Questions for those that has multible sets of same tools.

[Holt]

Heres is the deal. I was over at my friends and we where doing some work and needed a #2 phillips. He pointed me to which drawer in his box they are and I grabber phillips head needed and proceed to work. After I was finished using it he needed it on his side. To quote him "O great you used my good one" with a attitude. I asked what was wrong and he said I grabbed the wrong screwdriver. I looked at it and said. #2 phillips and length was fine. Looking confused. He said I grabbed from the nice set and there was a dirty set in the back. He is a snappy fanatic and pretty much all he buys. He has a snap on box with full extention drawers and I had to pull it all the way out to see the "dirty ones" in the back.

So 2 questions. If you have a nice and dirty set wouldn't you put the dirty set at the front? also if you where having someone get it wouldn't you tell them which ones to grab.

I guess 3 questions. For those of you with a nice and a dirty set the question is why? Not trying to start a argument or anything but to me tools are meant to be used and that is what I do with mine. I do have plumb tools that I don't use and that is because they are collectible and I keep them away from my work tools. I honestly don't think he is collecting them and he just wants to have a nice set to show off, but i'm not sure. He likes to brag about what he has and how much things cost so I don't want to get pissed about him bragging if I start asking questions.
BTW the set of drivers are the exact same no difference. So I know it's not a handle color thing.

 

[canuckian]

I don't have a dirty set and a clean set intentionally but that's just how it worked out for me. My daily use stuff is in my cart. My main box holds some bigger stuff that can't fit in my cart or that I don't use a lot and then there's my newer tools. I guess you could refer to those as my clean tools. I do use them quite a bit but I'm very careful not to use them on jobs with a lot of oil and grease, unless I can help it. If i do have to get them dirty, they're cleaned before they're put back. I guess subconsciously, i just want to keep them as 'new" as possible for as long as I can. That being said, if I was working with someone on something and i asked them to grab a tool, I'd specify "from the cart". If they couldn't find it in the cart, I'd specify the exact tool and in what drawer it was in and what it was next to in the drawer from the box (i know exactly where everything is in my toolbox - it's a little sickness I have!!)

 

[kc-steve]

Well let's see, . . . you have been a member since 2008 and only have 31 posts.

For over 30 years I used tools professionally as an electronics technician yet NEVER thought of separating "good" tools from "worn" tools, or clean from dirty. A tool was a tool to be used.

However, since I have joined GJ I have a new appreciation for some U.S.-made tools that seem to be getting more rare everyday. These days I have purchased tools such as Pittsburgh and the like to use so I can preserve those good ole' tools that I plan to keep in excellent shape for many more years.

Steve

 

[leod]

I do the reverse: my main tools are my Professional onces since they are so nice to use, CM as backup.

but i am only a DIY'er and only use it once in a while

 

[MartyO]

I have multiple sets of a lot of tools. All of my tools get used. With care, of course.

My biggest bug is that my tools seem to have feet and walk away from the box and roll cart. Pesky little things those sneaky tools!!

 

[Holt]

However, since I have joined GJ I have a new appreciation for some U.S.-made tools that seem to be getting more rare everyday. These days I have purchased tools such as Pittsburgh and the like to use so I can preserve those good ole' tools that I plan to keep in excellent shape for many more years.

Steve

These are the answers I'm looking for. Since I started reading this forum I have also found a appreciation for US tools. Before I found Garage Journal I use to buy Stanly from WalMart. Like I said I have a collection of plomb tools I don't use. You cant warrenty them like a snap on if I broke it.

Well let's see, . . . you have been a member since 2008 and only have 31 posts.


Steve

Not sure what you are implying here. I been a lurker on this forum for many years and never really posted. My post count souldnt really mean anything. If someone asked a questions and I feel like my answer is not the right thing I let a person more experience answer. I like to read this forum and don't always have time to post or feel the need when their 50 other post with the same answer that I would say.

 

[kc-steve]

. . . Not sure what you are implying here. I been a lurker on this forum for many years and never really posted. My post count souldnt really mean anything. If someone asked a questions and I feel like my answer is not the right thing I let a person more experience answer. I like to read this forum and don't always have time to post or feel the need when their 50 other post with the same answer that I would say.

Sorry, just joking with you. I was thinking your low post count might mean you haven't really been reading the info often, but you've clarified that.

Glad to have been assistance.

Steve

 

[Holt]

Sorry, just joking with you. I was thinking your low post count might mean you haven't really been reading the info often, but you've clarified that.

Glad to have been assistance.

Steve

Its cool. Come on here about once a day at least If I can. I found the forum about 5 years ago I think.
I understand wanting to keep things nice but when It comes to tools I like to use them. I guess I just I'm just pissed how my friend acted like a **** when I grabbed from the wrong set. Worst of all after he bitched at me he continued to used the tool and not even clean it off when he was done

 

[demographic]

Meh, yer mates just a big girls blouse, that's all.

If he's that bothered about it he should have told you about it first, as it is, he didn't so its tough.

 

[mrholeshot]

I have differant screwdrivers for clean work and dirty work. Clean work being for interior. They all get used

 

[NY Old Guy]

Well it would seem that if someone has really nice tools, it would give satisfaction to use them. To just hold them and put them to use would put a smile on my face. Even to clean them up after use would give me some enjoyment. If they are sitting in the tool box, you don't see them or use them, therefore the only satisfaction to be had is knowing they are there.

Personally, I have nice tools and I use them. I also have tools that aren't as nice and but I keep them in reserve for just in case. So for me it's the opposite, I'll use my nicest stuff and my 2nd string is gathering dust.

 

[expatriated]

Meh, yer mates just a big girls blouse, that's all.

Whilst I'm not really sure what the heck this means, I think I agree with him.

If he didn't say anything, it isn't your fault.

Personally, I have some crappy stuff that I let the kids use or I lend out. Don't understand a "clean" vs "dirty" set. If they're really dirty, why doesn't he just clean them? Or does he mean all beat up?

I've got Snap-on, Hazet and other stuff that I consider high-dollar. They're all used but cleaned up before being put away. I would like my son's son to have them one day.

 

[Holt]

Whilst I'm not really sure what the heck this means, I think I agree with him.

If he didn't say anything, it isn't your fault.

Personally, I have some crappy stuff that I let the kids use or I lend out. Don't understand a "clean" vs "dirty" set. If they're really dirty, why doesn't he just clean them? Or does he mean all beat up?

I've got Snap-on, Hazet and other stuff that I consider high-dollar. They're all used but cleaned up before being put away. I would like my son's son to have them one day.

I mean to say clean unused sets and beat up sets.
Thanks for pointing that out.

 

[toolman1967]

I have multiple sets because if you need one wrench on a nut , you probably need the same one for the head of the bolt. they all go together in sets so that you can find the mate. Cant understand the "clean " set and "Dirty" set......OCD maybe.

 

[johnsdeere850j]

Sounds like someone with obsessive compulsive disorder or something...older guy in my shop is like that, he has a full set of snap on everything, got to be at least 100 grand worth in a big krl box, it just sits next to his other tool box locked and covered up, I have never seen him work out of it in the 5 years here. He works out of a craftsman box full of craftsman and such tools, and just goes and uncovers his snap on box when he needs a particular tool in a pinch, then he polishes it and puts it back real neat then the next day he'll show up with that tool only a cheap brand ...weird dude.

 

[TireTracks]

I just have tools.

Never concidered needing/wanting to have a set of clean and a set of dirty tools.

 

[PinkLinc]

WTF is the point of having a box full of Snap On tools if you don't use them? I use my good tools every chance I get. And if someone is helping me, they use the good stuff too. These aren't fragile pieces of jewelry... they're chunks of steel!

 

[treasureseeker]

I have no doubles by design but many similar versions like many 3/8 Snap On ratchets and use different ones at times.

 

[tw33k2514]

Sounds dumb to me. All my tools get used no matter how nice they are.

 

[Mr.Nutcase]

tell him take chill pill, and smack him in head for acting a *****

 

[W650Mike]

A friend that gets upset over using his "clean" tools isn't much of a friend.

I recently had a buddy helping me on a project. He's rough on stuff and was abusing and mis-using several tools. I cringed, bit my lip, and didn't say a thing. I enjoy his company and he's always the first to show up when I need a hand. (...but damn...pounding on a needle-nose to get a cotter pin out...grrr!)

 

[Weps]

i think it depends on how "dirty" you mean. i do have tools that i use regularly that i try to keep separate from tools that are used to work on new or inside the house items. this is mainly to prevent grease/staining/dirt/ on furniture, clothing, or elsewhere.

if i pick up a screwdriver in the shop and get a swipe of grease in my palm it's not such a big deal. if i would happen to use that same screwdriver inside and then accidentally leave a noticeable grease mark on an expensive fabric or an exotic piece of unfinished wood, it only has to happen once before you decide to just keep a "clean" set.

 

[Aberdale]

I have multiples, but not a clean/dirty kind of thing. I keep 3 sets of wrenches so that If I am using one and need another, I pretty much know I can find it in the box. I also have more than one project going on at once, so I may need a 10mm wrench at the car, and another 10mm wrench at the workbench. It's just easier than trying to hunt down a wrench if I only had one.

As to your bud, maybe you should find another bud that's more fun to hang with. I'm not saying drop him altogether, but there's a lot of guys out there that would be glad to have your help without bitchin' about nothing.

I have a "friend" that is similar. I got tired of listening to him complain about trivial stuff and decided I'd rather hang out with some different guys. Now he stops over once in a while and asks why I don't come over more often.

 

[Ritter4.0]

I kinda like the idea of having one set for clean projects, and another for dirty projects. That way I wouldn't have to clean my dirty set every time I need to work on something clean.

Most of my tools are bought used anyway so it really doesn't matter to me.

 

[spongerich]

You keep the clean ones in the front of the box so everyone can see how pretty they are when you open the drawer.

 

[richfinn]

I get what you are saying, I like good tools and I have a pretty good kit for working on cars but its a mis match of all sorts of stuff. My snap-on combi spanners are odd lengths and include a 13mm blue point in a satin finish and various ages as they have been bought secondhand. Its not a pretty set but it works and I have got attached to them.

I like tools/boxes with a "patina" if its too nice or new or dressed up in fancy foam inserts its not my cup of tea, It takes a long time to put a set of tools together properly. I like to see the home made, well organised stuff and old boxes covered in stickers to show where you have been.

 

[Greatbear]

I have "clean" tools somewhat separated from others in my box mainly for use in interiors of cars and such. While I try to keep all of my tools clean, over time the handles and business ends get stained. It's a simple matter to have some extras. When and if a "dirty" tool gets busted, one from the "clean" pack takes its place, and a new clean one goes in. However, all the tools get used, and used well and hard.

 

[Shipfittin]

I don't really separate my tools between new and beat up. I try not to abuse my tools more then I have to.

 

[strnjss]

Maybe if he's a collector he should seal his tools behind a glass display case instead of putting it in the garage to pretend they're ever going to be used.

However, I do have 'sacrificial' tools that I just don't care about that I use for anything I know would destroy or gross-up my good tools. I would never store them together.

But my 'good' tools get used the most. That's the point of buying them as tools isn't it?

Your friend is apparently a collector.

EDIT:
Oh I forgot to mention, I actually lock up my expensive tools since someone I won't mention took my expensive torque wrench and used it as a hammer. So maybe your friend's more concerned with keeping his good tools safe from other's control?

 

[sizzler90]

I have found it realyy useful to have multiple sets of tools.
Why? Because when I have help over, they always seem to need the same tool I am working with. So why not make it easy on us all.
All of my tools are there to be used and are used. If not then why have them? They are not dirty but are not spotless. Some of them have been known to walk away. And if I have someone over and they do something wrong with my tools I would tell them, but not with attitide. As long as they don't do stupid stuff like use a hammer on tools not made for it I think it's ok.

 

[honcho]

I have at least five different "sets" that all have some common tools but are job specific.

The garage "master" set. Other than electronic and plumbing tools, if I have one of something it's in the garage set. It's usually where the "best" quality tool is located. But if I need to use something out of the garage, I don't hesitate because in the end, getting the job done is why I have the tools in the first place.

The truck tool bag. This goes with me in the truck and it's there all the time. It's the most used set of tools. It keeps getting heavier as I decide I need to add tools and rarely subtract anything. Metric to 22mm, SAE to 1 inch. 3/8 inch drive but I do carry a 1/2 inch breaker bar and 1/2F-3/8F adapter.

The portable tool box. More tools than the truck tool bag and a very complete set of 1/4 and 3/8 drive tools. Has nicer ratchets than my truck tool bag because I lose too much out of the truck bag

The micro tools / electronics tool box. Complete 1/4 set and smaller metric and SAE, Nutdrivers, insulated screwdrivers, soldering irons, various small clamps, Digital VOM, insulated pliers. minature wire cutters. Lots of consumable electronics supplies (solder, shrink tubing, lugs, connectors, fuses, connectors, etc...)

The plumbing tools. Assorted pipe wrenches, basin wrenches, snake, pliers, propane torch and such.

Plus the household repair bucket. Hammer, corded drill and bits, pliers, screwdrivers, knives, assorted packages of hardware and on and on.

The nicest (best) stuff is in the master set but I have good stuff in each one. I am ruthless about getting rid of crappy tools--especially screwdrivers, cheap adjustable wrenches and disposable tools that often come with ready-to-assemble furniture.

This doesn't include the woodworking tools which aren't very well organized or the power tools other than the corded drill I keep in the household bucket.

 

[nikonica]

^^I'm with Honcho

I keep a "master set" in my main rollaway toolchest, in the little shop that's attached to the back of my garage. These, the finest of my tools, get used for reassembly work, like engine or transmission rebuilding, or anything involving classic British motorcycles. Then there's sort of a "backup set" that actually gets used the most, since it's conveniently located in the main garage. My friends and I tend to use the backup set for the unpredictable stuff. Then there's a portable set that stays in the trunk of my car or behind the seat of my truck and contains just about everything that I might be able to use on the side of the road. Some of these "road" tools are cheaper tools, but they work fine and have helped me out many times. Then finally there are two small three-drawer chests, one is full of all the BA and Whitworth stuff and special tools for old bikes, and the other has all the wiring tools so I can drag it to wherever I'm wiring and have everything I need.

The truth is, they're all tools and meant to be used! Now, I don't think that tools should be abused, left out in the rain or put away wet or dirty. But if you take care of a good tool, it should last pretty much forever, no?

 

[Old Donn]

I just have tools.

Never concidered needing/wanting to have a set of clean and a set of dirty tools.

What TT said. The tools in the garage get more use because they're within reach, but that's the only reason they get more mileage than the ones in the basement.

 

[Duker]

My division of tools is more of a "wife and kids" can use these and the rest is for me... I now know that cringing face and feeling my dad expressed when he saw me digging in the dirt with his rosewood handle screwdriver. It was the same feeling I had watching my wife stir a can of paint with my only (at the time) SO screw driver I had. From that point on I have had two tool chest's. My original craftsman is now for my family and my tool box is "persona non grata" to everyone else. As I upgraded my tools the old ones went into the old box. Its made my life and her to-do list easier on the both of us.

 

[lowbucktruck]

Ditto to what TireTracks said. Tools are meant to be used. Very confusing... sounds like your buddy has a case of "toolbox jewelry". Its kind of like spending a lot of money on a new car that never leaves the inside of your garage (garage queen!)... what's the point in that???

Now separating the good set of tools from the loaner/for family-use tools makes more sense. But your buddy could have just told you that. I tell my wife, if its hanging up on the pegboard, you can use it. (needless to say, I've had to give her an old hammer for hanging stuff on the wall inside the house, so she will leave my good framing hammers alone)

 

[Sterff]

I have multiple sets and they each have their uses. I use one set for the dirty work and one set for clean work.

 

[Greatbear]

I neglected to say that I have different tool "areas" at the house. A "lab" where I do my electronic and computer work, the basement workshop that is geared mainly toward woodworking and fabrication, the garage is an entirely separate building, and I have a large tool tote with a variety of tools and equipment I take around on jobs and trips, plus both an electrical and carpenter's tool belt. Stuff is segregated by the function of the areas, but of course tools and equipment get shared among them.

 

[jvitez]

I do an inside/outside type of thing, so I'm not getting anything inside the house oily with tools used under a car. Mostly pliers, Crescent wrenches, multi-bit screwdirvers, that sort of thing. I keep them in a specific hand box so they don't get mixed with oily/grimy tools.

Since joining GJ my tool collection/selection has improved a couple of orders of magnitude. I'm now finding I'm splitting tools into woodworking and mechanical sides. I don't want to use a grimy tool on bare wood.

Otherwise, your "friend" is treating you with significant disrespect. I'd smack him upside the head with a nice clean dead blow hammer.

 

[dwm]

Q: whose work was being done, yours or your friends? I'm gonna guess it was yours? Maybe he was just irked about the time to get the job done?

Many years ago, I had a friend stop by for some "minimal" car work. Since the car hadn't been well-maintained... the usual story, little jobs become big jobs. When the sun started to rise and we still weren't done, I was pretty annoyed. I can laugh and smile about it now, but I was pretty darn cranky at 6:00AM that morning.

I have many duplicates, but not for the purpose of pretty/ugly or even dirty/clean (though the woodworking stuff stays away from the greasy automotive stuff). I use the best tool for the job that doesn't require a walk to the other garage. And I encourage my friends to do the same. I could get hit by a bus tomorrow; I'm not gonna let the years go by without appreciating what makes a particular tool better than the next and makes me enjoy the work more.

To each his own though; nothing wrong with being a collector. Being a jerk about it is another story.

 

[mos84imo]

I have been learning body work (kind of an apprenticeship deal), and the guy I work for has two sets. One for doing body work and one for 'dirty' work. So as to avoid getting grease or other contaminants on cars to be painted and running the risk of fish eyeing. Which makes sense given the cost of paint.

He did have a 'yard' set (read stanley) for me to use when I was pulling parts or prepping until he started trusting me enough to not lose his real tools, and I must say getting to use real tools makes work so much more fun! So now the yard set is sitting in the corner collecting dust. Just my two cents from a newbie.