Talking to my dad in Detroit made me rethink how I hang shelves

He said he's been using drywall anchors for 40 years and never had one fail, but I keep spending $20 on toggle bolts for every project. Has anyone else gone back to basics after a talk like that?

4 comments

4 Comments

corah752mo ago

Oh trust me, I had the same reality check after talking to my uncle who's been hanging stuff in his garage since the 80s. Those old school metal toggle anchors work just fine for most shelves unless you're dealing with tile or something real heavy. I switched back to them last year and haven't had a single issue.

the_robin2mo ago

Preach. Those old toggles are honestly unbeatable for basic drywall shelves.

eva_moore2mo ago

Exactly this, old toggles just work.

lewis.brian15d ago

My buddy Mike swore by those plastic drywall anchors for years and I totally bought into it too, thought the new stuff had to be better lol. But then I helped him hang some heavy shelving in his workshop last month and those plastic ones just kept spinning and stripping out. We ended up running to the hardware store and grabbing the old metal toggles and man, they grabbed instantly and held solid. Seeing that firsthand really made me rethink all the fancy anchor options I've been buying. I'm definitely switching back myself for any basic shelf jobs now, no question. Sometimes the simple stuff really is the best way to go.