Let's talk tools and boxes
Discussion
Just wondering what people are using, pics if possible.
I on the whole think snap on is over rated , I do have a snap on box but only as I got it in a deal I did.
Tool wise I seem to go towards tent tools and beta, the beta stuff is great and often comes with a nice foam tray to keep them in.
I've got a few snap on bits, it's good but a lot of money.
Wera stuff feels nice but don't as yet have any
Not every draw but a few pics
I've got one of these for storing my hand-tools:
Build quality isn't perfect but it's solid enough that it'll last longer than me with the amount of use it gets.
The quality of my tools varies enormously depending on how much use I expect them to get. My ratchets, etc. are mid range stuff - are mostly Halfords Pro which again, whilst not perfect, will probably out-last me. My air tools vary from dirt cheap air-lances, etc. to a decent mid-priced Sealey impact wrench; the compressor itself is branded "Wolf" but it's clearly a cheap Chinese made one but since it probably only runs a couple of hours a week on average I suspect it'll last OK.
I don't really see the point in buying "professional quality" tools if they're not going to get professional levels of use.
Build quality isn't perfect but it's solid enough that it'll last longer than me with the amount of use it gets.
The quality of my tools varies enormously depending on how much use I expect them to get. My ratchets, etc. are mid range stuff - are mostly Halfords Pro which again, whilst not perfect, will probably out-last me. My air tools vary from dirt cheap air-lances, etc. to a decent mid-priced Sealey impact wrench; the compressor itself is branded "Wolf" but it's clearly a cheap Chinese made one but since it probably only runs a couple of hours a week on average I suspect it'll last OK.
I don't really see the point in buying "professional quality" tools if they're not going to get professional levels of use.
Edited by kambites on Thursday 31st December 10:53
Ilovejapcrap said:
I've looked at them for my dad the stainless steel 72 inch long job on eBay .
Does it lock well / hold good weight per draw ?
I've never tried to lock it; it lives in a garage which has direct access to the house so people getting into the tool chest would be the last of my worries if they got into the garage. Does it lock well / hold good weight per draw ?
There's a small amount of flex in the bottoms of the long drawers if you put a lot of weight in the centre but I think the whole thing would tip over before the weight caused the drawer to flex far enough to come off its rails - I'd imagine the largest drawers would cope with ~50kg evenly distributed without suffering any ill effects.
Let me know if you want any detailed photos of the construction or anything.
Edited by kambites on Thursday 31st December 18:47
I have the cheap Halfords unit (not the pro one). For my use its fine.
Since I bought a house I've had a lot more tools to store so I've had to add a mid box unit.
It's not pro quality, but for barely more than £100 I can't complain!
I've taken tool organisation a bit far, I think - a bunch of spanner holders, liners in each drawer, all bits in holders, socket holders etc.
Since I bought a house I've had a lot more tools to store so I've had to add a mid box unit.
It's not pro quality, but for barely more than £100 I can't complain!
I've taken tool organisation a bit far, I think - a bunch of spanner holders, liners in each drawer, all bits in holders, socket holders etc.
Ilovejapcrap said:
Love the organisation on ya spaners. Little bit of OCD top work
Thanks! I love the cases that expensive tools come in, but theres never any room for that extra bit you need and bought later. I started with a single Halfords box - great until I needed some extra sockets, a breaker bar, a funny sized spanner, etc...My spanners (for example) are all different brands (Britool, Halfords, Silverline and even two that are Chinese!) so I just cut down some Sealey spanner holders - http://www.sealey.co.uk/PLPageBuilder.asp?id=20&am... - they fit perfectly in the drawers and look great.
The drawer liner is a cut down Yoga/excercise/camping mat (why some tool boxes come without liners is beyond me!). I deliberately went for a silly colour to make it easy to find stuff - a dirty hex bit is easy to miss against a black background!
Any excuse for some more pictures...
I get a strange enjoyment organising my tools (yes, I know). It's horrible knowing you have a tool - but have no idea where it is!
voicey said:
Don't under estimate how much time an organised tool box can save you. If you spend 20 seconds searching for the correct tool every time you need one it soon mounts up over the course of a week!
100% - my tools used to be in buckets and boxes, trying to find a 10mm spanner could take 5 minutes.Earlier this year I lashed out £150 on the Halfords chest below and it has been a godsend.
It didn't come with rubber mats - I just bought some sheet rubber and cut it to size but you can buy rolls of the correct width on Ebay.
No ball bearing runners on the drawers which give a real quality feel but not a problem for me.
(The SGS kit looks really good - comes with mats and ball bearing runners)
The rest of the garage is a bit of a train smash at the moment but at least my tools are tidy!
Edited by Andy 308GTB on Saturday 2nd January 12:53
Edited by Andy 308GTB on Saturday 2nd January 12:53
Edited by Andy 308GTB on Saturday 2nd January 12:54
Jakg said:
I have the cheap Halfords unit (not the pro one). For my use its fine.
Since I bought a house I've had a lot more tools to store so I've had to add a mid box unit.
It's not pro quality, but for barely more than £100 I can't complain!
I've taken tool organisation a bit far, I think - a bunch of spanner holders, liners in each drawer, all bits in holders, socket holders etc.
I got one of those halfords ones with the black drawer handles reduced from them at the weekend as there was a very slight dent in it. THIRTY FIVE QUID. Stuck it with my other cabs, bloody bargain.Since I bought a house I've had a lot more tools to store so I've had to add a mid box unit.
It's not pro quality, but for barely more than £100 I can't complain!
I've taken tool organisation a bit far, I think - a bunch of spanner holders, liners in each drawer, all bits in holders, socket holders etc.
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