Tool Bag Recommendations

Stuart Ablett

Member
Messages
15,917
Location
Tokyo Japan
OK, I'm needing some help here guys, I'm in the market for a good quality tool bag. I have been using one I got here for a year or so, and it is falling apart. It was cheap,
but man it sheds bits and pieces all over the place, not good.

IMG_1654.JPG

From the outside it looks OK, but...

IMG_1655.JPG

When you open it up, you can see it is falling apart, not what I want to open in front of a client.

IMG_1656.JPG


IMG_1657.JPG

And like I said, it sheds bits of black stuff all over the place.



I've looked over here and the one I have is about the best I can find, so I'm looking at Amazon.com.

A couple of things, it needs to be at least an 18" bag, maybe a 20", and I don't want black, stuff goes missing inside a black bag.



I see the Carhartt bag in brown that looks good....
carhartt_bag.jpg




But I was wondering if any of you have a recommendation.

Thanks
 
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For an interim solution, could you peel all the flaky black insides out - it doesn't seem to do much other than hide the tools. The outside of your bag and the inside pockets appear to be in good condition - just the lousy inside layer of the outside of the bag. Of course, a new bag always looks good for a high end contractor like you!
 
I've heard good things about Occidental Leather in the "buy it for life" forums. A bit more pricey but also has a bit of panache that might sell well on the job site?

https://www.amazon.com/Occidental-Leather-5585-Stronghold®-Journeymans/dp/B001E40L5U
https://www.amazon.com/Occidental-Leather-5588-Stronghold®-Carpenter/dp/B0062NRBC4

Those are really nice, but I want something that zips up.

Like this.....
Veto Pro Pac

veto pro pack XXL-F1.jpgveto pro pack XXL-F2.jpg
This is also price, $230 and $90 shipping, but like Charlie said, it looks good when I show up to a client's office or home and I'm organized and my bag is not falling apart.
 
I've used the Veto Pro Pac XL for four years and I wouldn't get anything else. I'll snap some pictures of it tomorrow. I carry a thousand dollars worth of handyman tools in it and it works perfect in keeping everything organized and protected. Only problem is it can get heavy because I keep fitting more things in it.
 
When I call in vendors to work on the CNC machine in the factory they often times need to fly in from far away. When they show up at the factory their tools are in a rolling case. Some are larger than others but they NEED to have EVERYthing they need. They CANNOT go get something from their shop as that may be thousands of miles away.

These are smaller less industrial versions of what they use.
There are MANY many more versions available.


https://www.amazon.com/Stanley-STST...id=1470574579&sr=8-3&keywords=mobile+tool+bag

https://www.amazon.com/Husky-14-Rol...id=1470574632&sr=8-9&keywords=mobile+tool+bag

https://www.amazon.com/CasePro-CP-G...r=8-17-spons&keywords=rolling+tool+case&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Clipper-Trim...1470574694&sr=8-11&keywords=rolling+tool+case
 
I've used the Veto Pro Pac XL for four years and I wouldn't get anything else. I'll snap some pictures of it tomorrow. I carry a thousand dollars worth of handyman tools in it and it works perfect in keeping everything organized and protected. Only problem is it can get heavy because I keep fitting more things in it.
Thanks for the feedback Dan, I am looking hard at the Veto Pro Pac XL, really it is between three bags;

The CLC 1539 $94.41 to my door all in.
The bag weighs 4.6 pounds and is 18 x 14 x 7 inches
clc 1539 closed.jpgclc 1539 open.jpg


The Veto Pro Pac XL $253.71 to my door all in.
The bag weighs 9.2 pounds and is 16.5 x 9.5 x 20.2 inches
veto pro pac xl closed.jpgveto pro pac xl open.jpg



The Veto Pro Pack XXL-F $320.22 to my door all in.
The bag itself weighs 13 pounds, and is 25.5 x 16 x 9.5 inches
veto pro pack XXL-F1.jpgveto pro pack XXL-F2.jpg

The first two bags are similar in style and construction, I like either one, but I worry if there is room in them for my cordless impact driver?

The 3rd bag is really what I want, it combines a large open space for tools like my impact driver, and hammer, saw etc, while having the other side set up to organize all your hand tools.

It would be heavy, but I have a four wheeled cart in the van at all times so I usually use that to carry up my tools etc.

Dan you said you have the Pro Pac XL, can you fit a cordless drill inside it?
I think that four years ago the XXL-F was not on the market, if it was, would you buy it instead?
thanks
 
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Add a folding collapsing hand cart like the third one at this url they work pretty good up to 150 lbs.

I've had one for several years purchased it for $20 from Kmart.

Magna Cart Personal 150 lb Capacity Aluminum Folding Hand Truck

https://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=i:aps,k:folding hand carts
Those are great Bart, they sell them at Costco here, I don't have the need for one, two wheeled hand trucks just don't seem to be popular here, instead everyone uses four wheeled carts like this;

cart.jpg
and I'm not working on jobsites that are rough ground, it is almost always a building or a house.
 
OK I took everything out of my tool bag....


IMG_1658.jpg

Now there are a couple of things missing, I usually carry two sharp chisels, they are being sharpened, I forgot to put them back, and often there are other tools, depending on the job, but that is a basic kit.
It weighs in at about 26 pounds bag and all.

One thing I worry about with the larger Veto Pro Pac XXL-F is that the bag alone weighs 13 pounds, that is half of the weight that my whole bag weighs, so maybe the XXL-F is more bag than I need.
Really wondering if I can get an impact driver into that bag.

The CLC 1539 had a central pocket area that for sure I could carry an impact driver.


While price is not the only factor, the fact that the CLC bag all in is about half the XL bag and 1/3 the price of the XXL-F bag does make a difference.

Cheers
 
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The only one of all these bags I have seen is the Carhart it appeared to be well made. My friend got me using for single purposes the bags you can buy at places like Ace & I usually buy them when on sale. I have used them to hold some of my auto detail tools.
 
When i was in the service trade, I found it easier to carry 2 smaller cases than 1 big one ...

Good point, I have two other bags, well actually three, one is my electrician bag, and then another bag that has all of my various containers with screws etc in them, not a large amount of screws, but small amounts of a larger variety of fasteners, so I can deal with almost anything that comes up. I also have a large box that has about a large amount of about a dozen screws in it that goes to bigger jobs. Then I have one open topped bag that is for stuff like a level, saw, more drills chalking gun, etc, dependent on the job that day.
 
Thanks for the feedback Dan, I am looking hard at the Veto Pro Pac XL, really it is between three bags;

The CLC 1539 $94.41 to my door all in.
The bag weighs 4.6 pounds and is 18 x 14 x 7 inches
View attachment 96789View attachment 96790


The Veto Pro Pac XL $253.71 to my door all in.
The bag weighs 9.2 pounds and is 16.5 x 9.5 x 20.2 inches
View attachment 96791View attachment 96792



The Veto Pro Pack XXL-F $320.22 to my door all in.
The bag itself weighs 13 pounds, and is 25.5 x 16 x 9.5 inches
View attachment 96793View attachment 96794

The first two bags are similar in style and construction, I like either one, but I worry if there is room in them for my cordless impact driver?

The 3rd bag is really what I want, it combines a large open space for tools like my impact driver, and hammer, saw etc, while having the other side set up to organize all your hand tools.

It would be heavy, but I have a four wheeled cart in the van at all times so I usually use that to carry up my tools etc.

Dan you said you have the Pro Pac XL, can you fit a cordless drill inside it?
I think that four years ago the XXL-F was not on the market, if it was, would you buy it instead?
thanks
I think I would get the XXL so I could carry my plumbing tools, they're in a separate bag, but still keep my battery tools in another bag just because of the charger, bits and jigs I carry. I like the Veto products because of the way they hold the tools, protect them, the quality of the materials (especially zippers) and the base is a heavy waterproof molded bucket.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
 
The only one of all these bags I have seen is the Carhart it appeared to be well made. My friend got me using for single purposes the bags you can buy at places like Ace & I usually buy them when on sale. I have used them to hold some of my auto detail tools.
I've not yet found someone selling the Carhartt brand that will ship to Japan.
Domo

Edit, I did find a seller on Amazon that will ship to Tokyo, but the Carhartt bags carry a lot of the tools exposed on the outside, this is OK on the jobsite, but I sometimes take the subway to a client's office.

carhartt Legacy bag.jpg
 
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I think I would get the XXL so I could carry my plumbing tools, they're in a separate bag, but still keep my battery tools in another bag just because of the charger, bits and jigs I carry. I like the Veto products because of the way they hold the tools, protect them, the quality of the materials (especially zippers) and the base is a heavy waterproof molded bucket.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

Yeah I am leaning that way.

You did not answer my question about would a cordless drill fit into the XL bag?

On a big job, of course I take the charger, but usually I just charge up both batteries and take the drill and the spare battery, that will do me almost for sure on every day job I do. Remember I'm not building houses here.

Domo
 
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