Filling up my new Snap-On cart!!

[jrherald420]

Just started using my student discounts this last month on tools, and man does it feel good!!!! lol its not much but i only had about 1600.00 to spend this semester. Come Sept ill have close to 6000.00 to buy the rest of my tools and my upper and lower boxes with!!

Its a good feeling to know now im 29 years old and have a good start to building a tool collection that should last me the rest of my life and maybe passed on to my child.

First off was my Snap-On 3 drawer roll cart, couldnt get the green one so i went with blue. I payed 448.00 with tax

Second was this haul from Matco, total with shipping was 180.00
The red boxes are a fuel pressure tester and a vacuum gauge set

And todays haul from Matco and Snap-On- 800.00 with tax and shipping.
Sadly my Long and short pick sets along with my 5pc Vise Grip sets are all back ordered. Ive also got 120.00 worth of the Mechanic's Time Savers magnetic socket and wrench holders comming but they too are back ordered.

Oh yeah, i also bought a Fluke 88v full kit 2 months ago for 380.00 shipped.

 

[hilld]

Nice purchase, now get them dirty and make some money with them.

 

[jrherald420]

Done and done!!!! lol Ive got an alternator to put on this weekend. Too bad i dont have my tools yet for A/C work, i could make some good money quick this summer!!

 

[MattT]

Too bad i dont have my tools yet for A/C work, i could make some good money quick this summer!!

You could've tooled up for basic A/C work for the price of that cart.

 

[jrherald420]

The gauges,dye kit,vacuum pump and scale are going to cost me 700.00 with my discounts, hardly what i payed for the cart alone.

 

[MattT]

The gauges,dye kit,vacuum pump and scale are going to cost me 700.00 with my discounts, hardly what i payed for the cart alone.

How much of that is the gauges and pump? And even if they were higher than the price of the cart off the truck with student discount I know you could've gotten them elsewhere for less than you paid for the cart. Give priority to the tools that'll generate you the most income

 

[diesel research]

The gauges,dye kit,vacuum pump and scale are going to cost me 700.00 with my discounts, hardly what i payed for the cart alone.

Student discounts are nice but do NOT mean you can only shop from said discount provider.

Mastercool ac manifold set: $100
vacuum pump: price ranges widely, but $150 will get a decent one
Dye kit: often well under $100
Scale: varies greatly
Add in various thermometers

So it is possible to get away with less than cart prices for basics.

That is not quite fully equipped, since there are quite a few other tools that may be involved, such as epa mandated recovery equipment, line disconnect tools, identifiers, sealant detectors, thermistor gauges, valve core removers, FOT removers, ect ect. Depends on how legal/professional/far you want to go.

Of course having any of that stuff before summer just makes sense.

 

[amorrow]

Nice cart and nice tools...the cart would look great beside that Cobra.

 

[jrherald420]

How much of that is the gauges and pump? And even if they were higher than the price of the cart off the truck with student discount I know you could've gotten them elsewhere for less than you paid for the cart. Give priority to the tools that'll generate you the most income

Im still in school with a year left before im done, on top of that im a stay at home dad so i wont really be puting my ASE's to use intill the baby is older. A box and basic tools was the first thing i needed, i cant tote around thousands of dollars in tools in a bag. As for the A/C tools i said it would be nice not that it was manditory that i get them yet. Im basing what tools/ brands to buy off of the advise of 6 Master ASE Ceritfied techs that teach at our college with a combined work experince of close to 150 years. Im still going to be doing A/C work this summer, just not with my tools yet.

 

[jrherald420]

Nice cart and nice tools...the cart would look great beside that Cobra.

I agree!!! Too bad its not mine, ive got a notchback foxbody.

 

[ZombiehunterEKY]

Nice Cart. I have one in Candy Apple Red. About filled up now. I am going to have to get me a actually box now. It would be nice to get the student discount but alas the tech programs around here require at least 4 days a week and working as a tech already 50 hours a week don't leave much time for much else. Do you have any pics of your basic service tools?

 

[jrherald420]

Not yet, right now im using the Blue Point 100pc ( #blpgssc100) set as my basic wrenches+ 1/4" and 3/8" sockets along with some Gearwrench's and some Craftsman stuff my dad gave me years ago. This next semester im buying the Master Tech kit from Snap-On along with a Classic 78 lower box and an upper to match.

 

[ZombiehunterEKY]

Just a lil advice I want to offer. While I have not been in this field for long (around 3 months) most of the work in a dealership is General Service ****. Trans Service, Diff Service, coolant ect. I would slow up on the Master Kit and look at getting your General Service Items first. Make sure you have those items. Starting out that is more than likely what you will be doing the majority of the time. JMHO. YMMV. Example being. We just hired and fired a tech student. The first day he comes in and we are shooting the **** and he asks. Do you all work on high performance engines. My reply while being smartass in nature is true. Yeah we sure do. Oil Changes, drain and fills. Air filters Battery replacements. He lasted one two week pay period.

ETA: I am digging that brake kit set.

 

[expatriated]

Sounds like your motivated and got a plan. Good on you! Nice tools.

Don't get over your head in debt is my only advice.

 

[jrherald420]

Ive already got most of those items, Ive had them for awhile now i just dont have them shown in the pictures. Ive also got all my diagnostic tools except my coolant pressure tester (which i could have used myself this last week) and A/C gauges, i out grew my Craftsman cart years ago, hence the roll cart, now im buying quality hand tools to replace the mis matched stuff ive had for years. Im really building up a good quality basic set for at home along with a full kit to do the real money making work with.

 

[jrherald420]

Sounds like your motivated and got a plan. Good on you! Nice tools.

Don't get over your head in debt is my only advice.

Cash is king in this household!!! lol No debt here. The wife and i were both very stupid years ago causing us to have both of or cars repoed and forcing us to file bakruptcy after being layed off from my job. Since then every car we have owned or still own has been payed for in cash along with the new furniture we bought and so on. I refuse to ever again be in that kind of debt again!!!!!

 

[ZombiehunterEKY]

Don't get over your head in debt is my only advice.

This too. I had to go in debt more than I would have liked. When I was hired the only tool I owned was a one way screwdriver with a broke tip. LoL. My friend that got me the job lent me a IR Impact Kit and a 300 piece C-Man tool set. Then I meet the devil I mean the Snap On Man. LMAO.

 

[jrherald420]

Well im lucky to have a friend that can get me SO tools for the student prices anytime i need them so i wont be the SO mans best friend!!! lol

 

[diesel research]

Im basing what tools/ brands to buy off of the advise of 6 Master ASE Ceritfied techs that teach at our college with a combined work experince of close to 150 years.

Ask them which of the 3 actually build their own ac tools. if they are honest, they will say "none", with the exception of a piece or 2. Robinaire, mastercool, yellow jacket, pretty much own the professional end of the spectrum. Bet the gauges you used in your classes were robinaire or mastercool. Even w/o being there I can almost put a dollar on that. Along with the vacuum pump as well. Even if it had a rebrand sticker on it.

That is one thing you may figure out over time. Matco makes boxes, SO makes boxes/some electronics/basic hand tools/air tools, and no one knows what mac makes. lmao

 

[jrherald420]

I used Snap-On brand A/C gauges everyday in my HVAC class a year ago. Our school uses mainly Snap-On and S&K tools in every class except heavy trucks classes. I built houses for 7 years and i do know 90% of the HVAC companys we used, used Robinaire equipment for filling and recharging jobs so i understand how nice there stuff is.

 

[jrherald420]

We did have 2 new Mastercool recharge/recycle/recovery machines, 1 older Mastercool machine and 2 old Snap-On brand. The newer Mastercools were very nice machines to use, and they were ALMOST idiot proof to use.......almost