Work supplied tools

[AV tinker er]

My employer (US gov) supplies all our tools, as you can imagine they do not cheap out anywhere. All hand tools, air tools, and, speciality equipment are SO, except for the things that are manufacture specific ( Lockheed, Boeing, etc). Because of these tools at work I have a hard time buying inferior quality tools for home use. Does anyone else have this problem or am I just a victim of great marketing?

 

[Maexle]

If you work at home on a 747 it's probably just fine to buy the best and most expensive tools for your private use.....

 

[AV tinker er]

If you work at home on a 747 it's probably just fine to buy the best and most expensive tools for your private use.....

If I could fit it in the garage I would....

 

[dirtmister16]

i understand its hard to work with lesser qaulity tools at times. when you know what you really want.

 

[Mk4fool]

We had Mac and SO tool kits when I was in the AF. I never cared for the Mac's. When I got out I found myself using whatever was available and what I could afford at the time. In spring on '10 I had all my tools stolen off my service truck and since then have replaced them with about 90% SO. Between work and insurance I spent about 14K that year. Yes that first 5 years of my career has made me partial to SO.

 

[2oolhound]

My employer (US gov) supplies all our tools, as you can imagine they do not cheap out anywhere. All hand tools, air tools, and, speciality equipment are SO, except for the things that are manufacture specific ( Lockheed, Boeing, etc). Because of these tools at work I have a hard time buying inferior quality tools for home use. Does anyone else have this problem

Yeah but it's sure hard to get all that paint off em.

 

[Bradey Bunch]

I often have that problem (even though I own my own tools) when using friends' tools on their stuff. Often it is the LACK of tools though, not the lack of quality.

 

[unslow1]

When working at night in a friend's shop it's all SO. He doesn't want any tools carried in for fear of mixing. He is also very neat. That got me using wrench racks and Hansen socket trays. The lack of any tools or a decent socket wrench at a relative's house drives me nuts. I've bought a couple of Craftsman blow molded cases of tools to carry to those places. My personal stuff it a mix of everything.

 

[crewchief888]

the only tools that are provided are OEM special tools, and "shop type" equipment ie: bench grinder, small drill press, small hyd press, torches, mig welder, engine hoist
everything else, including 3/4" dr is our responsibilty.

many of our "mechanics" dont have anything bigger than a 1 1/4" socket, they are in the "***** to be you, go buy your own tools" category

 

[joedodge]

Always lived by the ill buy all my own even some of the Oem tools I use a lot. A tech should have his own tools when I leave they all roll with me.

 

[AV tinker er]

I worked for Lockheed when I first got out of the AF, that job required each tech to purchase their own tools except for specialty tools (toque wrenches, watt meters). I prefer that to work supplied tools. Sure is expensive but you aren't at the mercy of the employer to add tools.

 

[dirtmister16]

my last job i worked was nice as they supplied everything from screwdrivers to the lathe.

nice thing bout that was i didn't have to worry about my tools, that and i got to see what worked and what didn't. so i bought things while i worked there and made sure i had them for my own use at home and what not. so my tools grew probally by $2000 or a bit more this year. half of that was to the snap on man. i bought a few specialty tools for certain jobs that it would be otherwise a pain in the rear to do again. i just wish i had more space to utilize.

my home shop is crowded.

 

[David W]

When I worked on IBM check sorters, all tools were company supplied. Most of the IBM supplied tools were Snap on but even they went to cheaper brands as the years went on. As for the third party competitors, crapsman was as good as it got.
The biggest problem was that 2 or more guys working out of the same tool box means there's at least one who won't put tools back where they belong and some others who have absolutely no respect for good tools. Example, when unable to find a hammer, the 1/2 inch ratchet makes a good substitute. Need a 6-32 screw shortened? Channel lock wire cutters are worth a try.
I ended up supplying some of my own tools and had them hidden away. I kind of do the same thing on my current job. Partly because the guys here never put tools away and partly because there's not room enough in my own pathetic garage for two roll around tool boxes.

 

[nanofrog]

I purchase at or near the top end for things I use the most, such as screwdrivers, cutters, pliers, and tweezers (electronics tools used for job and personal). So for this stuff, I tend to have mostly Wiha, Lindstrom, Erem, Swanstrom, Tronex, and Ideal-Tek.

Middle-of-the-road for things used to work on cars or household/"Some Assembly Required" projects as it's not used nearly as often.

Given what's going on with shifting to Asian products with brands that can be had locally (Sears, ...), I'm finding myself looking more and more at industrial brands instead to fill in things I still need/want.

 

[Holt]

My work provides all the tools I need to do my job. All hand tools are Klein. Few years later I went out and purchased my own. 1. I just like knowing I'm using my own stuff as if I loose a tool I don't have a write up looming over my head. 2. I prefer the better quality tools and they make my job more efficient.

 

[king nero]

Where I used to work, company provided everything.
Working on my own now, I own about everything double: my workplace gear (the good stuff), and the gear I do the roads with (at people's houses, roadside repairs, ...) (stuff I won't cry over when it gets lost/stolen/...).

 

[Phog Allen]

Well as anyone who has worked at a local or state government job can likely tell you, SnapOn is not on the menu. I work electrical maintenance at a state university and until recently(like the last 5-8 years) it was a hand and foot battle to get anything better than Stanley hardware grade tolls. They also foolishly had a hand tool contract that was providing more of that junk. Many times at a higher price than Klein! That contract is gone now AFAIK but even then getting purchasing agents to get it into their heads that good tools make work more efficient and keep workers bit happier is an uphill fight. It has gotten much better for us but I remember our first PA years ago who would only hand out a pair of channelocks, needle nose, generic 4 ways screwdrivers and chaep claw hammer and tell you stuff like; I bet if you were thirty miles from home and your tractor broke you would fix it with this stuff. What a joke. So for you guys who had the good stuff I say way to rock it. I am playing catch up.

 

[Heavy Metal Doctor]

My employer (US gov) supplies all our tools, as you can imagine they do not cheap out anywhere. All hand tools, air tools, and, speciality equipment are SO, except for the things that are manufacture specific ( Lockheed, Boeing, etc). Because of these tools at work I have a hard time buying inferior quality tools for home use. Does anyone else have this problem or am I just a victim of great marketing?

Wow, must be nice...Maybe it has changed since I was in....I was a 62B In the Army...the tool box they supplied me was full of no-name stuff, semi-**** tools with the exception of SO line wrenches (guess there was no "lowest bidder" on those). The box was a flimsy *** "Stack-On" hand cart cabinet thingy (I would not call it a roll around toolbox)....It collapsed spewing tools allover the land-sea container it was in during transit when we got deployed to Somalia.....

Now working as civilian mechanic in the private sector since I got out in 95, I can understand the problem, but I have paid for all of my work tools myself, so I kinda hate spending more money to keep more tools / double up on stuff at home.....So a decent CM set is good enough for keeping at home for everyday minor repairs like fix the lawnmower, change the oil on the car sorta stuff. The only addition is some nicer SO ratchets. When I get into big projects / need specialty tools, I just bring them home form work for the weekend....

 

[Packard V8]

The first tool set I ever owned was "surplused" from a US Army maintenance depot in Germany in 1969. The hip roof box had a brass padlock securing the handles and a tag showing it had been packed in 1959.

In it was a used mix of every major and minor USA brand except the truckies. It had S-K, Giller, Thorsen, P&C, Proto, Herbrand and probably others I've forgotten.

Over the years, I've traded up and away and little of it stayed with me. The one thing I do remember is it was all USA and all quality. That started me buying the good stuff.

Over the years, I've always treated company-owned tools like my own. When I moved up to manager, I fired more than one guy for abusing the equipment. If a worker loses a lot of tools, if he's careless with tools, he's careless with the repair. Get 'em gone.

jack vines

 

[ChunkyLover53]

I actually had the opposite experience. I just work a general maintenance job where there is a team of 5 of us for the facility. The employer provided tools, but they were always very cheap Chinese tools. Pretty quickly handles of screwdrivers started to break, tips of needle nose pliers broke, non maintenance personnel started stirring paint with screwdrivers, and we had enough.

One person started bringing their own tools every day and we have all since joined. Now we all bring our own tools to work and it was a result of a lack of quality that I can not stand using poor quality tools.

 

[crewchief888]

Always lived by the ill buy all my own even some of the Oem tools I use a lot. A tech should have his own tools when I leave they all roll with me.

i've done the same at the last dealership i worked at. inj pump and nozzle seal installers, water pump bearing drivers, metering pump assembly pins, inductive pickup tach for mechanical diesel fuel systems, misc rear main seal installers. most of the stuff i bought was used almost daily, always hated running to the tool room for a particiular tool 3 or 4 times a week.
havent used much of any of it since i changed jobs, a couple times our dealership didnt have a "special" tool, and it was going to hold up finishing a repair.
"i'll take that job, i have the special tool to do it"

currently i dont run across too many OEM specific tools that i really have to have.

 

[Brownsfan]

My old job used to supply all tools and what you got depended on who went to get them. I ended up bringing in my own because they bought me **** tools. So I brought in my own snap on stuff. All the old guys then wanted to find a snap on guy

 

[Hootbro]

Wow, must be nice...Maybe it has changed since I was in....I was a 62B In the Army...the tool box they supplied me was full of no-name stuff, semi-**** tools with the exception of SO line wrenches (guess there was no "lowest bidder" on those). The box was a flimsy *** "Stack-On" hand cart cabinet thingy (I would not call it a roll around toolbox)....It collapsed spewing tools allover the land-sea container it was in during transit when we got deployed to Somalia.....

Now working as civilian mechanic in the private sector since I got out in 95, I can understand the problem, but I have paid for all of my work tools myself, so I kinda hate spending more money to keep more tools / double up on stuff at home.....So a decent CM set is good enough for keeping at home for everyday minor repairs like fix the lawnmower, change the oil on the car sorta stuff. The only addition is some nicer SO ratchets. When I get into big projects / need specialty tools, I just bring them home form work for the weekend....

I am a former Army wrench turner myself but I can say the OP is probably either Civil Service or another branch besides the Army. I have been around both and they do tend to stick to the truck brands for their tooling requirements.

Also when I was in 1986-1992, those Army tool kits like you mentioned were a "Heinz 57" of low bidder tool brands and cheap **** sneaked in that was bought off post when a tool was lost and it was easier than going through supply to get a new one.

 

[AV tinker er]

One person started bringing their own tools every day and we have all since joined. Now we all bring our own tools to work and it was a result of a lack of quality that I can not stand using poor quality tools.

I have had several instances where using a cheaper tool on a car that broke I had to bum a ride from a friend/neighbor to go get another one. I dont have a problem buying higher quality stuff for home use.

 

[mercman86]

My company supplies all of our tools. The new guys like me all get snap on, proto, channel lock and nice Proto toolbox. The older guys have anything from craftsman, sk, proto and some snap on. Lots of vintage (1970's) so and craftsman boxes still being used. At my old job, I owned (and still own) all my own tools. I have snap on, sk, craftsman and mac all in a mac mb1000 box (which is identical to the proto ones we just got at work).

 

[cyamaha2007]

When i started at my job everyone shared tools and i hated it. They were company supplied junk *** tools too. My boss thought he was doing the company a favor cheaping out on tools. Well now im the boss and we dont skimp on tools anymore. I get a pretty large budget and i buy what we need. I dont see the point in being cheap when it comes to tools in a industrial setting you get what you pay for.

 

[rusty65]

When the army recruiters rolled in to the school I attend they brought a portable crane thing and that had Stanley vlad cabinets in it filled with proto/snap on tools.

 

[Brownsfan]

When I finally got my work supplied stuff from my last job(like I stated above) it was all from HD ant all work force pliers and the CHEAPEST stuff they could find there. I gave them to a newer guy and brought in my own stuff from home. I tried using them but when screw drivers are stripping out screws and pliers bending I said screw it. Those tools were not meant to be used everyday. I had ALL the rest wanting Snap On ratcheting scredrivers and pswc7 multi tools. I would have been fine with the Klein stuff the older guys had but they felt the need to get me and other new guys ****.