Storacell
Battery caddies invented by a pilot, molded by local Illinois manufacturers
🇺🇸 Made in USA
Our assessment
Company details
Where Storacell products are made
“The Storacell product line is proudly Made in the USA from local manufacturers in Illinois.” Storacell designs and sells; the injection moulding is contracted to Illinois firms, and the company does not pretend otherwise.
Neither the AAA 12-pack nor the magnetic button caddy carries an individual origin line; the FAQ answers the materials question with “high-quality, durable, and lightweight polypropylene plastic” and says nothing about origin. The claim is made at product-line level, which is where it is reported here.
“Each storage cell provides terminal protections at both ends,” so batteries cannot short against each other in a bag or tackle box, and the caddy dispenses one-handed. Orders ship from Oswego within 24 to 48 hours.
What this emblem covers. Storacell states that its product line is made in the USA by local manufacturers in Illinois, and repeats the claim in its own product announcements. The individual product pages carry no origin line of their own, so a per-product claim rests on that line-level statement rather than on SKU-specific copy. The batteries, tester, apparel and pouches sold alongside the caddies are third-party goods and are not covered.
The story
Rick Foreman was a tool and die maker who flew. His friends in the trade called him Tools, which is how a battery caddy company came to be called Tools Aviation.
The problem he solved is the kind you only meet in a cockpit: “After hundreds of hours of flying experience, Rick invented a convenient way of carrying fresh batteries to make them easily accessible for pilots.” Loose AAs in a flight bag roll, short against each other, and cannot be told apart from the dead ones. The first Storacell caddies were moulded in glow-in-the-dark material, so that in an unlit cockpit you could find them.
That is also why the design has a feature most battery holders do not: “Each storage cell provides terminal protections at both ends,” which is the difference between storing batteries and merely carrying them.
Why they matter
The line has spread well past aviation — AA, AAA, C, D, 9V, CR123, 18650, the button cells in every size a hearing aid or key fob takes, and most recently a waterproof and dustproof 21700 “Bayonet.” Hunters, photographers, anglers and emergency-kit builders all found it on their own.
In 2021 the Storacell Pro added embedded magnets and carbon fibre to the magnetic models — in Foreman’s words, it “strengthens the caddy and gives it a unique, matte finish.” The magnetic Button Caddy is covered by US Patent 11,721,870.
The manufacturing arrangement is worth stating precisely, because it is the most common shape of American manufacturing and the one most often described loosely. Storacell does not own a moulding plant. It says its product line is “Made in the USA from local manufacturers in Illinois,” ships from Oswego within a day or two, and leaves it there. A small company that pays Illinois moulders to run its tooling is exactly the kind of demand this campaign exists to point at.
Shop Storacell (Tools Aviation) products
Storacell battery caddies, in every cell size from button cells to D.
Storacell questions
Are Storacell caddies made in the USA?
The company states it at product-line level: “The Storacell product line is proudly Made in the USA from local manufacturers in Illinois.” Storacell does not own the moulding plant — it contracts the work to Illinois manufacturers. The individual product pages carry no separate origin line.
Who makes them?
Tools Aviation, LLC, doing business as Storacell, of 101 Theodore Drive, Oswego, Illinois. It was founded in 2000 by Rick Foreman, a pilot and tool and die maker.
Why do the cells have covered ends?
To stop batteries shorting. In the company’s words, the caddies keep batteries “in individual slots, keeping the terminals from contacting each other or other conductive surfaces, which reduces the risk of short circuits.”
What sizes are available?
AA, AAA, C, D, 9V, CR123, 18650, the CR2032/CR1632/CR2020/CR2016/CR2025 button cells, and a waterproof, dustproof 21700 Bayonet. Most are offered in a glow-in-the-dark finish as well as colours.