MODGrid: “Gridfinity for in Your Pants”

Gridfinity, of course, is a 3D printed configurable base plate system. Print the right-sized base plate, then print boxes or scissor holders that click onto it to organize your kitchen, tool shed, or office. Lately we’ve been seeing a lot of things like the Gridfinity Layout tool, Gridfinity Generator, and a Wiki for the open-source organization system. It could easily extend 3D printing into many people’s lives, so I’m quite obsessed with it. Now TinyToolShop on YouTube, known as 3DEDC, has come up with “Gridfinity for in your pants.” That’s the pithy term Taylor Martin of Best Damn EDC put it to.

OK, so what is EDC? It’s jewelry for men. Standing for Everyday Carry, EDC is a movement of sorts: having really useful gear on your person, always, in case of emergencies. A small corner of the internet that, as far as I know, started a while ago as a single site to share the contents of your pocket has morphed into an industry. Think of a carabiner on your keychain, paracord around your wrist, a small flashlight in your pocket, or a glass breaker that is also a pen.

Now we have tactical versions of many things and pouches, backpacks, and cases galore. I guess a more self-reliant world, where crises and risks have become more relevant, has prompted people to feel more secure and self-reliant.

A year or so ago, YouTubers started to make small EDC kits that held mini ratchets and small Swiss Army knives, kind of mini Wera Toolchecks. And TinyToolShop developed the most obvious but still eminently useful thing. A small grid is the basis. That grid can have 3D printed accessories that click into it. So you can have a tiny bit holder, for example. Or you can have printable mods for small Knipex pliers, knives, ratchets, or more. You can remove the individual add-ons from the back and reconfigure them anytime, depending on your needs.

You could make one ModGrid for going fishing, another for camping, another for work, and another for around the house if you’d like. Or you could make two different grids for two different setups. For two knives. A lot of people are also now making add-ons to add specific tools to ModGrid. Knipex Cobra Minis, for example (a truly excellent tool), can now be easily added. People are also making mods that connect the grid plate to other boxes or containers. We will probably see more people making it easier to connect these to bikes, cars, and bags as well.

I love this because it is a lightweight, easy-to-print solution with real value for people in the EDC community and beyond. We can really see this evolve into a universal tool-holding system. Previously, we identified tool voids as a 3D printing killer app. People need a lot of tools for a lot of things. Your fireman, elevator mechanic, and ambulance driver would really want just those tools they need most close to them. So any system that can potentially make this universal will be interesting to watch.

We will have to see just how quickly the community makes and shares this set of designs. It will be interesting to see whether configurators are made to make this easier, or whether people offer commercial versions. But it’s a super simple, super well-working design that could fit in millions of pockets. I really love this development. And we can imagine how specific solutions like this can pop up for crafters, outdoor people, the military, law enforcement, surgeons, and more. Where else could you imagine a Gridfinity?