Favorite tool belts - suggestions sought.

[LopezBart]

I'm working on my shop build (see sig), and I'm finding the tool belt I have (well, it's actually my wife's; my old one dates from the 1980s and is still in CA) sometimes slides down my hips when I'm carrying the usual load of stuff. This is awkward when descending a ladder, so I'm looking for a new one w/ suspenders (excuse me, "suspension harness"). Any favorites or brands/versions to avoid? Are any particularly suited for carrying the usual impact driver?

 

[Wamsutta]

The Occidental Leather company would be the first brand I'd look at. Especially if you're talking about suspension harnesses.

 

[Pasha]

Occidental Leather is the gold standard, it's expensive though.

 

[cgrutt]

3rd 2nd occidental. I use one of their leather belts but they have a ton of harness systems. Their leather products are top notch but they have some nylon stuff as well.

 

[AEAdam]

Occidental leather are too heavy. The new gold standards are all based on military gear, with the foam padded belts. Check out Diamondback (toolbelts.com). They are made in USA.

Atlas 46 is another option to look at.

If you really want Oxys, look at their “oxy light” rigs, which are nylon. But oxys are a little behind on some things.

Hammer holsters have become popular. I don’t have one, but I want one. It’s a sleeve instead of a hard ring. Almost regardless of where you put it, your hammer is either whacking the side of your knee or slapping your back side. If you fall, that steel ring could be a big problem (I think it could break your back). Please think about it.

For guns, I like the Bigg Lugg belt hooks. Easy to clip on and it folds out of the way when you need it to. And you can hook almost anything to it. Haven’t figured out a solution for 12v guns. I only have 18v. If you have a 12v screw gun, you might need a holster. Not being able to use the bigg lugg hook would be a deal breaker for me. I would sooner switch to 18v.

Be careful about weight, and weight distribution. A day of wearing a belt with my hammer and screw gun on my right, and my left bags full of screws or nails I’m constantly running out of (so, often light and unbalanced) can tweak my back. You have to think about falls. I only do carpentry on weekends. I’m strong, but not as young as I used to be. Be smart!

 

[Hakeem]

I have the stronghold occidental suspenders and really like them, it lets me set my bags really low, below my waist, so there’s very little stress on my back when I bend over. My belt is loose around my waist so there’s no pinching or anything like that. They have leather loops to accommodate nearly any tool belt.

Otherwise, if you want a whole new framing rig you have two layout options on the high end. Occidental, where the bags extend out horizontally, or Atlas/Diamondback, where the bags hang down. I’ve tried some of the Diamondback setups and didn’t care for them, I was constantly bending side to side to get at the lower bags. The slim profile is nice though, Occidentals make you slip through the stud bays sideways. Also the hammer holster looks nice, I’ve been meaning to add one to my belt.

The Occidental fat lip bags keep the pouches open and accessible and everything on the same horizontal plane. Much preferred for me.

Regarding leather vs nylon, nylon is a bit lighter and dries quicker (possibly important in the PNW), but it doesn’t wear in and conform to your body the way leather will. I’m a bit skeptical as to long term durability as well.

I’d look into the Occidental suspenders and see if that does the trick.

 

[KnurledNut]

Back when I was a lead, these CLC bags with a substituted nylon belt (wont stain your clothes like leather) made it through many years of the daily rigors of pro use before having enough wear to be annoying but still usable. I tried a few all-leather setups and quickly learned they werent for me.



My current setup is the Occidental combo below. The bags are fixed to the belt and wont shift.
Added a Pocket Hitch for my tape, a power-tool hanger custom made by a local leatherworker, and a 2003 Oxy Tool Shield for my utility knife so it can stay safely deployed or for chiselwork.


If things gets serious, I have a safety belted and bagged Miller Duraflex rig with suspension thats my go-to for climbing or hanging metal. The Klein 5416 bolt bags work great for a no-fuss way of carrying an impact driver. (Not recommending this setup for the OP obviously.)

For light duty, I wear Blaklader trousers that have built-in tool pouches and knee pads. I also have one of their tool vests that I have a love/hate relationship with.

Good bags can be pricey. Heck, the cheap bags are expensive too. They affect your body/health/sanity.
Do I recommend a $500 setup? Yes and no.

If you’re not used to wearing them daily, I dont care what you get, it will be uncomfortable. Their is a reason its called work.
Stay positive and I hope all the best for your shop build!

 

[the intimidator]

Want the best hand crafted and customizable tool belts check out grabber harness and saddlery!! https://graberharness.com/

 

[foghorn1966]

Or this mfg. I have a double electrical pouch setup with suspenders that I use for shutdown work.

Tool Belts - Tool Pouches - Tool Aprons - At Viking Leather Products

Tool Belts, Tool Aprons and Tool Pouches for every Trade including Drywall, Electrician, and all Construction Trades. Handmade with tough 100% Leather and Steel rivets. See our selections. Ask questions. We are here to serve your needs.

vikingleatherproducts.com

Ordered direct from them.

 

[AEAdam]

Want the best hand crafted and customizable tool belts check out grabber harness and saddlery!! https://graberharness.com/

I don't know about these, but I looked into some maybe similar Amish made belts, made here in PA or Ohio out of beautiful leather including Bison.

While I'm attracted to these belts and the craftsmanship, you almost need to have been a carpenter to understand how to design these belts. They aren't nail bags anymore.

Example: A lot of carpenters are swinging Titanium hammers and I'm not sure you can pull ring shank air nails with a ti claw. So, many guys carry pry bars. The newer belts have a slot for these (used to just put them horizontally in the loop where the bags attach to the belt). Nice to have a speed square slot, magnets somewhere for T25 bits, etc etc. Diamondback has thought this through pretty well.

I'm getting old and I guess weak. I don't love wearing tool belts. When I absolutely must, I want the least weight, least stuff I can get away with. Since I'm working on my own house, I can leave stuff out. The pro carpenters I know are basically wearing their workbench to work. They carry everything! Not sure I need to do that. Bart, think hard about this. You could get a US Army surplus pistol belt with Y suspenders and hang a single off-hand bag. Screw gun hook and hammer on your dominant side.

 

[dscheidt]

You don't need to overthink this. go somewhere, and try a few on. find one you can live with, buy it. Nothing will be perfect for you, so just find something good enough. And don't try to carry everything you need. stick to the basics, and add anything special for a given job. (and take it out after!)

 

[pennsylvaniaboy]

mines an evolution...had a padded belt version awp.....added alice susupenders...much better. Then got rid of the padded belt and went to a ww2 pistol belt. The more flexible belt was a huge win..

 

[sparky 1971]

Once again, Occidental Leather. I have both sets shown below, but I don't care for the belt so I use a 2" Klein belt along with the Occidental leather suspenders. The full size framing rigs are enormous, I've found that the trimmer bags are just about perfect.

Leather Pro Electrician Set 5036 - Occidental Leather | Official Site

The Leather Pro Electrician Set is for the discriminating electrician that demands a quality all-leather set with great tool organization.

www.occidentalleather.com

Pro Trimmer Tool Belt With Tape Holster 6100T - Occidental Leather | Official Site

Pro Trimmer offers compact durability for any job. This set has the innovative features of our full size tool bags in a space saving design.

www.occidentalleather.com

Leather Work Suspenders - Made In USA | Occidental Leather | Official Site

Our traditional heavy duty Leather Suspenders are and crafted from Bridle leather and feature large shoulder pads.

www.occidentalleather.com

 

[Beerhippie]

Pay shipping from NE Oregon and I'll send you my old harness from back in the '90s. Nylon bags, belt and suspenders--and the only known example of a shoulder-holster for a framing hammer! I'm short and a stand-up framer handle (2') would tangle between my legs.

I was taught NEVER to wear a hammer at the back of my belt, and the reason seems sound: In a backwards fall, the handle can swing out and work as a fulcrum to break or really hurt your back. Never seen it happen and never want to, but the first construction job I worked we were forbidden to carry them there. Yeah, we still used hammers!

 

[rothbard]

Is occidental worth it for framing a single house? Resale value looks good but I'm not sure where the best place to buy/sell these belts secondhand.

Pay shipping from NE Oregon and I'll send you my old harness from back in the '90s. Nylon bags, belt and suspenders--and the only known example of a shoulder-holster for a framing hammer! I'm short and a stand-up framer handle (2') would tangle between my legs.

I was taught NEVER to wear a hammer at the back of my belt, and the reason seems sound: In a backwards fall, the handle can swing out and work as a fulcrum to break or really hurt your back. Never seen it happen and never want to, but the first construction job I worked we were forbidden to carry them there. Yeah, we still used hammers!

@Beerhippie
Are you interested in selling your 90s setup? I am about to start framing my house.

 

[redragoon]

Occidental is the gold standard, but I've had good luck with the Husky carpenter set with suspenders. Keeps everything from sliding down and since I only do a few small jobs, it doesn't need to be the most durable.

 

[Beerhippie]

Is occidental worth it for framing a single house? Resale value looks good but I'm not sure where the best place to buy/sell these belts secondhand.


@Beerhippie
Are you interested in selling your 90s setup? I am about to start framing my house.

I'll bring 'em in tomorrow to get some pics. Still in good condition and they've been hanging in a dry space the last decade or so.

 

[jives]

I've got perhaps 4 different tool belts plus assorted tool bag add-ons. Some leather, some nylon. Also have a tool vest and a tool apron. While none are ideal, here are my observations, keeping in mind that I am not a pro carpenter, just a shop hack.

--Newer style nylon belts with add-on pouches fold and roll and get uncomfortable. But they may be easier to re-tighten during the day.
--Old style heavy nylon or leather belts with the "hook and hole" system don't roll, but stretch out and are nearly impossible to retighten during the day. (This is why they keep falling down).
--Bags and attachments work a lot better when sewn into the belt. Otherwise they move around and the belt rolls up in the attachment loop.
--Any hammer holster that cannot be used easily is useless. I've not used a "hammer holster", but it seems too cumbersome to easily slide the hammer in and out while keeping your eyes on the project, not the holster.
--Flimsy is bad. Sacrifice weight for non-flimsy.
--Bags on the side or front. Your preference.
--Are you really sure you want suspenders? Do you really plan on carrying that much of a load? Perhaps you just need a good belt that is easily tightened.

 

[Renegade1LI]

I have a set occidental leather, bought in the early 90s, still work great. If you plan to keep them, I use them for almost all work, spend the money. For one use, almost any will do, you get used to what you have.

 

[sparky 1971]

Is occidental worth it for framing a single house? Resale value looks good but I'm not sure where the best place to buy/sell these belts secondhand.

I bought the pro trimmer set complete with suspenders and strip nail pouch just for building a deck, so I say yes.

 

[Beerhippie]

Here are my old bags:



I'm a pretty small guy and was even skinnier back then--30" waist--so the belt is pretty short. Good news is that it's just a piece of 1 1/2" nylon web, so easily replaced. With the padded belt, it never rolls up like described above. No idea what brand.

I used to carry these with a full load-out for roofing. 45-50 lb was common.

 

[rothbard]

@Beerhippie

Here are my old bags:



I'm a pretty small guy and was even skinnier back then--30" waist--so the belt is pretty short. Good news is that it's just a piece of 1 1/2" nylon web, so easily replaced. With the padded belt, it never rolls up like described above. No idea what brand.

I used to carry these with a full load-out for roofing. 45-50 lb was common.

Dude thank you so much for going back and taking pics! Looking at the kegs in the background, you are definitely the 'beerhippie'.

I have no idea how to appraise it. Looking at it, I realize these guys are probably pretty expensive to ship due to their size and beyond that I would be eating up a lot of your precious time and effort to get it done. It seems the size and weight of tool bags make them more of a local trade.

Since I have no idea what would be fair for you, and recognizing the time effort and costs of preparing it will create a lot of frictional costs I'm just going to slink and apologize for eating up your time, and also thank you for generously imparting your wisdom regarding the bags and setting up the location of the hammer to reduce the chance of serious injury.

 

[Beerhippie]

No worries, I'll find a kid who's just starting up in the business to pass them on to. At least it gave me a reason to dig them out of storage.

 

[Beerhippie]

@Beerhippie


Dude thank you so much for going back and taking pics! Looking at the kegs in the background, you are definitely the 'beerhippie'.

I have no idea how to appraise it. Looking at it, I realize these guys are probably pretty expensive to ship due to their size and beyond that I would be eating up a lot of your precious time and effort to get it done. It seems the size and weight of tool bags make them more of a local trade.

Since I have no idea what would be fair for you, and recognizing the time effort and costs of preparing it will create a lot of frictional costs I'm just going to slink and apologize for eating up your time, and also thank you for generously imparting your wisdom regarding the bags and setting up the location of the hammer to reduce the chance of serious injury.

Smile when you say that!

 

[BM333]

I wore a pouch called 'The Cadillac' for about 16 years working as a carpenter.
I went through one in about 10-12 years of daily use. I used a harness/suspenders with every pouch I wore.

Search: 9 results found for "cadillac"

Tool Belts, Tool Aprons and Tool Pouches for every Trade including Drywall, Electrician, and all Construction Trades. Handmade with tough 100% Leather and Steel rivets. See our selections. Ask questions. We are here to serve your needs.

vikingleatherproducts.com

 

[oldpliers1]

I have a few pouches I have been collecting them since my apprenticeship the black one I had made and carries the bulkier vde Pliers picture 1 Dewalt
picture 2&3tradesmen pal made in Australia 1979
picture 4 Nicholas pouch USA circa 89 pictures 5&6
Australian made pouch to suit vde tools has great space behind tools for clips and screws you can put your hand into it with strap so pouch does not go to wide Vickery leather,

 

[ive]

I wore a pouch called 'The Cadillac' for about 16 years working as a carpenter.
I went through one in about 10-12 years of daily use. I used a harness/suspenders with every pouch I wore.

Search: 9 results found for "cadillac"

Tool Belts, Tool Aprons and Tool Pouches for every Trade including Drywall, Electrician, and all Construction Trades. Handmade with tough 100% Leather and Steel rivets. See our selections. Ask questions. We are here to serve your needs.

vikingleatherproducts.com

I had one too. Red.

 

[ive]

I wore a pouch called 'The Cadillac' for about 16 years working as a carpenter.
I went through one in about 10-12 years of daily use. I used a harness/suspenders with every pouch I wore.

Search: 9 results found for "cadillac"

Tool Belts, Tool Aprons and Tool Pouches for every Trade including Drywall, Electrician, and all Construction Trades. Handmade with tough 100% Leather and Steel rivets. See our selections. Ask questions. We are here to serve your needs.

vikingleatherproducts.com

Double post

 

[ive]

maybe look into badger. They are lightweight and the craftsmanship is excellent.

 

[oldpliers1]

A IDEAL made in USA pouch circa 1995 pic 1&2
a Linc leather budget pouch made in Australia circa 88 pic 3&4 the problem with the IDEAL pouch was you could not easily get things out and the pouches were not really wide enough the workmanship was good. The linc pouch was for apprentices and value for money , the main pouch space was ok. The pliers and cutters in pic 3&4 and screwdrivers are all Australian brands.

 

[rust in the eye]

Pay shipping from NE Oregon and I'll send you my old harness from back in the '90s. Nylon bags, belt and suspenders--and the only known example of a shoulder-holster for a framing hammer! I'm short and a stand-up framer handle (2') would tangle between my legs.

I was taught NEVER to wear a hammer at the back of my belt, and the reason seems sound: In a backwards fall, the handle can swing out and work as a fulcrum to break or really hurt your back. Never seen it happen and never want to, but the first construction job I worked we were forbidden to carry them there. Yeah, we still used hammers!

May we see that holster please? Sounds interesting.

 

[Ultradog MN]

I have a couple of tool belts but this one is my favorite.

 

[Beerhippie]

May we see that holster please? Sounds interesting.

The holster is visible upper left, on the suspenders. I made creative use of Duct tape to secure it.

I can't get another pic as I've passed the harness on to a new generation of builders.

 

[rust in the eye]

Thanks! That's a cool idea.

 

[oldpliers1]

I have a couple of tool belts but this one is my favorite.

very good that is something you do not see in this part of the world last one I saw in the flesh was 34 years ago, the same guy swung up a Thompson beside his filing cabinet at the same time.

 

[6869704X4]

Another pitch for suspenders. Makes all the difference.