Tool question for the techs....

[Eds_tls]

A qestions popped in my head when I was in the garage today.

I've seen alot of very nice and very expensive setups that people use at work. For you guys who wrench for a living, do you have similar a similar tool collection at home? I was thinking if I ever was to become a technician, I would have to move all my tools to work...and then I would have nothing in my garage.

Do the pros have two full setups, or can you do you personal wrenching at work? My bro is a technician in Florida, but I know he does his personal wrenching at the shop. What about everone else? Having a home garage and a full setup at work seems like it a huge investment

just curious

 

[LGMechanical]

My tool collection at home is not that big. Just the basics. I do alot of my personal stuff at work.

 

[caper]

I have 3 sets for the most part.Home,work and former service truck set that's been split between work and home since I sold the truck.

 

[econoaddict]

I have 2 sets.
The one at the shop has alot more stuff, such as specialty sets.

I can do just about anything I want at home (on my toys) including mount and balance tires

 

[tjmonsen5]

only one guy I know, hes been in the business for over 30 years, has double of everything. He always buys 2 from the truck, one for his toolbox at the shop, and one for his box at home. I would say he probably has 100k in tools. Insane. He is the shop foreman that bosses everyone around now. Nobody likes him.

 

[Griff93]

I think I actually have more at home than work but I don't do any welding/fab work at my actual job. I have more specialty stuff at work like universal E torx sockets that I wouldn't ever use at home.

 

[Stick Figure]

I have really stepped up my home collection recently. When i had my own shop, i had pretty much nothing at home, now that i work for someone else, i don't have access to my tools and the shop like i used to. As far as specialty tools they travel back and forth with me as needed. Oh and i also have a good amount of tools in the truck that are almost always with me.

 

[Toolhorder]

I have the bulk of my collection at work and some doubles and basic stuff at home. My older starter SO box is at home and my big box is at work. All vintage stuff is at home.

 

[nate379]

When I worked in a shop that was the worst! We couldn't do personal work there. I had a nice box at home with a **** load of tools, but if I brought it to work I would be SOL at home. I got the job to help make ends meet so it's not like a I could afford 2 of everything!

I ended up just buying the bare min for work and bummed tools from the older guys if I was working on something out of my normal jobs.


My Dad is just the opposite. He has an decent amount at home, but most of his stuff is at work. If I needed something heavy duty or special when I was growing up I would just ask him if that was something he had and if so he would bring it home for a couple days.

 

[Joe69]

I have the basics, and a few automotive specialty tools at home, the rest are at work. I'm in a unique position though. I'm a heavy equipment mechanic, and during the paving season my tools are in my service truck at home with me. So, 9 months out of the year, I have most of my tools at home. The only exceptions are some larger specialty tools that I leave at the shop until I need them, such as my 600 ft lb torque wrench.

Joe

 

[illmatyk]

Most of my tools are at work.
I have some tools at home but not enough to do some work. When I do need to do some work at home I just bring home the tools that I need to complete the job.

 

[DanCo]

My tool collection at home is not that big. Just the basics. I do alot of my personal stuff at work.

X's 2.
As I step up tools colection, the lesser brand come home into the garage~95% CM at home, SO & Matco for work.

 

[nissan_crawler]

aside from aviation specific stuff, I have more at home. However, almost everything is SAE on planes. I have a 6mm allen wrench, and a 10mm socket. That's it.

 

[OccupantRJ]

I work in an industrial manufacturing setting, that does machining, fabrication, and assembly. I have a personal rolling cabinet at work with the necessary assortment of hand tools and a few air tools, but at home, I have many more tools and equipment, as I am set up for machining, fabricating, mechanical repair, restoration, and woodwork. It's a rare event that I can't find what I need to work on something with between work and home.

 

[krusty the clown]

i have enough to get by at home.....i got tired of carrying tools back and forth.

 

[rhandwor]

When I had my shop I had a set of tools at work and a set at home. The specialty tools were mostly at work. Most of the work on my wife's car I did at home.

 

[wreckercologist]

A little bit of both I guess. I have more stuff at work, but have 24 hr. access to it via a gate key and walk in door key. Living 1.5 miles from work is pretty bitchin' at times.

I'm slowly replacing and upgrading my work tools and taking the old stuff home or selling it, so in a lot of cases, I have two, three and sometimes four of something. The only pain is when I have one of something and can't remember where it's at........work?..........my apartment?..........out at mom's place?...............sold it already?..............

That said, I have all the hand tools I can stand at home, it's the special stuff I lack so I do most of my vehical work at work.

I was wanting to replace the pick ups in one of my bass guitars last week. I would have swore I had a soldering iron at my apartment but I guess not.

 

[Tavy]

Little of both. The collection at home is primarily those tools passed down from my pa and so on, general service stuff mixed with a little specialty here and there. Definitely a huge melting pot of different brands and ages of tools. It's a mess.

At work I keep a well-organized set of general purpose tools on top of my specialty bits, basically all of it is Armstrong. All of my diesel tools moved back to my home garage, however, and I do my sidework out of the house nowadays.

Living 20 miles from the garage makes it impractical to keep one set, and I don't have a working vehicle to get to and fro anymo (long story).

 

[Garys Garage]

I got tired of bringing tools back and forth. I quit my job and now work from my home. Bad part is I still have 2 of almost every thing. I have a small garage with a third set and have a "road box" that I take with me when I travel.

 

[35mastr]

I have 2 very large boxes that are full. One at work and a Mac 3 Bank 1880 at home.

 

[poprockcrusher]

Not much room to store stuff at the trailer park or small apartment ,the only places underpaid mechanics can afford to live at !!! pay is overrated [you also can't afford a car worth working on either ]

 

[Tavy]

Truer words have never been said, poprockcrusher. I ended up pulling the passenger seat out of my truck for a long time to fit my toolbox until I got settled, even with the Supercab..

 

[autobody]

I have all of my "good" stuff at work, and then when I am planning on working at home I will make a list and bring it home. I am slowly buying some nice stuff for at home, mainly used stuff on ebay and swap meets.

 

[ericthewrench]

I work 2 jobs, one job I have a large Snap On KRL box full of tools, 2nd job I have a 3 drawer roll cart full of tools and home I have a 3 piece Craftsman box full of tools, not all home tools are high quality though