just wondering what tools people like to use and must have before leaving to a job. im not talking about the basic screwdrivers, hammer, lineman plier, etc..

My favorite for about 6 months is a cordless Panasonic metal saw. Next is a Panasonic flashlight. Next is a cordless Panasonic drill (screwdriver).

Dave

A fishing pole and my Rapalas...you never know when you'll have a job from hell turn into a sweetheart - with a nice trout stream nearby!

I have a list I call my "List of the best $20 I ever spent."

Tools on this list include my hand truck (dolly), my angle grinder, and my extension pole.

Other tools, which cost quite a bit more, but have prooven themselves to be worth their weight in gold, are:
- my sawz-it-all;
- my port-a-bandsaw; and,
- my SDS roto-hammer chisel/drill

I've become a real big fan of the Dewalt cordless flashlights.

finally broke down and bought a klein 10-1. i've come to regret not buying it sooner. my pants stay up much better with only one screwdriver in the back pocket.

My Surefire E1 flashlight and my Fluke non contact probe.

My rubbermaid cart.
I'm getting to old to be a pack mule.

Tool pouch containing the following, linemans, dykes, needlenose, klein strippers( one yellow regular, and one romex stripper), one phillips and one flat screwdriver, one 1/4 inch and 1 5/16 nutdriver.
One knife in pocket(klein), tape, wirenuts, inductive tester.
According to job, one torpedo level, and a drywall saw.

I know where every tool is and can find them in the dark, I am very posessive of my tools, and learned not to lend them out unless I make sure I get them back.

i have the klein 10-1 and it saves weight in the belt. not bad for the price either (9.99). also like the klien romex stripper 14/2-12/2, alot easier than the razor blade method.

I bought a set of those when I was working at the inlaw's (NM heaven). I keep 'em in the Romex bin with the staples and plastic boxes.

Don't use 'em a lot here in pipeland (Chicago area), but when I need 'em, they're great.

My Continuity tester. Simple little thing with AAs, and LED (was an incandescent bulb), a probe and an alligator clip. Second, my cordless drill.

1. gloves!

2. 18v sawzall

3. for makeup and pulling underground subfeeds: gel filled kneepads

4. ~10 foot length of broken steel fishtape
(saves getting out the 240-footer 80% of the time)

Honorable mention:

1. sunflower seeds (healthier than cigarettes but probably messier)

2. ear plugs- tools and jobsites are NOISY, I prefer to preserve my hearing for music and my golden years

3. military issue boonie hat & sunscreen for outside work

Wish list:

skeleton key to open/operate any lift/pettibone/tractor on the job and to open any panel/roll up door/man door on the site (yeah right!)

A full lunch-box.

Bob, I got a guy who spends an equal time tuning in bad AM stations than working sometimes. - I swear, I'm gonna take a saws-all to it someday....

Interesting to note, that several people put down hand trucks and carts, I too will ditto that for commercial work. Oh, pure bliss pushing around 1/2 a gang box worth of stuff from one point to another, or from the truck and up the elevator. Unfortunately, Resi framers are far to messy to make any area accesible for one. And if it is clean enough, I will pull it up a few flights of stairs....

Anyway,

• A decent right-angle drill
• Impact driver
• A good tape measure (Magnetic tips are better)
• Grennlee torpedo level
• A good laser level (If you know how to use one, save so much effort in lay-out.)
• Chalk line
• A box of disposable mechanichal pencils, one behind the ear at all times.
• Band saw (let the laziness begin... I get mine out for 1/2" emt, best $300 you can spend if you have a use for one. )
• roll of jet line, or nylon string, and
• 2 rare earth magnets. (Use as stud finder by finding screws and nails, fish walls just tie on string, retrieve tools dropped in wall in same way, keeps all the screws and staples in nice tight ball in pouches reducing spillage, find that lost unique purpose screw you dropped from ladder into debries on floor, etc.)

[This message has been edited by e57 (edited 04-26-2006).]

On the serious side of things, these tools spring to mind:

• Telescopic Hot-stick and various attachments.
• Insulated Gloves and Outers.
• Modiewark Non-Contact HV tester.
• Duspol Voltage Indicators.
• Safety Glasses.
• 1,000,000 C/Power Spotlight.
• Road Cones.
• Fluoro Vest.

e57, what do you use the impact driver for? I have a free one on the way for purchasing a new lithium powered drill and I was wondering what I'd use it for.

I am sure that just like myself you do not put up with that for long.


I cut one of my own radios in half with a deep cut band saw.....it just could not stay on a station and I can't stand static.

I would also like to mention that I do not allow the radio to be 'blasting' it will be kept at a reasonable level and if it interferes with work it gets shut right off.

I have three different rolling carts, one is just a two wheel dolly that also converts to a four wheel dolly. Added a thin sheet of plywood to it and it is handy to keep in the van for service work.

Also have one open rolling shelf unit one lockable rolling shelf unit.

I have added hooks on the open rolling cart that will hold a 6' ladder up right, the cart with ladder will fit through standard doorways no problem and is very handy for commercial work as long as there are elevators.

Bob

My pen.

On Ya Ryan!

On the subject of movable storage, I once made up a mobile tools/parts wagon for my mate out of a sack barrow and a few Stanley tool holders, with the Pull out shelves on the bottom and smaller draws above.
I wish I could get a pic of it, but he won't let me near the thing these days.
I must have built the thing too well.
A lesson for the future, 12 holes, 4 rivets.

Code book, knife, fork, spoon, and can opener, (you gotta eat ) everything else is optional.

Roger

My Peak LED Solutions 3-LED, Ultra-high brightness, lug-style, 1-AAA Matterhorn flashlight that always lives on my keychain. Mine has a brass body, with a stainless steel head.

Loaded with a lithium AAA battery, that baby throws an amazing amount of light for something so small.

This picture is pretty close to mine, except mine has a stainless steel head: http://www.peakledsolutions.net/images/AAA3BLw.JPG

The light's at this page: http://www.peakledsolutions.net/aaa_3LEDBL.html

[This message has been edited by SolarPowered (edited 04-27-2006).]

"e57, what do you use the impact driver for?"

You are getting one for free, I want to know of this deal - a decent one is $200!

Screws! You can drive 1/4X3 lags all day, for 2 or 3 days on a single charge if you want. Or, #8-#10X1 1/4" for mounting boxes for better part of a week. Put the drill away, it is not a screw gun, an Impact driver is.... In a pinch for a quick hole toss a spade bit with a 1/4 hex in it. "Tacka, tacka, tacka," is the sound of work being done.

Bob, a guy I worked under years ago, had a policy that that the first guy on site picked the station - if he heard and fight over it he'd throw it off the site. One day he heard one, and in a rage, launched a boom box from the 4th floor. It took a wild bounce off the scaffold and flew out to the street, and hit the fender of a cop car going by. Oooo, that was a funny day....



[This message has been edited by e57 (edited 04-27-2006).]

My Klein Romex stippers that cut the cable jacket. Easily the best $20 I've ever spent on a non-essential tool (i.e.: not lineman's or screwdrivers or something).

e57,
The only impact driver I've ever used was an 18V cordless made by Rigid, but I was not at all impressed. I could get one heck of a lot more torque a whole lot faster with my regular ol' Dewalt cordless.

What brand do you use that's driving 3" lags?

-John

Saftey glasses zipper case mounted to the partition in the van. 2 reasons one is likely to not throw a pair on.

1. don't know where they are and don't feel like digging.

2. they are too scratched up.

This cures both.

All the torque is in the impact, unless you measure torque by wrist stress.
1/4 drive Dewalt 14.4 Impact
Max. Torque 1,150 in-lbs**1/2" drive has more on any voltage model.
Tool Weight 4.1 lbs
(I put in 14 Simpson hold-downs that have ~20 4" lags each - one charge, no problem)


Dewalt 18v Drill

Max. Torque 500 in-lbs
Tool Weight 5.9 lbs

Anyway, I got mine in a promotional deal a while back, and have not seen this price since. If I see it again, I'll snatch up a few.

Dewalt 14.4 Hammer-drill, 14.4 Impact, 2 batteries, charge, and bag for ~$220
(Each by itself is about that price....)
http://www.toolup.com/productinfo.asp?pid={52E6EB21-4939-4340-8496-A6FABCB4ED6E}

[This message has been edited by e57 (edited 04-29-2006).]

I especially like to have my 1/8 inch fiberglass rods for fishing attics, walls and t-bar ceilings, 12' and 20' length of steel ball chain and a rare earth magnet again for fishing walls and two sizes of Flex Bits for drilling into awkward locations.

Of course the usual cordless 18V tool kit with saw-z-all, Circ saw, Flashlight, and Cordless Drill and a couple extra batteries.

Klein 10-in-1 screwdriver.
Minimag flashlight (2AA)
Fluke volt-tick.

When snaking wires, I like to have a really long (12" or more) 1/8" twist drill. Handy for predrilling holes to check for location/obstacles before breaking out the big drill.

If it accidentally breaks through a plaster wall or something else, at does much less damage.

On Friday I was working the crimp head while my offsider manned the pump. Meanwhile the Poco guy on the HV side is working away by himself easily throwing on lugs with his cordless crimper.

I know what I want to buy next!

e57, Makita had a deal at my local tool supply if you buy the new lithium 18 volt 1/2" drill with hammer function you could get a free impact driver. Of course the drill is $350.00. So far I am real happy with it, I've worked all day on one battery. The impact isn't here yet.

Milwaukee has a similar offer on their $425.00 28 volt lithium. Altho I like Milwaukee, the 28 volt drill was very heavy and akward so I opted for the Makita.

BigB, after mentioning it in this thread, I looked around and found that deal again. Now, I'm looking to pass on some of my older stuff to a guy who just had a lot of his stuff ripped off.