Must have tools | Tools in my toolbox I couldn't live without

What are the must have tools of ourteam?

When it comes to the things in our toolboxes that we couldn't live without, it's a long old list for our business! We do know that everyone's needs are different though, so here's some insight from some of the team when we asked them to complete our short "Tools in my toolbox I couldn't live without" survey recently to find out what is everyone's must have tools:

The Team's must have tools ...

Jonathan - the boss

Now it's quite difficult to pin Jonathan down to just a few tools he can't be without. As you'll have seen from our content he uses a diverse range of items, depending on the job at hand!  Some key accolades we've had from him include:

"Halfords long handle screw drivers. When I did my first oil change on my first car aged 16 I got a set free with the motor oil. They must have been doing these same tools for at least 25 years now.  I loved them then and it was my best tool for a long time, and I still have them now!"

"I think the best thing for my toolbox though is something to keep it looking tidy. A decent tool box organisation solution is key to any good tool box. Because you can easily find everything you need without searching through a pile of tools."

"At the moment I'm really liking the Skil 20V Impact driver I was sent recently. I've been a Makita fan for a long time, but really like the red and black colouring of these tools.  But I've never seen a light like the one on this that stays on even when you're not using the trigger. This comes away on camping trips with me a lot now"

Donna - community manager

"Funny enough, I just made my own 'grab-box' as was sick of having to raid the boy's workshop whenever I needed something.

My DIY skills are limited so it's not too extensive, but what I use ALL the time are:

• Stanley knife. I do a fair amount of online shopping, so it gets well used opening boxes etc!
• Multi-tool. I got a little Leatherman kind of multi-tool many years ago (From Aldi or Lidl, bargain!) and it's got so many funky little features on it, it covers a multitude of jobs.
• Our DeWalt DCW200N palm sander. This wasn't the most powerful or expensive of the sanders they do but has seen me through a lot of sanding projects renovating both my home, outdoor space and some furniture. It isn't too heavy and has it's own dust extractor which contains a lot (though not all!) of the dust created"

DeWalt DCW200N

Tim - production team (and part-time joiner)

Mine is less of a tool box and more of a tool wall, though not as full of Power Tools as the one we have here! I really couldn't be without any of my tools, you can see they are all very well used and well loved.

You can see I've a selection of mainly Robert Sorby and Axminster tools with a bit of Diamic thrown in for good measure, all items I've collected over years of working with wood.

Matt - video manager

 "The tools of my trade are really all my video and sound recording tools. I was lucky in that Jonathan organised all mine for me a year ago.  This has helped no end in keeping me organised when we are filming on the road. If I had to list the things in my toolbox I couldn't live without it would be: 

• The portable battery charging system / battery bank. Without live batteries I can't film so this makes sure that never happens.
• My Panasonic GH5 camera which we do a lot of the Youtube content filming on. It's got excellent control scheme and lots of great features.
• The Rode Wireless Go II audio set up we use for most of our filming... essential for elevating the audio on our videos."

In summary...

Seems it really is different strokes for different folks. Whatever your trade, business or industry you're going to have a much different set of "go to" tools than the next man or woman. Whatever your tool box organisation needs, this really can be a simple and effective way of really optimising your storage. Why not try it for yourself?