I used to be an alignment guy for 18 years. Got out of wrenching in 05, for "greener grass" in industrial maintenance, as a millwright. Had my double bank Matco box brought home on a roll back tow truck, which has been in my home garage since 2005.
I also have a Mac, a "cheaper" top n bottom, Econ 1000 or something like that. This was the box I took to the steel mill. less than 1/2 the size of my Matco 4 series. (they provided me an 8'X8'X4' deep locker to work out of besides my MAC box.)
most of my working life I have done 2 jobs, working 2 places that I needed tools at, at the same time plus had most of enough of the "basics" for home, too without having to borrow much at all from my at-work boxes.
Well now I am going thru and seeing what I actually still have, and what's missing and man did I get a shock... I read the thread about working with a thief, plus I have a 19 yo semi gearhead son. he don't usually do much outta my boxes as he always wants to "use his own" and usually wants me out there to help when he works on something as well.
I have always done side work, often at the car owner's home; so I have tools in and out of my truck, and in and out of the garage, sometimes I do more on the side than others/ lately it has been dwindling (with my ambition, LOL)
But for instance, how do I now have 7, Craftsman 7/16 combo wrenches, 6-9/16 and not one single 1/2" or 3/4??? I have an average of 3 of each size from 1/4 to 1-1/16. I don't remember buying these individual sizes as "extras".
I am not doing too bad on missing a socket here or there but some sizes I find that I have 4 of, while others only one. I spent the morning spending money on Ebay piecing together my missing socket sets (had not gone thru the flat wrenches as of then, just did that this evening) and added a couple sets along the way, because they were reasonably priced. (MAC short metric deep 1/2" and MAC Torx--the Torx I definitly needed, bad)
Most of the sockets I did find missing, were SAE sizes.
Once I get working and see a couple checks, I will do the same for my wrenches. About had a heart attack when I seen how drastically tool prices have changed since I was "married" to Mac, matco, and S/O all at once. I figured they went up but didn't expect it to be THAT much! so Ebay will have to do, when I see what I need for what I want to pay. I see alot of used and worn out selling for more than I paid for new, from '87-05.
Same story on my Matco combo wrenches and my Williams ones and the Armstrong's, which were the most recent ones I got while working at the steel mill. 1/2 and 9/16 do not exist. they were whole sets when I bought them, we had an industrial S/O guy that came around there, but he pushed the Williams and the Armstrong.
I try to keep the conventional tool truck brands in one box and Craftsman Williams Proto etc in the other (I have 2 garages)
About 3X a year I find myself having to go thru and put them all back since somehow they wind up mixed up between the tool boxes.
Growing up, Dad's box was the same way/ mostly with 1/2 and 9/16 sockets, a little with same sized wrenches, and weirdly, Phillips screwdrivers.
Dad's been gone 15 years now don't have to worry about metric there though, he never had any.
I sometimes have issue finding the right screwdriver for the job too, so being I am starting a brand new job next week, going back wrenching again, I am getting the big MATCO box inventoried and ready to take up there with me; I got to thinking about screwdrivers from a "Screwdriver thread" on GJ and someone posted a link to an Ebay seller that was selling Williams 8 pc sets for what was an awesome price (as opposed to the same screwdrivers being sold as S/O and stamped with that name instead) Well they came today and I went thru all my screwdrivers and all of a sudden I have screwdrivers coming out my ears.... but, found out this evening, that I no longer have a complete set of SAE flat wrenches in anything; I have; C-man, S/O, MAC, Matco, Armstrong, Williams, Proto and more but I do not have a single "complete set" of any of those any more.... I KNOW I used to, I remember buying them.
I did take a drawer out of the MAC box and found my 9/16 Gear Wrench under the bottom drawer inside the box. I take that back; I do now have all the Gear Wrenches.
I don't need 4, 3 lb hand sledges or 8 ball pein's either. but I have em.
What bothers me the most, is how much of this stuff that is missing has walked since I have had all my tools home>> and not scattered, between having 2 jobs.... I have been away from work from Sep '07 til Spring '11 entirely, having wound up on SS Disability for a while, due to a serious injury that happened after work right here at home. so I have been right here most of that time. I didn't lose many at all while I was working in the field. and that was regardless of whether I locked my box at the shop or not.
Now on metrics, I am doing surprisingly well on, in comparison; I found more worn out and cracked sockets for instance than among the SAE's, but at least they are still here... I can't warranty phantom SAE tools.... I know it seems like I had more tool truck brand duplicate sets of metric wrenches at one time, but I still have whole sets with no skips on them.... yet I have been using them more and more, even here at home lately. I KNOW I had more SAE wrenches.
I did find Tons of no name junk and imported that I dont specifically remember buying, I try to avoid non USA tools. those will be demoted to my "take to the junkyard" hand carry box.
Torx and Allen head, I know where they went, got tired of the bits falling off on the MAC and MATCO ones I've owned, when I was in a tight spot so I brazed most of em and so voided the warranties over the years.
But I was in Sears for the 1st time in over 10 years today (I worked there for 13 years and it was the only job I got fired from so I decided not to give them any of my money as long as I shall live as a result, but I still pick up older C man at garage sales and such).
I decided to go warranty a pile today. it's the 1st time I have not chucked a broken C man tool in the trash or given it away for someone else to warranty, since 2001 when I lost my job there. and yeah you guys were right about half of what I saw was Chinese. I never thought I'd ever see that at Sears of all places based on how they were with tools, when I worked there in the Auto center. Surely don't make me want to start buying from them again!
I don't know how I wound up with 3 MAC 15 MM deep 1/2" drive impacts, but no 17 MM in the set and 4, S/O 3/8 drive chrome 1/2" deeps and none of some sizes. I used to have 2 sets of those from 1/4-7/8. same story on my 1/4" S/O set. 3 of some none of others I have only ever had that 1, 1/4" set from S/O. I still have my C man 1/4" set I have had for years though....
might have to do some horse tradin of some of my extras for some I am missing.
I also have a Mac, a "cheaper" top n bottom, Econ 1000 or something like that. This was the box I took to the steel mill. less than 1/2 the size of my Matco 4 series. (they provided me an 8'X8'X4' deep locker to work out of besides my MAC box.)
most of my working life I have done 2 jobs, working 2 places that I needed tools at, at the same time plus had most of enough of the "basics" for home, too without having to borrow much at all from my at-work boxes.
Well now I am going thru and seeing what I actually still have, and what's missing and man did I get a shock... I read the thread about working with a thief, plus I have a 19 yo semi gearhead son. he don't usually do much outta my boxes as he always wants to "use his own" and usually wants me out there to help when he works on something as well.
I have always done side work, often at the car owner's home; so I have tools in and out of my truck, and in and out of the garage, sometimes I do more on the side than others/ lately it has been dwindling (with my ambition, LOL)
But for instance, how do I now have 7, Craftsman 7/16 combo wrenches, 6-9/16 and not one single 1/2" or 3/4??? I have an average of 3 of each size from 1/4 to 1-1/16. I don't remember buying these individual sizes as "extras".
I am not doing too bad on missing a socket here or there but some sizes I find that I have 4 of, while others only one. I spent the morning spending money on Ebay piecing together my missing socket sets (had not gone thru the flat wrenches as of then, just did that this evening) and added a couple sets along the way, because they were reasonably priced. (MAC short metric deep 1/2" and MAC Torx--the Torx I definitly needed, bad)
Most of the sockets I did find missing, were SAE sizes.
Once I get working and see a couple checks, I will do the same for my wrenches. About had a heart attack when I seen how drastically tool prices have changed since I was "married" to Mac, matco, and S/O all at once. I figured they went up but didn't expect it to be THAT much! so Ebay will have to do, when I see what I need for what I want to pay. I see alot of used and worn out selling for more than I paid for new, from '87-05.
Same story on my Matco combo wrenches and my Williams ones and the Armstrong's, which were the most recent ones I got while working at the steel mill. 1/2 and 9/16 do not exist. they were whole sets when I bought them, we had an industrial S/O guy that came around there, but he pushed the Williams and the Armstrong.
I try to keep the conventional tool truck brands in one box and Craftsman Williams Proto etc in the other (I have 2 garages)
About 3X a year I find myself having to go thru and put them all back since somehow they wind up mixed up between the tool boxes.
Growing up, Dad's box was the same way/ mostly with 1/2 and 9/16 sockets, a little with same sized wrenches, and weirdly, Phillips screwdrivers.
Dad's been gone 15 years now don't have to worry about metric there though, he never had any.
I sometimes have issue finding the right screwdriver for the job too, so being I am starting a brand new job next week, going back wrenching again, I am getting the big MATCO box inventoried and ready to take up there with me; I got to thinking about screwdrivers from a "Screwdriver thread" on GJ and someone posted a link to an Ebay seller that was selling Williams 8 pc sets for what was an awesome price (as opposed to the same screwdrivers being sold as S/O and stamped with that name instead) Well they came today and I went thru all my screwdrivers and all of a sudden I have screwdrivers coming out my ears.... but, found out this evening, that I no longer have a complete set of SAE flat wrenches in anything; I have; C-man, S/O, MAC, Matco, Armstrong, Williams, Proto and more but I do not have a single "complete set" of any of those any more.... I KNOW I used to, I remember buying them.
I did take a drawer out of the MAC box and found my 9/16 Gear Wrench under the bottom drawer inside the box. I take that back; I do now have all the Gear Wrenches.
I don't need 4, 3 lb hand sledges or 8 ball pein's either. but I have em.
What bothers me the most, is how much of this stuff that is missing has walked since I have had all my tools home>> and not scattered, between having 2 jobs.... I have been away from work from Sep '07 til Spring '11 entirely, having wound up on SS Disability for a while, due to a serious injury that happened after work right here at home. so I have been right here most of that time. I didn't lose many at all while I was working in the field. and that was regardless of whether I locked my box at the shop or not.
Now on metrics, I am doing surprisingly well on, in comparison; I found more worn out and cracked sockets for instance than among the SAE's, but at least they are still here... I can't warranty phantom SAE tools.... I know it seems like I had more tool truck brand duplicate sets of metric wrenches at one time, but I still have whole sets with no skips on them.... yet I have been using them more and more, even here at home lately. I KNOW I had more SAE wrenches.
I did find Tons of no name junk and imported that I dont specifically remember buying, I try to avoid non USA tools. those will be demoted to my "take to the junkyard" hand carry box.
Torx and Allen head, I know where they went, got tired of the bits falling off on the MAC and MATCO ones I've owned, when I was in a tight spot so I brazed most of em and so voided the warranties over the years.
But I was in Sears for the 1st time in over 10 years today (I worked there for 13 years and it was the only job I got fired from so I decided not to give them any of my money as long as I shall live as a result, but I still pick up older C man at garage sales and such).
I decided to go warranty a pile today. it's the 1st time I have not chucked a broken C man tool in the trash or given it away for someone else to warranty, since 2001 when I lost my job there. and yeah you guys were right about half of what I saw was Chinese. I never thought I'd ever see that at Sears of all places based on how they were with tools, when I worked there in the Auto center. Surely don't make me want to start buying from them again!
I don't know how I wound up with 3 MAC 15 MM deep 1/2" drive impacts, but no 17 MM in the set and 4, S/O 3/8 drive chrome 1/2" deeps and none of some sizes. I used to have 2 sets of those from 1/4-7/8. same story on my 1/4" S/O set. 3 of some none of others I have only ever had that 1, 1/4" set from S/O. I still have my C man 1/4" set I have had for years though....
might have to do some horse tradin of some of my extras for some I am missing.
