reply to cheezit.....i have been around the mechanic trade since i was little. My grandad had a garage in lubbuck, tx when i was a toddler. he gave me a carb to take apart and clean and put back together when i was 8. i fubared it but was exposed at a young age. my dad was a mechanic, my brother, jet engine mechanic for f-15's in the air force as well as anything else. I have done everything on a gas engine and would like to get into the diesel side of it. I just don't know about these tech schools so to speak, like ite and such. i have a lot of tools already, just not the high dollar scanners and such. I would think i have some tools some guys on here would not know what they are if i posted pics that belonged to my grandad. I also dont know why would you spend 10k on a tool box I would think you could get by with a sears box....sheesh. I am mainly looking for job security since my industry is a joke nowadays. I grew up on a farm and know the value of hard work and i also do it right the 1st time, and i never cut corners in anything i do. thanks for the feedback.

 

One thing about being a good mechanic is...
You don't care about the money. Care about your costumers.
You also have to like a challenge, dirt, grease and gunk.
If your good the money will come.

Sean

 

Sears Craftsman boxes are cheap junk. They buy a $10k tool box because they have a lifetime warranty and will stand up to the thousands of drawer cycles a professional mechanic puts them through.

 

i bet i could replace a tool box of need be for way less than 10k

 

Sort of off topic bit here goes
Sears tend to be large and clunky. I am not saying that you can't use them
just that some times a strung think wrench will reach into places where a
big one won't. Good example. Flair wrench I used to change the blue spring
was a Snap-on the Sears was too thick to fit in right.The Sears stuff is not bad
but there are places where they just won't fit. Then there is the specialty tool
that Sears never would have.
Here is one other thing finish on the wrench makes a big deal. Shinny chrome looks
cool but is very slick when covered with oil. The newer black anti-slip stuff
is so nice when covered with oil you can hang on to it and nor drop it into the works.
In some jobs missing tools are very bad. Leave a tool in an aircraft and very
bad things can happen.
Not having the right tool for a job will cost time and money that is why so many
mechanics have so money in there tools and the box they go in.
I know that you may be able to make a fair set but for a good
set you will be up faster than you think.
Cheep tools cost money ,time and can damage parts.
Good tools in untrained hands can do the same.
Now if your only going to work on your truck you can get away
with a lot less money and Sears will do. But do try this
Get your hands on a Snap-on 1/4 ratchet and a Sears one
feel them and see how they turn and how much force they need to
get them to spin.

Sean

 

i agree a top quality brand like snap on or matco whatever would be the ideal way to go if you had that kind of cash to throw down for it. Being that i am wanting to get into the trade, start small and work up. I can't see going into debt to purchase tools. if i cant pay for it with cash i'll wait till i can.

 

When you're leaving $80,000 of tools in a shop overnight, do you want to trust a Craftsman lock that can be defeated with a screwdriver? Sockets that cost $30 each should never be given the opportunity to grow legs.

 

Very true. Snap-on locks not wimpy.

Sean

 

well, the best way to get set up is to find an old mechanic who is
retiring and wants to sell off most of his tools. however, these deals
are hard to find.

that being said, the difference between snap off and sears is about
the same difference between festool, and black and dorkie.

a brand new snap on box can hit mid 5 figures... i was looking, curious,
and some of the big guns are mid 30's... but they are big enough to live
in, and you may have to do so after purchasing one of them.

but... ebay.....

Large Red Snap-On Toolbox with Tons of Tools and Extras Cover GREAT CONDITION! | eBay

$18k with a bucketful of tools..... retiring mechanic.....

if you want to see real toolbox ****..... for the machinists and toolmakers.....

http://www.gerstnerusa.com/DETAILpro2.html

 

the oak one i could make easily

 

But you wouldn't use Black and Decker tools to make it, would you?

 

good point...all of my cabinetry equipment is high dollar

 

Locks only keep honest thieves honest. A real theif would just take the whole tool cabinet.

I have been a mechanic since 1998 and have never understood spending 7,000+ for a box that DOESN"T make you money.

Tools, make you money.

And most mechanics today are switching to tool carts. Running back and forth to a $10,000 cabinet is a waste of time.

I do find it amusing the aforementioned tech school graduates with their little Snap-On rolling cabinets and the debt that comes with it and they don't know the difference between a Bendix or Haldex slack adjuster.

Josh

 

yep. that is the point.... you *could* use the
tools you have now, to build the tools you want
to have... or at least the box they come in.

a domino cutter and a mortise jig.... just a thought.

4/4 bubinga is running $14.50 bd/ft.....
and that, my friend, will knock the socks
off powder coated steel any day.

and oak would be a fifth the cost, but would
not have the curb appeal....

now that the thread has completely gone over
the hedge and across the field.....

 

dont make me post of pic of my almost $18k snap-on Epic thats 84" long. o and the $18k doesnt include tools.