Considering selling my toolbox

[56FordGuy]

Figured I'd toss this out and see what y'all thought about it.

About 10 years ago I was a shop tech and purchased a Snap On Classic 96. About 8 years ago I changed jobs and became a field tech, and brought the SO box home and put it in my shop here. It's probably 30% full, with the rest of my tools in my road box and compartments on my service truck.

For a variety of reasons, my better half and I are planning to move in the next year, leaving TN and going 1,300 miles west. I don't yet have a job lined up, but expect to stay in the same career field and a similar position as a field tech. I'm considering selling my SO box because it will be costly to move, we can certainly use the money while making that move, and it can easily be replaced if I have to; but I really could probably get by without it. Since I work out of a truck, it sits at home and collects dust. If I do go back into a shop I can always buy another one, though that would be costly or go buy the forum favorite HF box. On the other hand the box I have is paid for, and with my road box on top of it would hold all my tools should I take a shop tech position after we move.

I'm on the fence with this one. What do y'all think?

 

[wrenchMONKEY_]

A tool box holds the stuff that makes you money. Since you want to work in a service truck, thats a moot point. The tools inside are what counts.

Don't hold onto something that you think you might need when you can sell it and make some money off it thats needed. As you say, you can always sell it and get a HF if you need down the road.

 

[wmartin]

Most people could probably stand to sell everything they have and move in an airplane with carry on luggage.

 

[DrBaker]

One less thing to move is a good thing. Change your mind later after the move and you can buy a used one for whatever you got out of the old one.

 

[vandezand]

If you are confident you want to stay in this position, I would sell it. You can use the money to help move or whatever. You can always buy a box later. HF is a great option

 

[SASORacing]

Sounds like you have some good reasons to sell. You can always bit another one once things settle in. Do you have room to pack a roll cart? Good luck

 

[Brownsfan]

That's tough. I guess it all depends on if you end up in a shop or in a service truck. I would imagine you will have a job lined up before you actually leave. So I'D say wait until your sure what route you will be going. I don't care what the HF 44" fan club here says. A HF box will not hold up as well in a pro environment as a Snap On even a classic series. Just my opinion. That being said. It also depends on the cost to move it. If it will fit on the truck you use to move the rest of your stuff then it really didn't cost anything. If you are absolutely sure you will be a field tech then sell it and buy the HF for your house.

 

[56FordGuy]

Long term, between 6-10 years after we move my goal is to be in a different career and no longer working as a tech. It's been a fun job and the pay has been fair, but I'm ready to do something else. Making such a big life change is hardly the time to make a massive career change as well without very solid grounding, so I expect to turn a few more wrenches. Long term reliability of a box isn't my biggest concern; I can wear out a handful of HF boxes in that time and still come out financially ahead of buying a Snap On KRL. That's assuming I go into a shop, instead of working out of a service truck like I have been which is the goal. No question SO builds a better box, I just don't know if the cost justifies the use I expect to get out of it. My road box is SO.

Buying used after the move has been an option, but the area we're considering moving to is in central Wyoming and the used market there is sparse. Lots of mining and diesel in the area, so there's a real chance I could end up back in a shop environment. The move itself is still in the early planning stages as we decide what we really need and what we don't. Worst case scenario, Denver is only 2-3 hours from where we want to be and we should be able to find replacements for most things there if we have to.

 

[wyo george]

Oil field guys loose jobs left and right, used tools and boxes are easy enough to find in Casper....

 

[MrJason]

Oil field guys loose jobs left and right, used tools and boxes are easy enough to find in Casper....

No joke. I've scored most deals with rig hands and tool pushers that lost their jobs and sell their tools cheap for quick cash.

Between the oilfields here in Bakersfield, and when I travel to SLC and Wyoming, I can count on bringing home a tool haul, 90% of the time.

JR

 

[jrobb316]

I am also in the process of a move, albeit only 350 miles. I hauled my home box (macsimizer 1300b) up there to my storage unit and my KRL at work will be the last thing I take. Personally, I wouldn't sell it. For one, you never know when you may need to get a job wrenching again, and if you do, you're all set up and ready to go. You will most likely, depending how you bought it, lose money. Third, tool boxes are not that hard to move. Last, why sell it for pennies and buy HF???

 

[ihateminimumwage]

Long term reliability of a box isn't my biggest concern; I can wear out a handful of HF boxes in that time and still come out financially ahead of buying a Snap On KRL. That's assuming I go into a shop, instead of working out of a service truck like I have been which is the goal. No question SO builds a better box, I just don't know if the cost justifies the use I expect to get out of it. My road box is SO.

You answered your own question there. Sell it and not end up hauling that much unneeded weight on your move. There are always plenty of good deals available no matter where you go, and HF is always an option.

 

[Bobcat753]

Take it with you. Think of how hard you worked to own that box. I'd never part with one of my expensive tools just to move. It's one thing you can't replace in a weeks time if you get hired in a different setting. If you go into a mining setting you thank your self that you kept it because a HF box can't hold 200lbs of 3/4" and 1" drive sockets!
Also you brought it home for a reason. You cared for that box. If you didn't you would have sold it.

 

[Parrothead]

Sell it and don't give it a second thought. Get ready for your move and enjoy your new life!

 

[bcradio]

You aren't missing much out west... Really no need to come out here for greener pastures!

I would try and keep it if moving it is possible

 

[SASORacing]

Pic of toolbox please?

 

[Bogey won]

Keep it , you don't know whats not waiting on the other end of the line and the possibility of using it might present itself, best to ya, on the move, takes heart and you got it.

 

[oldldh]

If you sell it...

Spend some of the money...

On something you'll need...

Like ---- LONGJOHNS!!!

 

[nicksnothereman]

Figured I'd toss this out and see what y'all thought about it.

About 10 years ago I was a shop tech and purchased a Snap On Classic 96. About 8 years ago I changed jobs and became a field tech, and brought the SO box home and put it in my shop here. It's probably 30% full, with the rest of my tools in my road box and compartments on my service truck.

For a variety of reasons, my better half and I are planning to move in the next year, leaving TN and going 1,300 miles west. I don't yet have a job lined up, but expect to stay in the same career field and a similar position as a field tech. I'm considering selling my SO box because it will be costly to move, we can certainly use the money while making that move, and it can easily be replaced if I have to; but I really could probably get by without it. Since I work out of a truck, it sits at home and collects dust. If I do go back into a shop I can always buy another one, though that would be costly or go buy the forum favorite HF box. On the other hand the box I have is paid for, and with my road box on top of it would hold all my tools should I take a shop tech position after we move.

I'm on the fence with this one. What do y'all think?

I would say no if your planned replacement is going to be financed. Not a great idea to replace "own" with "bank owned" when things are uncertain financially.

If you really won't run out and finance a tool truck box (or put a retail box on a credit card) then yeah sell it and use some of the money to move and the rest to replace the box with something you pay cash for. I know what happens with me when I got $500 bucks in my pocket (proverbially), I start buying the stupidest **** imaginable and overbuying other stuff then I end up with 20 tubes of toothpaste and 3 oil changes worth of oil and filters (stuff like that...stuff I don't need right away).

 

[ibedayank]

moved a few times in past few years and the first thing packed and ready has been and will be the toolboxes and tools as thats where I make my money or save myself money by fixing it myself

 

[Bigplum]

Once it's gone it's gone , if you bought the box new ,you have taken the hit on it just to past it on now and possibly buy another .
I can a few scenarios when selling it might be the best ie getting yourself out of financial headache or giving up the tools altogether

 

[BikerDad]

I'm going to come down on the keep it side. Unless you're going to be dumping almost everything and moving in a sedan and a suitcase, you're going to have a fair amount of stuff to move. The box is big, and folks doing long distance moves usually put the tools into small cardboard/moving boxes so they don't bang around and damage the big box. Go ahead and do that, but instead of putting all the extra clothes and linens and pictures and such into moving boxes, use the Snap-On as a protective box. Pack it full of light items and stuff that needs protection. Double duty.

If it were a recent vintage Craftsman, Harbor Freight or some other mid/low line box, I'd sing a different tune, but I'd keep a Snappy.

 

[BlackjackNA]

Through this forum, I am learning the value of tools, (Craftsman), that my father has passed on to me. Your boys will be happy to own your tools some day.

KEEP 'EM!

 

[enrare]

Sounds like there is a fair amount of unknown at this time. To me job security can be a bit worrisome when you are the new guy with little to no seniority, especially if the company needs to start cutting hours, etc. Maybe it's just my over-cautious personality, but if I was moving to new surroundings and job I'd like the piece of mind knowing should the worst happen and I had to fall back on my old line of work I was set and ready should I have to change gears quickly. An idea would be to start looking at the local Craig's List in the area your looking at moving to and get a feel for what used boxes are going for. May help in your decision on selling your Classic 96. Flip side might be depending on where your moving maybe you can upgrade to a used KRA or KRL for the same price as you can get for your Classic 96 in TN.

 

[Marc Benjamin]

Any chance you're gonna have to pay for storage just for that when you move? If that's the case then the box will acually cost you money to keep.

 

[crewchief888]

question is,
can you replace the box (with another one of similar quality) for what you sell it for?

probably not


i'd keep it,
no reason to dump it and then find out you wont be working out of a service truck, and HAVE to buy a new box after moving, setting up a "new" household, and starting a new job. to me it's just one more expense.

i wouldnt sell my boxes if i moved again.

i sold a roller cab and side box a few years ago, and regret doing it.

i've been at the same dealer for 16 years, and a field mechanic there for over 10 years. i'll probably retire from here, (in another 10 years) and hopefully wont have to return to shop work before i do.
no where near enough toolbox(s) for my tools now, and i'm done buying another big *** box.
just my $0.02

 

[56FordGuy]

Lot of good input on this thread, including some things I hadn't thought about.

To be clear, I'm not considering selling any tools, just the Classic 96 that's been sitting in my shop for the last few years. As it stands now, I don't need the 96. I work out of a service truck and expect to do that once we move. The only potential reason to keep the 96 is if I end up back in a shop after the move. I'm not sure it's worth hauling it cross country on a 'maybe'. I don't have a strong emotional attachment to it; it's a metal box and they build new ones just like it everyday.

If I do end up in a shop on the other end, and that's a big if, I can use my road box and build a cart/ table with doors to put big stuff on if I want, or replace the 96. No plan to finance a box, or even buy a new one unless it is just a HF box. Looking on eBay there are plenty of used KRLs for $2-3,000 that can be shipped, and the possibility of picking one up used from an oilfield guy or even driving down to Cheyenne or Denver to buy one is also there.

I can make a strong case, due in large part to y'all's input for both keeping and selling the box. I land about right square in the middle. Part of the reason we're moving is to downsize, and we are getting rid of a lot of 'stuff'. I expect to sell the majority of my shop and metalworking tools that I've been doing as a hobby, as over the last couple of years we've realized we want some different things out of life. My welder hasn't been touched in close to 6 months, and the little I have used it for have been small repairs that I could easily do with a $200 stick welder instead of the MM252 I bought when I was doing a pretty good side business fabricating.

I think I'm going to clean it up and list it; I have a number in my head that's my rock bottom price, and it's a few hundred cheaper than similar boxes are listed for locally. If it sells, cool. If it doesn't sell by the time I have some things figured out on the other end, aka what's the job situation look like, the storage needs, space on the truck going out there, etc I'll either move it or cut the price and let it go.

 

[joejeep92]

In the end it is all just stuff....you can't take it with you in the end for sure.

 

[Strouty]

If this was a new box and you were going to take a bath on it I would say don't sell it. It sounds like it has been paid for and owes you nothing. You are not really using it, it will cost money to bring it with you. That sounds like a no brainer to me.