tool bag recommendations

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GUNNING

Senior Member
I worked with a journeyman from the sticks that did everything with a pair of linesman's, a utility knife, a pair of dogs, a 5 in 1 screwdriver and a jack knife that he carried in his pockets. He used the jack knife to eat his lunch with.
I use 5 gal orange homer buckets. One for trash and one for assorted tools. I have a belt with the basics. 9 in Kliens, 8 in needle nose, 9 way screw driver, dykes, drywall saw, pencil and beater screw driver.
The tools are a fit for he job.

Cologne, Pencil, calculator, phone w/ camera and pad works too.

Depends what hat I wear.

:bye:
 

renosteinke

Senior Member
Location
NE Arkansas
I don't think there is such a thing as "one bag." You might as well figure on having an assortment, and a cart or wagon to tote them around!

My primary 'bag' is a little pouch that fits in may back pocket. I might carry a ticker, flashlight, knife, strippers, 10-N-1, plus one other tool in it.

This is my main bag: http://www.goclc.com/ProductDetail.aspx?sku=1509 . It's basically a traditional electrician's pouch with a stout handle and a zippered flap to keep most things from falling out.

If I'm going on a roof, chances are I'll be using a few tools that you don't usually associate with electrical work- things like wrenches and sockets. There's also the matter of either carrying the bag up there, or pulling it up on a rope. For rooftop jobs, I have one of these set up: http://www.toolpak.com/html/PACKStoolpak4panel.html . This is the smaller of the two offered; the large one is the original tool backpack, the one that got it all started. Amazing, isn't it, how everyone else is offering tool backpacks now that the patent is expired! Anyway, this one differes from most in that there is little "free space,' instead holding every tool in place- no pile of stuff in the bottom of the bag. The front pockets are plenty large for a meter and (most) cordless drills.

Otherwise ... look at your work. I mean, just how often do you use a fish tape, a bender, and and a Romex stripper at the same time? There's a lot to be said for having separate bags for pipe work, wire pulling, finish work, and troubleshooting.

Which, naturally, brings me to my #1 kvetch about 99% of "electricians' " bags out there: there's no place for the meter! Or, for that matter, a cordless drill. Our bags are stuck in the 1950's. I'll give Klein credit for discovering that electricians sometimes carry fish tapes (nice touch on their backpack).

Buckets have their place. I prefer the rectangular ones kitty litter comes in- plenty tall enough for a caulk gun. Great for holding parts - be they tiny screws or sharp-edged boxes. Handy for hauling up a roof with a rope, too.

Finally, I'll give Werner a gold medal for these trays that attach to their ladder tops: http://www.lowes.com/pd_304360-287-AC50-JB-3_0__?productId=3031875 . Besides ladder use, it's handy for keeping your stuff straight as you belly-crawl through crawl spaces.
 

Wenty4

Member
Location
Raymond, NH, USA
tool bag recommendations

jimdavis'
I actually bought the bag that you show, It is very durable with a fair amount of room, but it cost me in the vicinity of $90.00
 

mehoffman

Member
Location
NW PA
I have used the Klein #58890 for several years. It hold a lot of tools, which gets quite heavy, but I have found once you get all the inside pockets/ dividers loaded up it is hard to get at the stuff laying on the bottom.
 

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tsloan

Member
Location
Michigan
i own each of the bags you are considering. Veto pro pac lg and the Klein tradesman pro. i used the Veto when i was working construction jobs. Very durable and holds and organizes lots of hand tools and great for throwing in the gang box. I now have the tradesman pro as i now work inside an industrial facility and use a cart to wheel my tools around. Klein bag is not near as durable as the pro pac but it works well for my application now.
 

LEO2854

Esteemed Member
Location
Ma
That I don't doubt! :lol:

My first day as a pre-apprentice: Never picked up a tool in my life. I was a graphic designer/photographer. Good friend hooked me up with the apprenticeship, telling me it was good money. Got my tools and my big ol' metal toolbox. First day, a pack of journeyman grabbed my toolbox and threw it down a flight of stairs, stating that it looked better beat up than brand new. Bastards. It never closed right after that :lol:

Ah ha!!!

That sounds like the good old days, if you had the nerve to wear a brand new tool belt to work, when you took it off at lunch time, someone would sweep Sheetrock dust all over it and destroy that "new look".....:lol:
 

lapseofmind

Member
Location
Washington
Ah ha!!!

That sounds like the good old days, if you had the nerve to wear a brand new tool belt to work, when you took it off at lunch time, someone would sweep Sheetrock dust all over it and destroy that "new look".....:lol:

Since I was so green, I was given the title "daisy" for the first few weeks. I was the only apprentice on that crew so I got shuffled around a lot and everyone messed with me relentlessly. More often than not, they'd take me out for food and drinks after work, not letting me pay a dime. Got to say, it was the best time I had as an electrician.
 

cowboyjwc

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Simi Valley, CA
Must be getting old. Sounds like the days of the 15lb tool bags are gone. I had all leather ones when I started and I really loved the second set I had. I could just reach down and be able to tell if anyone had been messing with my tools. Never had to look knew right where everything should be. Then got one of the new fangled nylon ones with the padded belt and got it for a great price and hated it from the first minute I used it.

When I was doing houses and service work, I just knew what tools I needed and the rest stayed in "my" bin on the truck. I would just go through first thing in the morning and put in just the tools I needed for that day. When I went to work as a maintenance electrician is when the bag got heavy. The shop was just to far away to be walking back every time you forgot something so you tended to carry almost every tool you owned. You had that, plus the roll away in the shop with all of the odd ball tools you might need.
 

Aleman

Senior Member
Location
Southern Ca, USA
I was actually considering the one without the wheels.


I have that bag. I work primarily in 2 buildings but sometimes work in other sites. So the bag makes it easy to bring a good set of tools anywhere.
It can hold a lot of stuff so weight can become an issue. I put it on a cart. You wouldn't want to carry it around too much. Had it about 1-1/2 years,
no problems. I would recommend it if you really want to work out of a bag. I found at the time the best deal was Home Cheapo online. If it dies I would
more than likely get another one.
 

tbakelis

Senior Member
Love my veto

Love my veto

I use the open top one. One word: bullet proof. I've had it 5 yrs or so after I repeatedly put holes in every other bag I bought:

Pros:
-plastic bottom for those nasty floors
-dividers are perfect
-doubles as a seat
-doubles as a small step stool
-great warrantee. I had a minor stitching issue with a pocket.. Called them up and they sent me a new bag.

Cons:
-heavy once all tools in there
-pricey
 

c_picard

Senior Member
Location
USA
I've had 2 veto bags for about 10yrs now. Bombproof and worth every penny. Save money just by not losing tools. When I was doing commercial work and carrying lots of sockets and wrenches I modified a folding luggage wheely for the large bag.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk
 
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