Tool box recommendations for future A&P mechanic

[jetmechabq]

look at the minimum tool listing that are out their is you have all of that then spend a good amount getting a school discount on a box. remember if you have to barrow a tool more than twice its time to buy one.

As an A&P and military mechanic I never cared on the price that I paid for a tool as long it had an unlimited lifetime warrantee.

 

[greasynut]

Congrats on your continuing education.

Not an a&p tech but I've been in an automotive shop for 20yrs. I've seen a bunch come and go. First impression, everyone will look at your box but, after a while they will look at your work. Two ways, "they are a butcher" or "how do they make it look so easy". I've been out worked by old men with a hand held toolbox on a creeper!

I would take advantage of the snapon discount. Maybe a KRL 1056 or 7022. That will hold all the tools you need right now. After its full and you have a feel of the shop your in you can trade up @ every bit of what you paid sometimes more. I bought my first snap on in 97 on a student discount, worked that box for 10 plus years.

Spend the money on tools and learn how to use them.

 

[T45]

The one thing I do see alot of comments about is how well snappy boxes/carts tend roll vs lesser ones. But if you are the OP how do you evaluate them all this feature before you buy one//? Are there well known differences between the brands/models or is this more of a basic difference between truck brands and HF?

eg, see this video review (krsc416)

and also came up in the Snap on krcs46 mod thread

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=3220618&highlight=casters#post3220618

...even some snappy models benefit from upgrades etc.

 

[Gonzo3333]

If you are just starting school, buy a decent sized tool bag. If you need to bring your tools from school to work or anywhere else they won't be clanging around inside a metal tool box in your car. The bag is also lighter and for the most part easier to carry around.

I will be totally finished with A&P school tomorrow. I already have my airframe license and took the oral and practical for my powerplant license last month. Tomorrow I will be a fully licensed A&P.

Good luck with school!

 

[rcupp]

I definitely agree that talent, attention to detail, ability and willingness to listen are going to go a lot further than what kind of tools or tool box I have. I don't expect to get along with all my coworkers and I definitely understand that there will be a variety of varying opinions when it comes to tool brands, but at the same time, don't want to be judged on my work by others based on what I wrench with.

I guess that was kind of my thinking and I appreciate your insight.

It's not about what you have or use but how you use it!
If your coworkers are tool snobs then let them be.
If your gonna be out on a line somewhere then you will need something easily portable like a bag or a bi-fold out hand box, if your gonna be in a hanger then a cheap roll around will do, most A/Ps I know build their own boxes anyway.

 

[maxpower_hd]

I would recommend waiting until you are out of school and employed in the field before spending significant funds on a box. But you still need something decent. I would consider looking for a good quality used smaller box that will hold what you need. Then you can upgrade to something bigger and better once gainfully employed.

For a box that gets opened, closed and moved all day every day I would stick with a good name box like SO that will still warranty many items on old boxes. I have one from the 80s as well. SO has given me sliders, keys, a shop mate got some lock parts an casters, etc.

One place I work has a lower end US General. It's OK for stationary use but is thinner, doesn't roll as well and the drawers don't slide as well as the SO box I paid less for. Just for comparison.

 

[zeke markham]

Hey there, I realize I'm late to the party but I'd like to chime in.
I work for a regional airline doing line and overnight maintenance, recently I've been asked to evaluate some people for hiring.
Before I see your toolbox I will see your resume. Before I see anything else I will see your qualifications and experience. Resumes are key.
Your choice in toolbox is yours. I know great techs with Husky, Kobalt, Craftsman, etc. Lots of guys have been walked out with Snap-On, Mac, or Matco boxes.
Your ability to keep airplanes flying, safely, on time is what really matters.
The size or brand of your toolbox is irrelevant as long as you have the skills and tools required. Half of our people don't even have a roll box, just a carry box.
For reference, I've got a Waterloo and never heard a word.

 

[bb_max]

Seems to me you will catch more **** from the kids at school about the box/brand thing. Brush them off.
In the real world, people with the level of training you will have will know to treat others with respect.

I work with a 70+ year old mechanic, who spent the latter half of his career working on experimental tractors, probably from a provided box. Now he does the same from our shop, but he has the roughest craftsman setup with the most mismatched set of tools you can imagine. Tons of respect for the guy, and I borrow certain things from him all the time, even though at work I probably have more tools than he does. What can I say, no one else has a monkey wrench, and sometimes you need one.

 

[Air21]

And take advantage of your discounts! All the tool trucks have a student program, the Craftsman Student Technician program can net you a ton of tools and a box for cheap, Aircraft Tool Supply has a student program, claim your free year of Amazon Prime!

Not everything on the truck is best, some things on the truck are cheaper than anywhere with your discount. Pay attention to deals, sales, discounts, and promotions!

An empty box is just a hole you fill with money.

 

[Adam.C]

Seems to me you will catch more **** from the kids at school about the box/brand thing. Brush them off.
In the real world, people with the level of training you will have will know to treat others with respect.

Right going in attitude. But validate the young lady a little. None of you guys know what its like to be female in a male dominated work environment. I've been shocked by how women in my company have been treated even recently. Guys say amazingly stupid and embarrassing things to women, especially the young single women. I guess they think it's cute?

Easier for me to reach out as a father of nearly grown children to some of the women in my team. I've been moved nearly to tears by their stories and so damn mad at the knuckle heads who talk **** about these young professional women.

Its really hard to understand discrimination until you've experienced it first hand. If there's a tool box the OP can buy that makes her life a tiny bit easier, makes her stand out less, then she should go for it.

 

[gagreen]

Use the student discount and get a kra 2422. Nice casters, plenty of space, quality, and perfect work surface height. Do not get a service cart as the lift lid will about the hell out of you. In general aviation I did lots of rebuilding and small assembly work and the 2422 was my favorite sized roller. Get a service cart later if you need but that 2422 will serve you better. I'm down to a single bay working corporate tho. General aviation hardly pays and requires a large personal investment in tools. Best hint I could give a young a&p is to focus on school then work your *** off to get experience then start googling fortune 500 companies flight departments.

 

[shockwave]

Start with a bigger rollcart is my opionion you will use it even after you get a bigger box and build from there is my opionion

For the money Cornwell offers best deal on big cart but snap has better resell value

 

[geartow]

I feel something along the lines of a sunex 80570,cart box is the way to go for a student. It gives ample storage to get through school, without being overly large or pricey. Another thing to think of is how will I move this when school is finished. When the need for a larger box comes you will aready have your cart.

 

[tbrown801]

What size in height is best for a tool box? I see sizes that are either 39-1/2, 45-7/8, 46 3/16.

 

[L.Cheapo]

What size in height is best for a tool box? I see sizes that are either 39-1/2, 45-7/8, 46 3/16.

I'd say it depends on how tall you are and whether or not you plan on adding a top box or a hutch.

 

[RV8guy]

I'm an A&P. My work tool box is a HF 5 drawer cart with a side box hanging off of it. It has plenty of room in it. With the exception of a couple of tools, I built an airplane with what's in that box.

 

[mbushnell]

As a retired AMT (CAL / UAL in EWR) most of what were seen were standard Craftsman boxes with a few large SO boxes thrown in. This was out on the line, not in the hangar. In the hangar, it’s probably a different story. If it were me, I would hold off on expensive tools / boxes until I was out of school, was in the field & determined what environment was I working in. You would be issued a “required tool list” by your employer (and probably the Tech School) of what tools are required. Keep in mind that tools that require calibration such as torque wrenches will be furnished & tracked by the company & you will have to get them from the tool crib on an “as needed” basis. Same for landing gear wheel nut sockets, etc.
Working on the Line, my toolbox remained in the Break room (or toolroom). Normally, going out on a Gate Call, I would carry on me a Snap-On flip-flop screwdriver (the blade reverses between a standard straight tip & a #2 Phillips), a Mini-Mag flashlight, a medium pair of water pump pliers, and a Leatherman Multi-Tool. I had an Army Surplus canvas tool bag that I carried if more involved work was required or expected.
Working in the hangar is a different environment. In that case, you roll your toolbox up to the A/C & work from there. That’s not the case when working on the line as I was.
The only recommendation that I'd make as far as tools is to go with 12 Point sockets. 6 Point sockets will not fit onto the bolt heads / nuts found on aircraft.

 

[Fly YX]

Are you going regional or mainline? If regional I can dig up a tool list for Skywest airlines if main line I could probably try to get one from Delta. As far as tool boxes you can usually get a pretty good discount if you want to go snap-on with the school discount program you can do the same thing with SK tools to. Tekton also has one. A few a&pa mechanics have the harbor freight box and not had any issues pushing it around the hangar. I used to work for Midwest Express Airlines then Republic airlines bought them and Frontier at the time. Republic on a few other regionals then as well. When I file for bankruptcy in 2016 the rest of us in Milwaukee got laid off. Then I started at Skywest Airlines a year later. Did not like the way the Base was operated seen a lot of things that was not sop as far as the faa is concerned.So I'm not in the airline industry anymore. Loved the work but the only game in town *****. Sorry for the long rant. But yeah the only thing I heard bad about the harbor freight boxes are the casters but they're easy enough to replace. I had a old snap-on box when I first started. Now I have that and 2 US General 5 drawer in a couple Craftsman and Kobalt boxes. Good luck and have fun I loved working at YX it was like a family not a job.

 

[Fly YX]

Oh I remember on Skywest minimum tool list was a Leatherman WTF. When we got new mechanics I never worried about what kind of tools or toolbox they had as long as they listen and not get too cocky because they just went to school. Those mechanics didn't last long.

 

[Provincial]

I spent over 20 years as a General Aviation A&P that was both flying and maintaining aircraft from a Piper J-3 Cub up to a Douglas DC-3. I was on the move a lot, and kept my tools in multiple Craftsman carry boxes. No box was heavier than I could carry by myself, and the largest was a 3-drawer model.

When I was spending time working in a hangar, I always was able to find a spot to put my boxes. A rolling cart with a piece of plywood for a top would have been a good choice for me when in the hanger. I kept my wrenches in a tool roll with grommets that I could hang from nails/screws from a wall, or roll up and put in a toolbox when moving. Often, in the field I would just unroll it on the ground.

I kept my tools separated by type in the various drawers, screwdrivers in one, pliers in another, etc.. I had one box for socket wrench sets, separated by drive size in each drawer. If you do this, it is easy to track your tools if you put them away at the end of the job. You don't need outline foam. Less used tools were spread in other boxes. I had one box for test gear, but the multi-meter stayed in the top of the main box because it was used often.

I used a small canvas (military-style) tool bag when working on a project away from the tool storage area. They are very handy when you don't need a big tool set for a specific job.

My experience was very different from airline work, so it really isn't very applicable, except when you need mobility.

 

[BarryWells]

Snap-On Taco Wagon....

Case closed !

 

[Wamsutta]

I wonder if A&Pgirl ever got her certificate.

 

[Mr_B]

Used Matco or Mac ideal if can find something.
Masterforce be a cheap new option that decent made and decent features .
Box not super important at this stage so no point sinking too much into it .