Starting tools

[Anyas47]

You learn pretty quick what you NEED, versus what you are stockpiling. I haven't been in the big box in weeks, it's all been the cart stuff that gets used.

A good roller cart, one of the big Craftsman socket sets, wrenches, screwdrivers, 1/2" impact and a 3/8" air ratchet and you are pretty much set to start out. Also BUY A SET OF PRYBARS. I don't know why, but nobody buys their own anymore.

What would you suggest for roller carts? plastic or metal?

 

[crewchief888]

What would you suggest for roller carts? plastic or metal?

metal

the HF carts have gotten good reviews here on GJ.

nice thing is they are lockable storage.

i use an older SO ( now bluepoint) 2 shelf cart, with a 3 drawer middle box under the top shelf

some shops you need to lock up every night, some places you dont..

ive worked in one dealership that employed a thief, he didnt last long after i found a couple of my tools in his box... and it wasnt something he had asked to borrow.
besides the threat of having his fingers, and arms broke, and the possibility of him not having any teeth left

management canned his sorry *** the next day.

 

[Anyas47]

metal

the HF carts have gotten good reviews here on GJ.

nice thing is they are lockable storage.

i use an older SO ( now bluepoint) 2 shelf cart, with a 3 drawer middle box under the top shelf

some shops you need to lock up every night, some places you dont..

ive worked in one dealership that employed a thief, he didnt last long after i found a couple of my tools in his box... and it wasnt something he had asked to borrow.
besides the threat of having his fingers, and arms broke, and the possibility of him not having any teeth left

management canned his sorry *** the next day.

I bought a HF tool cart and use it currently as my main tool box. I like the quality of it. I didn't know that was a tool cart i had the image of this little roller cart with no draws and an open top.. It's very nice though

 

[crewchief888]

I bought a HF tool cart and use it currently as my main tool box. I like the quality of it. I didn't know that was a tool cart i had the image of this little roller cart with no draws and an open top.. It's very nice though

lot of guys are using carts for main boxes nowadays. it's an inexpensive way to be "mobile" in a shop

back in the day the only carts to be found were just a simple 2 shelf, the cool guys added a 3rd shelf
and it wasnt something that everyone had back then, tool boxes have doubled, tripled, and quadrupled in size in the past 25+ years

some of these newer carts have more storage space, and cost more than my 1st set of boxes

 

[PepperCrab]

Sorry for reviving an old thread but if you're still shopping for high quality but cheaper tools, you might want to consider Japanese tools. They are very high quality but much cheaper than SnapOn or the high-end European brands. Some names are KTC, Tone, Aigo and others. Some say KTC is equivalent to SnapOn but the price is much lower. Too bad I've never seen their stuff on ebay.

Also, Elora (German) is a very high quality brand but it's things are much cheaper than Snap-On. They're not pretty but they work very well.