The Makita Maktrak Toolbox's Horizontal Layout Comes With One Big Downside

The world of toolboxes and wider storage systems is complex. Without due diligence, you might find yourself buying a product that doesn't fit your needs, or your vehicle, for that matter. Makita is a well-known producer of tools and their storage systems, and with this reputation comes an expectation for considerable consumer choice. After all, a professional who works with a wide range of tools every day will have different needs in this area than an occasional DIY dabbler who tries to avoid breaking them out whenever possible. The same product won't please everybody, which is why different designs, shapes, and sizes are offered.

Those who have considered the Makita Maktrak, for instance, will have noticed something very interesting about this system — it has a horizontal layout rather than a vertical one. Explaining this decision, Makita Tools USA notes that Maktrak is "built on four core pillars: transportation, access, storage, and organization." The idea is simple: opening horizontally makes Maktrak easier to fit in the beds of vehicles, as it reduces its vertical body size, and enables it to be opened from either side. 

In some cases, of course, this will be ideal and more convenient than a more conventional horizontally opening design, but there's a big pitfall for other users to be aware of as well. Unfortunately, that very same design philosophy makes it ill-suited for vertical use, as it may fall over in that orientation — not to mention the space it may take up when stacked. Whether the Maktrak is appropriate for you depends on how you intend to store and use it. Let's take a closer look at the limitations of the system, how Makita's MakTrak works,  as well as the design intent behind it. 

With any product of this sort, there will always be positive and negative points. After all, there are compromises to be made that mean advantages in one area come at a cost of disadvantages in another. This is particularly the case when a manufacturer takes an existing concept, a tool storage system, into a new direction, as Makita has done here. The Maktrak's horizontal orientation is a double-edged sword: on the one hand, it has introduced new functionality to the market for those who perhaps didn't have a use for such a system before. However, it may also not be suitable for those who were simply expecting Makita's version of something other brands already have on the market: A vertical toolbox.

"It's designed for pickup trucks. There's a reason why it's horizontal in design," notes What Toolbox? in an in-depth investigation of the system, with Gecko Grips that make it easier and far more practical to slide into the bed of such a vehicle. This, in itself, will be the deciding factor for many potential purchasers. If you're a pickup driver who found tool storage systems like this impractical in the past because of their alignment, this could be just what you need. 

On the flip side, those tool-wielding professionals in various types of vehicles, such as work vans, may not get the same benefit from the system. These are the questions to consider when weighing up whether the Maktrak is right for you. It provides an alternative way to store your tools and offers a wide space for organizing them and quickly getting to the specific items you need, which can be invaluable. There are critical things potential users need to bear in mind to make an informed decision, though.

This is not to criticize the Maktrak system, just to note that it's specifically designed to be a horizontal-oriented product. Those new to the heavy-duty tool storage arena may be wondering about the difference between the two orientations and why it matters. Because they're modular products designed to be linked together, they can naturally take up a lot of storage space. 

Makita demonstrates that the Maktrak slides neatly into the beds of pickups, as we've seen. The dimensions of your work and storage space will really help you make this decision. Storage units should be suitably rugged and protective, which can also make them heavy and bulky. The key is to have your tools close by and protected, without encroaching on the space you'll need to use them. You should also think about how you like to keep your tools organized and how you need to access them. A lot of modular units fitted together horizontally will naturally mean that less floor space is available, for instance.

The Maktrak offers more capacity when stacking 'outwards,' so it has a handle that slides out to accommodate a toolbox smaller than the main units. The issue with the MakTrak's handle, according to What Toolbox?, is that it doesn't lock the smaller case into place as the other components do. Combine this with the fact that the system can topple over if stood vertically and that doing so can shift your neatly organized tools, and it's up to the user to decide whether Makita's heavy-duty system is right for them. There are some excellent modular toolboxes with drawers, so it's all about the product that fits your needs.