Mechanics: Do you really really need that tool?

Matco Tools, A Vontier Company , Mac Tools , and Snap-on have really great brochures, don't they?

Marketing directly to us in the shop by literally walking into, and handing us a flyer. No need to pay postage, deal with Facebook Ads Manager and Instagram paid ads, or worse yet, try to understand how to market to us with Google Ads Analytics.

Saves them a ton of money right, which gets passed onto us in the form of very affordable tools.

If you spit out your beverage of choice, likely coffee, whilst reading that last line, you aren't alone.

Let's give an example, for those that may not have walked onto a tool truck.

Here's an entry roll cab (tool storage), for someone just starting out, with a few tools.

A 36" Roll Cab with 7 Drawers, $4030CDN. But it probably comes with a cool Jacket.

But, why? ......

Some more context:

To work at the shop I'm at now, to make my life easier in the small space, I bought a 40" wide, 9 drawer roll cab, with a wood top, from Home Depot, for $379+taxes. I would have to absolutely destroy this little Homie Depot roll cart, a minimum of 8 more times, to equate the same dollars spent on the Snap-On unit.

So the question remains, why, as a mechanic, and someone who squeaks when they walk because I'm so cheap, do I still fucking want the 144" $40,000 EPIC....

Because I'm thinking with my mechanic brain, not my dispatcher, advisor, or service manager brain. Or better still, my wife's.

I can mentally justify getting that toolbox because I believe it's going to make me more organized and productive. I genuinely think that I'm going to improve my efficiency so much in the next 5 years, by buying that box, that the box will pay for itself, and the $775 a month payment.

The same goes for hand tools. Every week there's a new deal. This week, IIRC, it was a 7pc 3/8" metric hex driver set. Retails for $367, on Sale for $299.

Nearly identical set Canadian Tire Corporation , $79.99.

Now, many of you already know about everything I've said thus far. So the question still remains, do you need those tools or that toolbox?

The answer is almost always yes. However, what we don't do as Mechanics, is consult others on our decisions to buy shit.

How often have you come off the truck, or out of the hardware store, thinking to yourself something like: "I didn't really need that 4th pair of offset head needlenose pliers, in blue"... More times than you can count right?

So here's an easy 5-step process that will help you save money by preventing you from spending it on shit you don't need, or spending more on something that could have been bought inexpensively.......

1. Never buy it when you first see it. I don't care how great the fucking deal is. Walk away.
2. Discuss the tool with your SO (Significant Other, Spouse, Brother/Sister or Best Friend). If you can't describe the tool simply enough to these non-mechanics, and prove to them you need it, and can afford it, stop here.
3. Discuss the tool with your 2 immediate bay mates. Do they have it? Have they used it, or ever needed it? If it's a tool to fix something that nearly never happens, say once a year or less, and they have the tool, could you borrow it? If they don't have it, or won't lend it if they do have it, go to 4.***
4. Discuss the tool with your leader. Tell them you want to buy a tool. Tell them WHY you need the tool. Have a conversation.
5. Is there a tool that does the same thing, or close to the same thing, that is less money, but of the same value to me as a mechanic?

If you still need the tool at the end of this, that's when you revisit the purchase because, at this point, it's no longer an impulse buy, it's a thoughtful purchase you won't regret.

***Personal Rule: Borrow it 3 times, buy it. However, still run through steps 1-5 before buying, just to be sure.

And remember, once you own the tool...

DON'T PUT IT DOWN, PUT IT AWAY.

j.

BONUS!!!! - I had the opportunity to speak with AJ Holst , Fixed Operations Coach. He had some great insight into communication in the service department. He gave me this great tool, which I've modified to suit technicians. That can be used by Mechanics and their Leaders to assess communication, accountability, and relationships between the two. If you think it may be of value to you, or to someone you know, please click here to download it. No information or obligation is required.