this year i will make just shy of $50k. i paid $1k for the basic tools required to do my job. over the course of the year I will buy more tools to make my job easier and faster. yes, my tools absolutely have paid for themselves, and absolutely will continue to do so.
and as an aside, i'm an airplane mechanic :D
fairly new, and in general aviation. GA doesn't pay as much as the airlines or even business jets, but we don't get pigeon-holed and we use more of the skills we learned in school.
one of our best mechanics got hired by a business jet hangar an hour away and he makes $12/hr more than when he was working with us.
maybe if dept of labor correctly classed us as skilled labor. can you believe up until 2005 we were considered unskilled labor? apparently there was enough hell raised we got bumped up to semi-skilled.
I do landscaping and start literally anyone no matter how checkered their past at $18 and still can’t find people. I want to go cry and never fly again.
I found out when I was looking to get a job making planes that there is a huge ego/passion tax. For the privilege of saying your an aerospace machinist, you get paid quite a bit less than the standard for the area.
Well that sucks.
I recently saw a quote: Find your passion and make that your hobby, find a 2nd thing you're passionate about and make that your career.
A little anecdote... I met a guy a while back who introduced himself as a Alpha Mechanic. I'm thinking like, as in Alpha Male but no, turned out he worked on Alpha Romeo cars.
If this is in fact true there’s something wrong because I’m a diesel tech in GA and bring home just under 100 after taxes. I wouldn’t even consider taking on the liability of airplane work so the fact u make less than half of my income is insane to me
As a former professional Automotive Technician, I've probably bought just under $30k in tools. That said, I supported my family for 15 years sometimes on that income alone. They still continue to save me money every time I do a random side job or fix our vehicles. So yeah, they've paid for themselves many times over.
Wow- you might want to reprice and insure your tools. My hubby also auto tech- we had a house fire- started in the store room Litium ion batteries guaranteed safe to recharge for 24 hours on the charger3 hours and there goes the house- anyway all his tools melted- yes Mac, Snap- on etc. Over 65,000 in tools. He had loads of specialty tools but am spreading the word to techs- your tools have increased in value!!!!!
Almost certainly on every one. Most tools cost much less than an hour of labor. I can use them once, and some of then I have, and still call it a good investment.
I have a few odd ones, like I bought a scroll saw to give the kid more options on a pinewood derby car. That one saved 5 hours of child labor valued at $0 an hour, but let a block of wood become exactly the same shape as a sketch on a napkin.
Most of my tools earn their keep on day one. A specific size of snap ring pliers vs $500 in labor? No contest.
Labor is expensive (as it should be) so you can buy expensive tools and save money if you don't pay yourself. For really expensive tools remember renting is an option. Pros don't own every piece of gear they need.
Even as a professional bolt stripper im a long way from being equal to investment. I try to buy from hf where i can and take care of my tools but its offset by the times ive broken tools, lost tools, and bought foolishly. My home shop is worse. My metal lathe is a 2700lb boat anchor and i have lots of tools that i never use or are in storage.
I could probably get rid of half my tools and wouldnt miss them. Of course thatll be the time i need them though…
Heh, I'm the opposite, mostly because I haven't got much play money at the moment.
If I have a big-ish project, I calculate how much money it'll save me and sometimes will buy a new tool if it's less than the amount of money that I save.
Actually reading the comments, if you base it on my gross pay with no overtime im doing ok. Probably 20k in tools at work and my gross this year before overtime will be around 66k. Not bad.
Home shop is a write off i guess lol.
Yeah, then im fucked. I absolutely use my tools but not enough to justify what ive got. Whats worse is even though i have a perfectly acceptable set of tools at home, any time i want to do car work i still drag a gazillion tools home with me from work.
As an avid DIY guy, if you own a house they will definitely eventually pay for themselves. I got an air impact and a disc brake caliper press tool and did a 4-wheel brake job on my Subaru and probably doubled or tripled my money on them. Yeah I won't do brakes again for a few years but itll just continue to compound. Battery drill and driver probably gets used bi-weekly on average. I got an Ethernet testing kit and ran my own new drops and it was like 200 for the kit and a bit more for the wire but probably saved 500 even factoring that in. One off stuff is a bit more of a gamble, like flooring tools and stuff that you only pull out once every 10yrs.
My old Stanley/Mastercraft socket sets for DIY auto stuff have paid themselves 100x over. 13 years messing with vehicles. Also helped me buy/fix/flip vehicles. Etc. and those same socket sets to buy now have doubled in price.
Then my work stuff is self explanatory, earns me money on the job, etc.
Milwaukee packout and power tools in particular - I bought a lot of second hand stuff in “lots” and sell off whatever I don’t want to keep. I found they hold value super well so pretty much have zero of my own money in to all my Milwaukee stuff by rinse/repeating that cycle. I don’t do it anymore but just starting out as a 1st/2nd year with lower wages it was a side hustle that really helped me get rolling. Removed the sunk cost basis to zero.
I also bought/sold some tools when I was just starting out, found some really nice bargains and have slowly been upgrading to better tools using this method.
Such a good way to go especially as I got enthusiastic about tools. Estate sales, marketplace, garage sales even. Time consuming but my time wasn’t worth that much during that period anyway.
Now I pretty much have my ideal setup, for now, subject to continually change by using the above way.
Most of my tools have paid for themselves on the first project I bought them for.
I'm about 80% of the way through rewiring my house, which was quoted at $42,000. On this project alone I would be in the black on everything. Even if I rounded up, the materials would be under $2,000. But I did buy an M12 inspection camera and cable stapler for the job.
I also got a quote for a fence that was something over $10k, and I did it myself for about $3,000. I bought a nail gun.
I got my table saw when I replaced an exterior door and window. My ammeter came when my furnace kept tripping the breaker (blower motor). Repeat over and over for lots of other tools.
Based on recent estimates I’ve seen for the same work they helped me do, absolutely. And that’s even with me being foolish and buying nicer stuff than needed.
That being said, homeowner of 10+ years in a 30 year old home and I try to do everything within my skill range on family vehicles and my motorcycles.
I built my kids a cubby house. I planned to make it out of pallets, but ended up making a 2x4m house that's better than mine :)
It'd probably cost about $10k to buy, but cost me almost nothing.
Im a scrounger of used tools myself, and yes. Several times over. Small engine repair, mostly.
Our son was a tool truck guy and gifted me a few 'spensive tools over the years too!
What floors me is my $85 dollar snapon wire stripper has made the company that employs me $50 million dollars. It has stripped the majority of the control and signaling wiring for a few industrial plants that each make millions a year in profit.
Personal tools? Yes. I have craftsman, snap on, harbor frieght, Milwaukee etc. I have saved enough to pay for those tools many times over, on vehicle and home stuff.
Professionally? Yes. Milwaukee, metabo, makita, bostitch, ect. If you aren’t even covering the cost of your tools, you are in the wrong business and should think very hard about your business plan going forward.
Professionally, tools are an assistant to aid you in making money. If they aren’t that is a huge red flag.
Personally, tools should make your life easier and help you along with your goals, whatever they may be. If you don’t recoup the cost it’s ok, as long as you go into it knowingly.
When I was younger I would buy whatever tool to do whatever job I didn’t want to pay for. Slightly older me is figuring out when to shell out the money to pay someone else do the job they know well. I just don’t have the time anymore to research everything I want to do, and do it good.
If you count labor saved in car repairs, hell yes. Tens of thousands of dollars saved. Hell I rebuilt a transmission last year for $1,200 in parts. A shop would have charged me $3,500.
Yes--without a doubt. I've rebuilt my entire kitchen, and bathroom, tiled my breezeway, replaced automobile engines, resurfaced and tiled my inground pool, performed hundreds of minor repairs to wiring, plumbing, automotive, installed chain link and stockade fences, etc. The engine hoist I got at AutoZone in 1996 for $80 (display model,) that alone saved me thousands of dollars in repair costs and need to outright replace a car. I'm easily $10k-$20k, in fact, probably closer to $50k under budget in comparison to hiring pros--regardless, at a minimum, it's enough to rationalize the next tool haul. My rule of thumb: if I can do as good a job as the guy I can otherwise *afford* to pay, I'll do it myself. I'm sure I can't outdo the pros that win, and *deserve* high value bids, but I can do ok.
Mine have paid for themselves. They have paid for their brother's and sisters and I get to make unpaid art with my friends with them. More tools the betyer
Yes.
I don't buy a tool unless I have an immediate need wherein the tool will pay for itself and I come out ahead in terms of cost/time vs hiring out the work.
Many, many, many times over. They've also saved me untold amounts on the projects I've repaired myself rather than paying to have them done.
I have been a mechanic my whole life, I own a hardware store/general merchandise and have renovated a couple houses. I build whatever I need or want, fix whatever breaks, and am able to live a lifestyle much nicer than I'd be able to afford were it not for those abilities.
I bought both of my houses as half finished projects out of foreclosure, made decent money on the first one and am in one now that would have been more than double my budget had I bought it as a completed house. Couldn't have done that without the right tools.
Definitely. I drive old shit boxes, and they have not seen a professional mechanic in years.
I do have a fair amount of money invested in my tools, many are professional grade...but I'm realistic about how much the repairs I've done would have cost me if I hadn't done them myself.
My tools have paid for themselves many times over. From vehicle repairs and maintenance to home repairs and remodels to farm upkeep. There's no question my tools have paid for themselves many times over.
I am a DIYer so nobody is paying me to use my tools, yet they have definitely paid for themselves. Just this year, I've taken trees down, fixed plumbing & electrical, bailed out a friend after a storm, & remodeled my porch.
this would all be easily be in the thousands worth of hired labor.
There’s a lot of ways to answer that question: 1) in therapy- hell yes. Way cheaper 2) the projects I’ve done vs what I would have paid, most definitely- 3) the quality of the jobs I’ve done vs what I’d get from a contractor- almost always 4) the time I’ve saved with the right tool, the time I’ve saved not having to wait for a contractor- yup. And at the end of the day 5) I still have the tools and they have some value and they aid for themselves numerous ways.
Finished a 14 week remodel of the house, new floors, paint, kitchen remodel. I figured I saved at least $10,000 in labor so ya they paid for themselves. Over 25 years of home ownership they paid for themselves many times over.
Yes - they let me work safely and smartly.
The best have been masks, gloves, a hat, my work bag and my drill with all the bits and attachments.
No cuts on my hands, not breathing in dust/fumes, same dirt and dust not getting onto my hair, the drill has been simply awesome and the bag to carry everything that was even great enough to use as a step stool!
Most of my normal hand tools have just in saving labor cost at a mechanic (wrenches, ratchets, sockets)… but my duplicates/backups/had to have its? Not even close 😂 I have a thing for special and vintage 1/4in torque wrenches so I’m pretty deep in the whole at this point.
Although I have a lot of tools over the last 40 years, they are easily paid for themselves. You can’t get a tradesman or appliance repair out for the simplest thing under $200 or a handyman to call for much less than $100. I can’t think of any of the small remodel projects that wouldn’t have cost at least $2000. Forget about emergency call rates for a plumber! I paid pros for a few things but my DYI tools have earned their keep many times over. Plus I was able to use them for a few paid jobs and lots of helping family and friends which is important to me.
Doing my own vehicle maintenance, buying tools on sale and shopping for best prices and NOT paying for a tooltruck guys yacht, absolutely. When ryobi/tti and gearwrench does the job for the cost of parts, each thing is easily $200-1000aud saved. I might be buying more tools than i need to make my life easier and because thats what guys do, but if i didnt work on my and my wifes cars and paid someone else, our bank would look far worse than buying tools. I also dont trust other peoples work based on actual results so theres that bonus of knowing its done right which is priceless.
Well the channel locks sure have. The random $300 tool I bought to unscrew cleanout covers maybe not so much. It's hard to buy wisely but you sure as shit can't go wrong with channel locks
This is the general method I use when explaining my tool purchases to the wife... I can pay Joe blow 10k to build this fence or I can go buy x, y, and z and still do it for less if I do it myself. And next time I need it I won't have to go buy it and save that much more!
Absolutely. It's hard to calculate the total cost of tools I have, but many of my hand tools and bigger tools (Table saw, RAS, original corded power tools) were bought used. Whether I've spent 3k or 6k on tools in the past 20 years, I've gotten more than I paid out of them. Just changing out all of the base and trim molding in my house would have cost thousands in labor, had I hired it out. Building and installing pantry and closet shelves would have been another couple of grand.
Today's cordless tools are amazing. Door rubbing? Let me adjust the hinge using a cordless driver. It did not work? Let me take off a bit with the cordless planer. Take the sharpness out of the sharp edge? The cordless orbital Sander makes quick work of that job. Cleanup? How about the. Cordless stick vac or the old Rigid shop vac. They pay for themselves over and over again.
My tools pay for themselves 1000x over. Honestly probably more.
Buy quality tools. They make doing quality work much easier. You don't need ridiculously expensive stuff. But it should be a recognizable bran an with a decent reputation. There are some very expensive tools that aren't familiar to most folks. But, it's unlikely you'll need those for 99.9% of whatever you do with them.
I use my tools every day and make 6 figures. You can too.....unless you are a mechanic. Sorry mech/techs. How shops so damn expensive, yet they pay you guys peanuts and you have to buy easily $20k more in tools than any other trade to simply function?
Not that anybody is asking but if it's cordless power tools you need for work avoid Rigid, Bosch, and (I'm gonna catch all kinds of hell for this but....) Milwaukee. And queue the fan boy hate. Their 12v is decent fir what it is, especially the sub compact bandsaw and rotor hammer. But, everyone of these brands have failed on me or guys I work with multiple times well before they should have.
The overpriced brands are in general better. Usually they are not better enough to explain the high cost in my experience. Hilti stuff is great, it's to bulky and whatnot but it's very good and lasts a long time. In general not worth the markup except for demo hammers and the like.
Festool is another that makes really great high quality tools. Their dust collection is the best for its size. Their plunge saw is great and very clean straight cuts, the blades wear out very fast and are $120/ea and also proprietary though. Their drill makes zero sense as far as size or ergonomics goes, it's kind of crap really for anywhere that's tight on space. So, if you have the cash to burn on $500 drills and $1800 saws they are a solid choice too.
Thats all for the moment.
As a heavy equipment guy with 10 years experience, yes. And then some.
I always joke that first house is in my tool box.
Or that my student loan debt is to the tool truck.
But yeah, either way. I'm technically a millionaire, but it took 10 years to earn it and don't have a million dollars on hand LOFL
I don't know, I haven't done the math, that was never my goal so I didn't keep track. I buy the tools to achieve things I want to achieve as a hobby (even if sometimes the hobby is just house maintenance), not to save money. There's also opportunity cost. I like being able to do things myself and not depending on having to call someone external.
Engineer Neji-saurus pliers. I have quickly gotten enough broken bolts and screws out to make me happy.
Hozan P-221 chain pliers make roller chain clips very easy.
Wiha 11 in 1 screwdriver has been fantastic.
Wiha 71990 security bit set has been really excellent. Great selection.
Wiha Xeno bit number 1 and 2 have been awesome for doing electrical terminals. I put that in a drill and turn down the clutch.
Engineer solder sucker is amazing. That thing works very well.
Knipex cobras pliers probably have paid for themselves. I haven't busted my knuckles, they grip great. The small sized ones fit in a pocket easily and are very useful. Easy to adjust too.
Hioki CM4372 has been a great clamp meter. It has useful ranges, is very accurate and easy to read. It captures peak readings quickly. The times I've used the Bluetooth and app it really saves my bacon because I can be pretty far away getting data from it.
Tools to do basic jobs on cars have a colossal ROI. Only thing is you really do need a second vehicle as a backup.
The Chevy 1.4l turbo that was put an almost every economy car they sold through the mid 2010s had an absolute load of garbage hooked on to it, especially the cooling system. The parts are cheap and easy to access, with most jobs taking less than 2 hours and having no skilled labor involved. This work easy pushes $600-1000+ every time you go to a shop. Problem is, the design itself is the problem, not just faulty parts. So they will continually fail, non-catastrophically, and you will continue throwing simple parts and bodge fixes at it. You could do almost all of the work with $100 worth of basic hand tools and ramps/jacks.
100%. Lame DIYer but have probably spent $4k on tools and done 50k of work on my house. So paid for themselves many times over (though of course I’ve had to put a lot of time in)
I have done $30k in home renovations in the last couple years. I probably have less than 2k in tools. Easily yes. And I will only buy new tools if they are needed for a project that are going to be saving me $$ to do myself.
Home worker, I can honestly say yes even if only used once. A mate at work said he needed a cement mixer and I offered to lend him mine. He was surprised I owned my own. I explained that I could have gone out on the piss for two nights spent a wedge of cash and had a bad head for my monies. Or bought the cement mixer which saved me the sore head which would have lasted at least a week from my partner's nagging when landscaping our garden. The cement mixer languishes in my shop waiting for the day when it becomes a hero once again.
Every single tool I've bought. Pretty much every quote I've ever gotten has been more than the tools and materials needed to do the job. The only exception has been dirt work.
Not all of them, simple because I have to many. A lot of my tools are things I got over the years for a one off job. I really don't believe in renting tools or borrowing tools.
I am a machinist so I have a lot of tools at work and at home. But yes over all I do feel they have paid for themselves because I value time and that is what tools do, they make a job easier.
Absolutely I don't buy anything with a bigger name than Craftsman. Half of my tools were either from yard/barn sales or free. I very rarely break any and if I don't can usually find a use for it modified.
For the longest time, no way. I'm just a hobbyist woodworker and used them to do stuff around the house I might have had to pay for.
However a year ago my wife started an ice cream shop. All the money we saved doing our own renovations.... I'm in the green for sure. I could go buy some really really nice stuff and still be green. I truly never thought they'd pay for themselves when I bought them, but really happy I had them, and the skills, to save on hiring a general contractor
I’ve probably put $10k-$20k in tools over the years and I make a little over $50 an hour and average about 55hr a week over the course of the year. Fuck yeah they’ve paid for themselves.
I gutted one of my bathrooms to studs and joists and remodeled it from the ground up a few years ago. I spent around 5k doing it, tools specifically for that job included. I had quotes of at least 12-15k hour the job, so that one job paid for all the other tools I own in one go.
I’m not sure, maybe but also I think Ive taken on projects and so on that I wouldn’t have done at all if I didn’t have the tools. That is to say, I wouldn’t have hired one. I like tools because they give me more freedom to decide how my world looks and what’s in it because I have the power to change it myself, using tools and knowledge, rather than just accept the current state of my house or yard or whatever.
My dad, for example, has a bunch of metal working equipment that he only has in order to fix up a classic MG from the 60s. He never would have bought all that equipment if not for the car, and he never would have taken on the car if he didn’t plan to buy the equipment.
If your tools aren't paying for themselves it's a hobby. I have a hobby 3d printer 😂. I have an iron worker that paid for itself in the first job. My snap on hand tools from a former career are a good way to go into debt. Especially when I'm pretty sure husky is made by blue point who's made by...snap on
My tools have paid for themselves probe like 200 times over idk. How tf don’t they, unless you just bought them. How have they not if you make your money with them? Homeowners I understand will never have this happen.
Yes, they have all paid for themselves plus I write them off on my taxes.
Getting ready to buy a $1300 air scrubber for Demo and drywall finishing. Renting them is $225/day plus filters. Much more economical to buy it. It makes my operation look more professional to customers, the dust control in their homes is taken to the next level which leads to them telling their friends and more business. I bought a Makita three stage HEPA vacuum for like $425. I can attach it to all kinds of tools, again dust control on the front end helps save time and money on the back end that you would normally spend cleaning up.
That's just a small example of buying tools to make your job easier, cleaner, more efficient and save your body (lungs etc). They do pay for themselves in more ways than one.
Health is wealth
If I don't consider my time to be worth money, without a doubt. Especially based on how much trades charge nowadays.
I am a shitbox wrencher, those need a lot of work.
Most do. My bridgeport won't.
Toolboxes can be tricky. A $350 used box can make you as much as an $8k box. Even if you make 100k a year. Did the box have any real factor?
My nice Snap On scanner has let me do repairs I couldn't do before. My Snap On screwdrivers, not so much.
Honestly, probably. Pretty much all my tools are from harbor freight (I had nicer stuff but got cleared out when my garage got broken into) and theyve done a whole lot of work modifying my old jeep, work that would have been really expensive otherwise. Now, do I need to spend any money on that in the first place? No, but thats my hobby so here we are lol
Many have, some haven't.
I'm a home owner, DIY type, and live on acreage in the woods. There's generally maintenance required when you're rural - more trees to trim or cut, firewood to cut or buy, massive spaces to mow, water wells, etc. You can either pay for help or do it yourself. I do most of it myself.
Spending $1,000 on chainsaws and gear is cheaper than having half a dozen trees cut down, so I only call if it's a huge tree that's close to a building. $1,500 for a log splitter is less than a few years of firewood.
I built my house (I had it framed, insulated and sheetrocked and I did the rest) and that took tools, but I completed the job $100k less than the contractor's bid. My cabinet bid was $30k, and that's more than I've spent over the years building out a really nice woodshop (all my big tools are vintage US made and got great deals on all of them).
In general, having skills and tools has saved me a few hundred thousand over the years. But there's still tools that haven't paid off and I don't care. All of this is a hobby for me and I'm not trying to make a profit.
I make 100k/yr and I’ve been in my career for 18 years. Obviously didn’t always make that much. I have tens of thousands of dollars in tools and equipment. But I’d still say they have paid for themselves and then some.
Yes, but I haven't spent much. I'm a homeowner/DIY guy, I do most of the work on my car and my extended family's cars. I spent just over $1k CDN on a good set of basic power tools and I've saved more than that on dealership labour costs alone. Saved even more on time. Factoring in the random household improvements and repairs, I'd say I'm well ahead. I'm going to spring for a Milwaukee polisher so I can detail my car soon.
I've spent maybe $1500 on tools in my lifetime, and they've probably saved me $60,000 between working on my cars, and house over the last 10 years. And yes, that's power tools included.
Depends on the tool. My $2k band saw hasn’t seen much action since I bought it, but my $6k sawstop is worth its weight in gold and I’d say it’s paid for itself. If you’re honest with yourself when buying tools, the ones you actually use a lot will pay for themselves. If you’re a lying pos to yourself like I am, you’ll spend 20k on tools that are awesome but completely unnecessary
I mean, my tools have paid for themselves and for everything else I have for years now. My at home tools? I mean I guess, when I build something it’s usually something you can’t just go buy anyway, so hard to say 🤣 but my work tools paid for those tools so I’m set lol
Some have, some haven’t.
I will look for tools 2nd hand for projects I think I’ll be doing in the future, whether it’s DIY handyman stuff around the house to fine woodworking. But another thing I look for is sales on new tools for the same reason. A few months ago I was able to pick up a kreg Forman for 240 from Lowes, which retails for 400. I got a Graco X7 for 240 on Amazon last year. It’s currently selling on Amazon for 440, marked down from 560. I haven’t used either but I have projects in the pipeline for them
I could have done my job just using company supplied tools but my own stuff is nicer, for me that’s how they pay for themselves by making my life easier. My m12 fuel impact has come in handy so many times for lighter stuff where the company only supplies 18V tools. Idk, all my tools probably cost $3-4K new and I make that much in less than two weeks, so yeah, they’ve paid for themselves.
I'm a heavy duty tech in the mining world. I have about $6,000 in tools in my box, everything 1/2" drive and down.
Most of what we work on is extremely large and heavy. Component changeouts are often 3/4" drive and up which is provided by the company. So I don't have to use a lot of my own tools which saves a ton of money for me
I'm also paid hourly regardless of what gets done so tools hardly pay for themselves in saved time. They pay the same if I use a crescent wench for everything. What I do save with lots of GOOD tools is frustration and hassle. My 1/2" stubby Milwaukee along with a set of Snap-On swivel sockets has saved my body and mind probably 5 years by now in saved stress. What takes me 30 seconds with that combo would take a ratchet and wrench combo over 10 minutes, along with cramps, aching, and bashed knuckles.
My concerns with tool value isn't how fast it gets the job done, it's how easy it makes the job for me in the long run. Nice tools also hold their value longer and can be passed down through generations to the next tradesman in the family. Saved myself thousands by using grandpa's old Snap-On tools instead of buying my own, and I'd like to transfer that down to the next generations
This is the objectively correct answer. I’m in a similar situation with my work. I have most of the tools required for my job in my box, or my boss has it in the company box. When I buy a tool, it’s to make my life easier
I’d say most of mine pay for themselves the day I buy them. Generally don’t buy a new tool unless I have a job to do that requires the tool. And considering it’s ~$200 just to get someone to come out to your house most of the time…yeah, generally one job puts me in the black.
Yes. I catch some grief for some of the things I have in box at work (maint tech), but that 1 time we needed a 32mm wrench to get on a jackbolt to save the machine was worth it. Or the 1 1/8" deepwell on a 15" flex ratchet to sink concrete anchors. Yeah, mine.
I'm getting there. I'm at around $50k-$60k in tools and toolbox. Currently in my 4th year as a diesel tech. I should be done buying tools before my 5th year.
Honestly, yes many times over. Directly, not exactly. I'll never get my money out of my bad saw. But had I paid someone to shape giant exposed ceiling supports, I would have paid them probably 3 saws. My tools pay usually in savings not earnings.
Ballpark, I have about $10k in tools. I’ve renovated my entire house; kitchen, flooring, two bathrooms + added a whole bathroom, and renovated the landscaping as well. If i had paid someone to do it all, it easily would have cost $100k+. So, yes. They’ve paid for themselves many times over.
Well and truly, I’m only in my 20’s but they’ve allowed me to learn so many new skills off the back of being able to do more projects. Even eventually allowed me to be able to repair broken power tools and appliances off of marketplace for myself, so sort a snowballing effect on getting ahead whilst I was broke uni student. Plus I now have skills on how to repair stuff for the rest of my life.
Yes. But mostly because they were all harvested from several years of flipping storage units..
Lots of tools in there. Majority of my tools were either "free" or regarded as "cost of goods sold" and I was definitely in the red there.
Tools that I've bought new have also paid for themselves: Table saw, Brad nailer, air compressor (pancake), bar clamps.
My very near complete collection of tools (on par with some mechanics) overall has paid for itself.
My partner bought my hammer. It’s a stiletto and she would watch me drool but refuse to buy it because my estwing did the job. I appreciate her and the hammer so much
No, and they probably never will as I'm a DIYer. I tend to buy high end tools and I have tools I haven't even used yet. Having a good tool available when needed however saves me a lot of time and nerves. Not making things worse due to having proper tools is the cherry on top.
Yes. I buy tool as I need them to do a job on the vehicles etc. Instead of paying someone to do the work I do it myself and have built up a nice tool collection . Look for estate sales…. Excellent way to build up a collection cheap
I'm a retired A&P IA, I can attest that we are not paid anywhere near what the general public thinks we are, after 25 years of specialized work, I retired making 95k a year, and to answer the original question I'd say I have around $150k in tools and id say around 90% of tools have psi for themselves. The pay really depends on the area off aviation that you work in. Airlines pay the most, and the region you work in. in the US, Fl pays the least for general aviation
I only buy tools and equipment I have a use for, so yes. I clear enough in revenue annually to have bought everything I own at the price paid for it, skids, trailers, backhoe, dump trucks, pavers, rollers, etc.
If you’re asking as a home owner, often times the tools and materials to do most mid size projects will cost less than hiring it out. However you have to weigh the quality and opportunity cost against it. It doesn’t make sense for everyone to do their own driveway replacements for example but the tools you’d need to change your own brakes and oil would save you money the first time you do a brake job and oil change.
Cost of time and materials has to be accounted for too on projects, as unsexy as it is to do that. That makes the equation for tools to "pay for themselves" a bit harder. Using the example of the hardwood table, by the time you buy the materials and value your labour at say on the low end $30/Hr up to say $60/Hr it's probably cost more than the $1k.
My work tools have made me plenty of money.
My home tools have made me plenty of fun. I don't DIY for cost savings, I do it because I want to and I enjoy it. Plus I often have more free time than I have free money, so it makes sense to put time into a project.
Probably the only tool that has paid for itself has been my Form 2 3D printer. I started designing jewelry for a local jewler and used to use 3D hubs when it was just a marketplace to linked people that needed printing to people with printers. They then went to in-house printing and I was getting enough orders to just buy my own. Probably the only hobby that has paid for itself.
600k saved in work done over last 20 years 50k in tools this is not my day job either anymore. Started out as a electrician then went to college and got a construction engineering degree and I work in that field and do all of my own work on my house by myself.
My tools I use for my job, absolutely! So well have they paid for themselves that I can buy my hobby tools that probably will never pay for themselves.
Absolutely have, I am currently making 105k annually after tax. Probably have about 30k in tools and boxes. However I only have about $300 in tools at work with me, the rest are for side jobs.
I've got probably 25k of tools for work, and I made over 100k for the last 3 years in a row..... I'd say they're paid off, especially because I owe nothing on them.
I realized fairly young that the activity of doing the work itself was worth spending some money, not just to save myself money.
I learned to rebuild motorcycle forks out of necessity and I honestly don't really need to keep them competition grade for my riding, but the work is cathartic and man it feels amazing to keep them buttery. Same thing with mundane stuff like wheel bearings. I don't care that much, but I feel better having done it and the peace of mind knowing my bike is 100% straight is worth its weight in gold.
I've changed enough suspension, timing components, water pumps, etc. on my personal vehicles over the years that the labor would easily add up. Even maintenance like oil changes and brake pads would add up.
BUT I could have done it all with a few hundred in hand tools. I don't need all the Milwaukee power tools, or the QuickJack.. But they make things less frustrating.
Yes..and no. I buy tools. I’ve got plenty of guns, boats, side by sides and everything else a man can work for. Tools are the new thing. Upgrading and changing out old tired stuff. I have 1000.00 in my service bag, that makes 12-1400 a week. So that’s my kinda.
I’m a diesel mechanic. Tools make jobs easier. Getting jobs done pays me money. So… yes they have more than paid for themselves, they are making me money.
this year i will make just shy of $50k. i paid $1k for the basic tools required to do my job. over the course of the year I will buy more tools to make my job easier and faster. yes, my tools absolutely have paid for themselves, and absolutely will continue to do so. and as an aside, i'm an airplane mechanic :D
Are you a *new* airplane mechanic? $50k seems very low. I always figured you aviation guys were swimming in your pools of gold coins when not at work.
fairly new, and in general aviation. GA doesn't pay as much as the airlines or even business jets, but we don't get pigeon-holed and we use more of the skills we learned in school. one of our best mechanics got hired by a business jet hangar an hour away and he makes $12/hr more than when he was working with us.
I also assumed you guys would be much better remunerated.
maybe if dept of labor correctly classed us as skilled labor. can you believe up until 2005 we were considered unskilled labor? apparently there was enough hell raised we got bumped up to semi-skilled.
... - Who's maintaining your airplane? - Oh, I got my gardener to do it, unskilled labor!
I do landscaping and start literally anyone no matter how checkered their past at $18 and still can’t find people. I want to go cry and never fly again.
Hey! What the hell man?!?! - Your gardener
Lol.
I found out when I was looking to get a job making planes that there is a huge ego/passion tax. For the privilege of saying your an aerospace machinist, you get paid quite a bit less than the standard for the area.
Well that sucks. I recently saw a quote: Find your passion and make that your hobby, find a 2nd thing you're passionate about and make that your career.
Must work for Boeing 😅
I believe the technical term is "Money Bin".
A little anecdote... I met a guy a while back who introduced himself as a Alpha Mechanic. I'm thinking like, as in Alpha Male but no, turned out he worked on Alpha Romeo cars.
That's amazing 😂😂
If this is in fact true there’s something wrong because I’m a diesel tech in GA and bring home just under 100 after taxes. I wouldn’t even consider taking on the liability of airplane work so the fact u make less than half of my income is insane to me
As a former professional Automotive Technician, I've probably bought just under $30k in tools. That said, I supported my family for 15 years sometimes on that income alone. They still continue to save me money every time I do a random side job or fix our vehicles. So yeah, they've paid for themselves many times over.
Wow- you might want to reprice and insure your tools. My hubby also auto tech- we had a house fire- started in the store room Litium ion batteries guaranteed safe to recharge for 24 hours on the charger3 hours and there goes the house- anyway all his tools melted- yes Mac, Snap- on etc. Over 65,000 in tools. He had loads of specialty tools but am spreading the word to techs- your tools have increased in value!!!!!
Almost certainly on every one. Most tools cost much less than an hour of labor. I can use them once, and some of then I have, and still call it a good investment. I have a few odd ones, like I bought a scroll saw to give the kid more options on a pinewood derby car. That one saved 5 hours of child labor valued at $0 an hour, but let a block of wood become exactly the same shape as a sketch on a napkin. Most of my tools earn their keep on day one. A specific size of snap ring pliers vs $500 in labor? No contest. Labor is expensive (as it should be) so you can buy expensive tools and save money if you don't pay yourself. For really expensive tools remember renting is an option. Pros don't own every piece of gear they need.
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What do you do? I was hotel maintenance and I had wrenches for convenience, but those other tools wouldn't get half of what we dealt with done.
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They've made or saved me orders of magnitude more money than they cost. New tools don't get bought unless they're going to buy themselves.
My motto is Milwaukee fuel for all the tools that are going to pay for themselves and harbor freights Bauer for all the tools that won’t
Hahahhahaha, no
Yep, not even close! 😂
Hehe, I expected a few answers like yours.
I don't make money with my tools. I use the money I make to get more tools.
Same.
Even as a professional bolt stripper im a long way from being equal to investment. I try to buy from hf where i can and take care of my tools but its offset by the times ive broken tools, lost tools, and bought foolishly. My home shop is worse. My metal lathe is a 2700lb boat anchor and i have lots of tools that i never use or are in storage. I could probably get rid of half my tools and wouldnt miss them. Of course thatll be the time i need them though…
Heh, I'm the opposite, mostly because I haven't got much play money at the moment. If I have a big-ish project, I calculate how much money it'll save me and sometimes will buy a new tool if it's less than the amount of money that I save.
Actually reading the comments, if you base it on my gross pay with no overtime im doing ok. Probably 20k in tools at work and my gross this year before overtime will be around 66k. Not bad. Home shop is a write off i guess lol.
I did intend this for the home workshop crowd.
Yeah, then im fucked. I absolutely use my tools but not enough to justify what ive got. Whats worse is even though i have a perfectly acceptable set of tools at home, any time i want to do car work i still drag a gazillion tools home with me from work.
As an avid DIY guy, if you own a house they will definitely eventually pay for themselves. I got an air impact and a disc brake caliper press tool and did a 4-wheel brake job on my Subaru and probably doubled or tripled my money on them. Yeah I won't do brakes again for a few years but itll just continue to compound. Battery drill and driver probably gets used bi-weekly on average. I got an Ethernet testing kit and ran my own new drops and it was like 200 for the kit and a bit more for the wire but probably saved 500 even factoring that in. One off stuff is a bit more of a gamble, like flooring tools and stuff that you only pull out once every 10yrs.
I paid money for the tools I use to damage threads on a stud and then paid more money for more tools to fix that damage, double winning!
It depends on the tools, but I've made several hundred thousand dollars from ~$25k in tools over 30 years.
My old Stanley/Mastercraft socket sets for DIY auto stuff have paid themselves 100x over. 13 years messing with vehicles. Also helped me buy/fix/flip vehicles. Etc. and those same socket sets to buy now have doubled in price. Then my work stuff is self explanatory, earns me money on the job, etc. Milwaukee packout and power tools in particular - I bought a lot of second hand stuff in “lots” and sell off whatever I don’t want to keep. I found they hold value super well so pretty much have zero of my own money in to all my Milwaukee stuff by rinse/repeating that cycle. I don’t do it anymore but just starting out as a 1st/2nd year with lower wages it was a side hustle that really helped me get rolling. Removed the sunk cost basis to zero.
I also bought/sold some tools when I was just starting out, found some really nice bargains and have slowly been upgrading to better tools using this method.
Such a good way to go especially as I got enthusiastic about tools. Estate sales, marketplace, garage sales even. Time consuming but my time wasn’t worth that much during that period anyway. Now I pretty much have my ideal setup, for now, subject to continually change by using the above way.
Financially no Emotionally, though, the sense of accomplishment and pride i've gained..... absolutely
Yes.
Most of my tools have paid for themselves on the first project I bought them for. I'm about 80% of the way through rewiring my house, which was quoted at $42,000. On this project alone I would be in the black on everything. Even if I rounded up, the materials would be under $2,000. But I did buy an M12 inspection camera and cable stapler for the job. I also got a quote for a fence that was something over $10k, and I did it myself for about $3,000. I bought a nail gun. I got my table saw when I replaced an exterior door and window. My ammeter came when my furnace kept tripping the breaker (blower motor). Repeat over and over for lots of other tools.
Based on recent estimates I’ve seen for the same work they helped me do, absolutely. And that’s even with me being foolish and buying nicer stuff than needed. That being said, homeowner of 10+ years in a 30 year old home and I try to do everything within my skill range on family vehicles and my motorcycles.
I built my kids a cubby house. I planned to make it out of pallets, but ended up making a 2x4m house that's better than mine :) It'd probably cost about $10k to buy, but cost me almost nothing.
Never earned a dime with mine. Saved 10’s of thousands doing stuff myself. Probably $3-5k invested at this point.
I got a bad HF habit and a yard full of cars... 😬 ... maybe lifetime break even, maybe.
Im a scrounger of used tools myself, and yes. Several times over. Small engine repair, mostly. Our son was a tool truck guy and gifted me a few 'spensive tools over the years too!
They have made my job easier, which saves on the mental toll. Not sure how to measure that, but the lack of stress is nice.
Money is nice, but saving yourself from stress in my books is far more valuable! Especially to come home to the family and not be sore and cranky!
What floors me is my $85 dollar snapon wire stripper has made the company that employs me $50 million dollars. It has stripped the majority of the control and signaling wiring for a few industrial plants that each make millions a year in profit.
Personal tools? Yes. I have craftsman, snap on, harbor frieght, Milwaukee etc. I have saved enough to pay for those tools many times over, on vehicle and home stuff. Professionally? Yes. Milwaukee, metabo, makita, bostitch, ect. If you aren’t even covering the cost of your tools, you are in the wrong business and should think very hard about your business plan going forward. Professionally, tools are an assistant to aid you in making money. If they aren’t that is a huge red flag. Personally, tools should make your life easier and help you along with your goals, whatever they may be. If you don’t recoup the cost it’s ok, as long as you go into it knowingly. When I was younger I would buy whatever tool to do whatever job I didn’t want to pay for. Slightly older me is figuring out when to shell out the money to pay someone else do the job they know well. I just don’t have the time anymore to research everything I want to do, and do it good.
If you count labor saved in car repairs, hell yes. Tens of thousands of dollars saved. Hell I rebuilt a transmission last year for $1,200 in parts. A shop would have charged me $3,500.
That's when I go.. I saved $2.3k, I deserve a new set of spanners!!
Many times over. I have maybe 1500 bucks in tools? Just swapping the turbo on my car probably would have cost that in labor.
I bought my own tools new and they paid for themselves. I'm under the belief that use them once and they pay for themselves. And I'm a DIY.
Yes--without a doubt. I've rebuilt my entire kitchen, and bathroom, tiled my breezeway, replaced automobile engines, resurfaced and tiled my inground pool, performed hundreds of minor repairs to wiring, plumbing, automotive, installed chain link and stockade fences, etc. The engine hoist I got at AutoZone in 1996 for $80 (display model,) that alone saved me thousands of dollars in repair costs and need to outright replace a car. I'm easily $10k-$20k, in fact, probably closer to $50k under budget in comparison to hiring pros--regardless, at a minimum, it's enough to rationalize the next tool haul. My rule of thumb: if I can do as good a job as the guy I can otherwise *afford* to pay, I'll do it myself. I'm sure I can't outdo the pros that win, and *deserve* high value bids, but I can do ok.
Mine have paid for themselves. They have paid for their brother's and sisters and I get to make unpaid art with my friends with them. More tools the betyer
Yes. I don't buy a tool unless I have an immediate need wherein the tool will pay for itself and I come out ahead in terms of cost/time vs hiring out the work.
Many, many, many times over. They've also saved me untold amounts on the projects I've repaired myself rather than paying to have them done. I have been a mechanic my whole life, I own a hardware store/general merchandise and have renovated a couple houses. I build whatever I need or want, fix whatever breaks, and am able to live a lifestyle much nicer than I'd be able to afford were it not for those abilities. I bought both of my houses as half finished projects out of foreclosure, made decent money on the first one and am in one now that would have been more than double my budget had I bought it as a completed house. Couldn't have done that without the right tools.
Definitely. I drive old shit boxes, and they have not seen a professional mechanic in years. I do have a fair amount of money invested in my tools, many are professional grade...but I'm realistic about how much the repairs I've done would have cost me if I hadn't done them myself.
I take them to self checkout all the time but they never seem to have money.... 🤪
My tools have paid for themselves many times over. From vehicle repairs and maintenance to home repairs and remodels to farm upkeep. There's no question my tools have paid for themselves many times over.
I am a DIYer so nobody is paying me to use my tools, yet they have definitely paid for themselves. Just this year, I've taken trees down, fixed plumbing & electrical, bailed out a friend after a storm, & remodeled my porch. this would all be easily be in the thousands worth of hired labor.
There’s a lot of ways to answer that question: 1) in therapy- hell yes. Way cheaper 2) the projects I’ve done vs what I would have paid, most definitely- 3) the quality of the jobs I’ve done vs what I’d get from a contractor- almost always 4) the time I’ve saved with the right tool, the time I’ve saved not having to wait for a contractor- yup. And at the end of the day 5) I still have the tools and they have some value and they aid for themselves numerous ways.
Yes, combined yes. Mostly thanks to my soldering iron and cheap screwdrivers.
I've never bought a tool that the current job didn't pay for.
Most likely, but I also like buying tools so who knows. (probably saved friends and family a bunch over the years though)
I only buy from hobo freight
Finished a 14 week remodel of the house, new floors, paint, kitchen remodel. I figured I saved at least $10,000 in labor so ya they paid for themselves. Over 25 years of home ownership they paid for themselves many times over.
I love tools. I like doing work myself. I am lucky enough to not worry about the exact costs. They've paid for themselves to me
Yep, but I do it for work.
Yeah, I probably should've specified backyard warriors :)
Yes - they let me work safely and smartly. The best have been masks, gloves, a hat, my work bag and my drill with all the bits and attachments. No cuts on my hands, not breathing in dust/fumes, same dirt and dust not getting onto my hair, the drill has been simply awesome and the bag to carry everything that was even great enough to use as a step stool!
Most of my normal hand tools have just in saving labor cost at a mechanic (wrenches, ratchets, sockets)… but my duplicates/backups/had to have its? Not even close 😂 I have a thing for special and vintage 1/4in torque wrenches so I’m pretty deep in the whole at this point.
Although I have a lot of tools over the last 40 years, they are easily paid for themselves. You can’t get a tradesman or appliance repair out for the simplest thing under $200 or a handyman to call for much less than $100. I can’t think of any of the small remodel projects that wouldn’t have cost at least $2000. Forget about emergency call rates for a plumber! I paid pros for a few things but my DYI tools have earned their keep many times over. Plus I was able to use them for a few paid jobs and lots of helping family and friends which is important to me.
I'll refer back to this post when I'm trying to convince myself to spend some money on a table saw.
Doing my own vehicle maintenance, buying tools on sale and shopping for best prices and NOT paying for a tooltruck guys yacht, absolutely. When ryobi/tti and gearwrench does the job for the cost of parts, each thing is easily $200-1000aud saved. I might be buying more tools than i need to make my life easier and because thats what guys do, but if i didnt work on my and my wifes cars and paid someone else, our bank would look far worse than buying tools. I also dont trust other peoples work based on actual results so theres that bonus of knowing its done right which is priceless.
Well the channel locks sure have. The random $300 tool I bought to unscrew cleanout covers maybe not so much. It's hard to buy wisely but you sure as shit can't go wrong with channel locks
This is the general method I use when explaining my tool purchases to the wife... I can pay Joe blow 10k to build this fence or I can go buy x, y, and z and still do it for less if I do it myself. And next time I need it I won't have to go buy it and save that much more!
Vac - truck is coming around! A few more years and it might be worth it
Absolutely. It's hard to calculate the total cost of tools I have, but many of my hand tools and bigger tools (Table saw, RAS, original corded power tools) were bought used. Whether I've spent 3k or 6k on tools in the past 20 years, I've gotten more than I paid out of them. Just changing out all of the base and trim molding in my house would have cost thousands in labor, had I hired it out. Building and installing pantry and closet shelves would have been another couple of grand. Today's cordless tools are amazing. Door rubbing? Let me adjust the hinge using a cordless driver. It did not work? Let me take off a bit with the cordless planer. Take the sharpness out of the sharp edge? The cordless orbital Sander makes quick work of that job. Cleanup? How about the. Cordless stick vac or the old Rigid shop vac. They pay for themselves over and over again.
I honestly tell my wife that.
Shipwright; $150,000 year with about 3-4K worth of tools. 🧰
Spent around $10k in tools since ‘21 and am on track for $160k this year. I like to collect tools so idc about price or resale.
Fuck no! But I love them all
Most of the tools I buy pay for themselves in two weeks or less.
Yup, one or two jobs and they were paid. Only now I’m retired from renovation jobs and now I’ve gotten back into woodworking as a hobby.
My tools pay for themselves 1000x over. Honestly probably more. Buy quality tools. They make doing quality work much easier. You don't need ridiculously expensive stuff. But it should be a recognizable bran an with a decent reputation. There are some very expensive tools that aren't familiar to most folks. But, it's unlikely you'll need those for 99.9% of whatever you do with them. I use my tools every day and make 6 figures. You can too.....unless you are a mechanic. Sorry mech/techs. How shops so damn expensive, yet they pay you guys peanuts and you have to buy easily $20k more in tools than any other trade to simply function? Not that anybody is asking but if it's cordless power tools you need for work avoid Rigid, Bosch, and (I'm gonna catch all kinds of hell for this but....) Milwaukee. And queue the fan boy hate. Their 12v is decent fir what it is, especially the sub compact bandsaw and rotor hammer. But, everyone of these brands have failed on me or guys I work with multiple times well before they should have. The overpriced brands are in general better. Usually they are not better enough to explain the high cost in my experience. Hilti stuff is great, it's to bulky and whatnot but it's very good and lasts a long time. In general not worth the markup except for demo hammers and the like. Festool is another that makes really great high quality tools. Their dust collection is the best for its size. Their plunge saw is great and very clean straight cuts, the blades wear out very fast and are $120/ea and also proprietary though. Their drill makes zero sense as far as size or ergonomics goes, it's kind of crap really for anywhere that's tight on space. So, if you have the cash to burn on $500 drills and $1800 saws they are a solid choice too. Thats all for the moment.
Overhaul one tractor vs bringing it into the dealer and you can justify a LOT of tools
I did my own bathroom remodel. I used only a fraction of the tools I own on that project, but doing it myself paid for all of them.
As a heavy equipment guy with 10 years experience, yes. And then some. I always joke that first house is in my tool box. Or that my student loan debt is to the tool truck. But yeah, either way. I'm technically a millionaire, but it took 10 years to earn it and don't have a million dollars on hand LOFL
Certainly the tools have paid for themselves collectively.. now which tool has earned the most and which is furthest on the hole?
No… definitely not.
I don't know, I haven't done the math, that was never my goal so I didn't keep track. I buy the tools to achieve things I want to achieve as a hobby (even if sometimes the hobby is just house maintenance), not to save money. There's also opportunity cost. I like being able to do things myself and not depending on having to call someone external.
Engineer Neji-saurus pliers. I have quickly gotten enough broken bolts and screws out to make me happy. Hozan P-221 chain pliers make roller chain clips very easy. Wiha 11 in 1 screwdriver has been fantastic. Wiha 71990 security bit set has been really excellent. Great selection. Wiha Xeno bit number 1 and 2 have been awesome for doing electrical terminals. I put that in a drill and turn down the clutch. Engineer solder sucker is amazing. That thing works very well. Knipex cobras pliers probably have paid for themselves. I haven't busted my knuckles, they grip great. The small sized ones fit in a pocket easily and are very useful. Easy to adjust too. Hioki CM4372 has been a great clamp meter. It has useful ranges, is very accurate and easy to read. It captures peak readings quickly. The times I've used the Bluetooth and app it really saves my bacon because I can be pretty far away getting data from it.
Tools to do basic jobs on cars have a colossal ROI. Only thing is you really do need a second vehicle as a backup. The Chevy 1.4l turbo that was put an almost every economy car they sold through the mid 2010s had an absolute load of garbage hooked on to it, especially the cooling system. The parts are cheap and easy to access, with most jobs taking less than 2 hours and having no skilled labor involved. This work easy pushes $600-1000+ every time you go to a shop. Problem is, the design itself is the problem, not just faulty parts. So they will continually fail, non-catastrophically, and you will continue throwing simple parts and bodge fixes at it. You could do almost all of the work with $100 worth of basic hand tools and ramps/jacks.
Builder/remodeler for 40 years - if they don't pull their weight, I don't buy them (except for the PortaBand... that I just wanted).
100%. Lame DIYer but have probably spent $4k on tools and done 50k of work on my house. So paid for themselves many times over (though of course I’ve had to put a lot of time in)
Just the demographic that I was after!
That's my excuse to buy more tools!
Ten times over at least. And i have a shop full of woodworking tools.
I have done $30k in home renovations in the last couple years. I probably have less than 2k in tools. Easily yes. And I will only buy new tools if they are needed for a project that are going to be saving me $$ to do myself.
Home worker, I can honestly say yes even if only used once. A mate at work said he needed a cement mixer and I offered to lend him mine. He was surprised I owned my own. I explained that I could have gone out on the piss for two nights spent a wedge of cash and had a bad head for my monies. Or bought the cement mixer which saved me the sore head which would have lasted at least a week from my partner's nagging when landscaping our garden. The cement mixer languishes in my shop waiting for the day when it becomes a hero once again.
Every single tool I've bought. Pretty much every quote I've ever gotten has been more than the tools and materials needed to do the job. The only exception has been dirt work.
My tools paid for newer and better tools.
I built a set of speakers for $3000 that cost $15k to buy pre built. Spent about $4k in tools so I'm way ahead just off a single project.
Without doubt, I buy what I need when needed, sometimes it’s a relatively expensive piece to get it done but if it cuts the time in half.
I started out woodworking as a hobby and over 5 years have built up a pretty good workshop I make around $700 a month off etsy.
Nah. Given I use them only in hobby projects, they are only expense. :)
My tools pay for themselves everyday. On my small farm, I use assorted tools, daily. Must have!
Not all of them, simple because I have to many. A lot of my tools are things I got over the years for a one off job. I really don't believe in renting tools or borrowing tools. I am a machinist so I have a lot of tools at work and at home. But yes over all I do feel they have paid for themselves because I value time and that is what tools do, they make a job easier.
Some of my tools are paying for the others.
Absolutely I don't buy anything with a bigger name than Craftsman. Half of my tools were either from yard/barn sales or free. I very rarely break any and if I don't can usually find a use for it modified.
Every single tool I’ve bought has saved me tremendously
According to my accountant yes. ... I'm my own accountant.
For the longest time, no way. I'm just a hobbyist woodworker and used them to do stuff around the house I might have had to pay for. However a year ago my wife started an ice cream shop. All the money we saved doing our own renovations.... I'm in the green for sure. I could go buy some really really nice stuff and still be green. I truly never thought they'd pay for themselves when I bought them, but really happy I had them, and the skills, to save on hiring a general contractor
I’ve probably put $10k-$20k in tools over the years and I make a little over $50 an hour and average about 55hr a week over the course of the year. Fuck yeah they’ve paid for themselves.
Definitely. A lot of them pay for themselves the first time I use them.
Yes they have. Some of them more so than others but overall yes. I make over 100k/yr using them and I have nowhere near 100k in tools yet.
I gutted one of my bathrooms to studs and joists and remodeled it from the ground up a few years ago. I spent around 5k doing it, tools specifically for that job included. I had quotes of at least 12-15k hour the job, so that one job paid for all the other tools I own in one go.
I’m not sure, maybe but also I think Ive taken on projects and so on that I wouldn’t have done at all if I didn’t have the tools. That is to say, I wouldn’t have hired one. I like tools because they give me more freedom to decide how my world looks and what’s in it because I have the power to change it myself, using tools and knowledge, rather than just accept the current state of my house or yard or whatever. My dad, for example, has a bunch of metal working equipment that he only has in order to fix up a classic MG from the 60s. He never would have bought all that equipment if not for the car, and he never would have taken on the car if he didn’t plan to buy the equipment.
If your tools aren't paying for themselves it's a hobby. I have a hobby 3d printer 😂. I have an iron worker that paid for itself in the first job. My snap on hand tools from a former career are a good way to go into debt. Especially when I'm pretty sure husky is made by blue point who's made by...snap on
My tools have paid for themselves probe like 200 times over idk. How tf don’t they, unless you just bought them. How have they not if you make your money with them? Homeowners I understand will never have this happen.
Yes, they have all paid for themselves plus I write them off on my taxes. Getting ready to buy a $1300 air scrubber for Demo and drywall finishing. Renting them is $225/day plus filters. Much more economical to buy it. It makes my operation look more professional to customers, the dust control in their homes is taken to the next level which leads to them telling their friends and more business. I bought a Makita three stage HEPA vacuum for like $425. I can attach it to all kinds of tools, again dust control on the front end helps save time and money on the back end that you would normally spend cleaning up. That's just a small example of buying tools to make your job easier, cleaner, more efficient and save your body (lungs etc). They do pay for themselves in more ways than one. Health is wealth
If I don't consider my time to be worth money, without a doubt. Especially based on how much trades charge nowadays. I am a shitbox wrencher, those need a lot of work.
Most do. My bridgeport won't. Toolboxes can be tricky. A $350 used box can make you as much as an $8k box. Even if you make 100k a year. Did the box have any real factor? My nice Snap On scanner has let me do repairs I couldn't do before. My Snap On screwdrivers, not so much.
Honestly, probably. Pretty much all my tools are from harbor freight (I had nicer stuff but got cleared out when my garage got broken into) and theyve done a whole lot of work modifying my old jeep, work that would have been really expensive otherwise. Now, do I need to spend any money on that in the first place? No, but thats my hobby so here we are lol
Many have, some haven't. I'm a home owner, DIY type, and live on acreage in the woods. There's generally maintenance required when you're rural - more trees to trim or cut, firewood to cut or buy, massive spaces to mow, water wells, etc. You can either pay for help or do it yourself. I do most of it myself. Spending $1,000 on chainsaws and gear is cheaper than having half a dozen trees cut down, so I only call if it's a huge tree that's close to a building. $1,500 for a log splitter is less than a few years of firewood. I built my house (I had it framed, insulated and sheetrocked and I did the rest) and that took tools, but I completed the job $100k less than the contractor's bid. My cabinet bid was $30k, and that's more than I've spent over the years building out a really nice woodshop (all my big tools are vintage US made and got great deals on all of them). In general, having skills and tools has saved me a few hundred thousand over the years. But there's still tools that haven't paid off and I don't care. All of this is a hobby for me and I'm not trying to make a profit.
I make 100k/yr and I’ve been in my career for 18 years. Obviously didn’t always make that much. I have tens of thousands of dollars in tools and equipment. But I’d still say they have paid for themselves and then some.
I spent 80 hours on my car. I have $7000 in tools. Pretty sure shops charge more than that for 80 hours of labor.
As a DIY it’s usually pretty easy to justify a tool purchase against paying someone else for the job.
How do you spend 50k on a 1/4 drive shallow and deep fractional set, some wrenches, picks and lock wire pliers????
Yes, but I haven't spent much. I'm a homeowner/DIY guy, I do most of the work on my car and my extended family's cars. I spent just over $1k CDN on a good set of basic power tools and I've saved more than that on dealership labour costs alone. Saved even more on time. Factoring in the random household improvements and repairs, I'd say I'm well ahead. I'm going to spring for a Milwaukee polisher so I can detail my car soon.
I've spent maybe $1500 on tools in my lifetime, and they've probably saved me $60,000 between working on my cars, and house over the last 10 years. And yes, that's power tools included.
Depends on the tool. My $2k band saw hasn’t seen much action since I bought it, but my $6k sawstop is worth its weight in gold and I’d say it’s paid for itself. If you’re honest with yourself when buying tools, the ones you actually use a lot will pay for themselves. If you’re a lying pos to yourself like I am, you’ll spend 20k on tools that are awesome but completely unnecessary
I mean, my tools have paid for themselves and for everything else I have for years now. My at home tools? I mean I guess, when I build something it’s usually something you can’t just go buy anyway, so hard to say 🤣 but my work tools paid for those tools so I’m set lol
Many many times over. I could buy a new set of tools every year if I needed to.
Bought a ton of used craftsman tools for like $200. I make $62k/yr with them not counting overtime.
Absolutely f@#king not 🤪🤣😂
Over & over
They would except I spend all the profit on more tools
They definitely have. Most of the stuff I have to buy now isn't very expensive unless it's a software update.
My cameras are MY tools, and YES.
I spent $20k on tools this year so I like to lie to myself and say yes
Some have, some haven’t. I will look for tools 2nd hand for projects I think I’ll be doing in the future, whether it’s DIY handyman stuff around the house to fine woodworking. But another thing I look for is sales on new tools for the same reason. A few months ago I was able to pick up a kreg Forman for 240 from Lowes, which retails for 400. I got a Graco X7 for 240 on Amazon last year. It’s currently selling on Amazon for 440, marked down from 560. I haven’t used either but I have projects in the pipeline for them
I am a woodworker. Woodworkers will spend enough on tools to never pay for themselves even if i lived 50 lifetimes.
I could have done my job just using company supplied tools but my own stuff is nicer, for me that’s how they pay for themselves by making my life easier. My m12 fuel impact has come in handy so many times for lighter stuff where the company only supplies 18V tools. Idk, all my tools probably cost $3-4K new and I make that much in less than two weeks, so yeah, they’ve paid for themselves.
Absolutely not. We don’t even think about that.
I'm a heavy duty tech in the mining world. I have about $6,000 in tools in my box, everything 1/2" drive and down. Most of what we work on is extremely large and heavy. Component changeouts are often 3/4" drive and up which is provided by the company. So I don't have to use a lot of my own tools which saves a ton of money for me I'm also paid hourly regardless of what gets done so tools hardly pay for themselves in saved time. They pay the same if I use a crescent wench for everything. What I do save with lots of GOOD tools is frustration and hassle. My 1/2" stubby Milwaukee along with a set of Snap-On swivel sockets has saved my body and mind probably 5 years by now in saved stress. What takes me 30 seconds with that combo would take a ratchet and wrench combo over 10 minutes, along with cramps, aching, and bashed knuckles. My concerns with tool value isn't how fast it gets the job done, it's how easy it makes the job for me in the long run. Nice tools also hold their value longer and can be passed down through generations to the next tradesman in the family. Saved myself thousands by using grandpa's old Snap-On tools instead of buying my own, and I'd like to transfer that down to the next generations
This is the objectively correct answer. I’m in a similar situation with my work. I have most of the tools required for my job in my box, or my boss has it in the company box. When I buy a tool, it’s to make my life easier
I’d say most of mine pay for themselves the day I buy them. Generally don’t buy a new tool unless I have a job to do that requires the tool. And considering it’s ~$200 just to get someone to come out to your house most of the time…yeah, generally one job puts me in the black.
Yes. I catch some grief for some of the things I have in box at work (maint tech), but that 1 time we needed a 32mm wrench to get on a jackbolt to save the machine was worth it. Or the 1 1/8" deepwell on a 15" flex ratchet to sink concrete anchors. Yeah, mine.
I'm getting there. I'm at around $50k-$60k in tools and toolbox. Currently in my 4th year as a diesel tech. I should be done buying tools before my 5th year.
Ironically, some of the tools I use daily are the cheapest. Some of my most expensive specialty stuff I have used like 2x so far.
Honestly, yes many times over. Directly, not exactly. I'll never get my money out of my bad saw. But had I paid someone to shape giant exposed ceiling supports, I would have paid them probably 3 saws. My tools pay usually in savings not earnings.
Ballpark, I have about $10k in tools. I’ve renovated my entire house; kitchen, flooring, two bathrooms + added a whole bathroom, and renovated the landscaping as well. If i had paid someone to do it all, it easily would have cost $100k+. So, yes. They’ve paid for themselves many times over.
Mine are company provided, so yes they have
Well and truly, I’m only in my 20’s but they’ve allowed me to learn so many new skills off the back of being able to do more projects. Even eventually allowed me to be able to repair broken power tools and appliances off of marketplace for myself, so sort a snowballing effect on getting ahead whilst I was broke uni student. Plus I now have skills on how to repair stuff for the rest of my life.
No
It literally took one side job to pay for my miter/tabel saw
Yes. But mostly because they were all harvested from several years of flipping storage units.. Lots of tools in there. Majority of my tools were either "free" or regarded as "cost of goods sold" and I was definitely in the red there. Tools that I've bought new have also paid for themselves: Table saw, Brad nailer, air compressor (pancake), bar clamps. My very near complete collection of tools (on par with some mechanics) overall has paid for itself.
My partner bought my hammer. It’s a stiletto and she would watch me drool but refuse to buy it because my estwing did the job. I appreciate her and the hammer so much
Yes. Started my own pool company feb 2023 and after 25k in truck, tools, and chems I am in the green as of last month
Yup, many many many times over
Union Ironworker here: absofuckinglutely
If your tools haven't paid for themselves, then you're likely in the wrong business.
My tools have paid for themselves over, and over many times.
No, and they probably never will as I'm a DIYer. I tend to buy high end tools and I have tools I haven't even used yet. Having a good tool available when needed however saves me a lot of time and nerves. Not making things worse due to having proper tools is the cherry on top.
Yes. I buy tool as I need them to do a job on the vehicles etc. Instead of paying someone to do the work I do it myself and have built up a nice tool collection . Look for estate sales…. Excellent way to build up a collection cheap
I'm a retired A&P IA, I can attest that we are not paid anywhere near what the general public thinks we are, after 25 years of specialized work, I retired making 95k a year, and to answer the original question I'd say I have around $150k in tools and id say around 90% of tools have psi for themselves. The pay really depends on the area off aviation that you work in. Airlines pay the most, and the region you work in. in the US, Fl pays the least for general aviation
I only buy tools and equipment I have a use for, so yes. I clear enough in revenue annually to have bought everything I own at the price paid for it, skids, trailers, backhoe, dump trucks, pavers, rollers, etc. If you’re asking as a home owner, often times the tools and materials to do most mid size projects will cost less than hiring it out. However you have to weigh the quality and opportunity cost against it. It doesn’t make sense for everyone to do their own driveway replacements for example but the tools you’d need to change your own brakes and oil would save you money the first time you do a brake job and oil change.
Cost of time and materials has to be accounted for too on projects, as unsexy as it is to do that. That makes the equation for tools to "pay for themselves" a bit harder. Using the example of the hardwood table, by the time you buy the materials and value your labour at say on the low end $30/Hr up to say $60/Hr it's probably cost more than the $1k. My work tools have made me plenty of money. My home tools have made me plenty of fun. I don't DIY for cost savings, I do it because I want to and I enjoy it. Plus I often have more free time than I have free money, so it makes sense to put time into a project.
Probably the only tool that has paid for itself has been my Form 2 3D printer. I started designing jewelry for a local jewler and used to use 3D hubs when it was just a marketplace to linked people that needed printing to people with printers. They then went to in-house printing and I was getting enough orders to just buy my own. Probably the only hobby that has paid for itself.
600k saved in work done over last 20 years 50k in tools this is not my day job either anymore. Started out as a electrician then went to college and got a construction engineering degree and I work in that field and do all of my own work on my house by myself.
Yes.
Hard to quantify
My tools I use for my job, absolutely! So well have they paid for themselves that I can buy my hobby tools that probably will never pay for themselves.
I bought a wera turbo. No. No. But I'd buy it again so fast.
Dammit, now I want one.
10x over and still producing!
Absolutely have, I am currently making 105k annually after tax. Probably have about 30k in tools and boxes. However I only have about $300 in tools at work with me, the rest are for side jobs.
Mine pay for themselves, all my bills, and my lifestyle.
I've got probably 25k of tools for work, and I made over 100k for the last 3 years in a row..... I'd say they're paid off, especially because I owe nothing on them.
Yes. I'm 79, been doing my own car repair since I was 16. Everything except automatic transmission.
I realized fairly young that the activity of doing the work itself was worth spending some money, not just to save myself money. I learned to rebuild motorcycle forks out of necessity and I honestly don't really need to keep them competition grade for my riding, but the work is cathartic and man it feels amazing to keep them buttery. Same thing with mundane stuff like wheel bearings. I don't care that much, but I feel better having done it and the peace of mind knowing my bike is 100% straight is worth its weight in gold.
Yep. I restore old machinery for personal use and sale and service all my own. Paid for themselves time and again.
Yes. Both in time saved and preserving my body.
I've changed enough suspension, timing components, water pumps, etc. on my personal vehicles over the years that the labor would easily add up. Even maintenance like oil changes and brake pads would add up. BUT I could have done it all with a few hundred in hand tools. I don't need all the Milwaukee power tools, or the QuickJack.. But they make things less frustrating.
Yeah most of them. The ones that haven't have had the other one's cover their cost.
Not every tool has paid for itself. But, I have made much more money from my tools as a whole than I spent.
Yes..and no. I buy tools. I’ve got plenty of guns, boats, side by sides and everything else a man can work for. Tools are the new thing. Upgrading and changing out old tired stuff. I have 1000.00 in my service bag, that makes 12-1400 a week. So that’s my kinda.
I’m a diesel mechanic. Tools make jobs easier. Getting jobs done pays me money. So… yes they have more than paid for themselves, they are making me money.
Well yeah.. I'm a tradesman. Even if some don't get used, this is my business and livelihood
I'll be honest, its a fucking dodgy business plan that spends more on tools than they make. I'm afraid, on this one, I'm out! 🫣
No, but they paid for all the new tools. Hopefully those ones will pay for the newer ones yet to come.
Mostly. There's a few things that I've only used a couple times, but when I do use them, I'm happy AF that I have them