Shopping for someone whose tools live in Systainers is harder than it looks. The tools are already bought, the cases already stack, and the next thing on their list is usually something you've never heard of. This guide is for you, the person buying the gift, not the person opening it.
Every pick below says what it needs to work, so the gift fits the shop it's going into. Order by Thursday, December 10, and it will arrive by Christmas.
The short list
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Under $35: SYS-GRP Argos ($32), a bench driver that lives in the bench, for anyone with an MFT-style bench.
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Under $50: SYS-ORG Bit Channel Bins (from $24), for anyone with a Systainer³ Organizer.
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Under $110: SYS-SRF Surface ($85 to $105), a work surface that locks onto the top of a Systainer stack.
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The big one: SYS-GRP BenchGrip, FORG3D Edition ($285), a complete vacuum workholding kit, for anyone who already runs a vacuum source.
Before you buy: three things to check
You don't need to know the tools. You need to know three things about the shop, and a quick look in the garage answers all of them.
Do they own Systainers? Systainers are the hard tool cases that latch together into a stack. Festool tools ship in them. If one of the cases holds a grid of small bins instead of a tool, that's a Systainer³ Organizer, the M 89 or L 89, and the organization gifts below are made for it.
Does their bench have a grid of round holes? A bench top with rows of 20 mm holes is an MFT-style bench. Several picks drop into those holes.
Do they use a track saw? It's a circular saw that runs along a long aluminum rail. If there's a rail leaning in a corner, the track saw picks apply.
One more check. Anything labeled SYS-GRP holds work with vacuum, and it needs a vacuum source to run: a vacuum pump, or a Grabo-style lifter on a SYS-GRP Nexus Baseplate. If you can't tell whether they have one, choose from the picks that don't need it. Most of this list doesn't.
Gifts under $35
SYS-RLZ Systainer³ S 76 Wall Bracket, $16
It holds a small S 76 Systainer on the wall at eye level, so the case they reach for most stops living in the middle of the stack. It comes in the Tanos case colors, screws included. Needs: an S 76, the smallest Systainer. Shop the SYS-RLZ Systainer³ S 76 Wall Bracket. More: The S76 Wall Bracket: What Systainer Storage Looks Like When It's Done Right.
SYS-DST Magnetic Hose Dock, $26
It makes the end of a dust extractor hose stick to any steel surface instead of landing on the floor. It attaches with a pair of zip ties, or slips onto a Festool Bluetooth remote strap. Needs: a dust extractor. Pick the 27 mm or 36 mm version to match the hose. Shop the SYS-DST Magnetic Hose Dock.
SYS-GRP Argos, $32
A machined aluminum bench driver with a knurled grip and a magnetic base. It stands upright in any 20 mm dog hole, so it's always within reach, and it takes any standard 1/4 in bit. Needs: a bench with 20 mm dog holes. Shop the SYS-GRP Argos. More: Deep Dive: Argos.
For the Systainer owner
SYS-ORG Bit Channel Bins, $24 to $41
Each bin holds one kind of fastener, with a channel on top for the bit that drives it. When the bit goes missing, the empty channel shows it. Needs: a Systainer³ Organizer M 89 or L 89. Shop the SYS-ORG Bit Channel Bins.
SYS-ORG bins, packs from $15
Bins that sit on the 25 mm grid inside the Organizer, in half and full height and in colors, so every kind of hardware gets its own spot. Needs: a Systainer³ Organizer M 89 or L 89. Shop SYS-ORG bins. More: What Nobody Tells You About Organizing a Systainer3 Organizer.
SYS-SRF Surface, $85 to $105
A work surface that locks onto the top of a Systainer stack for layout, staging, and light assembly. It comes in two sizes, Minor and Metris, and three tops: Core, Foundation with a full MFT-compatible 20 mm grid, and Dock with a nest for a track saw. Needs: a standard Systainer³ at the top of the stack. It doesn't fit on an Organizer, and older T-Loc Systainers need the optional T-Loc Surface Cleats. Shop the SYS-SRF Surface. More: Deep Dive: SYS-SRF Surface.
For the track saw user
SYS-FIT TRK Rack, $42 for a pair
It gives the guide rail a home off the floor, on the front of a Systainer stack or the side of an MFT-style bench. Tested with Festool, Bosch, DeWalt, Kreg ACS, Mafell, Makita, Milwaukee, and Triton rails. Needs: a way to mount it. Screw it to a wall or bench, or add a SYS-PLT mount (sold separately) to hang it on a Systainer or MFT. Shop the SYS-FIT TRK Rack.
SYS-GRP FS Rail Manus FORG3D Edition, $225
It holds a Festool-style guide rail on the work with vacuum, so no clamp sits in the path of the saw. Two pods, brackets, rail inserts, tubing, and the Janus driver, all in one Systainer³ S 76. Needs: a vacuum source. Shop the SYS-GRP FS Rail Manus FORG3D Edition. More: Deep Dive: Manus.
The big one: FORG3D Edition kits
Every FORG3D Edition is a complete kit that ships in a Systainer³ S 76 with an engineered insert, so the gift arrives organized and stays that way. Both kits here hold work with vacuum, so check for a vacuum source first.
SYS-GRP BenchGrip FORG3D Edition, $285
A set of vacuum pods that hold the work from underneath, with AnchorDogs, rail inserts, and tubing included. Three configurations: Verso for bench and rail work, Verso Dash for a Dash-Board PWS, and Max for larger panels. Needs: a vacuum source, and an MFT-style bench (or a Dash-Board PWS for Verso Dash). Shop the SYS-GRP BenchGrip FORG3D Edition. More: Verso vs Max: How to Choose the Right SYS-GRP Bundle.
SYS-GRP AnchorPod FORG3D Edition, $285
Vacuum workholding that installs into the bench's dog holes and stays there, ready whenever they reach for it. Comes in Maximus or Magnus configuration, with Argos included. Needs: a vacuum source and a bench with 20 mm dog holes. Shop the SYS-GRP AnchorPod FORG3D Edition. More: Deep Dive: AnchorPod.
Want to see the vacuum side of the system working before you buy? Jason Bent of Bent's Woodworking walks through it on video, covering AnchorPod, the Nexus, the FS Rail pods, and the Hub: SYS-GRP System Overview with Bent's Woodworking.
When to order
Order by Thursday, December 10, and it will arrive by Christmas.
Common questions
What do you get a Festool owner who already has everything? Something for the space between the tools: a home for the hardware, the bits, the rail, the hose. That's most of this list, and more than half of it is under $50.
How do I know a gift will fit their setup? Every pick above names the case or bench it needs. If you're not sure what's in the shop, check the three things at the top: Systainers, a bench with 20 mm holes, a track saw.
Do any of these need something else to work? The SYS-GRP vacuum products need a vacuum source. The TRK Rack needs a SYS-PLT mount unless it's screwed to a wall or bench. Everything else works on its own with the case or bench it's made for.
FORG3D
Your Workflow. Without Limits.