Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Several months ago, I purchased the CLC 1539, CLC 1537, and Husky model #80897N09 18" large mouth bag with tool wall to compare and decide which was the best for my needs. I ended up going with the 1539 because of its size and fantastic organizational capabilities, far superior to the Husky. I only messed with the Husky very briefly before deciding against it. It seemed to be fairly well-constructed, but the elastic bands over the tool wall pouches made it difficult to put tools into them, and it was very limiting as to how you could place tools, especially since anything over probably ~6-8 inches high made it so you couldn't close the bag. It was also a much harder/stiffer bag, which is less comfortable to carry. The 1537 was a nice bag, but besides capacity it lacked features of the 1539 that I really liked, such as the dual (front and back) large organizational compartment and the loops on the back for hammers/levels/etc. In fact, if it had these two features (and ideally an inch or two taller), I would probably go with two of them vs the 1539, which as others have mentioned, becomes incredibly heavy when you make full use of its organizational features. It's in many ways too well designed. Aside from the obvious (size, organization, quality), there are some features of the 1539 that really stand out. Of course, there's those mentioned above. Also, there's the straps that keep the large zippered compartment flaps from falling all the way down, keeping them in check and preventing their contents from falling out. Then there's the fact that the pockets maintain their full holding capacity even when the ones behind or in front of them are filled. I absolutely love this bag. That said, I can't give it a perfect score, because there are quite a few things that can be improved, many of which should have been obvious when it was designed. Here are my issues with this bag, and hence why I only give it 4 stars (though again, it really is an amazing bag): - There's no tape loop (though it's easy to add one). - The shoulder strap constantly gets in the way, especially when accessing the main compartment. I'm not sure though how this could be rectified. - The elastic loops at the top of the inside front compartment flap are next to useless. Between their small size and their location right next to the zipper, the only thing they're good for is bits. That's great for people that find them useful for that, but it's just too limiting. It would have been better if they were a little deeper and located further down. - An addition to the previous note: the inside of the front and rear compartment flaps could use more pockets and elastic loops in the area above the net pockets. - The front compartment could use a clip (or two) like the one in the back compartment - The net pockets are ok (could be more elastic to actually hold stuff better, but they're not bad), but it would be nice if they would zip closed. - The fabric loops on the bottom pockets inside the front compartment get progressively shorter and less useful (see 4th picture). They would also be more functional and easier to use if they were elastic. My mini ratcheting screwdriver wrenches barely fit in them, and if they were elastic that wouldn't be an issue. - Every now and then a zipper sticks. I've included several pictures comparing the three bags in the hopes it helps others make a decision without having to get their hands on each bag as I did. Also, there's a good amount of inconsistency regarding the measurements of these bags, so I actually stuffed them as much as possible with boxes then measured the boxes to determine the real internal dimensions. I also stuffed the two CLC bags with the same amount of tools to show the difference, and also show all the tools separately so you can see how much these bags hold. I took these pictures when I first got the bag. Since then, I've added a DeWalt 20V worklight, a DeWalt 20V compact recip saw, a Milwaukee 12V recip saw, a recip blade kit, some hand tools, a bunch of screwdriver bits, a flashlight, some gloves, and a multi-tool. Granted, it won't close with all that in it, and it's a bear to carry, but it holds it all. At some point, I'll probably pick up either another 1539 or a 1537 to split the tools between. The first picture (assuming it keeps the order) shows the internal dimensions of the CLC bags. With the bags wide open, the height from the floor of the bag to the zipper is 15" (1539) and 13.5" (1537). They won't close with something this tall in them (the 9.25" high boxes were pretty much the limit; of course, tools could go higher than that in the center), but I just wanted to provide that measurement in case anybody found it useful. In the second picture, you can clearly see how much deeper the 1539 is than the other two. What you can't tell from the picture is that the Husky, unlike the CLC bags (which would close even with the 9.25" high and 7.25" wide box inside), would not close with the caliper standing up like that. This is further demonstrated in the third picture, in which the Husky bag is clearly shorter. This picture really demonstrates the size difference between the two CLC bags, with the 1539 being slightly taller and substantially longer than the 1537. The next two pictures show how much more comfortably everything fits into the 1539 with that extra space, with room to spare. The fifth picture also shows what the bottom of the bags looks like, the significant difference in design of the backs (second large compartment with hammer/level loops with the 1539 vs a few pockets with the 1537), and how the bags come folded. This is worth mentioning because it does cause them to lean and potentially tip if not loaded out enough to overcome this. The last picture shows the sides, which are largely the same. My use for this bag is essentially to have most of my most frequently needed tools all in one place, so I can just grab the bag and either carry it to a room where I'm doing work or throw it in the car and take it with me somewhere. It's not intended to be carried around very much, which is a good thing because it probably weighs over 50 pounds. As I mentioned before, and as others have mentioned, it's too easy to stuff this bag to the point it becomes too heavy, which is a testament to how great it is at organizing your tools. I would really like to see CLC put out a bag identical to the 1539 but with the above issues fixed/improved and closer in size to the 1537. I would then get two of them to split my most commonly used tools which would be easier to move around. In any event, depending on how many tools you have and what your intended use is, you can't go wrong with either of these bags. Others have commented on how the Husky bags are really good, a close second to this bag for a lot less. In my opinion, this just isn't true. Even if the Husky bag was half the price of this bag, I would still rather pay the difference (not really a lot) and get one of the CLCs. They're just so much better in every way. When I bought this, I struggled with the idea of spending this much on a tool bag, as I've always used cheap ones in the past. After using it, I wouldn't hesitate to do it again, and I now see it in a completely different light, where it doesn't seem to be that much, considering how great the quality is and how much it's helped me to organize my tools. Not only would I not hesitate to spend the money again if I had the need, but I wouldn't even bother with a Husky, trying to get one that's almost as good for less, because that ~$20 saved just isn't worth it.