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SortMaster vs FatMax organiser

Updated: 21 October 2026

Two Stanley boxes turn up in the same search, one around £10 and one around £23, and they are not the same organiser with a dearer latch. SortMaster vs FatMax organiser is the SortMaster 1-94-745 against the FatMax deep organiser 1-97-518. Dividers buy a shape you can change. Cups buy a bay that stays separate on the way to the job. Amazon Basics, the plastic-clasp FatMax 1-97-521 and the shallow Pro stay on the [parts organiser comparison](/hub/workshop/parts-organiser). The other checks are the [parts organiser buying guide](/hub/workshop/parts-organiser/sub/parts-organiser-buying-guide). Filling the box is [how to organise screws and fixings](/hub/workshop/parts-organiser/sub/parts-organiser-how-to-organise-fixings). A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.

Two Stanley boxes turn up in the same search, one around £10 and one around £23, and they are not the same organiser with a dearer latch.

Our top picks

Stanley Stanley FatMax deep organiser 1-97-518

Best overall

Stanley Stanley FatMax deep organiser 1-97-518
8.0/10about £22.79
View offer
Stanley Stanley SortMaster 1-94-745

Rank 2

Stanley Stanley SortMaster 1-94-745
8.3/10about £9.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What each box is for
  2. 2.Price and what the listings actually rate
  3. 3.Water and the latches
  4. 4.They do not clip to each other

What each box is for

The SortMaster 1-94-745 is the adjustable case: £9.99 on amazon.co.uk, 4.7 from 9,280 ratings, 12 compartments and removable dividers in about 44.2 × 32.7 × 9.2 cm. Sealants and Tools Direct also says 8 dividers. Side clips join other SortMaster cases. Choose it for an awkward shape beside the screws, a larger bit or a short spirit level. The FatMax 1-97-518 is the deep cup case: £22.79, 4.8 from 3,700 ratings, about 43.2 × 10.9 × 33.0 cm and 2 kg, with 10 compartments and metal latches in the title. Stanley's UK page lists the cups, an 8 kg figure and IP53. You lift a cup out for one size, and reviews say the lid stops a shake remixing them. It is the wrong box when you need one wide opening. The recommendation is the mechanism, from the listings and the review pattern, not a lab head-to-head.

Price and what the listings actually rate

£9.99 against £22.79 is not £13 for a tenth of a star. Both samples are large. The extra money is the cups, the lid that holds them, and the metal latches on the 1-97-518. A trade-counter price is not the amazon.co.uk price. The SortMaster specification says 1 compartment and 1 milligram. The bullets say 12 compartments. Buy on the bullets. The pack of two at £19.98 is outside this pair, as is the FatMax 1-97-521 at £27.00, whose plastic clasps and copied bullets are not a fault of the metal-latch model. 1-94-745 is the divider case. 1-97-518 is the cup case.
Stanley Stanley FatMax deep organiser 1-97-518

Testsieger

Stanley Stanley FatMax deep organiser 1-97-518
8.0/10about £22.79
View offer

Water and the latches

Stanley's UK page for the 1-97-518 states IP53 and also says waterproof. Under BS EN 60529, IP53 is dust and spray, not immersion. The Amazon listing says a waterproof seal and does not print the code. The SortMaster specification says waterproof with no code. In a leaking van the FatMax has the only maker IP line of the two, and it is still only IP53. One buyer stood on the FatMax metal latches. They popped off and clipped back on. That is a reason not to stand on them. The 50 UK SortMaster reviews sampled show small parts under the dividers, and one Amazon batch whose yellow locking parts did not match older shop units. They do not show a run of cracked cases.

They do not clip to each other

SortMaster side clips join SortMaster cases. FatMax side latches join that family. Nothing on either listing says the two ranges lock together, so a stack of one of each is two handles. Own both only if you have both jobs: one adjustable case for odd shapes at home, and one cup case so the screws that travel do not mix. If you only have one of those jobs, the second box is clutter. The best parts organiser note is that same choice in one place. Fill whichever you buy by size, then turn it over the bench, before you trust a Sunday in the car.

Common questions

Which one stops screws mixing?
The FatMax 1-97-518 does, in the way UK reviews describe it. The lid locks the 10 cups, and people say the contents stay put when the case is shaken. The SortMaster keeps many sections apart on its side, and small items still slip under the movable dividers. If washers and pins migrate, the cup box matches that complaint. For larger screws and odd tools, the divider gap matters less.
Which one fits an awkward tool beside the screws?
The SortMaster. Removable dividers let you open one bay wide enough for a larger bit or a short tool and leave the next bay for screws. The FatMax cups are separate compartments you lift out, which is what you want for one screw size and what you do not want for a single awkward shape. You cannot slide a FatMax cup into a long slot.
Do they clip to each other?
No. SortMaster clips are for other SortMaster organisers. FatMax side latches are for that FatMax family. The listings do not say the ranges join, and a similar-looking latch is not a shared standard. Carry one of each as two cases. If you want a single handle with two layers, buy a second box from the same family and use its own clips.
Is the FatMax waterproof in the rain?
Stanley UK rates the 1-97-518 as IP53, which is limited dust protection and spraying water, and the page also uses the word waterproof. The Amazon listing says a waterproof seal and does not print the code. A closed case in rain is closer to that claim than a case you drop in a puddle. IP53 is not immersion. The SortMaster's waterproof line has no code beside it, so it is a weaker statement again.
What is wrong with the SortMaster specification block?
It disagrees with the bullets on the same page. The bullets say 12 compartments and about 44.2 × 32.7 × 9.2 cm. The specification says 1 compartment, and a maximum-weight field says 1 milligram. Those specification figures are not the case reviewers describe. Use the bullet size, and treat 1 milligram as a broken field. The same habit matters on other organisers in the main table, where centimetre lines are sometimes a different product's text.

Related pages

Mannesmann tool box

Parts organiser

Best parts organiser for screws you actually carry

Parts organiser buying guide: screws, plugs, drawers

Parts drawer cabinet when the garage floor is full

How to organise screws and fixings in labelled bays

Sources

Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings compared on this page. Updated October 2026.

  1. Stanley Tools UK, FatMax 1-97-518 (retrieved October 2026)
  2. Sealants and Tools Direct, SortMaster 1-94-745 (retrieved October 2026)
  3. Screwfix tool storage buying guide (retrieved October 2026)
  4. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9 (retrieved October 2026)
  5. GOV.UK, General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (retrieved October 2026)
  6. HSE INDG412 (retrieved October 2026)
  7. SGS UK on IP testing (retrieved October 2026)
  8. Wickes, raaco 136242 (retrieved October 2026)