tool prices vs what you make- ? for the pros

[emeraldcoupe]

i'm a home garage mechanic, do all my own wrenching. my tools are a mix of crapsman,matco,snap on,etc.i usually buy the big name brands used.i have a few new matco tools only because i know a matco guy and got my stuff at cost, otherwise they are to expensive for me. my question is for the guys who wrench for a living. with all the money spent on tool truck tools, do you make any money or are you kinda working for tools? i friend of mine who worked at a shop had a $30k+ tool bill for one year. this isn't meant to be a smart *** type of question, i'm just curious.

 

[kwoody51]

Not a shop guy, just an at home wrencher like yourself. But let's think about this for a minute.

Let's assume a guy in a shop makes $30k, spends, 30k on tools, yeah he's working for tools. But after you are set up, how many more tools do you really have to buy on a regular basis? Shouldn't be anywhere near $30k worth on a yearly basis.

So maybe the first few years a lot of what is made goes toward tools, but after that, shouldn't be nearly as much as getting started. Just my thoughts, those with real world experience can shoot holes in it.

 

[seth_man]

30k in a year for tools is crazy. my first year as a pro tech i spent 9k. i thought that was a lot. 5 years later im making 62k and last year i spent 5k on tools.

 

[Fubar]

I own a small shop and the SO bill hovers around 23-28K a year.

 

[emeraldcoupe]

thanks. i thought the 30k was high. i know part of it was a huge box that cost him like 12k.

 

[Hawk321]

If you pay more than 12 k you make something wrong, specially in the usa.
Don't work for your tools...your tools work for you and keep the tax deduction in your mind.

I know the dealer prices...and yep...I know who makes what. It's not necessary to buy a 1000$ wrench set....it's also makes no sense to spend $$$ for rebadged made in china tools.
I know the KRL series...but it's also to expensive.

I see the shops, without special tools...it makes me sick. A Cman pro wrench set will work like a snap-on set...but you save hundreds of $...
I don't spend my money anymore for overpriced tools...I save my bucks for special tools and equipment to support my work and to solve real problems.

A hyrdaulic hub puller, good scope, autodata and mityvac as an example.

 

[Scooterfish]

Other ways of asking, what % of weekly pay goes toward your tool payment?
What % of yearly pay goes toward tool purchases?

 

[sberry]

I find deals and collect as needed, haven't been on a tool truck in years, not really pretentious about the stuff.

 

[alamerang]

I agree. $30,000 in a year is just crazy. I've seen a lot of guys that come out of school and dump a ton of money on a huge set of tools which puts them in debt for years to come. This just seems to be playing "keeping up with the Jones" in the shop. The new kid sees all the older techs with they're awesome tool collection and they feel they just gotta have it now instead of just getting your basics first and growing your collection over time. On the flip side, he shouldn't have to buy from the Snap-on guy for a very long time.

 

[stewart]

With some guys the ratio seems too tight. The salary doesn't seem to justify the expense, but I think they are sort of collectors at the same time and so to them it becomes worth it. Who doesn't oogle at a brand new tool for a few moments before they shut the draw?

 

[crewchief888]

back when i started as a 'pro" working on construction eq, wages were low ($4-$6 an hr), i spent maybe $1000 that first year.
as i started working on larger and more complex equipment, wages went up, as did my spending, $3000 or more a year. that spending went on for 13 or 14 years.
in the last 12 years i havent spent much on working tools, i have what i need
ive replaced a lot of worn out,damaged, broken and just plain OLD tools and added a few things to the garage that i never had, or had room for.

 

[SS5150]

I've run anywhere from $1500 to $3000/yr on tools, but the last few years haven't been too bad.....now it's more of upgrade/replace worn out stuff.

 

[Fedwrench]

$30k is more like a career long investment total rather than an annual expenditure for an individual tech. Now, if you're a shop owner/tech it might be different. Once you have the basics covered, there will always be new tools to get to handle new fasteners, or tools needed for recurring tasks on new model vehices, and updates for scan tools. There are also the ocassional newly designed tool to increase productivity like lighter and more powerful impacts, higher toothed ratchets, and Gearwrench etc. Even a well paid drivability tech would have a hard time sustaining a $30k annual tool bill along with regular expenses like a mortgage or a car payment. I think $3-5k a year would more than cover new stuff