How much do you have into your tools?

[turnthewrench]

Less than 2K.

 

[Finky198]

Winter park the home of the Morse museum... very cool place.^^^

 

[lbhsbz]

I'm somewhere in the neighborhood of 200K I think, and every last piece has paid for itself multiple times over

 

[pi_guy]

I bought a Miller Dynasty about 8 years ago. It paid for its self in 3 years going to the track about 10 times a year. My first Miller a Dialarc 250 paid for its self in about a year.

It often seems you focus on the number more than the tool it self.
I have been buying pc and servers since the 80's and I might have spent close to what I have spent on tools with none of the resale value.

 

[turnthewrench]

Winter park the home of the Morse museum... very cool place.^^^

Rollins College, Park Avenue, sinkholes, ... Morse what?, lol

Been so busy turning wrenches I didn't know that! - I guess I'll take a stroll and visit it. Love Museums.

Thanks

 

[Ipassgas]

I don't like to think about it, but all in, for all tools, at least $30k but almost certainly less than $100k.

Dang, that's a lot of cheddar!

 

[Ipassgas]

I don't like to think about it, but all in, for all tools, at least $30k but almost certainly less than $100k.

Dang, that's a lot of cheddar!

And none is for my profession.

 

[notlob]

I dunno - been buying tools since 1976.

 

[mcmtech]

At work in the 50-60k range. Home maybe 2-3k.

 

[ARFLY]

Are we talking real dollars or what my wife thinks I have spent?

 

[gsingh]

70-80K last time I checked. It keeps growing every year.

 

[2level]

Toolboxes/cabinets and the tools that fit in them; five figures replacement cost. If you're talking all automotive, welding, carpentry, painting, and woodworking equipment, supplies, and the tools too; better make it six.

 

[2ndGearRubber]

Lots of deal hunting. I'd say a solid 40k. Professional mechanic. If you reproduced what I have off a truck or through proto/etc - likely double that cost.

 

[bczygan]

Way too much.....according to my wife.

Not near enough.....by my best estimate.

I should add up the small stuff here:
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=6410498&postcount=198

Bill

 

[txvwnut]

I’m into the six figure range easily. I kinda started doing a cost inventory and stopped when I got to one drawer in my box and it is 7k by itself.

 

[Finky198]

Rollins College, Park Avenue, sinkholes, ... Morse what?, lol

Been so busy turning wrenches I didn't know that! - I guess I'll take a stroll and visit it. Love Museums.

Thanks

No problem it’s quite impressive and very interesting story about the family.
They have the largest collection of Tiffany art glass in the world
They have a lot of other stuff as well. I think they offer discounts to local residents...
The tours are ok. Take your time theirs tons to see.

 

[jwsia]

Replacement cost would be crazy high IMO (just a weekend guy). Almost everything I have was bought second hand at auctions and pawn shops. Just my best estimate would be 5-7k of real money with my woodworking stuff.

I need to make some time for a photo inventory the shop and the gun safe and make sure I have enough insurance.

 

[monkeyspanners]

Probably around 20k

 

[Bessy]

I've tried a handful of times to put an actual number on this, but never seem to finish the job. I'm just a weekend warrior with a far larger tool collection than I probably need, but I'm going to hazard a guess at replacement cost of about $6-7K... That's including power tools, corded, cordless, hand tools, boxes, jacks. Now if I had to buy it all at full price, who knows, as I don't think I've paid full price for even 10% of what I have in the first place. Maybe I'll have to get out and start throwing totals for replacement cost together...

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[amalik]

Too damn much. Enough I could probably retire early if it wasn't ******* in tools. I have everything documented but quit adding it up when I hit the $150k mark and know it has now far exceeded that, probably surpassed $200k.

Wow. I don't know why, but I find this insane. I know you do a lot of both auto and welding work. It seems the latter might have tipped your expense scale, as I can't imagine what auto work is needed at the $100k+ mark unless you're creating the damn vehicles. lol.

 

[Joshua_Russo]

Wow, this is interesting and all over the map.

No idea for myself, and I've only just recently started factoring in tools to (partly) replace the labor costs for our vehicles and home improvements.

I'm an obsessive bargain hunter/maker/tool restorer. Not sure if that's habit born of necessity or part of my interest at this point. Either way, if you told me today that I had $1,500 to spend on, say, woodworking tools, I'd feel like I was rolling in dough... and six months of Craigslist and estate sale searching away from having my dream wood shop, lol.

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[Empty Pockets]

At last check, I'm over $75,000 in replacement cost. I'm no longer pulling a wrench for a living, but I couldn't bring myself to part with most of my tools

 

[ItsNemo]

Don't even want to know...probably 30k+ at home if you count lift/compressor/welder/box/etc...heck, I nearly put 15k into the garage the first year when I moved into the new house.

 

[D-Vice]

I keep track of every little bit of it. I'm a bit over 3,500 for this year alone. It's great for tax deductions since my tools are used for work.

 

[crewchief888]

$30 more than i had a week or so ago....

just ordered a set of long torx bits from tekton...

i only need a long T-30, nothing available locally.

 

[apollo11]

30k easily

 

[dabirdguy]

Replacement cost? Over $30k.

I like tools...lol.

 

[Thephranc]

Doing neon signs I have some specialized tooling and equipment that brings the total well past 120k.

 

[sberry]

I could be a little more thrifty today. I don't need the perfect tool for everything. I don't work on any same thing 40 per week. I am all for tailoring. Shopping and parts are so much better and closer that a guy can get by with a little less stock. We have a new parts store, leaves a little more wiggle room and not so bad that a guy cant sprint up there once in a while if he needs something in a crisis. I would spring a bit more for modern impacting is I was more of a line guy.
One pof my Buds has a 2 stall shop for 30 yrs, he was cool about tools. He had 1 of something and wasn't a hound, managed to use the same stuff for a long time. He would fill a need but didnt buy everything in sight and finally ended up doing pretty much the same work.
Never owned a scan tool, had a torch and a handful of power tools, 1/2 air gun and 3/8 ratchet, air comp he paid good used 400/ for back in the day and a section of hose.
Must have bought about a dozen new things over the years and a decent modest SK socket set in the small stuff for an HF service cart. A 75$ Sears box helt the rest and some great Singer pattern cab for most the rest.

 

[blackcube]

Close estimate? Very close to $150K including machine tools, tooling, hand tools, welders, car lifts, speciality tools for various models of cars, trucks, motorcycles, power tools, tool chests and workbenches. I keep a spreadsheet with a half-assed inventory. I bought. My first toolbox at 6 years old so I have been building my collection since 1960. I inherited my Dad’s collection when he passed in 2013 at 88 years old and I inherited my stepFather-in-law’s collection when he passed in 2015. My father-in-law just sold his land and downsized so I ended up with some of his tools as well. My shop is 2200sqft and I can barely walk through it. Now I’m 63 and have enrolled in a two year auto body repair and refinishing finishing course so I’m starting to collect body shop tools. I’ve been shopping catalogs for paint booths and frame machines. I guess it’s time to add onto the shop. Plus I do deduct my tools as a business expense since they do get used for work purposes during the year. It also helps that my wife is very understanding of my tool and workshop fetish.

 

[stioc]

Big ticket items: Mill, Lathe, plasma cutter, welders, automotive oscilloscope, diagnostic tools, speacialty tools and the lift add up to about $13k. Then hand-tools, tool boxes, drill press, grinders, compressors etc probably another $4k so somewhere around $15-20k.

 

[anndel]

10k-15k, mostly Snap on, Milwaukee, some SK, Knipex and old Craftsman.

 

[jkmcp45]

I have to much to even think about losing it my wife took out a separate policies out on my machine shop my garage and my barn it’s three generations of collecting tools and machines I would rather buy the tools to fix something rather than pay someone else a lot of money to fix something that I know I can with a little research


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[Mastermind]

Replacement value, like insurance company write a check to replace it all tomorrow at retail price, probably between 45-50 k. Boxes and carts alone would be 20k. If I started over I would probably a,change profession, and b, buy a couple smaller used boxes,like classic 78/96 one for a "cart" one for special tools.

 

[mike93lx]

I'm just a home diy'er. I could replace everything i need for a few grand. Most of the money is in wood working tools and i'd upgrade some of it but the mechanics tools would likely be cheaper. Most of it is usa craftsman and i'd be lying if i didn't say i'd replace almost all of it at harbor freight.

 

[Mikeske]

I have no idea of how much I have in tools. My tools are from the 1970's on to the present. A lot of my tools can not be replaced as they are no longer made and the other stuff is mixed bag of everything. I was always trying the cheapest tool that can do the job and if work fine I just used it. If I was to place a value on it it would probably be around 10K

 

[xjfish]

Ummm 30k on mechanics tools for work estimate?, closer to 2k for everything at home? My totals have been around 8k a year for "work" tools... actually that ads up to a lot more than 30k... ugh

 

[fireguy]

I still have some of the tools that came with my Honda 50CC, in 1963. I have tools that I built my first house with, about 1972. I made a guess once and figured about $1,000.00 in my first van. Total now, replacement about $100,000.00,in the shop, and vans. I buy only good stuff, Ridgid, Milwaukie, Greenlee and De Walt power tools. No HF or Klein ****. Hand tools, depends if it is for me or employees. I furnish all the tools. Best place to buy tools, Colonial tools. Their sales people know tools. When I was expanding, my bill with them was $500.00 t $1,000.00 each month. One month, I bought $5,00.00 of Ridgid.

 

[pendragon1998]

I'd say $3k to $5k, if you include the storage, worksurfaces, and consumables. I have spent a lot of time finding USA stuff, including some vintage tools that I bought rough and restored, so replacement of everything would not be as simple as taking a credit card down to Lowes or Zoro.com.

 

[James-W]

I have no idea as to the cost to replace all the stuff I have. Some of it I bought new, some I had given to me, some I inherited, some came from auctions and/or estate sales for a very cheap price, things of that nature. If I had to replace everything at today's prices, I am sure it would be a sizable amount of money.