factory maintenance man

[chksbak]

i have recently change postion in the company i work for and will be a maintenance man, i already had a small craftsman roller cabinet 3 draws and a storage area and a craftsman top chest with 3 small draws across the top and 4 two inch draws and a 4 inch draw, after bring those into work i made a deal with one of the maintenence men to buy his old box which is two craftman roller cabinets in a made roller cart one has 8 draws the other 9 draws picked them both up for 140.00 they should last me for awhile, most of my tools are craftman and then a mix of other lesser brands. after reading on this board for the last week, i would like to get some nicer tools some time since using them will be how i earn my living from now on, so what do you think should be my first nicer tool purchase? screw drivers, ratchet or something else?

 

[justinmc]

I would say it depends on what tool you reach for the most. If you are servicing things where you are constantly reaching for wrenches then buy a good set of wrenches in the sizes you need.. .varying offsets, styles of wrenches, etc.

If you reach for ratchets and sockets all the time spend your money there.. and so on and so forth.

I'd say the basic "hardline" stuff are the stuff you'll want to have good quality tools in. Wrenches, Ratchets & Sockets and Screwdrivers. From there you'll find you might need some specialty tools that you use alot or some you don't. Just spend your money where its making you money. If that makes any sense?

 

[speed bump]

What kind of place do you work in? That will determine what you need, it also doesn't hurt to ask the guys what they use all the time.

My personal thought would be worried about those tools you need and if you feel the tools you have now don't do the job after you have done it for awhile then you can upgrade.

 

[zmotorsports]

Congratulations on the position. When I first started in the maintenance department for our company I had only Craftsman and they did the job fairly well. However, as time went on there were a lot more tools that I needed and I started to purchase the best I could afford each time and have not regretted it. Most of the guys I worked with when I started were pretty good about loaning tools to the new guys as long as they could see we were making an effort to purchase and improve our inventory. The newbies that didn't make any effort to purchase the tools to do their job were quickly 'cut off' from borrowing tools by the senior technicians. I would make a 'wish list' and keep it on my clipboard and if I had to borrow a tool I would write it down, then if I had to borrow it again it received a star next to it and those were the tools I worked on purchasing as quickly as money would allow. In my experience I started upgrading my wrenches, screwdrivers, sockets then ratchets in that order as I could definately tell a difference once I started wrenching for a living all day long. Mike.

P.S. it also helped to have a very understanding wife.

 

[fatfillup]

High quality screwdrivers, ratchets, good extensions, cman pro wrenches. Cman sockets should work well for quite a while. Knipex cobra pliers, and good dykes (klien or SO), good needle nose (SO or Knipex) and keep a running list as suggested above. I turn wrenches only part time but have done so for 26 years and unfortunately have been cheap too far into my career. Good tools are a pleasure to use and make your work more enjoyable. I wish I would have paid attention earlier.

You got some very good advice from some of the other posters. It was well thought out!

Good luck with your career. If you can get certified on the company's dime for electrical or hvac, do it. It will open many doors for you.

 

[Eds_tls]

Good luck with the new job!

I've worked on the factory floor for 13 years.

Maybe you already know this, but the #1 rule when borrowing tools is to return them as soon as you are done and make sure you bring them back clean. And actually hand them back to the person you borrowed them from, (don't just leave them on his box). If you can't find the guy, hold on to the tools until you do see him.

These are really important and stick to these rules 100% of the time. Seriously