Compact Tool Box (Well not really a box)

[Douglas]

As has been mentioned on other threads I in one form or another have been a service tech for nearly all my life.  From fixing things as a child (that sometimes didn't need fixing) for my Granny to today going on calls as the Service Manager to help other techs find the issues that elude them.  I have been on a journey of tool discovery for a long time.  As an Eagle Scout the motto of "Be Prepaired" has always guided my tool choices.  At one time I had a tool box so complete it had to have wheels to take it from the truck to the actual job sight.  that thing must have weighed 80+ pounds.  Today I have streamlined my tool selection (Tool Box) down to under 3 pounds when going from the truck to the job.  I still have all those other big tools they just stay in the truck untill they are NEEDED.  One thing has been consistant  the pliars based MT.  The most used of these was always the Victorinox SwisstoolX, I EDCed it for twenty years.  Others by far less used have been the Surge, Wave, Spirit, and Rebar.  Of these the Spirit is my favorite with the Surge or Wave coming in second depending on the type of work expected.  Now to the point of this ramble.  Several members here are or have been in the HVAC field and have discueed their MT choices, but I have seen little about their tool box choices.  With the exception of my Multimeter and the job specific dedicated tools, here is what my EDC tool box has evolved into.  With this, my Swisstool and my meter I am able to complete 95% of all my jobs without ever returning to the truck.



If any one has an interes I'll go into the actual components and provide links to the kits that make up this kit, BUT FOR NOW SHOW US YOUR

TOOL BOX
and share a little about your journey if you like.

[ezdog]

I get it but where is the box?

Do you just carry that stuff loose?

This is a Lifelong Quest for me as well and it seems to Evolve all the time as I get inspired by ideas and new tools and will never be over if the last 45 years or so seems to suggest.

I will check back in here with more detail when I have more time,this is a topic close to my heart for sure!

[Aloha]

 

[Blackbeard]

Nice Douglas. How are you getting up an extension ladder with that rig & meter? I have this Mcguire-Nicholas small tool bag with shoulder strap, but it was so loaded with tools it was always swinging as I went up ladders. Not that it matters anymore, Hvac work destroyed my knees & shoulders over the years, I'm a wreck now

[Douglas]

To Start with I was slightly off on the total weight, the entire set up weighs in at 3 ponds 7 1/2 ounces.  Here are a couple of shots for size comparison, the pouch kit is 2.5"x 4"x6" and the water pump pliars and pliars wrench are both 6" sets so easily carried in one hand along with the meter looped over a finger.  When I have to use the ladder I have a luggage strap that I thread thought the handle on my meter bag and the belt loop on the back of the kit and slide the pliares in my back pocket.



Edit: I never realy counted the total tool count of my little kit before tonight, I just knew it held all my most used and needed tools in one compact kit.  Belive it or not there are a total of 40 tools in that kit, add the pliars and it's 43 total.  That's a lot of "Fire Power"  No wonder I don't need to go to the truck very often.
I also have a few dedicated zipper bags and plastic cases that contain job specific tools and supplies (fuses, crimp connectors etc...) that may go in with me if I know up front what I'm getting into.  Most of these can also be tranported up a ladder with the luggage sholder stap along with my main kit and meter.

Edit, Edit:  If there is one thing I'm on the fence about with this kit is my work is often in wet environments and most of these tools are a relativly high carbon steal, thus very rust prone.  The good thing is with this case I can just spray everything down with WD40 when I'm done.  The problem comes when I forget I ran out of WD40 or to spay it down right away.  The good thing is the tools are tough and the drivers just don't strip out even when impact use is required.

[Douglas]

  You are always Welcome! 
Any comment you may have would also be welcome as I love your thought provoking train of thought and questioning. 

[Blackbeard]

cool, was hard to gauge the size of it until you took pic with it in your hand. 

[Douglas]

With so many members on here in the HVAC and service industries I was really hoping to get some feed back.  Seeing how others handle a compact basic set up of tools outside the MT, SAK lines could provide ideas to help us all.  Besides it could spur some lively discussion on techniques for trouble shooting.  How about it guys, anybody else willing to share their load out and how or why they chose the tools that make it work for them.
Remember.
 

[Mechanickal]

I've got a suitcase style toolbox.
Just switched to a Würth variant last week. Haven't used it while working yet.

Besides my insulated screwdrivers, Torx drivers and Robertson drivers, I also got a hex set in there, some security torx drivers, side cutters, needlenose pliers, universal pliers, RJ45 pliers, multimeter, network testing kit, bubble level, gas powered soldering iron and accessories and a spare resistor kit box.

All tools are needed a few times a week

[Mechanickal]

[Mechanickal]

I'll snap a pic when back at work next week of the actual toolbox.

[gerleatherberman]

That is a great toolset, Douglas! 

[Douglas]

Thanks G-Man. It took a lot of experimenting and resurch not to mention complete fialures to get it right for me.

Mechy, I too used a large brief case style set up for quite some time, a hold over from my days going on calls with Butch in my childhood.  These are great ways of getting a large number of tools and accessories into a job site and keeping them organised.  Over time from my experiance they also lead to often having way more than is needed on any given job, thus my conversion to a more modular set up.  I look forward to seeing the set you use, my old set did turn a lot of heads and get a lot of "your ready for anything comments".  That was almost as much fun as the "where are your tools, I thought you were here to fix something" comments I get now.

[ezdog]

I service Low Voltage Systems mostly AV,Networking,Automation,Telcom & Security and both Commercial and Residential.

So I need to be able to generate signals,interface them into & out of a system and monitor all along the signal path.
I have to analyze RF and WiFi and generate & sense trigger Voltage and Current.

Half of the time I have no idea what I am walking into so I need to figure out what a system consists of and trace and track signal flow and ID cabling in general.

Much of my service is Connector Failure of one kind or another and I need to be able to Strip,Terminate and splice a pretty diverse number of connector types and configurations.

So I can't really bring all that I need in one convenient shot with me but I usually bring this in first to try to get a grasp on the problems.
This thing holds a lot more stuff than it seems it might and the Meter and some pliers usually in there are not in these pics too.

I also always have my EDC on person so there are np lights or knives in the bag.

[ezdog]

I have posted this here before but I bring this one along when in a Car with no tools or in a BackPack on the road.

[Douglas]

Looks to be a very concise and compact set for the work you do.  I'm certain a great amount of thought along side a bit of trial and error has gone into grooming it.
Thanks for shairing.  Great photos to boot.   In my work I may find as many as 10 different drivers are needed on a single piece of equipment, thus the need has always been to find the most compact and utilitarian meathod of carry.  I have been looking at a couple of bags simular to the one you are using, just haven't been certain wich one to drop my cash on yet.

[ezdog]

Looks to be a very concise and compact set for the work you do.  I'm certain a great amount of thought along side a bit of trial and error has gone into grooming it.
Thanks for shairing.  Great photos to boot.   In my work I may find as many as 10 different drivers are needed on a single piece of equipment, thus the need has always been to find the most compact and utilitarian meathod of carry.  I have been looking at a couple of bags simular to the one you are using, just haven't been certain wich one to drop my cash on yet.

I find the Veto bags both a Blessing and a Curse in general really,they are really well built but mostly oddly designed to me.

But yes I have been refining my carry for 45 years and pretty much every day as well.

More to follow.

[Blackbeard]

here's a pic to better explain,the tool bag w/ shoulder strap exhibit A of why my shoulders and knees are shot, I think I had one larger channel lock and a larger crescent wrench and thermometers jammed in there but not in the pic, this ain't lightweight. this was what I would grab second trip to the unit. First trip was to get an idea of what was needed and just took 2 nut drivers, 6 way screwdriver, LM wave, and flashlight.

Everything in this field of work is mostly heavy; motors, compressors, ext ladders, more loaded up toolboxes, nitrogen & acetylene tanks, vacuum pump, freon cans, freon reclaimers, it doesn't end, and you have to work in the blazing sun & freezing cold or in hot attics, rooftops, and sometimes dingy crawlspaces, and lugging all this stuff just wears a body out after awhile. Hope you stay healthy Douglas 




there are multiple interior pockets, the bag can take quite a few more tools then what's pictured but it just gets too heavy, really good tool bag

[Blackbeard]

I have about 8 more tool boxes with other tools, try to organize/load them with a specific task so it's easier to find stuff, one has duct tools, one with sockets wrenches and adapters, another with demo/construction etc. I've been putting together a smaller 16" husky box I got for about $5 from black friday sale with just stuff for knife & MT & flashlight maintenance & repair...All this is moot cause I can't do hvac anymore after surgeries and no healing progress  now I just need a job where I dont have to use all this stuff 

Might sell some of this stuff as well so keep an eye on the for sale sub forum if you need things at good price and good condition.

[Mechanickal]

The problem is that I am a head service and install tech.
Which means multiple jobs a day, having totaly different issues every time. I never know what I'll run into

I've used a compact setup in a tool backpack, but always found myself ending up at the van to pick up extra tools multiple times a day.
With that came also the fact that I had to drag those individual tools back to the van after the job, which decreased usefullness by ALOT.

[Blackbeard]

The problem is that I am a head service and install tech.
Which means multiple jobs a day, having totaly different issues every time. I never know what I'll run into

I've used a compact setup in a tool backpack, but always found myself ending up at the van to pick up extra tools multiple times a day.
With that came also the fact that I had to drag those individual tools back to the van after the job, which decreased usefullness by ALOT.

Depends on the field you are in, but most service calls require multiple trips to the vehicle to complete, occasionally you get lucky and the customer made an error like shutting a switch, most of the time it's not the case, I always dreaded a freon leak repair, practically have to unload van and lug the heaviest stuff to the unit to repair a tiny hole <1mm in copper tubing, auto mechanics might have the best situation with all their tools within 10 feet from the vehicle they work on.

[Mechanickal]

Alarm tech.
Which incluses intrusion and fire detection, access control and gate openers.
Apart from spare parts, my toolbox can tackle any of those.

Larger to carry indeed, but no switching over my kit 5x a day.

[smiller43147]

Not a tradesman, but this kit has proven pretty capable.  Started with the Craftsman tool kit, and added a set of metric combination wrenches, assorted 1/4" bits, needle nose pliers and a box cutter.  Compact, but it has a pretty good heft.

[Darrell85]

I am in the hvac field also (mostly installation)  and i have 2 bags in the truck.  #1 power tools 24" bag... All ryobi brushless, impact,  hammer drill, flashlight, sawzall, circular saw,  small bluetooth radio, charger, 2- 6ah batteries, 2- 4ah batteries. Probably 30+ lbs? Bag #2... Large rolling husky bag. Every hand tool imaginable for ductwork fabrication (make all my own), installation,  service, gasline, electric etc. Plus swage kit, hole saws, paddle bit set, meter, and 2 storage containers.  About 80lbs ish. They both go everywhere with me. Monday-  Friday.

[Mechanickal]

So not compact as in it would fit a large pocket, but it's compact enough for me to remain mobile and fast deployed: the  (new) service case:

Top compartiments: drivers and pliers, also soldering iron:


Bottom compartiment:
 Dedicated testing and measuring tools:

[Douglas]

Great photos guys.  Sorry I've neglected to comment in a couple of days.  ezdog do you have any specifics on the prybar/ hammer combo tool?  I've seen several versions but I really like the looks of that one. 

Blackbeard, I never really used a tool bag such as that, I always used a box like what Mechy (very nice by the way Mechy) my last one had wheels and a strap hook for pulling it on rooves.  Most of my time as a tech was spent working on resteraunt equipment so a very different type of hard on the body.  I have had my bad HVAC days though.  New Years Day 2018,11 hours on top of a two story building at 10*F with a -10 wind chill working on a refrigeration system and you guessed it all those tools (tourch, recovery unit, vacume pump etc...) had to go up and back down two ladders, NO FUN!  Good thing is in september I got the chance to become the Service Manager so I found that position where I don't have to do all that.  I still run calls from time to time and even assist on some of the nastier ones just to stay relevent and keep up moral.

smiller43147,  I keep a couple of simular kits in my personal vehicles and RV.  They are absolutely great.

Mechy,  how about some more info on that soldering iron?

[ezdog]

Great photos guys.  Sorry I've neglected to comment in a couple of days.  ezdog do you have any specifics on the prybar/ hammer combo tool?  I've seen several versions but I really like the looks of that one. 

They are a Crate Hammer.
Designed for working on sealing and opening wooden crates.
Maybe one of the handiest MT that I have though too!
There are many examples of these and one could collect them for sure,my favorite are from Diamond Tools probably but they are usually more similar than different overall too.

I carry them in most bags and my pouch and mainly set anchors with them or just genrally bashing anything I need to and it is much handier than carrying a dedicated hammer for me unless doing construction type work.
Also not a bad defensive tool and very easily carried and deployed!

There are always a few on Ebay up for grabs!