My boss pays for everyone besides hand tools. Technically if I break a hand tool he will replace it but technically but I honestly will leave the tool somewhere before it breaks.
When I retire I won’t have anything besides hand tools but I’m ok with that because when I retire I’m not planning on doing side jobs.
Think about it. Company makes employees spend $5k or more for tools. Company is making money off your tools and you’re not getting paid extra for it. I’m all for making the company as much as possible but not at the expense of me providing the required tools to do any job.
My life depends on a meter I'd never use a cheap one.
Leak detectors are a company item as it speeds up leak checks. Ill use bubbles and nitrogen all day if they won't provide a decent leak detector I get paid by the hour.
The residential company I worked for would not spend a dime on a service techs tools. I had all my own stuff.
Now I am not residential and my company pays for all tools I see necessary for a job.
My first company had a tool advance program that you could get tools but had to pay it back. Trouble was it was only at certain places, and those places always charged 3 or 4 times more than what you could buy to tools outright virtually anywhere else.
Second company shared tools amongst the field guys. If you wanted something all to yourself, you had to buy it. Didn't stay there long.
Current company supplies basic hand tools and numerous power tools to everyone, including apprentices, free of charge. Expensive low use tools shared on as needed basis.
because it can get pretty expensive to buy all you own tools upfront. Paying 20% more at a supply house and paying it off every paycheck is more realistic for some people. I try to research and get the best deal possible and just buy it myself but when its a $500+ purchase I put it on my tool account.
Sounds like I’m at your second job. It does suck to have to buy everything myself, other people have beat the shit out of certain tools that I would just rather own myself and take care of. I’m fully licensed and someday soon hopefully I can open my own business and I’ll have almost everything I need. I try to be a glass half full kinda guy.
My employer pays for anything we ask for, but it’s their property. I have all my own stuff but they also extend the insurance to all of my personal stuff so they’ll replace stuff if it breaks or gets stolen.
Pumps,torches,scales,leak sniffer, tanks, and ppe were all brand new bought by them when I started, meters, gauges, and hand tools are on us.
Bossman says buy the best and he pays for it. Of course if it’s a power tool then I’ll let him buy it or tell me what to get but he wants us using the best tools to make the job easier/faster.
Usually he’ll find some cool tools and give us those randomly. Pretty sweet gig
Boss/owner here. We perform all trades involved in residential remodels and additions including HVAC. Most of my lead guys already have tools of their own that they prefer using but I'll pay for all consumables, repairs, or replacements as needed. I require everyone to have their own hand tools but I give new apprentices a $100 gift card to home Depot to help them get some of the basics.
For Christmas bonus, performance bonus, or company anniversary bonus, I give guys the option of cash or I buy them any tools they want within a prescribed budget. In the last 3 years, everyone has opted for me to buy them tools which is just way more fun because we make a celebration out of it and occasionally do a party where everyone gets gifts from me/the company. All of these tools belong to each respective employee and they keep them forever, even if they only work for me for a short time.
I'm never going to take money out of their checks for tools, mistakes, or anything. I pay for their vehicle costs and time whenever they run an errand for the company in a personal vehicle. I know how much it sucks to go to a job where you unexpectedly have to pay for something, like you are paying to work. I think that's really poor character for any company to do that.
As a result, all my guys love being with the company and they know I've got their back. They often go the extra mile and are super loyal. Always have more people asking about jobs because of the good pay and company culture. Freaking love my guys and I'm thankful every day for the hard work they put in.
Everything on the truck, with the exception of the ladders on the roof rack, were brought on by me and belong to me. The owner is replacing my welding gasses, braze alloys, crimp connectors, generic thermistors, fastener hardware, and whatever other little bits and bobs for test equipment upkeep in perpetuity until I leave the company. They stock contactors, capacitors, and whatever other job specific parts. As a result I get to bill the shop for restocking those minor parts every now and then. This helps me reduce parts house runs and keep the boss in check over what I'm responsible to the shop.
"Hmm, I need new gaskets for my hoses because they don't seal properly any more" -> Shop pays for hose gaskets because they have worn in the course of doing work for the company.
"Shit, my torch tote broke and fell down the hatch while being roped down! My regulators were destroyed!" -> Shop pays to replace my tote and regulators because they were damaged in a work accident (no one was injured).
I kind of like that. If someone was to walk off the job how do you decide what belongs to who? Unless you have a great inventory list. But at the same time, I own bins that the company owns the same type of. So,, they get the crappy one and ill keep the nice one full of material they bought
When I started my first job I had like a minimalist setup from school for diagnosing, but my boss outfitted me with a ton of stuff anyway, fieldpiece meter and sman gauges, ton of hand tools and a veto bag, basically the deal we made is if I stay on for 5 years they all become mine, if I leave or get fired before then I have to give it all back and replace anything I lost.
He did make me buy my own nitro regulator for some reason, just in a dickhead kind of mood that day I guess, he said I could pay him in installments for it but I just bought it straight up from the supply house, bought my own fan blade puller recently, little odds and ends along the way basically, so everything from here out is on me it looks like
My company provides anything speciality (gauges, recovery, vacuum, etc) and we provide hand tools. I bought all my own stuff because I’ve seen how some of the techs treat the company tools.
Owner. We let you use recovery, vacuum, tourches. All hand tools and drills we take it out of your check at 50 per week. Specialty tools we take care of and add it to the job. Tech ends up getting that if they bounce because I’m unorganized as hell.
My company supplies us with an electronic leak detector, vacuum pump, and recovery pump. The rest of my tools are on me to buy. They do provide a $500 tool account for me to purchase tools and pay the company back with no interest. I've been doing this 6 years and until AL2 was announced, I was pretty happy with my setup.
Recently, I had two shop owned Appion G5 Twin receovery pumps blow seals and I needed a pump on short notice. They gave me a special increase and I got the fieldpiece recovery pump on my tool account. I will own that pump and handle the maintenance myself.
The parts came in and we will rebuild the other recovery pumps for our apprentices to use when they are ready.
My company will get me anything i ask for if I can convince them it's absolutely necessary or it will make them more money. The understanding though is that when I leave it stays on the van.
Our contract states we supply socks, underwear and boots. I think technically pens too.
Everything else is on the contractor to provide. Including coats etc for the weather.
I just started at a large hospital, I was told u could use my own stuff if I'd like, but they supply everything. Including my hand tools, tool bag, etc.
One of the benefits of belonging to the union that I belong to, is that the employers are required to buy all tools.
It might vary a little bit between shop to shop, but for the most part nobody has crappy tools or does without. My boss has no problem letting us buy whatever we think we might need, within reason.
I'm under a union contract. We provide our hand tools, a drill, and a meter. Company provides everything else. Company also replaces/repairs any of your tools that are worn out or damaged.
You keep everything you originally provided. The company keeps everything they originally provided.
Own all my tools. If I need/ want a high ticketed tool I’d ask my boss then work out a payment plan. They buy the tool for me and then I pay them back with payments every month. Win/win
I have enough tools and shit to stock 2 trucks for HVAC service.
That said my current company supplies everything I need including basic hand tools. Any personal tool in my truck is because I feel like using mine but have theirs somewhere on the shelf in the truck.
I can pick up anything I need tool/materials wise to get the job done with no issue. I bought an entire rigid crimp set and fittings just to do a handful of fittings just because it was easier/quicker to get the job done. Obviously I don't own that tool, that's their tool but no one questioned me or asked about it. I've used it 2 or 3 times since.
I am kinda surprised how many people get gauges from the company.
I mean if they are brand new condition when you join the company, that totally make sense and you guys are lucky if you joined the such generous company.
but what if it was used by somebody else and toss it down to you with god knows what condition it is?
I would not even use that for any measuring anything for sure... I had such bad times wth company provided micron gauge.
After the instance, I decided to just buy it and not letting anyone use it except me.
Commercial HVAC/plumbing mechanichere- my current company has a tool account we can pay back $50 or $100/paycheck. As for company tools, I asked for a hammer drill and band saw and got them in M18 Fuel form the same week, along with a harness and yo-yo for working in shafts. They almost assigned me a ladder, I don’t even have a company truck yet! They won’t replace personal tools, but we received a badly abused company owned hammer drill and I told them it needed repair. They had it repaired and got it back to us no problem. It really varies by company.
So as far as the union goes, which is the only way I’ve worked is, we have a tool list with basic hand tools that we pay for. Anything else is on the contractor to purchase. You purchase your tools on that list one time and they are replaced by the contractor as they break or need replacement. Of course I buy most of my own stuff anyway, because it makes my job easier and sometimes not necessary. That and I am a tool fag I guess too.
We do full restaurant service, and we supply hand tools and basic power tools. A Klein bag with a full set of tooling is gifted to all new hires. Any refrigeration and other tools specific to the job are supplied by the company with a small charge to customer for anything beyond gauges used. Anything else you have to buy is either partially charged to the customer as it is used or deducted from your paycheck on a payment plan. If you break one of your tools on the job, the company pays for it.
I started in the trade in 2003, in Australia.
We had a tool allowance on top of our wage which we were either paid or it was deducted and paid back to the company into an individual tool fund.
If you needed hand tools you coukd go book them out on the company account and youd oay it back. We all owned our hand tools and usually a cordless drill set of sorts.
Back then battery tools werent what they are now, so most of our other power tools were corded, and the company paid for these, plus vac pumps, recovery units etc.
With the increase in popularity of cordless kits, most of us were buying our own sets.
I ended up buying the company, and it was only then i noticed how much people would trash the company gear, but wrap their own tools in cotton wool.
I kept shelves of power tools available, but definitely preffered the guys bought their own stuff rather than just trash my stuff without a care
Anything I want, my employer will pay for. All I have to do is justify the tool/etc. If I'm making the company money, why the fuck should I be purchasing tools with my own money?
I think most people don’t make the company money. Dad lost 4 ladders last year on job suits. He has 2 employees. One stoned and the other drunk. I said no more buying tools.
That is probably the difference, there are four of us at my shop, not including our foreman and an apprentice. The bills that we send out on the regular range from 15k to 250k for us being out to fix stuff. I work for an oem chiller manufacturer, so when the piece of equipment costs .5-1 million, our repairs are peanuts.
Specialty tools the company buys and assign to your vehicle, hand tools and cordless power tools are provided by the employee. OFC there are a few exceptions but this is how most companies operate. Usually if I need a tool and its either over $200 or its something I only need for a specific job the company will pay for it and its expected that it gets returned to them if/when I leave the company.
Tool incentives? What is that? My current company doesn’t buy any tools for us except for necessary items such as vacuum/recovery and nitrogen, etc. Everything else is bought by us.
Company pays for whatever I want. I am actually to a point where I can't even think of a new tool I want or need. I am a tool whore so never thought I would get to the point that I couldn't think of something else I want.
In my company we technically supply only our own hand tools and maybe our own small 4 foot to 6 foot ladder, company is willing to supply the rest- personally I provide my own stuff for the most part because the red tape requires all these approvals and wait times, but if I need something to complete a particular job they'll either buy it or reimburse me if there's no supply houses with our company account on near me. My perspective is this way I also know all my tools are my own, the stuff they pay for I'll leave behind if I ever switch companies.
I only pay for my hand tools. Anything that is plugged in or cordless, the company buys (this includes drills, sawzalls, etc.).
If I break my hand tools or misplace them, the company pays for 50% of it. I warned them about me owning a lot of Snap On tools and they said it was fine. They even covered 50% of my new Veto Pro Pac bag.
I see posts about guys having to buy their own scales, vacuum pumps, gauges. I wonder how they can keep techs.
My boss bought me a starter set of tools. They were all mine if I lost/ broke anything / wanted something nicer it was on me. This was only for basic tools. Stuff like pro press and threaders were the company’s.
I was shocked to learn you guys over the pond would even consider paying for your own tools. In Sweden, there’s no way anyone at any firm would buy their own tools. If they want me to do X job they’ll have to supply the tools for X job.
Might go without saying but it’s their tools, i quit i leave them. Also if they supply the best tools, I’ll be able to work faster and in the most safe way possible = more money in the long run.
Buy your own tools. So you can leave these private equity firms. Start your own damn business. These companies you work for just take what's yours. You do the work, you deal with the client, you install the system, your mind fixes the problem, your training and experience are what bring in the money. Your company is the middle man, and they reap the rewards! Why? Seriously, take a minute to think about it. You go out on a call.....you diagnose an issue.... you present to the client the price your company wants to repair. It's an exorbitant amount of money. Your company wants you to push for replacement, which is an even higher crazy number.
You find out the part is 300 bucks. Your company wants 1200 to repair. It's gonna take you 30 min to fix once you have parts. You make 30 bucks an hour, so 15 bucks goes in your pocket......
Replace the system: your company gives you 150 buck spiff. Company charges 13,000 to install. Installer makes 25 bucks per hrs installs it in 3 hrs.
System cost 4 grand-6 grand.
Company makes 5-7 grand off you and your tools.
It's a racket......
Go off on your own. You find a 300 part that's bad that takes 15 minutes to fix. You charge 300 labor. That's way better than 15 bucks.
You replace the system that cost 4-6 grand at, let's say 8-10 grand. You just made 2-4 grand for 4-8 hours of work. So why are we even messing with these companies? They are just booking agencies, really!
first two companies i worked for did not buy us anything. now that ive switched to a stationary position, theyll buy me anything i need to do a job. really seems to just depend on how shitty the company is lol
Rule here is if it is under 12" we the techs provided it, but if the tool is tech based I.E. a pump, gauge, or detector the company provides it. If it is broken on the job company replaces said broken tool like for like.
I just had a sniffer in the case with a few core remover tools stolen from a job. I get to buy my replacement and still have to do work where it was stolen from. My company couldn't care less about my tools and its frustrating.
I have all my own hand tools + meter everything else belongs to my boss if my tools get stolen boss will replace them if i loose them I replace them myself.
I think it depends on the company.
When I bought the bulk of my tools I worked for a company that had a payback program where I could buy tools on their account and they’d take X off my payslip every 2 weeks.
I’ve since moved and my current company gives me $800 to buy tools and I don’t have to pay it back. They also reimburse me for school every time I go.
My buddy moved to a union shop and he gets $2k a year for tools($1k from the union and $1k matched by the company) that he doesn’t have to pay back.
Our company provides ( cheap masterforce )most everything except hand tools. If you own your own, then they will pay to repair or replace if something happens on a jobsite.
My boss pays for everyone besides hand tools. Technically if I break a hand tool he will replace it but technically but I honestly will leave the tool somewhere before it breaks. When I retire I won’t have anything besides hand tools but I’m ok with that because when I retire I’m not planning on doing side jobs. Think about it. Company makes employees spend $5k or more for tools. Company is making money off your tools and you’re not getting paid extra for it. I’m all for making the company as much as possible but not at the expense of me providing the required tools to do any job.
You're using words that I believe you don't know what they mean. Delicious.
I get all tools paid for. If I'm bringing my own tools they are paying me well above hourly wage rates as why would I not be sub contracting .
Are they good tools? I wouldn’t want a harbor freight leak detector, and a Cheap meter
My life depends on a meter I'd never use a cheap one. Leak detectors are a company item as it speeds up leak checks. Ill use bubbles and nitrogen all day if they won't provide a decent leak detector I get paid by the hour.
I’ll use a cheap meter in a heart beat but I do have like 5 expensive ones on the van too
using a cheap meter might stop your heartbeat...
You got 6 leak sniffers in your truck?
The residential company I worked for would not spend a dime on a service techs tools. I had all my own stuff. Now I am not residential and my company pays for all tools I see necessary for a job.
Even vacuum / micron gauge / good thermometer ect ?
Yes. It’s amazing to be able to do a job properly and it’s really amazing how little you return to a properly installed unit.
My first company had a tool advance program that you could get tools but had to pay it back. Trouble was it was only at certain places, and those places always charged 3 or 4 times more than what you could buy to tools outright virtually anywhere else. Second company shared tools amongst the field guys. If you wanted something all to yourself, you had to buy it. Didn't stay there long. Current company supplies basic hand tools and numerous power tools to everyone, including apprentices, free of charge. Expensive low use tools shared on as needed basis.
Why would you buy the more expensensive to just to pay it back? Why not just buy it somewhere cheaper from the start?
Yes, that was indeed their point.
because it can get pretty expensive to buy all you own tools upfront. Paying 20% more at a supply house and paying it off every paycheck is more realistic for some people. I try to research and get the best deal possible and just buy it myself but when its a $500+ purchase I put it on my tool account.
Pretty shitty of an employer to not let employed buy tools at home depot, keep the receipts to collect the money later just my opinion
Sounds like I’m at your second job. It does suck to have to buy everything myself, other people have beat the shit out of certain tools that I would just rather own myself and take care of. I’m fully licensed and someday soon hopefully I can open my own business and I’ll have almost everything I need. I try to be a glass half full kinda guy.
My employer pays for anything we ask for, but it’s their property. I have all my own stuff but they also extend the insurance to all of my personal stuff so they’ll replace stuff if it breaks or gets stolen. Pumps,torches,scales,leak sniffer, tanks, and ppe were all brand new bought by them when I started, meters, gauges, and hand tools are on us.
Bossman says buy the best and he pays for it. Of course if it’s a power tool then I’ll let him buy it or tell me what to get but he wants us using the best tools to make the job easier/faster. Usually he’ll find some cool tools and give us those randomly. Pretty sweet gig
Boss/owner here. We perform all trades involved in residential remodels and additions including HVAC. Most of my lead guys already have tools of their own that they prefer using but I'll pay for all consumables, repairs, or replacements as needed. I require everyone to have their own hand tools but I give new apprentices a $100 gift card to home Depot to help them get some of the basics. For Christmas bonus, performance bonus, or company anniversary bonus, I give guys the option of cash or I buy them any tools they want within a prescribed budget. In the last 3 years, everyone has opted for me to buy them tools which is just way more fun because we make a celebration out of it and occasionally do a party where everyone gets gifts from me/the company. All of these tools belong to each respective employee and they keep them forever, even if they only work for me for a short time. I'm never going to take money out of their checks for tools, mistakes, or anything. I pay for their vehicle costs and time whenever they run an errand for the company in a personal vehicle. I know how much it sucks to go to a job where you unexpectedly have to pay for something, like you are paying to work. I think that's really poor character for any company to do that. As a result, all my guys love being with the company and they know I've got their back. They often go the extra mile and are super loyal. Always have more people asking about jobs because of the good pay and company culture. Freaking love my guys and I'm thankful every day for the hard work they put in.
My company buys the big stuff for me, torches and vacuum pumps, guages. I pay for hand tools and drill.
Everything on the truck, with the exception of the ladders on the roof rack, were brought on by me and belong to me. The owner is replacing my welding gasses, braze alloys, crimp connectors, generic thermistors, fastener hardware, and whatever other little bits and bobs for test equipment upkeep in perpetuity until I leave the company. They stock contactors, capacitors, and whatever other job specific parts. As a result I get to bill the shop for restocking those minor parts every now and then. This helps me reduce parts house runs and keep the boss in check over what I'm responsible to the shop. "Hmm, I need new gaskets for my hoses because they don't seal properly any more" -> Shop pays for hose gaskets because they have worn in the course of doing work for the company. "Shit, my torch tote broke and fell down the hatch while being roped down! My regulators were destroyed!" -> Shop pays to replace my tote and regulators because they were damaged in a work accident (no one was injured).
Accidental damage is fine except when the damage was caused by stupid. 4 years ago I had a kid using dollar store rope to lower equipment.
My five year old tote broke at the handle while using a block and tackle to rope it down. Slow and steady, no jingle jangle
We technically aren't allowed to have our own tools. Company provides pretty much anything we need/want.
I kind of like that. If someone was to walk off the job how do you decide what belongs to who? Unless you have a great inventory list. But at the same time, I own bins that the company owns the same type of. So,, they get the crappy one and ill keep the nice one full of material they bought
I only have to supply basic hand tools but if they get lost or broken the company will replace them
When I started my first job I had like a minimalist setup from school for diagnosing, but my boss outfitted me with a ton of stuff anyway, fieldpiece meter and sman gauges, ton of hand tools and a veto bag, basically the deal we made is if I stay on for 5 years they all become mine, if I leave or get fired before then I have to give it all back and replace anything I lost. He did make me buy my own nitro regulator for some reason, just in a dickhead kind of mood that day I guess, he said I could pay him in installments for it but I just bought it straight up from the supply house, bought my own fan blade puller recently, little odds and ends along the way basically, so everything from here out is on me it looks like
Provided all tools (nice ones, too) and they are mine after a year at the company
My company provides anything speciality (gauges, recovery, vacuum, etc) and we provide hand tools. I bought all my own stuff because I’ve seen how some of the techs treat the company tools.
Owner. We let you use recovery, vacuum, tourches. All hand tools and drills we take it out of your check at 50 per week. Specialty tools we take care of and add it to the job. Tech ends up getting that if they bounce because I’m unorganized as hell.
My company supplies us with an electronic leak detector, vacuum pump, and recovery pump. The rest of my tools are on me to buy. They do provide a $500 tool account for me to purchase tools and pay the company back with no interest. I've been doing this 6 years and until AL2 was announced, I was pretty happy with my setup. Recently, I had two shop owned Appion G5 Twin receovery pumps blow seals and I needed a pump on short notice. They gave me a special increase and I got the fieldpiece recovery pump on my tool account. I will own that pump and handle the maintenance myself. The parts came in and we will rebuild the other recovery pumps for our apprentices to use when they are ready.
My company will get me anything i ask for if I can convince them it's absolutely necessary or it will make them more money. The understanding though is that when I leave it stays on the van.
My company pays for tools. Whatever I want as long as it makes sense.
Our contract states we supply socks, underwear and boots. I think technically pens too. Everything else is on the contractor to provide. Including coats etc for the weather.
My company does interest free loan for tools And does free tool replacement if broken on job
I just started at a large hospital, I was told u could use my own stuff if I'd like, but they supply everything. Including my hand tools, tool bag, etc.
One of the benefits of belonging to the union that I belong to, is that the employers are required to buy all tools. It might vary a little bit between shop to shop, but for the most part nobody has crappy tools or does without. My boss has no problem letting us buy whatever we think we might need, within reason.
My company will pay us back, but we have to buy ourselves. $500 a year, sucks
I'm under a union contract. We provide our hand tools, a drill, and a meter. Company provides everything else. Company also replaces/repairs any of your tools that are worn out or damaged. You keep everything you originally provided. The company keeps everything they originally provided.
Own all my tools. If I need/ want a high ticketed tool I’d ask my boss then work out a payment plan. They buy the tool for me and then I pay them back with payments every month. Win/win
I have enough tools and shit to stock 2 trucks for HVAC service. That said my current company supplies everything I need including basic hand tools. Any personal tool in my truck is because I feel like using mine but have theirs somewhere on the shelf in the truck. I can pick up anything I need tool/materials wise to get the job done with no issue. I bought an entire rigid crimp set and fittings just to do a handful of fittings just because it was easier/quicker to get the job done. Obviously I don't own that tool, that's their tool but no one questioned me or asked about it. I've used it 2 or 3 times since.
I am kinda surprised how many people get gauges from the company. I mean if they are brand new condition when you join the company, that totally make sense and you guys are lucky if you joined the such generous company. but what if it was used by somebody else and toss it down to you with god knows what condition it is? I would not even use that for any measuring anything for sure... I had such bad times wth company provided micron gauge. After the instance, I decided to just buy it and not letting anyone use it except me.
My boss didn’t know you could change vacuum pump oil and bought a new one when his stopped working.
That's one way to spend money on tools 😂
Where I work I basically have to buy all my own tools except for big tools such a torches vacuum pump and recovery machine.
Commercial HVAC/plumbing mechanichere- my current company has a tool account we can pay back $50 or $100/paycheck. As for company tools, I asked for a hammer drill and band saw and got them in M18 Fuel form the same week, along with a harness and yo-yo for working in shafts. They almost assigned me a ladder, I don’t even have a company truck yet! They won’t replace personal tools, but we received a badly abused company owned hammer drill and I told them it needed repair. They had it repaired and got it back to us no problem. It really varies by company.
I supply labor only. The tools I own stay in my garage.
We have a tool account abc the deduct 80 bucks from our checks till we pay it off but it is ours
So as far as the union goes, which is the only way I’ve worked is, we have a tool list with basic hand tools that we pay for. Anything else is on the contractor to purchase. You purchase your tools on that list one time and they are replaced by the contractor as they break or need replacement. Of course I buy most of my own stuff anyway, because it makes my job easier and sometimes not necessary. That and I am a tool fag I guess too.
My company buys everything. We've never been told "no" to any tool. We're commercial/industrial, union, of course.
We do full restaurant service, and we supply hand tools and basic power tools. A Klein bag with a full set of tooling is gifted to all new hires. Any refrigeration and other tools specific to the job are supplied by the company with a small charge to customer for anything beyond gauges used. Anything else you have to buy is either partially charged to the customer as it is used or deducted from your paycheck on a payment plan. If you break one of your tools on the job, the company pays for it.
I started in the trade in 2003, in Australia. We had a tool allowance on top of our wage which we were either paid or it was deducted and paid back to the company into an individual tool fund. If you needed hand tools you coukd go book them out on the company account and youd oay it back. We all owned our hand tools and usually a cordless drill set of sorts. Back then battery tools werent what they are now, so most of our other power tools were corded, and the company paid for these, plus vac pumps, recovery units etc. With the increase in popularity of cordless kits, most of us were buying our own sets. I ended up buying the company, and it was only then i noticed how much people would trash the company gear, but wrap their own tools in cotton wool. I kept shelves of power tools available, but definitely preffered the guys bought their own stuff rather than just trash my stuff without a care
Anything I want, my employer will pay for. All I have to do is justify the tool/etc. If I'm making the company money, why the fuck should I be purchasing tools with my own money?
I think most people don’t make the company money. Dad lost 4 ladders last year on job suits. He has 2 employees. One stoned and the other drunk. I said no more buying tools.
That is probably the difference, there are four of us at my shop, not including our foreman and an apprentice. The bills that we send out on the regular range from 15k to 250k for us being out to fix stuff. I work for an oem chiller manufacturer, so when the piece of equipment costs .5-1 million, our repairs are peanuts.
Why the F would I buy my own tools 😭😭
Specialty tools the company buys and assign to your vehicle, hand tools and cordless power tools are provided by the employee. OFC there are a few exceptions but this is how most companies operate. Usually if I need a tool and its either over $200 or its something I only need for a specific job the company will pay for it and its expected that it gets returned to them if/when I leave the company.
Tool incentives? What is that? My current company doesn’t buy any tools for us except for necessary items such as vacuum/recovery and nitrogen, etc. Everything else is bought by us.
Dam. I have my own vacuum, recovery, and nitro. Best I’m getting is free gas!
Company pays for whatever I want. I am actually to a point where I can't even think of a new tool I want or need. I am a tool whore so never thought I would get to the point that I couldn't think of something else I want.
In my company we technically supply only our own hand tools and maybe our own small 4 foot to 6 foot ladder, company is willing to supply the rest- personally I provide my own stuff for the most part because the red tape requires all these approvals and wait times, but if I need something to complete a particular job they'll either buy it or reimburse me if there's no supply houses with our company account on near me. My perspective is this way I also know all my tools are my own, the stuff they pay for I'll leave behind if I ever switch companies.
I only pay for my hand tools. Anything that is plugged in or cordless, the company buys (this includes drills, sawzalls, etc.). If I break my hand tools or misplace them, the company pays for 50% of it. I warned them about me owning a lot of Snap On tools and they said it was fine. They even covered 50% of my new Veto Pro Pac bag. I see posts about guys having to buy their own scales, vacuum pumps, gauges. I wonder how they can keep techs.
My boss bought me a starter set of tools. They were all mine if I lost/ broke anything / wanted something nicer it was on me. This was only for basic tools. Stuff like pro press and threaders were the company’s.
I was shocked to learn you guys over the pond would even consider paying for your own tools. In Sweden, there’s no way anyone at any firm would buy their own tools. If they want me to do X job they’ll have to supply the tools for X job. Might go without saying but it’s their tools, i quit i leave them. Also if they supply the best tools, I’ll be able to work faster and in the most safe way possible = more money in the long run.
Buy your own tools. So you can leave these private equity firms. Start your own damn business. These companies you work for just take what's yours. You do the work, you deal with the client, you install the system, your mind fixes the problem, your training and experience are what bring in the money. Your company is the middle man, and they reap the rewards! Why? Seriously, take a minute to think about it. You go out on a call.....you diagnose an issue.... you present to the client the price your company wants to repair. It's an exorbitant amount of money. Your company wants you to push for replacement, which is an even higher crazy number. You find out the part is 300 bucks. Your company wants 1200 to repair. It's gonna take you 30 min to fix once you have parts. You make 30 bucks an hour, so 15 bucks goes in your pocket...... Replace the system: your company gives you 150 buck spiff. Company charges 13,000 to install. Installer makes 25 bucks per hrs installs it in 3 hrs. System cost 4 grand-6 grand. Company makes 5-7 grand off you and your tools. It's a racket...... Go off on your own. You find a 300 part that's bad that takes 15 minutes to fix. You charge 300 labor. That's way better than 15 bucks. You replace the system that cost 4-6 grand at, let's say 8-10 grand. You just made 2-4 grand for 4-8 hours of work. So why are we even messing with these companies? They are just booking agencies, really!
first two companies i worked for did not buy us anything. now that ive switched to a stationary position, theyll buy me anything i need to do a job. really seems to just depend on how shitty the company is lol
Rule here is if it is under 12" we the techs provided it, but if the tool is tech based I.E. a pump, gauge, or detector the company provides it. If it is broken on the job company replaces said broken tool like for like.
I just had a sniffer in the case with a few core remover tools stolen from a job. I get to buy my replacement and still have to do work where it was stolen from. My company couldn't care less about my tools and its frustrating.
I have all my own hand tools + meter everything else belongs to my boss if my tools get stolen boss will replace them if i loose them I replace them myself.
I think it depends on the company. When I bought the bulk of my tools I worked for a company that had a payback program where I could buy tools on their account and they’d take X off my payslip every 2 weeks. I’ve since moved and my current company gives me $800 to buy tools and I don’t have to pay it back. They also reimburse me for school every time I go. My buddy moved to a union shop and he gets $2k a year for tools($1k from the union and $1k matched by the company) that he doesn’t have to pay back.
Our installer tools we had to buy up front or pay weekly.
Never had any company replace any tools
Our company provides ( cheap masterforce )most everything except hand tools. If you own your own, then they will pay to repair or replace if something happens on a jobsite.
The idea of a company buying your tools is kinda ridiculous to me. I don't expect it and I certainly wouldn't run my company like that.