Tool Addiction Rationale

[odermann]

I grew up working side by side with my dad in shop. I have always appreciated tools and enjoyed finding those old treasures and buying new tools. My wife doesn't always appreciate the need for me to keep buying tools, however my serious answer is at least I know my tools will have value after i'm gone and dead. I know they won't be valued for what I paid for them, however they will be of value. That and I always remind her how easy a task was because I had the right tool.

So...i guess back to bidding on ebay and cruising some more tool sites.

 

[MrJason]

I also 'suffer' from your addiction. I was introduced to tools, thanks to my pops, and as far back as I can remember, I've always had an interest in tools.

Since I was 18, I've bought a tool with every paycheck. Literally, one tool a paycheck.

You're in good company. One favor?

Let me know if you find any good tool sites.

Jason

 

[softailgarage]

Yep, you landed on the right forum. Many of us have this affliction towards tools, some pretty bad, some, hell, we all gots it pretty bad. Me, I too grew up around tools, dad was a machinist and owned a cabinet shop and built 1/4 midget race cars before I was born. As a kid I watched or helped him every weekend either working on the house or cars, now as an adult, among other jobs in the past I've spent the last 20 years in automotive parts & repair so I've amassed plenty of tools. I also enjoy collecting vintage tools, mostly wrenches and sockets, automotive stuff, and currently have 14 tool chests/roll aways in the garage from Snap On to Kennedy to Remline to Craftsman and with no wife to nag me about it all, I'm like a loose cannon, tool cannon that is. I don't know what it is or why it is, I just know it is...I love tools and working with them.

 

[Farmall 1066]

Yep, same here. I notice my tool accumulation has really gotten out of control since I quit drinking!
I justify mine by being able to fix anything myself, to buy better farm equipment, in need of repair, than I could justify buying in good shape. Also to buy stuff to fix and sell, or doing repair work for others.
I ask the wife, "would you rather go look for me at the bar, or see the lights on in the shop, and KNOW where I'm at, and what I'm doing?"

 

[Cato]

I used buy to the cheapest tool that looked like it could do the job reliably for this DYIer. That usually meant whatever I could find at Home Depot or OSH.

Then I needed a vice and torque wrench for an AR I wanted to rebarrel.

Now I'm finding I have to have a sample tool from every tool company out there!

I fight the urge every day - sockets are especially addictive for me. They are like little platinum nuggets!

 

[XxToolAholicxX]

I am on the same boat. Dad was an Engineer and been around tools since I was like 10 years old. My kids I try to get them involved with automotive and tools but they are more into video games and computers. Saved tons of money over the years as I fixed and maintained our own cars.



I am a Toolaholic,Sometimes I regret it,Especially when the Toolman won't give me no credit

 

[uart]

Just last weekend I was looking at a cordless drill/saw/impact set and my wife saw me and said "You don't need it. Honestly, you're the "Imelda Marcos" of cordless tools".

Seriously, she said that.

 

[Coolabah]

I grew up working side by side with my dad in shop. I have always appreciated tools and enjoyed finding those old treasures and buying new tools. My wife doesn't always appreciate the need for me to keep buying tools, however my serious answer is at least I know my tools will have value after i'm gone and dead. I know they won't be valued for what I paid for them, however they will be of value. That and I always remind her how easy a task was because I had the right tool.

So...i guess back to bidding on ebay and cruising some more tool sites.

Well- my theory is that there are worse ways to spend your money. I admit it - I buy what I want ( but struggle to keep some sort of budget..) , but in many ways I also treat my tool "collection or tool stock" as a business- I sell what I don't need, i keep what I need to use now (obviously) and also keep what might be better to sell to a collector in a decade from now/keep what I want to keep as a user/collector/give to my grandkids or museum ... win-win ???

 

[Coolabah]

Just last weekend I was looking at a cordless drill/saw/impact set and my wife saw me and said "You don't need it. Honestly, you're the "Imelda Marcos" of cordless tools".

Seriously, she said that.

Mate- please count her shoes, I bet she has more shoes that you have drills...

If not , count each shoe rather than pairs... trust me , you are in a win-win position here....provided you are happy sleeping on your own...

OK, so my advice - "yes dear"

 

[oishearsy]

I was introduced to tools, thanks to my pops, and as far back as I can remember, I've always had an interest in tools.

 

[wrenchMONKEY_]

My Dad tells me I learned my skills on working on motors and cars/bikes from the mail man or milk man, certainly was not him! Either way, happy that it happened, for whatever reason.

 

[J.A.Varela]

I simply don't like to fight things. Cutting 2" wide strips out of a 4 x 8 sheet of 1/4" steel with a cut-a-line track torch ?
Got half way through. Off to Milwaukee.
Tons of heavy grinding rebuilding a horse trailer.4 1/2" ? NOOP 9 inch Metabo.
Hand planing planks for 14 outdoor chairs ? NOOP. Steel City planer.
Framing cabins. Skil worm drive. NOOP. Power miter rig with stand.

I'm one lazy MOFO

 

[r22yu]

Where I live all the tradespeople are busy 24/7 due to all the construction around the city. You either never get a response or get quotrd some outrageous price. Sooo $800 to hang a $200 pair of French doors and trim it out? No/thanks.

Hello new trim router, hinge guide, mitre saw blade, and various accesories. Let's go hang a door and trim it out.

Also my wife doesn't have too much issue with me buying new tools as long as I can sell or donate the old one that it is replacing. I guess its more about clutter as she knows tools are useful.

 

[J.A.Varela]

Denver or Miami ?

 

[Chuck122]

I used buy to the cheapest tool that looked like it could do the job reliably for this DYIer. That usually meant whatever I could find at Home Depot or OSH.



Then I needed a vice and torque wrench for an AR I wanted to rebarrel.



Now I'm finding I have to have a sample tool from every tool company out there!



I fight the urge every day - sockets are especially addictive for me. They are like little platinum nuggets!

For me its pliers i buy some for absolutely no good reason. It my fix i guess...

 

[devoncoolman]

Yes yes this is it. I have this.

 

[quattroJoe]

I see most of the guys my age blowing their paycheck every weekend on booze/drugs/strippers and then I don't feel bad about my addiction [emoji1] The woman doesn't mind, it's no sweat off her back (at least until too many of my newest acquisitions are piled up on the dining table!)

 

[jwsia]

There are much worse things I could spend my money on. She's usually pretty quiet after that.

Early on I made a point to show her the value in the broken down "junk" I bought and made it a point to show her the 100s I got for that "junk" after a few hours in the shop.

 

[Askme42]

My Dad tells me I learned my skills on working on motors and cars/bikes from the mail man or milk man, certainly was not him! Either way, happy that it happened, for whatever reason.

Yeah I think mine came from grandpa not dad but I blame my need for the RIGHT tool on both of them. Any project always took 3x as long because all we ever had was the most basic of tools.

Just last week the parents stove quit working and they found one on CL. Well of course I got to install it. I really am not comfortable with electrical and dad just makes things worse. Well they left for the weekend and I thought nows my chance. 35-40 minutes later the new stove was in. Dad gets home and was like man that must of taken you what 4 hours by yourself? SMH

 

[Askme42]

(at least until too many of my newest acquisitions are piled up on the dining table!)

Where else are you supposed to take pics for the show your new tool arrivals thread?

 

[Buster21]

I just finished a timing belt and water pump job on our V6 Camry, having the right tools for the job makes all the difference. I always figured buying the tools to do the job myself was always better than paying someone $1200.00 to do it for me. My Dad always did everything himself, Automotive, Electrical, plumbing Etc. But he did everything with a simple set of tools and I have several roll aways full. Oh well !!!

 

[franzdom]

Tools quickly pay for themselves, and I find working on cars to be therapeutic. Friday afternoon I replaced the control arms in the Subaru, they needed it really bad. Probably saved $500 in a few hours work. A couple weeks ago I replaced the entire front end of my wife's Volvo and we saved a FORTUNE.

 

[magnumdeke]

My Mom and I made a deal when I was 16, I bought my first car, 79 Malibu 2 door, dust brown with the small V8, 289 ci maybe. She bought me a master mechanic tool set and I never looked back! Still have some of that set, got into building for a living, all of a sudden I had 30 g ******* in tools for framing ,trim and concrete. Built a small shop out back to get my out of the house away from the wife time and filled it with mechanics tools. Worked on construction equipment for the past ten years, everything from generators, welders,fleet of trucks to 220 ton cranes.
Ya I got some tools, never seems to be enough though, cheap or expensive i love em all.

 

[cagullett1]

Where I live all the tradespeople are busy 24/7 due to all the construction around the city. You either never get a response or get quotrd some outrageous price. Sooo $800 to hang a $200 pair of French doors and trim it out? No/thanks.

Hello new trim router, hinge guide, mitre saw blade, and various accesories. Let's go hang a door and trim it out.

Also my wife doesn't have too much issue with me buying new tools as long as I can sell or donate the old one that it is replacing. I guess its more about clutter as she knows tools are useful.

Tools quickly pay for themselves, and I find working on cars to be therapeutic. Friday afternoon I replaced the control arms in the Subaru, they needed it really bad. Probably saved $500 in a few hours work. A couple weeks ago I replaced the entire front end of my wife's Volvo and we saved a FORTUNE.

This is exactly how I justify my tool purchases. By doing it myself, I save more than enough to buy the approrpiate tools to get the job done in a timely manner. Thus how I went from an empty to a full garage in the first year of owning our house. I almost have her convinced that a lift could be paid for by the savings of redoing the entire front suspension on my commuter myself. Definitely not NEEDED, but would be a nice luxury.

 

[Dust Devil]

I just finished a timing belt and water pump job on our V6 Camry, having the right tools for the job makes all the difference. I always figured buying the tools to do the job myself was always better than paying someone $1200.00 to do it for me. My Dad always did everything himself, Automotive, Electrical, plumbing Etc. But he did everything with a simple set of tools and I have several roll aways full. Oh well !!!

Here's to dad, mine was the same guy, and a big part of who I am today.

 

[larry_g]

I worked an industry where the plant provided ALL the tools we needed. One time management decided that instead of each tech having his own tool box that each assembly process would have a shared tool box. Some of us worked across the plant and having a shared tool box would not work so well, especially when I would unload 1/4 of mine and travel 1/2 way around the world with them. So I had running battle with one of the supervisors, nontechnical person, about giving up the spare key to mine. He bugged me for years and I never gave it up. Tools to me are a lifeline to a paycheck.

Now even though retired I still keep a shop running so that I have what I need to do repairs around the place and sometimes take in a paying job. I try not to keep acquiring tools but tooling for the machine tools keeps appearing.

lg
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