What Are Peg Locks and What Are They Used For?

Peg locks or pegboard hook retainers are clips, usually made out of plastic, that cover the hooks on the board while the two flanges fit into the adjacent holes on the left and right side of the hook.

This is what peg locks look like:

(Image credit: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/60/a5/a2/60a5a22d9f590d02118227f13d049e5a)

 

Since the dawn of the pegboard, the diameter of pegboard hooks has become smaller and smaller, reducing manufacturing costs and making profit margins for manufacturers bigger.

Back in the 80s, there wasn’t much need for a peg lock. Hooks had a firm 0.23” diameter that would fit snugly into a pegboard with 0.25” holes. Hammers and wrenches would go on and off the board without a care and – most importantly – without hooks falling out of the damn board.

Look at how the gauge of a classic 1/4″ hook compares to the gauge of a cheaper 1/8″ pegboard hook:

With the risk of sounding like a cranky old man – some things WERE better back in the day. Pegboard hooks are one of them.

There are a few downsides that come with using peg locks:

1. They’re small and flimsy things that can get lost easily when you drop them on the floor.

2. They occupy two extra holes next to the hook. This means that for every hook you put up, you’ll lose an extra 2 holes! That amounts to a big chunk of board space.

3. They can damage MDF pegboard as the sharp clips can wear out the holes.

4. Peg hook retainers only address the ‘falling out-issue’. They don’t actually address the next big issue with thin hooks – loading capacity. You won’t be able to hang heavy axes on 1/8″ pegboard hooks for example as you would on classic 1/4″ pegboard hooks.

What would I suggest? Go the extra mile and actually look for old fashioned thick hooks and never worry anymore about pegboard hooks falling out or ordering plastic peg locks.

Even better – check out PegBoarder’s web shop for those thick, strong and snug 1/4” pegboard hooks and understand why tens of thousands of Americans turn to PegBoarder for their pegboard needs.