# Residential Electrician Tool Storage.



## Manthradon (Jan 27, 2020)

Hello, I am 27 years. I will be starting my career in the beginning of April with a company that mostly does residential, service and remodeling... I have more tools on hand at the moment than I know what to do with. What do you recommend I use to carry my goods onto the job site with? 
What belts, pouches, boxes and totes are you using?


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## Switched (Dec 23, 2012)

Ask your employer what they require, then when you get on the job ask the guy in charge.

Get a simple set of bags to begin with, don't break the bank when just starting out. Then just get some cheap HD carry totes for the tools. Put what you are using for the day/task in the tool belt, and leave everything else in your bags.

A tote with wheels that can lock would be good to spring for if you can afford it, such as the Milwaukee or Rigid ones.


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## Switched (Dec 23, 2012)

https://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-22-in-Pro-Gear-Cart-Tool-Box-in-Black-222573/205441921


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

The only thing that matters is what your boss wants you to have. Some want a full setup of pouches, others don't care as long as you get the job done. 

Don't go crazy, just bring what you are going to need for that job, no need to bring everything with you. 

Now that I do service work for myself, I realize how much time I wasted playing with tools when I could have done the job quicker just using the tool I had on me.


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

You can store your tools in a small tool box. Whatever you buy, you will replace anyway so don’t spend much money on it. For a pouch, ask the people you work with. It is the one thing that you will keep for a long time. I still have mine from being an apprentice (the only thing).


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

It really depends on the exact type of work that you do. For remodeling you might find that you need two pouches, one for tools and the other for material like staples, stackers, wire nuts, etc. 

Then when doing service work you might find that you’re better off with a small tool bag filled with completely different tools.

Just go slow and see what you need so that you don’t waste money on things that you won’t use. The worst thing you could do is buy a $200 veto pro pack or even a $60 Klein tote and then in a few months realize that you need a different size or style bag.


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

Once the cabinets go in , take the pouch off. Scratches . Even careful guys that lie about how careful they are .


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

macmikeman said:


> Once the cabinets go in , take the pouch off. Scratches . Even careful guys that lie about how careful they are .


And don’t put tools on top of a new countertop even if it’s cheap IKEA. I was once accused of scratching very expensive granite until they discovered the real culprit.


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

HackWork said:


> It really depends on the exact type of work that you do. For remodeling you might find that you need two pouches, one for tools and the other for material like staples, stackers, wire nuts, etc.
> 
> Then when doing service work you might find that you’re better off with a small tool bag filled with completely different tools.
> 
> Just go slow and see what you need so that you don’t waste money on things that you won’t use. The worst thing you could do is buy a $200 veto pro pack or even a $60 Klein tote and then in a few months realize that you need a different size or style bag.


We have snob brands in the trades no different than paying $300 for jeans with a label on them.

There was a dude on this site once who recommended a cheap plastic tool tray from HD. I don’t know who he was, probably some insignificant dweeb who ended up working at the car wash. Anyway, I bought some of those trays and they’re great.


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## nrp3 (Jan 24, 2009)

At the moment, keep the expenditures down. Like hack said, what segment you work on is key, service is one thing, construction another, industrial maybe something that's different as well.


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## Southeast Power (Jan 18, 2009)

I think for resi and service work you are going to need 
A small tool pouch with an inside section for side cutters and small stripper
#2 Phillips
6” beater
10 in 1 screwdriver 
Also,
a very nice clean small Klein tool bag. Like a Doctor bag.
In that bag keep color coded zipper bags
One bag
with an clamp amp meter combo
A solenoid type tester
A receptacle tester with a GFCI button
2nd bag
Cabinet tip screwdriver
Square tip screwdriver for neutral screws
Needle nose pliers
3rd bag
Hardware
10-32 green screws
2” 6-32s
1” 8-32s
1” 10-24s
Nuts and washers for each
Wire nuts tan, red, blue
Small blues, grey, yellows
Black, red and white tape
Wire markers
Label maker


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## Manthradon (Jan 27, 2020)

Thanks for the advice guys.


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

Southeast Power said:


> I think for resi and service work you are going to need
> A small tool pouch with an inside section for side cutters and small stripper
> #2 Phillips
> 6” beater
> ...


What? No boyscout folding knife?


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## Manthradon (Jan 27, 2020)

Is there a belt system or brand that stands out among others far as comfort goes?


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## MTW (Aug 28, 2013)

HackWork said:


> Now that I do service work for myself, I realize how much time I wasted playing with tools when I could have done the job quicker just using the tool I had on me.


Very true, I do lots of service work and can do the majority of my tasks with my basic tool pouch setup that I've used unchanged for 20 years now - knife, *****, pliers, stripper, tic tracer, #2 phillips, flat, cabinet flat and small flashlight. T+ Pro gets carried separately.


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

I do service work too. Sometimes my pouch or my tea cart get's bogged down though with my Greenlee 777, or 555, and then there is my super tugger and all the wheels and jack stands. They hardly fit in there even with the extra carpenter's bag. Oh and just forget trying to stuff all the threaders and the hog's head into my bags, they are just too damn big...........


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## brian john (Mar 11, 2007)

HackWork said:


> Now that I do service work for myself, I realize how much time I wasted playing with tools when I could have done the job quicker just using the tool I had on me.


I came to this realization maybe 36-38 years ago, pared down to basic hand tools and at some point added a battery operated driver.


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

Switched said:


> https://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-22-in-Pro-Gear-Cart-Tool-Box-in-Black-222573/205441921


Have you seen the Craftsman set up like that?

Cart and three boxes for $79


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

Manthradon said:


> Is there a belt system or brand that stands out among others far as comfort goes?


Try this, 40 years from know you will be glad you did:


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

Manthradon said:


> Hello, I am 27 years. I will be starting my career in the beginning of April with a company that mostly does residential, service and remodeling... I have more tools on hand at the moment than I know what to do with. What do you recommend I use to carry my goods onto the job site with?
> What belts, pouches, boxes and totes are you using?


 If you need to carry more than this something is way wrong.


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## Switched (Dec 23, 2012)

MechanicalDVR said:


> Have you seen the Craftsman set up like that?
> 
> Cart and three boxes for $79


Yeah. Good to mention it. No reason whatsoever an apprentice should dole out cash, especially right now, on expensive names. 

Focus on really linesman pliers, and 11-1, a razor knife, etc....


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## Lone Crapshooter (Nov 8, 2008)

When I started back in 73 all I needed was a pair of Klein's ,a 1/4 X 6 Vaco straight screwdriver ,nail apron ,claw hammer and a 6' rule .Back then and as today in residental that will cover 99 % of what you will be doing.


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## 460 Delta (May 9, 2018)

If it were me, i would forget the 11-1 and get a 9-1 or a 6-1 screwdriver. The motion to flip from straight to Phillips is a pain, and the 11-1 is more $$ for less value in my book. I'd also skip the SH and hit the big box for a Southwire or Commercial Elec. I have started using Southwire linemans and screwdrivers and I really like them.


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## splatz (May 23, 2015)

460 Delta said:


> If it were me, i would forget the 11-1 and get a 9-1 or a 6-1 screwdriver. The motion to flip from straight to Phillips is a pain, and the 11-1 is more $$ for less value in my book. I'd also skip the SH and hit the big box for a Southwire or Commercial Elec. I have started using Southwire linemans and screwdrivers and I really like them.


I would say the Lenox 9-in-1 is a good thing to bring 1st day on the job. It's sturdier than the 11-in-1's. For a while I carried one of these and nothing else. 

If you want a good value for minimum $$, the made in USA Husky 6-in-1 is very good. I like the grip and tips better than the Lenox 9-in-1. 

I set either one up so I have the #2 phillips on one end, flip it and 3/16ths slotted on the other, and honestly don't use anything else that much. 

If you wind up using an impact driver a lot, as most of us do, I'd buy the Picqic or Milwaukee multi bit so you can swap bits between the impact and the hand tool. 

BTW, tip for the new guy, get in the habit of using a 12V impact when it's efficient and practical, you'll work faster and it will save wear and tear on the hands and wrists over the years.


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

splatz said:


> If you want a good value for minimum $$, the made in USA Husky 6-in-1 is very good. *I like the* grip and *tips better than the Lenox 9-in-1*.


 In what way?



> I set either one up so I have the #2 phillips on one end, flip it and 3/16ths slotted on the other, and honestly don't use anything else that much.


 I use the #2 phillips, the small flathead, the #2 square, and the 5/16 and 1/4 nutdrivers.

I don't use the large flathead because I also always have a fullsize flathead screwdriver to use as a beater.


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## splatz (May 23, 2015)

HackWork said:


> In what way?


The bit bit on the Lenox 9-in-1 and the 6-in-1 are pretty much the same but the little bit on the 6-in-1 is sturdier and longer and stays in place better than the one on the 9-in-1. 

I like both grips but the Husky is a little smaller and sometimes fits in a pouch or tool loop better than the Lenox. 



> I use the #2 phillips, the small flathead, the #2 square, and the 5/16 and 1/4 nutdrivers.
> 
> I don't use the large flathead because I also always have a fullsize flathead screwdriver to use as a beater.


At this point I only carry the 9-in-1 when I am going absolute minimal, if I am carrying that I probably am not carrying any other screwdriver and no impact driver. 

If I have an impact driver with me, and I usually do, I also have a picqic or the Wera multi-tip so I can interchange bits between the hand tool and the power tool. (I am trying to use the impact more so that my hands and wrists don't wear out before I'm ready to hang up the tools.) 

I keep a #2 phillips, a #2 square, and a 1/4" slotted with the metal cap in the tool bag or tote at all times. If one is getting constant use, it winds up in a pocket or the very small tool pouch I wear. The contents of that little pouch, like my pockets, depends on the day and the task at hand.


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## MTW (Aug 28, 2013)

I can't stand multi screw drivers, I've never taken a liking to them. Carrying 3 separate screwdrivers gets the job done the majority of the time.


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

MTW said:


> I can't stand multi screw drivers, I've never taken a liking to them. Carrying 3 separate screwdrivers gets the job done the majority of the time.


For resi you may have a point, in commercial when you need nut drivers and other tips a multi tip is the only way to go for the pocket toolbox productivity crowd.


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

MechanicalDVR said:


> For resi you may have a point, in commercial when you need nut drivers and other tips a multi tip is the only way to go for the pocket toolbox productivity crowd.



I need to pull out my multi-tool screwdrivers all the time doing residential . Bosch appliances see to it.......... By the way, I hate that company........


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## joebanana (Dec 21, 2010)

When I did resi. rough-in, I carried a tape measure and a hammer, and dragged the holehog w/200ft. cord. For trim, it was strippers, a flathead, util. knife, and cordless. Left everything else is left in the truck.


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## MHElectric (Oct 14, 2011)

I think everyone here has nailed in with the small tool list. This will get you through 90% of whatever you start out on. 

10 in 1 screw driver 
Tape measure
Pair of kleins
Electrician strippers 
***** 
Razor 
Hacksaw 

Here's something I'll add to it - once you figure out whether you want to stay in this trade, start picking up scrap wire on the job site and recycle it for some $$$. I bought almost all my tools that way.


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## MHElectric (Oct 14, 2011)

You know, Harbor Freight has some *Really* good deals. It's the perfect place for just starting out. Good stuff on the cheap! 

Come to think of it, I might just head down there myself here soon.


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## Manthradon (Jan 27, 2020)

Very cool. I have every hand tool anyone would ever need and the necessary power tools... I decided to spend the money on the red tools in the 18v platform since the company does a lot or remodeling it seemed like the way to go.

It seems like what I am being told here is all I really need at this point would be something to stow everything in when its not in use and a pouch big enough to accommodate what I will actually be using given the task at hand.


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## MHElectric (Oct 14, 2011)

If you already have all the tools you need, then buy a large tool chest that's lockable.


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

If I were you, I would bring the tools you may need in your car or truck. Then I would use an inexpensive duffel bag style tool bag to bring in the tools that you will probably need that day. Along with a pouch and belt. You’re an employee, I can’t imagine you needing to bring a large chest of tools into the job. If you need an odd tool you could always run out to get it from your vehicle.

After a while you will see exactly what you need and then you can spend the money on it.


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

macmikeman said:


> I need to pull out my multi-tool screwdrivers all the time doing residential . Bosch appliances see to it.......... By the way, I hate that company........



Good point, I wasn't thinking about that one but it proves my point. 

As soon as you encounter a piece of equipment or device outside of a switch or receptacle you need more options than phillips, flat, or beater.

You see what's in my daily poucn (combi, 11-in-1, flat, beater, an mini 4-in-1).


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## Superman (Mar 19, 2019)

welcome to the trade and good luck.


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## Going_Commando (Oct 1, 2011)

I hate the grip on every multi-tip screwdriver ive ever used. I used to carry individual screwdrivers for everything, but after watching enough YouTube videos of UK electricians I bought the Wera multi-tip set, which actually has separate shanks instead of just different bits and things you swap around. I love it, and have greatly reduced the # of screwdrivers I keep in my tool bag. It also comes with 2 handles which is super handy. It's this one:


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

macmikeman said:


> I need to pull out my multi-tool screwdrivers all the time doing residential . Bosch appliances see to it.......... By the way, I hate that company........


Bosch dishwashers are horrible.


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

I bought this Milwaukee screwdriver set on sale for 20 loonies and I really like them. They have big symbols on the end so you know what driver you’re pulling out of your bag.

Milwaukee linesman pliers are also good and priced much better than Klown. I like Milwaukee hand tools better than their power tools.


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

I can't think of the last time I used any of the screwdrivers or nut drivers that are nicely laid out in the drawers in my van.

I use the standard flathead, the 9in1, and when doing pipe the reaming screwdriver. 

I don't even use those screwdrivers that often, I mainly use the impact gun.

I'd recommend a 12V impact gun and a little box to hold tips. It can be anything from an Altoids tin to a larger plastic box. Keep it in whatever pouch or bag you bring with you everywhere.


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## MHElectric (Oct 14, 2011)

MHElectric said:


> If you already have all the tools you need, then buy a large tool chest that's lockable.


I’m going to reiterate this post. :smile:

Get a a durable large tool chest that you can lock and not worry about in the back of your vehicle. Make it your goal for the next 3 years to fill that bad boy up with tools and equipment. Seriously, you can be a sorry electrician, but if you've got the right tools for the job, you'll be able to make it happen when others can't.


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

Huh?

This guy is a residential starter. Since when does a residential starter need a rolling tool box, tool chest, etc.? I don’t even have a rolling tool box or chest.

What he needs is a little tool box or bag and some kind of tool pouch with a small parts pouch. Done. Go to work.

Seriously, if he has money to spend, he shouldn’t be spending it on fancy things to put his tools in. He should be spending it on good boots and clothing.


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## MHElectric (Oct 14, 2011)

99cents said:


> Huh?
> 
> This guy is a residential starter. Since when does a residential starter need a rolling tool box, tool chest, etc.? I don’t even have a rolling tool box or chest.
> 
> ...


Shame on you 99. This is terrible advice. 

Get a tool chest. Lock it up in the back of your pick up truck. Fill it up with tools. This will take a couple of years.


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## MHElectric (Oct 14, 2011)

AND - Start picking up stuff at Harbor Freight. Trust me, you'll be glad you did several years from now when you have more tools than the average Electrical Contractor and you decide to go out on your own.


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

Year one of my apprenticeship I did residential. All I had was a pouch. Year two I did commercial work and all I had was that same pouch. Years three and four I did industrial work. I left the pouch at home and used a tool box. I followed the union tool list and that’s all I needed or wanted.


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## TheLivingBubba (Jul 23, 2015)

99cents said:


> Year one of my apprenticeship I did residential. All I had was a pouch. Year two I did commercial work and all I had was that same pouch. Years three and four I did industrial work. I left the pouch at home and used a tool box. I followed the union tool list and that’s all I needed or wanted.





99cents said:


> Thanks. You guys are the remedy to my stupidity.
> 
> I might be a lousy electrician but I’m a lousier camera guy.




Maybe he doesn't want to be a "lousy" electrician? :smile:


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## HackWork (Oct 2, 2009)

MHElectric said:


> Shame on you 99. This is terrible advice.
> 
> Get a tool chest. Lock it up in the back of your pick up truck. Fill it up with tools. This will take a couple of years.


In my 20+ years I have never seen an electrician with a tool chest. 

I also think the idea of continually buying tools for years is not always good one. It was just a waste of money for me. 

Either way, the OP already said that he has plenty of tools, he is just looking for way to carry them into the jobs.


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

.....


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

It's a crying shame. Can't just go down to Sears any longer and buy the kid a tool box. Have to settle for an orange one like in that last picture..........


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## TheLivingBubba (Jul 23, 2015)

HackWork said:


> In my 20+ years I have never seen an electrician with a tool chest.
> 
> I also think the idea of continually buying tools for years is not always good one. It was just a waste of money for me.
> 
> Either way, the OP already said that he has plenty of tools, he is just looking for way to carry them into the jobs.



In my 8 years I have seen two guys with tool chests. They were on different jobs, but very similar personalities. Weirdos that claimed to be engineers and by the way they complicated every task and took forever to do I would believe them.


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## MHElectric (Oct 14, 2011)

You clowns don't have one of these?! I thought this site was for professionals!

Fits perfect in the back of a truck.


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## 99cents (Aug 20, 2012)

MHElectric said:


> You clowns don't have one of these?! I thought this site was for professionals!
> 
> Fits perfect in the back of a truck.


So does this. It also fits in the trunk of a Civic.


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