is still a bit of an undertaking.
Also, Prusa has a long history of continuously upgrading the software and firmware, and making it possible to buy an upgrade kit to turn your “previous model” printer into the “latest model” printer. They have a good track record of making replacement parts available for a long time – so I don’t think that I have to worry that I will be able to find/source replacement parts to keep the printer running for many years to come. If I had built one from parts i found on the internet, I don’t have enough experience to be able to say whether I’ll be able to find those or replacements for them in the future.
I also want to design most of the things I end up printing. One thing that had held me back from getting a printer earlier was not having found a CAD package that I picked up and became productive with quickly. That changed when a Youtuber I follow said they had the same experience and they tried Shapr3D and that was the software they decided to use. So, I gave their 30-day trial a go; and after watching a few of their tutorial videos – I knew that was the software I was going to use. I *love* this software – I think Shapr3D is fantastic. It doesn’t have all of the advanced “tricks” that Fusion has, but I feel very productive using Shapr3D.
Of course – if you don’t want to design things – there’s plenty of places to find and download designs, most for free.
It just seems like in the last year, the state of 3D printing went from “it might work, but you’ll likely spend a lot of time working on the printer” to “the printers just work, you can just send jobs to them and pick them up and use them when the job is finished”.
There’s been an explosion on YouTube of Woodworkers using them and talking about them. I can say that, based on my experience since Christmas – at least for the printer I picked up and my workflow – I agree – a 3D printer can be a highly reliable tool and you can make as little or much use of it as you want – just like any other tool you might have in your arsenal.
Stuart
Although something like a bit holder seems simple compared to a 3D printer, it’s a solution to a need.
If you enjoy the process of customization, you can design your own bit holder – or 3D printer. But sometimes those added steps can add up and get in the way of what you really want to do.
If you want to make meatballs, maybe you want to grind your own meat, maybe you don’t.
Not everyone has a 3D printer, not every 3D printer owner is interested in learning how to design their own parts, and not everyone is going to want to mess around with more exotic materials.
TonyT
Stuart,
My theory is that 3D printers are always going to be fairly niche, like photo printers, interchangeable lens cameras, or decent power tools (I’m amazed at how many of my friends and family have only a couple Ryobi level or below tools). They’ll be popular, but not in most homes.
Also, given the cost of good filament, I think you’re better off getting a better, more expensive printer than the cheapest one possible.
Analyst
In the article Stuart says: Railer bit holders are made from a “soft rubber material” and are “designed to be crushproof, weatherproof, and chemical resistant.”
Can you 3D print rubber materials?
I suspect these are molded parts. I’m going to buy a few to try!
Stuart
It’s typically more challenging, but yes – https://www.amazon.com/s?k=TPU+3D+Printing+Filament&tag=toolguyd-20 .
MattW.
5 plus years user of these and other than the loop breaking they are all that i use for bit rails. You owe it to yourself to but the hex keys sets are a full on replacement for hex keys in my bags. The reduced shanks can get tight towel bar set screws ect. They also make the best Keychain bit holder between cheap alphabet soup and vessel. The bits are good but I like other brands. Buy them for the rails at least I have my drill taps one one small one hex keys on a 20 slot (they make them up to 6in) and my 1.25 in vessel bits on one.
MattW.
I have about 300ish I rails over that time and wouldn’t go back to hard milwaukee or cheap ones. None of them have lost bits or loosened up even after years of use. The reason the loops break on them is there hung on the side of veto bags and they just can’t handle a techs busy lifestyle. If you run them inside not hanging off a bag getting knocked around they will last alot longer.
mike
I bought the 4 pack after the recent post on the quick release style.
I too bought that quick release type last year and ended up hating the usage and the noise. a solid rail style is much better for my use case.
Eric
I bought a 4 pack of 10 hole rails back in August. 2 are in my tool belt and get used daily. The other 2 are keep bits at the ready in the rig on my truck.
6 months on and they are as good as the day I got them, so far showing no sign of losing their hold on bits. I’m still waiting to see how they are 1-2 years on, but it’s looking like it won’t be an issue.
So long as the hold up for a good bit longer, they’ve been a really good purchase. They’ve made me more efficient (no more digging around in an old Altoid tin for bits) and I no longer “pocket” /lose bits.
Donald T
The friction fit rubber ones are what I started with. Both that I purchased lasted less than a week. The rubber loop that goes around the carabineer has no reinforcement and breaks at even the slightest tug. That said I still use them to hold bits but have to keep them inside my bag. Which totally defeats the quick access aspect of these. I did get the quick access individual one for Christmas this year. It works great. Just makes me sound like someone with a million keys when I walk around.
Stuart
When was that? They say that the loop has been upgraded at some point.
MattW.
Old loops were worse but new ones can be broken when hung outside a tool bag. I’ve done it to both. You can put a carabiner though one of the holes and that will never break.
Josh Williams
I have used these sets for 2 plus years and they have held up remarkably well. The bits have even held up nicely but the holder will hold any standard hex bit. The different colors really help with organization and quick grabs for ladder work
Pat
I have one of these and I have to say railer is the best version I’ve come across for that style of bit holder. I didn’t know you could buy them empty I’ll definitely be picking some up.
Blocky
I have to say the wire-spring carabiners are a nice touch. They probably are good for several thousand clicks.
Daniel
I’ve been using these for a few years and I have 5 of the ten bit with built in magnetizer/demagnetizer. Absolutely love them!!!!
I have them hanging on several Veto bags. Use it everyday on my EDC service bag. Amazing product! The soft rubber friction fit grips the bits snuggly and I’ve never had a bit fall out. In fact, on one inch bits, I have to push the bit out from the backside.
I love how compact they are and the magnetizer is top notch.
Just had the loop break on my first one last week and was on Amazon immediately ordering more.
Really a great innovative product.
Dave
one of my first cordless drills had the ability to hold 3 or 4 bits on the side of the drill. Having the bits right on the tool better suits my (dis)organization style. Has anyone used the “stick on” bit holders that attach to the side of the impact driver or drill? any suggestions or recommendations?
JR Ramos
I tried some of these from Spider and they’re really very good. I wanted my M12 Fuel to have a couple bits on it – not much room on the tool and I didn’t want to interfere with hand positioning so I ended up snipping them into individual tubes and putting them on a couple batteries (top front side). They stuck tight with an awful lot of bit sliding and being crammed in a tool bag. They lasted longer than the batteries did.
A few things: 1) Hope you get reasonably fresh stock because these psa tapes do have a shelf life. 2) Clean the surface well a couple times with a non-residue solvent and maybe consider scuffing it a little. and 3) gently warm the surface with a hair dryer or something, then stick it on and hold it in place with very firm pressure for at least a full minute….then put it aside and don’t touch it for a full day if possible. If you do that these high bond tapes will really hold tight and last for a long time. If you don’t, or if you’re on some kind of wonky plastic that may leach or outgas something, then they may come off at some point.
Amazon reviews have a lot of dissatisfied people but you never know what or how they go about things. Mine were great (and only $9 when I bought them…$13 now). I saw that some people epoxied theirs on after they fell off…not a bad option. I removed the ones from my failed batteries and put them on others using some black 3M weatherstrip adhesive (automotive) and they’ve stayed tight…started to melt the ABS housing of the battery, though, as it was first applied.
Never lost a bit and the one that was used the most was not quite as snug as when new but I had no worries about a bit sliding out. I’ll buy some more at some point.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XGCR2FQ
There are a couple of nice screw-on ones from SimonCreations and some other brand (jackrabbit maybe?). I don’t know how many types he makes but they are excellent quality and a good design. Here’s the Gen3 Milwaukee but there are others and it does matter which you get because of how precisely they are made to mount the tool housings. I keep one on my impact driver but it just got in the way for the drill, sadly…I like a full hand grip on the drill motor housing usually and often I need that for pressure or control, so this wasn’t working for me so well. Definitely recommended as far as the quality and design, though.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C5SC6Q9X
Charlie
I’ve a couple of the rubber rails with bits and they have held up well around the house and when used for theatrical set construction over the last couple of years. Quite handy & no complaints.
CMF
I bought 2 sets on Amazon and liked them. I ended up buying a 5 holder and two more 10 holders. They happened to be the right balance of price and quality.
I have had them close to 1 year, no broken loop at the carabiner yet. I do remember some reviews stating this, so I am aware it.
Mark Davidson
I’ve been using these holders from McMaster for many years, which seem to be a similar idea. They’re made out of a soft red vinyl, and the two end slots are open at top and bottom, so I suppose you could attach them to something that way, although I wouldn’t trust it to hold up. These Railer holders look much nicer.
https://www.mcmaster.com/56635A24/
JH
I bought these on a lamb a few months ago (I need ball-end hex drivers). I would NOT be worried about falling out, the friction fit is very firm, to the point it’s almost frustratingly tight. Maybe it will wear out, the rubber IS pliable, used in a 35def F garage with no issues. Best use for me is a tether on my chest bag, and my most common on the QR keychains. But I was / am very impressed, used the #2 phillips long driver for a solid day, drove maybe 300-400 screws, held up well. I used my own clips, those clips are smaller than they look and worked fine, but was tight so wasn’t loose. I use a thinner caribener with a long reach and it’s perfect (lots of loose flexibility but predictable swings one way from the lanyard. For me a SOLID buy and will check out their other stuff opportunistically.
SteveP
I’m not a big fan of friction-fit holders. There’s always a tiny variation in size between bits and I find the friction-fit is often a two-handed affair for removal or replacement. – or conversely some bits fall out and get lost. Magnetic is a nice option, so I will try some of them
Buffalo
I have some of these! I bought them early last year sometime to make sure I have any bits necessary to put together flat-pack furniture in a hurry. The bits are great, the holders are really dense rubber and they hold the bits in very tight. I love the carabiner clip and so do my guys. They can grab the entire bit kit, clip it to their belt or set bag and then return it complete. They are a nice package, but more expensive than other bit sets out there. I’ve a fan.