tool colors?

[pizzabooty]

hi all, this is kind of a dumb thought i had.

i've noticed that most manufacturers make tools (particularly screwdrivers or soft grip ratchets) and non-customizable toolboxes in specific colors. these tend to be orange, red, green, blue, and sometimes yellow. power tools are similar, but that's more of a per-manufacturer basis and not so much color options.

this thought came about because i was on the snap-on truck with my buddy and our snap-on guy, discussing a toolbox purchase. my buddy suggested i get a yellow one to match my handful of hi-vis tools, but i said i absolutely wanted it in purple, because purple is my favorite color. he was shocked, because i have mostly green from matco and hi-vis from snap-on. i said "that's because nobody makes a purple tool".


so that got me thinking: why do manufacturers tend to make tools in only a handful of colors? is it because they just sell the best and it wouldn't be cost effective to produce colors that maybe aren't as popular? or maybe certain manufacturers noticed others only making certain colors and decided to "follow the leader", so to speak? i would absolutely love some but it seems like purple is probably just not a popular color.



just for funsies, what's your favorite color of tool?

 

[mike93lx]

Money.

It's the answer to every question regarding why companies make certain decisions.

 

[four.cycle]

^ You can buy pliers made in Japan, Taiwan, and China in any color in the rainbow.
Harry Epstein had 10-inch groove-joint angle-jaw pliers on sale for $10 bucks a pair with assorted colors of handles - not sure if there are any of those left - I may have bought the last couple pairs.
Check Engineer brand and some of the other Japanese tool brands for different colors:

Tools of Japan discussion thread

List of Manufacturers and Brands of Mechanics Hand Tools

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

Snap-on has purple stuff lol. I have three purple handled ratchets. My coworker has the purple pry bar set. But I’ve noticed most of the tool trucks I’ve been on carry the standard stuff and occasionally will have the odd ball special color something. I’d say they base it on most common colors people would want. Or they want that customer who wants something now and doesn’t want to wait or doesn’t care so they get red or green or orange or whatever. My favorite color for tools is definitely blue preferably the Snap-on power blue or pearl blue. Second favorites would have to be Snap-on teal or Snap-on combat tan. And let’s not forget I love pink tools haha.

 

[pizzabooty]

Snap-on has purple stuff lol. I have three purple handled ratchets. My coworker has the purple pry bar set. But I’ve noticed most of the tool trucks I’ve been on carry the standard stuff and occasionally will have the odd ball special color something. I’d say they base it on most common colors people would want. Or they want that customer who wants something now and doesn’t want to wait or doesn’t care so they get red or green or orange or whatever. My favorite color for tools is definitely blue preferably the Snap-on power blue or pearl blue. Second favorites would have to be Snap-on teal or Snap-on combat tan. And let’s not forget I love pink tools haha.

that's awesome! might need to get my dealer to get me a purple handle ratchet. i'm not usually a fan of the hard-handled stuff, but it would certainly make a nice addition to my collection!

those are some beautiful blues, i have to say. personally i love the snap-on hi vis and the matco green. i also quite like the matco blue, but they only have some select items in blue.

 

[BlakeTheCarGuy]

that's awesome! might need to get my dealer to get me a purple handle ratchet. i'm not usually a fan of the hard-handled stuff, but it would certainly make a nice addition to my collection!

those are some beautiful blues, i have to say. personally i love the snap-on hi vis and the matco green. i also quite like the matco blue, but they only have some select items in blue.

Yes I had to get my dealer to order the blue stuff surprisingly he had all the purple stuff at the time I wanted it lol. I actually didn’t want purple when I got it just didn’t want to wait on a different color but now I’ve grown to like the purple. He was showing us purple pliers today on the truck. They had purple hammers at one point too and probably still do on select ones. The Snap-on website has a lot listed on it for purple but sometimes things disappear from there I’ve noticed. I love the hard handle stuff but that’s just a preference I have a few soft grips just can’t really bring myself to like them lol. I have Matco blue too which is nice. My soft grips are gray and orange for Snap-on my Matco is blue and orange. I don’t really like the lame red tools lol. My screwdrivers are blue mostly. I seen some old purple ones on eBay at one point not sure if they still have the purple screwdrivers. Pretty much all the hand tools have had at least one run of purple. Personally I hate the hi-viz yellow lol . I have always hated the color yellow but definitely ain’t a fan of the bright yellow lol. I have coworkers with it though. I like orange and blue for Snap-on and their other cool colors too.

 

[pizzabooty]

Yes I had to get my dealer to order the blue stuff surprisingly he had all the purple stuff at the time I wanted it lol. I actually didn’t want purple when I got it just didn’t want to wait on a different color but now I’ve grown to like the purple. He was showing us purple pliers today on the truck. They had purple hammers at one point too and probably still do on select ones. The Snap-on website has a lot listed on it for purple but sometimes things disappear from there I’ve noticed. I love the hard handle stuff but that’s just a preference I have a few soft grips just can’t really bring myself to like them lol. I have Matco blue too which is nice. My soft grips are gray and orange for Snap-on my Matco is blue and orange. I don’t really like the lame red tools lol. My screwdrivers are blue mostly. I seen some old purple ones on eBay at one point not sure if they still have the purple screwdrivers. Pretty much all the hand tools have had at least one run of purple. Personally I hate the hi-viz yellow lol . I have always hated the color yellow but definitely ain’t a fan of the bright yellow lol. I have coworkers with it though. I like orange and blue for Snap-on and their other cool colors too.

i will absolutely talk to my snap-on guy on monday and see what he can do!

my matco stuff is pretty much all green (die grinder, impact gun, tire inflator), and my snap-on stuff is almost exclusively hi-vis (micro impact, long flex head ratchet, electric ratchet). i did do a fun lil color coding setup with my matco screwdrivers tho, i have phillips in neon orange and slotted in neon green. my dealer was nice enough to split up 2 sets for me! i don't like lame red tools either lol, but that being i do kinda like the matco burgundy type of red instead of the bright snap-on red. but green is still the move.

 

[ianguilly]

Mac tools use to sell purple tools. Generally they make colors that sell and orange green and red are the big 3 I alway see.

 

[Jtels85]

My MAC dealer has a purple tool cart on his truck as we speak. Thing is beautiful.

 

[richfinn]

hi all, this is kind of a dumb thought i had.

i've noticed that most manufacturers make tools (particularly screwdrivers or soft grip ratchets) and non-customizable toolboxes in specific colors. these tend to be orange, red, green, blue, and sometimes yellow. power tools are similar, but that's more of a per-manufacturer basis and not so much color options.

this thought came about because i was on the snap-on truck with my buddy and our snap-on guy, discussing a toolbox purchase. my buddy suggested i get a yellow one to match my handful of hi-vis tools, but i said i absolutely wanted it in purple, because purple is my favorite color. he was shocked, because i have mostly green from matco and hi-vis from snap-on. i said "that's because nobody makes a purple tool".


so that got me thinking: why do manufacturers tend to make tools in only a handful of colors? is it because they just sell the best and it wouldn't be cost effective to produce colors that maybe aren't as popular? or maybe certain manufacturers noticed others only making certain colors and decided to "follow the leader", so to speak? i would absolutely love some but it seems like purple is probably just not a popular color.



just for funsies, what's your favorite color of tool?

I don't really do all that colour matching thing to be totally honest, it didn't really exist when I started buying tools back in the 80s (everything from tool trucks was either red/black or chrome)

I do quite like chrome plating/red or black, but it's not a deal breaker

If I tend to lose stuff, I will consider a hi-viz version (but they are a pain to keep clean)

Maybe it's subconscious from way too many years of working in automotive workshops but traditional Red Toolboxes just seem right to me now??

 

[tamaraw]

I think most companies make things just in their signature color for brand recognition and to keep options and production/supply simple. Ex: Bahco orange, Hazet blue, Stahlwille green, Elora yellow, etc.

Some like Cornwell or Matco will offer two or three color options. A few like Snap-on or Engineer offer a wider range. I notice a lot of the time these brands will be out of at least one option.

Most of my stuff is some shade of orange/red/yellow because that's what they come in. The visibility aspect makes sense when you are looking for a tool and I don't really mind that pallette. Given more choices though, I would certainly get other colors. For example, my Engineer extraction pliers are pink.

Sometimes I also try to match similar tools like my Engineer shears being yellow to go with my Olfa knives. Or I'll color code things like the grips on my TOP adjustable wrenches being red/blue/black for different sizes.

I do really like blue and purple as colors but tend to not get them on tools because the darker shades are less visible and harder to clean. I have some Vessel stubbies in an almost Makita turquoise which is pretty nice though and my cart is a light Hazet blue.

I wish more companies did stuff in turquoise or muave but it's unfortunately not very common.

 

[CHI_Tool&Die]

I try to keep things color coordinated if it’s kinda standard. Like all my metric stuff where possible is with red because a lot of companies give you red storage for metric. Eklind though gives you blue for metric which kinda fudges everything up in my work box especially because I typically have metric and SAE in the same drawers. Coordinating also helps because if I’m asking someone to grab me something or if someone at work is trying to borrow, I can say, “third drawer, blue rail on the right” and that’s that. It’s apprentice proof.

 

[pizzabooty]

I try to keep things color coordinated if it’s kinda standard. Like all my metric stuff where possible is with red because a lot of companies give you red storage for metric. Eklind though gives you blue for metric which kinda fudges everything up in my work box especially because I typically have metric and SAE in the same drawers. Coordinating also helps because if I’m asking someone to grab me something or if someone at work is trying to borrow, I can say, “third drawer, blue rail on the right” and that’s that. It’s apprentice proof.

really? interesting! i've noticed that a lot of the times metric will be blue and SAE will be red. at least, that's the case with channellock, kobalt, and hypertough (i think), though that's usually colored bands around the socket rather than the storage container.

I don't really do all that colour matching thing to be totally honest, it didn't really exist when I started buying tools back in the 80s (everything from tool trucks was either red/black or chrome)

I do quite like chrome plating/red or black, but it's not a deal breaker

If I tend to lose stuff, I will consider a hi-viz version (but they are a pain to keep clean)

Maybe it's subconscious from way too many years of working in automotive workshops but traditional Red Toolboxes just seem right to me now??

hi vis is DEFINITELY a pain to keep clean. my electric ratchet and 3/8 micro impact are both hi vis, and they collect dirt and dust like it's nobody's business lmfao. i've taken to wiping them down with a rag sprayed with brake cleaner, although admittedly im not sure if that affects the finish/markings. time will tell.
i feel like the red toolbox is very stereotypical automotive me and both of my coworkers have red service carts, so there are 3 floating around the shop in any given time, it's kind of hilarious.

 

[david3921]

Some purple handled tools linked here:

The super hero tool set finally arrived!

82 pc of Black Panther tools for only $15. Can't go wrong with it! https://www.walmart.com/ip/Marvel-Black-Panther-82pc-Giftable-Tool-Set-with-Socket-Set-and-Hand-Tools-Purple-Edition/553256645

www.garagejournal.com

Wakanda Forever!

 

[pizzabooty]

Some purple handled tools linked here:

The super hero tool set finally arrived!

82 pc of Black Panther tools for only $15. Can't go wrong with it! https://www.walmart.com/ip/Marvel-Black-Panther-82pc-Giftable-Tool-Set-with-Socket-Set-and-Hand-Tools-Purple-Edition/553256645

www.garagejournal.com

Wakanda Forever!

i'm sold!

 

[Kuma601]

Imagine the aftermarket for some enterprising person to offer variations like steering wheel covers and cell phone cases with tool handles.

I'm fine with black, matte black and shiny chrome. The Felo and Vessel throw off the screwdriver rack. I might say similar for the blue in Channellocks with the other pliers.

 

[KariFS]

I think there would be more color choice, if the color was considered important. I guess most people don’t care what color the handles are.

I have some Bahco screwdrivers that have mostly black handles, but the end caps of the handles are different colours on Pz, Ph and flat. I find it useful, as it is easy to mix up Pz and Ph otherwise. JIS drivers need to be a different set altogether, hidden so that no one borrows them.

Other than that, the colour doesn’t matter much to me. I think multi-brand mis-matched or non-color-coordinated sets look more credible, but to each his own

 

[mogandave]

If you manufacture 100 different screwdrivers, every color you add adds 100 new part-numbers that have to be produced and inventoried. Longer production times, longer lead-times, higher costs, more unhappy customers.

My favorite color for tools is are chrome and yellow.

 

[f121]

just for funsies, what's your favorite color of tool?

Mine are colour coordinated by type, so they’re easy to tell apart at glance. Ph1 screwdrivers are orange, ph2 are red, flat heads are green, pozi screwdrivers are hi-vis. 1/4” ratchets are green, 3/8” are red. It makes it way easier to spot a screwdriver in my road box in the dark, and means I can say ‘get me the red screwdriver’ or ‘get me the green bendy ratchet’.

 

[mogandave]

Mine are colour coordinated by type, so they’re easy to tell apart at glance. Ph1 screwdrivers are orange, ph2 are red, flat heads are green, pozi screwdrivers are hi-vis. 1/4” ratchets are green, 3/8” are red. It makes it way easier to spot a screwdriver in my road box in the dark, and means I can say ‘get me the red screwdriver’ or ‘get me the green bendy ratchet’.

I did that with my Xcelite nut-drivers.

 

[brownbagg]

i paint all my tools, lima bean green, even the snap on, so my buddies think they are harbor freight and dont bother to borrow them

 

[Bubba Fett]

I always liked the way Pratt-Read color-coded their screwdriver handles:

Red for Cabinet and Keystone
Purple for Robertson
Blue for Phillips
Green for Torx
Yellow for S.A.E. nut drivers*
Orange for Metric nut drivers*
Brown for Clutch

The nut drivers had additional color coding for nut driver sizes.

 

[Captain Spaulding]

Most of my tools are either nicked chrome or dirty grease stained over whatever the factory color was. Fine if you like having special colors, but I suspect most people are like me and don’t care in the least what color a tool is if it gets the job done as trouble-free as possible.