jeffmoss26
Well-known member
This is my current toolbag:
This is everything in there:
This is everything in there:
Field Service Technician Thread
- Thread starter Holt
- Start date
nelstomlinson
Well-known member
What's that screwdriver with the gray handle with white cap (upper right in first photo)? Is it good? COO? It looks like one an electrician was telling me to get.
jeffmoss26
Well-known member
Drywall saw! It's made by Klein Tools.
Thread Revival!@
Here's my roll up with tools I use at work. I can get by with everything in the pic plus a Fluke Multimeter on most jobs. I just added a new instrument tool (top right) per someones recomendation from here. Rolls up nicely and the larger heavier tools are in a tool bag.
Here's my roll up with tools I use at work. I can get by with everything in the pic plus a Fluke Multimeter on most jobs. I just added a new instrument tool (top right) per someones recomendation from here. Rolls up nicely and the larger heavier tools are in a tool bag.
Attachments
jeffmoss26
Well-known member
nice!!
XaqNautilus
Active member
I am an apprentice Instrument Technician and this bag is obviously geared more towards construction over maintenance. I still have a ton of tools and like to think I am ahead of the game as far as tools.
There are some smaller tools hidden under others and tucked away in some pockets. If you're curious, feel free to ask.
As you can see I prefer multipurpose tools (8 in 1 screwdrivers, Flex Gearwrenches) to keep the amount of tools I carry down.
Aside from a multimeter, some lockring pliers & some electrical stuff I think I have everything I need.
jeffmoss26
Well-known member
Very nice!
I've been a Field Engineer for 23 Years, here is my current tool setup.
For PM's and site visits I use this bag.
View media item 18621
For Service I bring in this bag
View media item 18622
And Installs I bring in this Case
View media item 18620
In the van I have a Heavy Box, this has the BFH, J-bars, Come-along winches, cold chisels, torch and all the other stuff that I rarely use but have needed in the past.
For PM's and site visits I use this bag.
View media item 18621
For Service I bring in this bag
View media item 18622
And Installs I bring in this Case
View media item 18620
In the van I have a Heavy Box, this has the BFH, J-bars, Come-along winches, cold chisels, torch and all the other stuff that I rarely use but have needed in the past.
jeffmoss26
Well-known member
Where are the tool pics? 
I really like the Veto pro pac line very well made. CLC is next in line IMO. For pouches Klein are my preference.
I have worked as construction electrician and service tech all my life.
My service tech setup is much different than my construction set up.
the one staple in both set ups is the pouch. It has served me wonderfully over the years
For a light weight tool pouch I prefer the Klein soft leather it forms to what ever you put in it.
Laptops have become a standard tool in my arsenal. Bags for this facet need to be figured into the equation.
I keep my bags and box in the truck and load the pouch with what I need.
If I am on a construction site I can set up in much more in detail and have more tools available to me that I bring in over a period of time. Security becomes a concern at this point. So I keep a personal lock box on site
Bags that close are very useful such as the veto pro pac LC or XL. They also keep the rain and dust and paint over spray and what ever else off your
tools.
When climbing steel, ladders and scaffold a side utility bag opposite the pouch is useful for material stash to minimize trips.
I have worked as construction electrician and service tech all my life.
My service tech setup is much different than my construction set up.
the one staple in both set ups is the pouch. It has served me wonderfully over the years
For a light weight tool pouch I prefer the Klein soft leather it forms to what ever you put in it.
Laptops have become a standard tool in my arsenal. Bags for this facet need to be figured into the equation.
I keep my bags and box in the truck and load the pouch with what I need.
If I am on a construction site I can set up in much more in detail and have more tools available to me that I bring in over a period of time. Security becomes a concern at this point. So I keep a personal lock box on site
Bags that close are very useful such as the veto pro pac LC or XL. They also keep the rain and dust and paint over spray and what ever else off your
tools.
When climbing steel, ladders and scaffold a side utility bag opposite the pouch is useful for material stash to minimize trips.
Where are the tool pics?
My van is spending the weekend at the dealer having new brakes put on for the third time in 55k miles.
I'll post tool pics tomorrow...hopefully they wilk have it finished
XaqNautilus
Active member
If they sold these at Home Depot in Canada I would of bought one for sure and never bought a Veto.
I love the Veto but I could have easily lived with this bag for less than a third of the price.
Socophreak
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jun 18, 2010
- Messages
- 231
I could've swore I saw that bag at HD a few weeks ago.
I use a bag like this
Repair commercial kitchen equipment. my large tools will stay in my company vehicle.
This bag typically contains a set of phillips, torx, flat, robertson screwdrivers. Hex wrenches (metric and SAE), a 10" and 12" crescent, wire cutters, wire strippers, an assortment of pliers, a few specialty tools and my meter.
XaqNautilus
Active member
Where do you live, Socofreak?
I live in Alberta and have been to a half-dozen HDs and the toolbag selection is weak. I drove to Vegas over Christmas and stopped at a HD in Utah somewhere and my eyes popped at the toolbags they had.
I live in Alberta and have been to a half-dozen HDs and the toolbag selection is weak. I drove to Vegas over Christmas and stopped at a HD in Utah somewhere and my eyes popped at the toolbags they had.
So in my quest for the perfect tool pouch I found that they just don't exist. Each person has there own requirement for what they need. Sooooooo........ I decided to take on the task of making my own. Well more of retro. Fitting my old bag with new tool loops to my desire. It wont be built like a tank but its just a prototype.
XaqNautilus
Active member
If I could think of a custom toolbag I'd like to have it would be the Veto XL but make it taller without adding anything but the space above the tool pouches. This would allow me to add some custom pouches or mounts for certain tools.
XaqNautilus
Active member
Cool job! I bet you get to see some sweet views.
I work as an instrument tech so I may have to use a similar approach, since my toolbag weighs like 50lb. Not that I have weighed it, but it is heavy!! Someday when I can run a truck.
Not worried right now, though. Working union and all tools are provided.
I work as an instrument tech so I may have to use a similar approach, since my toolbag weighs like 50lb. Not that I have weighed it, but it is heavy!! Someday when I can run a truck.
Not worried right now, though. Working union and all tools are provided.
zuk123
Well-known member
Hey all,
Here is my box that I carry on the road. On local calls, it stays in my truck, and I carry a small nylon briefcase, with only a few of the most used tools in it unless I know I'll be doing bigger tasks.
I usually carry this box as luggage when I fly, so it maxes out at just under 50 pounds. If I have time, or someone else is paying, I sometimes FedEx it back to save the airport hassle.
I might cross post it in the Show Us Your Toolboxes Thread as a counterpoint to all the drawers full of sockets and colorful dupes.... But all those shiny, sparkle-y goodies.....in drawer after drawer.........glittering in their jewelry boxes....................
<shakes awake>
Here it is. There are dupes for critical tools, in case I'm doing something that takes more than one at a time, or in case I drop one in the dark and can't find it. Everything in there was added for a specific reason or problem. There are a couple of small bags with hardware, just bits and pieces I'm likely to need if I drop something where I can't get it back. If I'm doing install, I have a box I can ship with construction type tools, and I have separate boxes with test equipment in them that I ship or carry as needed.
The levels (just visible in the last photo) travel in my main checked suitcase, the yellow one is just a little too long for the Pelican case.
zuk
Here is my box that I carry on the road. On local calls, it stays in my truck, and I carry a small nylon briefcase, with only a few of the most used tools in it unless I know I'll be doing bigger tasks.
I usually carry this box as luggage when I fly, so it maxes out at just under 50 pounds. If I have time, or someone else is paying, I sometimes FedEx it back to save the airport hassle.
I might cross post it in the Show Us Your Toolboxes Thread as a counterpoint to all the drawers full of sockets and colorful dupes.... But all those shiny, sparkle-y goodies.....in drawer after drawer.........glittering in their jewelry boxes....................
<shakes awake>
Here it is. There are dupes for critical tools, in case I'm doing something that takes more than one at a time, or in case I drop one in the dark and can't find it. Everything in there was added for a specific reason or problem. There are a couple of small bags with hardware, just bits and pieces I'm likely to need if I drop something where I can't get it back. If I'm doing install, I have a box I can ship with construction type tools, and I have separate boxes with test equipment in them that I ship or carry as needed.
The levels (just visible in the last photo) travel in my main checked suitcase, the yellow one is just a little too long for the Pelican case.
zuk
Attachments
Last edited:
jeffmoss26
Well-known member
four tape measures! wow lol
zuk123
Well-known member
Hey Jeff, really more than 4, as I have a 12ft in my roll aboard bag, and a 12ft in my briefcase. The are always with me on the job. I sometimes add another 50 or 100ft if I'm doing layout or install.
And there are more in my install kit
(and I always have my Disto laser measuring tool with me too.)
zuk
And there are more in my install kit
(and I always have my Disto laser measuring tool with me too.)
zuk
jeffmoss26
Well-known member
What kind of work do you do?
zuk123
Well-known member
You need at least 2 and a string line to triangulate a big right angle. 3 makes it easier.
And the long flexible tapes are for laying out and measuring big curves (think 60ft radius.) I can also tape or clip the long tape to a curved surface to measure or do layout.
I do a LOT of trig and geometry onsite to layout systems in 3D space.
With math, measuring tapes, string, and plumb lines, I can lay out anything but the most complex 3d shapes. (A TotalStation, or theodolite makes some things easier, but cost a lot more and are harder to carry in your bag.) (I own a digital theodolite, and self leveling optical construction levels, but rarely use them. String, sticks, measuring tapes, and my laser cross hair levels, and I'm good to go!)
zuk
And the long flexible tapes are for laying out and measuring big curves (think 60ft radius.) I can also tape or clip the long tape to a curved surface to measure or do layout.
I do a LOT of trig and geometry onsite to layout systems in 3D space.
With math, measuring tapes, string, and plumb lines, I can lay out anything but the most complex 3d shapes. (A TotalStation, or theodolite makes some things easier, but cost a lot more and are harder to carry in your bag.) (I own a digital theodolite, and self leveling optical construction levels, but rarely use them. String, sticks, measuring tapes, and my laser cross hair levels, and I'm good to go!)
zuk
zuk123
Well-known member
I design, install, service, and support high resolution multi-projector display systems, usually on curved screens and with 3D.
zuk
zuk
kc-steve
Well-known member
Kewl thread! You can add my name to the list even though I retired from that business a while back. I began field service in 1977 building aircraft landing systems (ILS) around the US using a truck for tools, then got laid off when gov contracts dried up. So I started working in the medical field as a field service tech for a company in New Joisey, Warner Lambert, but worked out of KC covering 7 states using the roll up Xcelite similar shown in the first pic.
After a couple of years I began working for a dialysis machine manufacturing company in Denver and used the briefcase style leather bag below (2 pics). Even though all my employers loaned me the tools, I still own the bag because they changed to an aircraft style leather bag later that holds more tools. More tools were required as more equipment was added to our service list.
I don't know about you guys, but I got tired of traveling all the time and got out of that type of work. Getting out helped me keep my sanity.
Just for fun, I have been building an Xcelite toolbag to the one shown in the last photo. It isn't near full yet, I'm still working on it.
Steve
Attachments
Last edited:
zuk123
Well-known member
Hey Steve, the travel really gets old, especially with marriage and young kids.
When I started, I was out for weeks at a time, and for 200-250 days a year. No relationships for me!
Then when I got married, I switched employers (and fields) and was home every weekend. I was still gone most weeks, M-F, for ~200 days a year. One year, I had 94 flights, all non-stops.
When my first was born, (see avatar for pic of my little helper now) I cut back on travel but still managed 150-200 days.
After my second was born, I vowed to cut back further. I cut my travel so far, I felt like I was letting the team down and other people had to do more because I did less. Imagine my surprise when I realized that despite the cut back, I STILL had 100 days away from home.
That's when I made a change to consulting. Now I travel a lot less.
(My coverage area was all of the US, Canada, and some countries overseas, but primarily in the central and mid-south of the US.)
It is one way to learn a LOT and very quickly. You see all the problems first hand, and find solutions. The field guys are a tremendous asset to a company and a tremendous resource if used properly. After all, we spend WAY more time in front of the customer than anyone else in the company. We know their needs and problems better than anyone.
</end thread hijack>
Back to the tools!
zuk
When I started, I was out for weeks at a time, and for 200-250 days a year. No relationships for me!
Then when I got married, I switched employers (and fields) and was home every weekend. I was still gone most weeks, M-F, for ~200 days a year. One year, I had 94 flights, all non-stops.
When my first was born, (see avatar for pic of my little helper now) I cut back on travel but still managed 150-200 days.
After my second was born, I vowed to cut back further. I cut my travel so far, I felt like I was letting the team down and other people had to do more because I did less. Imagine my surprise when I realized that despite the cut back, I STILL had 100 days away from home.
That's when I made a change to consulting. Now I travel a lot less.
(My coverage area was all of the US, Canada, and some countries overseas, but primarily in the central and mid-south of the US.)
It is one way to learn a LOT and very quickly. You see all the problems first hand, and find solutions. The field guys are a tremendous asset to a company and a tremendous resource if used properly. After all, we spend WAY more time in front of the customer than anyone else in the company. We know their needs and problems better than anyone.
</end thread hijack>
Back to the tools!
zuk
kc-steve
Well-known member
Yes, that's so true! That dialysis company made the BIG mistake of pushing a microprocessor based machine out of engineering without real world testing and tossed the first in my territory, then would not listen to me. They just said go fix 'em. Needless to say, I quit and they nearly went belly-up afterward. Sometime managers are really stooopid.
Steve
zuk123
Well-known member
Close ups of a couple of cool things I carry.
The first is a micro torque wrench and the bag I keep its drivers in (also some drivers for hand use.) It reads in INCH-OUNCES.
Second shows 2 things. The one that looks like a flashlight in a case is really a handle that holds Sawzall style blades, and regular ball detent drivers. I use it mostly as a drywall saw, but have loaded the metal cutting blades to do some hacksaw work. The other thing is the yellow object in the center. It is called a wedge-it and is used to hold doors open. You can use it as a normal (oversized) doorstop, or drop it over the hinge when the door is open, and it can't close. Very useful when bringing in tools or materials.
The third pic shows what I carry instead of a hammer. It is filled with shot, like a dead blow, and has a hard and a soft face. I mostly use it to set concrete anchors, or to tap something into position. Driving nails would ****, but I don't do that!
zuk
The first is a micro torque wrench and the bag I keep its drivers in (also some drivers for hand use.) It reads in INCH-OUNCES.
Second shows 2 things. The one that looks like a flashlight in a case is really a handle that holds Sawzall style blades, and regular ball detent drivers. I use it mostly as a drywall saw, but have loaded the metal cutting blades to do some hacksaw work. The other thing is the yellow object in the center. It is called a wedge-it and is used to hold doors open. You can use it as a normal (oversized) doorstop, or drop it over the hinge when the door is open, and it can't close. Very useful when bringing in tools or materials.
The third pic shows what I carry instead of a hammer. It is filled with shot, like a dead blow, and has a hard and a soft face. I mostly use it to set concrete anchors, or to tap something into position. Driving nails would ****, but I don't do that!
zuk
Attachments
kc-steve
Well-known member
Zuk, those are some very unusual tools. What do you work on?
Steve
Steve
jeffmoss26
Well-known member
"I design, install, service, and support high resolution multi-projector display systems, usually on curved screens and with 3D.
zuk "
zuk "
zuk123
Well-known member
^^ and the projectors that go with them, usually in the $80K- to $160K range.
Used to make me pucker opening up something worth as much as a house! Amazing what you can get used to.
zuk
Job is a mix of construction trades, computer work, delicate high tech service and repair, project management, and sometimes, just a lot of lifting and carrying heavy stuff!
Used to make me pucker opening up something worth as much as a house! Amazing what you can get used to.
zuk
Job is a mix of construction trades, computer work, delicate high tech service and repair, project management, and sometimes, just a lot of lifting and carrying heavy stuff!
zuk123
Well-known member
I'm sure medical equipment is very pricey too, and the consequences for doing it wrong are higher...
zuk
zuk
zuk123
Well-known member
I found these old pix of my "install" or carpentry box. It is a mil-surplus aluminum case, bigger than a briefcase, smaller than a suitcase. I wish I'd bought more of them at the swapmeet, but all those years ago, $20 was a lot of money
You will see some stuff that got moved to my pelican case. This one stays under 50 pounds now too, but used to be 68 1/2 when you were allowed to fly with 70 pounds.
Yeah, almost all of my personal tools are painted pink and marked with my name or initials. I haven't lost any since painting them (except one socket, one screwdriver, and I know who stole those.)
I should add that the first three pix all live in 2 cloth mechanics bags inside the bigger case, the remaining space for the pull saws, and rolls of string and tape, the drill index, A clamps, etc shown in the 4th pic. Pretty tight fit, all in all.
zuk
You will see some stuff that got moved to my pelican case. This one stays under 50 pounds now too, but used to be 68 1/2 when you were allowed to fly with 70 pounds.
Yeah, almost all of my personal tools are painted pink and marked with my name or initials. I haven't lost any since painting them (except one socket, one screwdriver, and I know who stole those.)
I should add that the first three pix all live in 2 cloth mechanics bags inside the bigger case, the remaining space for the pull saws, and rolls of string and tape, the drill index, A clamps, etc shown in the 4th pic. Pretty tight fit, all in all.
zuk
Attachments
Last edited:
jeffmoss26
Well-known member
I see you have a Crescent wrench on a lanyard, just like we used in my stage lighting class! (Okay, we used tie line...lol)
Slip_Kid
Well-known member
I hate going back to the truck for more tools, my Veto LC bag works for me. I do however use a small tool pouch for some rooftop work,
I do HVAC Automation service work.
I do HVAC Automation service work.
jeffmoss26
Well-known member
Looks like you carry beanies! The white and blue connectors in the top of your plastic box.
zuk123
Well-known member
+1 on the stage lighting!
That is how I made my living for years. I still cringe when I see someone working at heights without leashes for their tools.
I've added non-leashed crescents to my collection, but both the wife and I still have several with the telephone cord and clips. I still keep a gig bag with all the appropriate tools (pin splitter, homemade GAMchecker, altman wrench, drop line, spike tape,etc) even though I haven't used it in years. Old habits die hard.
One thing I've given up is the "keys on a carabiner", but she is back to it!
zuk
That is how I made my living for years. I still cringe when I see someone working at heights without leashes for their tools.
I've added non-leashed crescents to my collection, but both the wife and I still have several with the telephone cord and clips. I still keep a gig bag with all the appropriate tools (pin splitter, homemade GAMchecker, altman wrench, drop line, spike tape,etc) even though I haven't used it in years. Old habits die hard.
One thing I've given up is the "keys on a carabiner", but she is back to it!
zuk
zuk123
Well-known member
Maybe a 'show us the hand tools unique to your trade' thread would be cool...
zuk
zuk