The CowRC Screw & Part Trays debuted sometime in late 2013. I’ve had these for a little while and have been utilizing them at travel races. Basically they are a scaled down version of the CowRC Work Mat concept making them ideal for R/C assembly, disassembly, and maintenance.

They are available in 2 sizes, 5″x5″ and 5″x9.75″. The smaller one has 4 part compartments, while the larger one features 8 of them. New part trays are available with the same 5 themes CowRC has been offering, so you can have consistency across your CowRC gear. Mine were first editions and hence only feature the CowRC decal.

So, these are small compared to the 4 different sized Work Mats that CowRC offers. You might ask yourself why these would be useful. From my experience, they come in super handy for items you take off your vehicle multiple times at a race. We’re talking about wheel nuts, body pins, pinion gears, motor screws, etc. All the little hardware that you find yourself messing with at a race. I probably would not use these when doing a full rebuild of a car or other in-depth maintenance, but they are perfect for the little things.

I’ve been guilty of only taking my pit towel to the last several races, mainly to “pack light”. Not having a full-on pit mat at my disposal can get frustrating at times and I’ll wish I’d brought my Standard sized Work Mat. Having these in my pit box though is a life saver. They take up almost no room, and are super convenient as I mentioned for keeping track of the small parts we take off of the car all the time at a race.

If I had to choose a favorite between the 2 sizes, I’d probably pick the 5″x5″ version. I’d almost rather have 2 of those in my box than one 5″x9.75″ simply because I can maneuver them around my pit area easier. I could then also have one per car and set them next to/behind said car rather than a shared tray in the middle. I usually race at least 2 classes when going to an event. To each their own tho, and in certain circumstances, I could see the larger size being more beneficial.

The part trays are made from CowRC’s signature “Pro Mag” material. This means they are the thick, heavy duty, strong magnetic material. They also feature the thick foam corral system that the larger Work Mats are famous for.

The magnetic properties of the “Pro Mag” material is strong enough to keep steel screws and body clips in their place, even when inverting the tray.

Overall, I believe that the CowRC Part Trays are worth the cost of investment. The 5″x5″ is only $6.99, and the 5″x9.75″ is $11.99. That’s a bargain for a useful pit item like this. The added benefit of being super-portable is also a plus. If you only use a “yoga mat” or towel in your pits, you’d still be best suited to pick one of these up to keep your sanity. Loosing a screw somewhere on your towel is a huge annoyance.

While I don’t think these are a substitute for a large Work Mat (the only way I will ever do another kit build or tear-down), they are a convenient addition to your pit arsenal especially if you travel a lot like we do.

Check out all the designs, sizes, and money saving combo packs available over at CowRC.