Synthetic canvas bag is every tool guy’s dream
DEAR TIM: I want to buy my husband a tool bag or toolbox to surprise him. His tools are always scattered about and he wastes so much time looking for them. I assume you’ve had all sorts of experience in tool organization, so can you tell me what’s worked best for you? My feeling is that if it works for you, it will be a dream-come-true for my husband. What’s your favorite tool bag now and why? — Meredith B., Greenville, S.C.
DEAR MEREDITH: You hit the nail on the head all right, as I’ve tried just about every tool organization product known to man. In fact, I still have the gray metal Craftsman toolbox that was my dad’s. That box must be close to 50 years old. It still has the logo plate on it.
Let’s talk about the traditional toolboxes first before I share what my favorite is. What I don’t like about the traditional toolbox is the lack of internal organization. Some late-model toolboxes tried to create little compartments in the tray for tools, but for me those never worked. If you fill up the toolbox with tools of all sorts, they just lay on one another and you’re constantly digging out tools to find what you need.
Not only is this a waste of time, but the tools also start to get worn from rattling against one another. It’s not much different than throwing clothes into a closet and then rummaging around the pile to find what you need. When you hang clothes up, you can see them and put your hand on that blouse or pair of pants as soon as your eye sees what you want.
Nearly two decades ago, inventors started to deal with the rumble that was resonating from the toolboxes. I can clearly remember seeing a first-generation tool organizer that fit over a 5-gallon bucket like a saddle on a horse. This organizer had all sorts of different-sized pockets for all sorts of hand tools. It was a great first step towards making tools visible and accessible.
The only problem with this open method was that the tools could get wet or dirty, as they had no covering on them. Although this was not a deal killer for me, it was just two steps forward and one step back with respect to protecting the tools. The bail handle on the bucket was also problematic as the bucket became filled with heavy tools.
If you jump in the time machine and go back about 12 or 15 years, you’ll discover the first generation of soft-sided tool bags that had all sorts of pockets, chambers and whatnot for tool storage. One of my favorites was an actual backpack that was made to carry hand tools.
One of the latest soft-sided tool bags that I’ve tested really has got my attention. I’m convinced your husband will love it. It’s shaped like a backpack, but it opens on both the front and the back. The flaps just zipper up and down and fold away using handy snaps so the flap doesn’t touch the floor or the ground.
You can put just about any hand tool you can imagine in this deluxe synthetic canvas tool bag. They come in different sizes depending upon your husband’s tool collection. I can see owning one, two or three of these bags and setting them up for each project discipline.
For example, one part of one side of this tool bag could be dedicated to electrical tools. You’d easily take up space with your linesman’s pliers, wire stripper, needle-nose pliers, circuit testing tools, etc. The other half of that side of the tool kit might be dedicated to plumbing tools.
I can see one entire tool bag
See BUILDER, page C38
