"tools? Yeah, I got some."
 

Tour of a heavy equipment wrench's snap on tool box. Hour long video...anybody care to guess the tab for all this? What? 1/2 million or so?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtZM-nzHhoM&ab_channel=ChristianBeyer

At 34:11 I want them long reach swivel head speed wrenches on the right hand side.

My guess, two to three hundred thousand, including box.

Red..I wonder what the hourly rate of that shop is? Nope, a pro uses tools to make money, so buying the best for the job makes sense. For the hobbyist home wrench? Maybe not so much.

My home stuff is mainly "Craftsperson" when they were still made in the USA, with a small bit of snap-on and other higher quality stuff when I needed something Sears didn't sell..Glad I bought when I did, since the stuff being sold as "Craftsman" today is low quality Chinese junk.

Buying the best tool makes sense
buying the most expensive tool that
is no better than something 1/4 the
price does not make sense
good way to not be in business

mind the pennies and the dollars
will take care of themselves

Obviously, you didn't watch the video...the box isn't all snap-on, with him describing what he likes and why. One example was his knipex pliers...he gave them a rave.

My brother in law worked in the heavy equipment repair division of a company from the week after he graduated high school, until he turned 67. Mostly maintenance of their equipment and lots of "hair on fire" gotta fix a broken whatever NOW emergency repairs to make production quotas of their product, carbon black.

On occasion he would send me a picture of some rear end ring gear that was just crazy massive. He did not have to own his own tools, the company wanted them to have what they needed, and it all belonged to the company.

In the last few years before he retired it got to the point that much of the repairs had to be done by Caterpillar themselves. The electronics and gizmos just got more and more complex. When an engine was worn out from 24/7/365 use they just called Cat to bring out a new engine, and they did the engine swap on the spot.

It was almost comical to go to his house and see a tool box that looked like something from single woman with a few screwdrivers and a hammer and some vice grips. He just did not want to work on cars or anything else when he off work. He even took his lawn mower in to be serviced.

I can see that...I mean, does a lineman like climbing poles during his time off? His may have been a wrench's dream job, no tools to buy. Also, now that I'm 78, and wrenching hurts? I'll confess to having the cars serviced. Seldom open the rollaway these days.

(edit) Now wondering who's gonna end up with the tools when I croak. Neither my daughter or her hubby are into cars.

I'd take them, but i"m a bit older than you are. Still it's hard to resist tools. I wonder how much that roolaway weighs.

My brother-in-law has quite the extensive set of Snap-on goodies; actually, 2 sets. One for "the office" (he's a heavy vehicle mechanic for a power company), and one for his shop at home.

Most of his "toys," the company bought, I do believe.

That video shows a guy that invests in his trade. Yes he is a tool "nerd" as am I. But he gives himself everything he needs to be successful in that box. Day in and day out.

I actually have the same box (better green mind you :) ) and of course my tool set is very different in details as we are a European shop. But that guy wants to win on every job and did (over did?) his part to help himself be successful. It took him years to get it all and to get the experience to know WHAT he needed in his box to win.

Cheers

I've been watching youtubes of pro techs going through their rollaways. Find it hell of a lot more interesting than some hollyweird bimbo on a witness stand. What they select, what tools are "can't live without", how they arrange them, what they use for specific jobs, etc. Let's say they select with a lot more consideration than I did...which was a mix of things I bought for a specific job and tools I bought because "might be handy", etc. They also have stuff I don't, mainly because tools for jobs I wouldn't dream of taking on.

Mine mainly craftsman, shopping set sales, etc...combined with stuff I bought as far back as my high school years, etc. I did a lot of shopping at NAPA back in those years, lived 40 miles from the nearest Sears, so still have "New Britian" wrenches, ratchets, etc...and even some really cheap made in India stuff I should toss but can't bring myself to do so. But some of my tools? Like the old saying on fishing lures being designed to catch fisherman...sometimes I suckered for bright and shiny over practical. Sometimes I suckered for too cheap tools that really didn't perform as advertised. Live & learn...

I wonder the same thing when I pass. Maybe my son would want it, but while he likes cars, he’s not into wrenching on them.

Fun video - thanks for the link.

Yes, I have lots of tools - full sets of US & metric mechanic's tools along with quite a few specialty items for specific automotive tasks (the torque multiplier makes rear suspension bolts on a 911 MUCH easier), but I also have quite a few woodworking tools, many of which I got when my dad, my father-in-law, and my wife's grandfather each passed away. Oh yeah, I almost forgot the set of bicycle repair tools.

My downfall however is test equipment. Not just DMM's, but a scope meter, a higpot tester, ultrasonic leak detector, high and low range current testers, wire tracers, stud finders, anemometers, a professional water testing kit, (2) high-end sound level meters, ethernet & coax signal testers, programmable signal generators, decade boxes, and on and on. Heck, I even held on to an old vacuum tube testing console.

As I am getting older I am really concerned what will become of all this stuff. It's probably close to the time to start eBay'ing.

knipex is the best for pliers, i don't buy anything else, full stop

It took me many decades to get to a pint my tool collection has most everything I need. I don't "get" to buy a lot of new tools now. For many years as I built m tool collection, I lived a few miles from a local owned tool store. It was great in that they usually had three tiers of tools. Bottom level cheap Chinesium or Indian, Mid level better quality tools and top of the line professional grade.

I often just wandered around up and down the isles and discovered I needed a tool I did not know I needed before I went in the store.

My hand tools are mostly Snap On and everyone of them has made me FAR more money than they cost me. When I purchased them, I got the write off. While I used them they made me money. When I stop using them, because they are not cheap Chinese junk, they will still be worth good money. No you don't "need" Snap on, but they really are not that expensive in the long run.

That's cute, I remember when I had time to wipe down all my tools and keep them organized in a big tool box that got wiped down daily .
Now , I have chaos everywhere, my building has become my tool box.
I recently moved out of a huge tool box, and back to working out of a smaller roller cab ( just the bottom) that has all the stuff that I reach for 90 % of the time. I keep all the specialty tools in blow molded cases on shelves , and all the rest of the more specialized tools in my big box .
I was super clean and organized when I used to work for someone else . There was always down time, waiting for parts, or approvals, now I run around like a one armed wall paper hanger answering phones, ordering parts, or writing invoices in between jobs .
I love tools, I will never stop purchasing .
I cant wait till I retire, and put all my boxes in my shop at home, and like the Grateful Deads " wall of sound " I will have my " wall of tools" At that point, they will all be wiped down, clean, and super organized .
I have 2 giant Snap on 3 bay roll cabs with tops, and 5 or 6 smaller bottom cabinets loaded down with stuff .
My tools at home are pretty organized and clean. I do , usually take one day a week, and try to put everything back and wipe down the boxes, but time is short here .
If I can find time, Ill give you guys a tour of all my stuff
I ended up watching a bunch of those videos , thanks Paul, good stuff .

I currently have a zero balance with the snap on man, but most of the time, I give him 200 a week.
I could pretty easily be driving a new 911 with the money I spend in tools

Referencing the Wall of Sound in a toolbox thread. Happy Friday!

Place that does fire apparatus work. This set up here cost him over 60 grand for the box alone...

Im gonna guess over a 1/4 mil in tools at least from what i seen in it.



http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1651877810.jpg

Other than the battery powered stuff, it's probably better than money in the bank.

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Ok, that is pretty awesome. I cannot however , imagine me trying to keep white clean and unless I hit the lottery , I am done writing big checks for tool storage .
I paid close to 15 for my one big box in 2001. I have used it every day since, and it still functions 100%.
I have not bought a new box since, and most likely never will. I always wait for a scratch and dent, or a nice trade in .

Lol. Yeah I had the same reaction the first time I walked in the place and seen that box. Instant stiffy! :D

That shop is immaculately kept. You would think that they didn't do any work, how clean it is.

.

Hey! My 3 chest high 26" Craftsperson rollaway full of stuff did a lot...memories of when RoninLB was here on his "big ride"...no lift, just floor jack and stands, but got him all ready to go on his next leg...had to chuckle a bit tho..I'm 6'3", so no problem grabbing what I need..Ron was maybe 5'8"? Used a step stool to see into the top 1" drawer full of screwdrivers. Funny, I never thought of that when stacking them. If I did it again, I'd probably go lower & wider.

Still...some mighty impressive pro sets posted here. Reminds me of a long ago coversation with an independent wrench, me admiring his tools. I said if I ever won a lottery, I'd buy a complete snap-on set. He replied that if he won, he'd give me his snap-on set, because he'd never work on a car again.

Like Jack Olsen's garage.

Women dress up for other women. Guys trick out their hobby stuff to impress other guys.

That tool box is beyond sweet.

Same here. I usually buy mid-quality stuff and some of my tools are nearly 50 years old.

A pro's socket collection at a local shop...not mine
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1652037882.jpg

Ditto. I had three boxes so tall I used a milk crate to get to the top. And I’m 6’-4”.

Finally after 40 years, I bought a Matco toolbox. What a difference.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1652038886.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1652038886.jpg

Paul, as you know, it does not matter the brand, As long as the tool does the job. Few people realize the investment techs make in their trade. Besides school, a lawyer needs a computer, a note pad, a pen and a calculator..... lol.

I probably have 200K in my box, plus what the tools/equipment I have invested in for my shop, maybe another 350K-400K? Minimum

Any tech like the guy in the vid (and a few of my staff) that invest in making themselves successful are a gems. True committed gems....

As for your tools "when you croak"... my "uncle" (not my true uncle but mentor/second dad) passed in August, ton of tools that he left to me. My dad passed just a few weeks ago and left all his tools to me. We had them dispersed to many young folks who are interested in the trade who could not afford to upgrade their tool set up. Gifted them to anyone of them that wanted to come to get them. I know that would have made my Uncle Ted and my Dad happy.

Cheers

Yes Fred.

After 7 years of getting a free winter coat and other gifts for being one of the top 3 buyers on the truck I told my rep (very close friend of mine) that last year was the LAST year I want to be one of the top buyers..... lol Now that includes our shop equipment, which is all snap on (lifts, multiple tool cabs, screw compressor, jet wash, blasting cabinet, solvent wash tank etc) except our wheel/tire machines and alignment machine.....

But we also provide gift cards on the truck to our staff and from time to time pick up the tab on a tool they chose to buy or their weekly payment....

Cheers

Jeff, well written...and I know we all have gained more respect for those pros who make the investment and time to become good techs.

And thanks for the suggestion...I'm thinking there's a young apprentice tech out there who'd love having my old tools. They'd make a good starter set...but for now? Well, never know when I might need to use one. Your "uncle" and Dad probably felt the same.

(edit) All 3 of my 26" chests are the blue "ball bearing griplatch" Craftsperson...works well for me, I guess. Better than when I had tools piled up in smaller tool boxes and shelves.