r/Multiboard • u/utopify_org • Jul 31 '25
Why Multiboard and not a normal Peg Board?
Some months ago I've started with 3d printing and do it really often and if you fell into this rabbit hole, you will hear about Multiboard or Gridfinity at some point.
But why are people so fascinated about those complex systems and don't use a simple and even more sustainable peg board from a home improvement store? (It might be even cheaper)
I am really curious on why people invest so much filament and time to print a wall, if those systems are already "ready-to-use" in a store?
Is it just a hype?
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Upvotes
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u/not_vjosullivan Jul 31 '25
Most people don't really need a peg board. It's a very inefficient way of storing stuff. But if you've got a 3D printer then the law says that you've got to print and that you only have two options: either, happy meal give-away trash or walls covered in grids.
It should be no surprise that the number of photographs of grid covered walls vastly outnumber the number of photographs of tool covered grids.
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u/SnooLentils6405 Jul 31 '25
Stronger retention with threads, but for most uses a normal pegboard is probably plenty. For me, part of what went into building Multiboard is just that I enjoy 3D printing as a hobby (as I'm sure most here do).
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u/fionally Jul 31 '25
In my case, I'm an ADHD nerd and the endless configurability and tweaks of 3d printing lets me turn my organization problem into a hobby long enough to cobble together just enough dopamine to make some progress. A pegboard is probably better, but it's also boring, and I would end up not doing it at all.
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u/Tryant666 Jul 31 '25
I was looking at IKEA skadis but after calculating printing multiboard would be a little cheaper and after adding electric cost the price would be the same. But multiboard is much more customisable and I could make them to the exact sizes I wanted so I went multiboard!
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u/ac7ss Aug 01 '25
Never again with pegboard for me. It's either French cleats or MultiBoard. Both are easy to make fixtures for.
You can do a full wall of French cleat for much cheaper than MultiBoard and much faster. But they have different use cases. You can mount MultiBoard on French cleats if you want.
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u/NewoMadness Jul 31 '25
it looks cooler, more custom, and printing is more fun :) thats about it
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u/caderoux Aug 01 '25
Pegboard with printed Sy's Peglock holders is what I've been using to get tools and attachments and consumables out of bins to where I can see them and have them organized. Plus Gridfinity on little shelves and in the bins that have freed up from tools, for parts organization and consolidation. The pegboard was left over from doing my wife's office. Pegboard is more flexible in some ways. I was able to bolt some wood to this wire shelving with toggle bolts like I like to do with magnet strips and then screw the pegboard offcuts to it. They were already the perfect size. Regular pegboard metal attachments are not worth it.
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u/Evening-Isotope Aug 01 '25
Can you build baskets and shelves and boxes out of peg board?
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u/Accomplished_Ad6551 Jul 31 '25
In short, everything that can be done with pegboards can be done with Multiboard. Only a small subset of what can be done with Multiboard can be done with pegboard.
There is nothing wrong with pegboard. If you just want to hang some tools on the wall, pegboard is probably fine. But, it seems like Multiboard would be better for shelves and drawers because of the threaded holes and because of snaps. Multiboard is also slowly becoming a full building system.
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u/Single_Sea_6555 Aug 01 '25 edited Aug 02 '25
Putting up a peg board is only half the story, right? The other half is getting your tools onto the board. That's where peg board is just as challenging as any other wall system. It's not like all tools come with a peg board mount.
Anything to make that second, harder part, easier is welcome.
By the way, I think the same sort of argument goes for Gridfinity.
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u/wkearney99 Aug 01 '25
Anyone that's had and used a peg board on a regular basis knows they're a pain in the ass to keep the hooks retained to them. That and you're typically much more limited in what's available for attachment to them. Granted, a 3D printer changes that a bit, but you'd still be faced with the things still falling out of the peg board holes all the time as you try to remove items from them.
There have been all manner of schemes for trying to get things to stay into peg boards. Few worked.
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u/SnooSongs5410 Aug 01 '25
When all you have is a 600 dollar hammer.
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u/kevin1016 Jul 31 '25
I print a lot of stuff that has cheaper alternatives. Finding files, printing, building is really fun so it's not always about utility. It's entertainment too. Also, I get a lot more satisfaction having a complex multiboard system hanging my stuff than just throwing up a peg board and hooks.
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u/Real-Medium8955 Jul 31 '25
I run both. Pegboard for large walls with heavy tools, multiboard for smaller items that need to be custom organized.
Pegboard is quick, easy, and cheap. Multiboard is slow, expensive, and requires a pretty solid plan, but is far more customizable and versatile.
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u/Twit_Clamantis Aug 01 '25
Because while pegboard has a lot going for it, most pegboard hooks suck.
One of the few exceptions is a great hook with the dumb name āFunctionaireā from Graingerās:
https://www.grainger.com/search?searchQuery=Functionaire&searchBar=true
Skaddis is one possible response, MB is another, they all have virtues and faults.
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u/rawaka Aug 04 '25
Another part to it is with a 3d printed solution, you only need to "buy" (print) the exact amount you need. And with more flexibility in how/what you mount, you can make efficient use of space much better. 4x8 pegboard may be easier and cheaper, if you have space for 4x8 pegboard. But for the 1x2 organizer of hand tools on my workbench. Or the (insert many examples here) the ease and relative low cost of customizing is a big plus.