How many tools do I actually need?

I'm getting myself utterly freaked out, I'm trying to downsize my life and I'm freaking out about the tools. I guess maybe this isn't the right place to post this but I'm most at home here so here it is.

Anyway, I have everything, two welders, air compressors, 1/4, 3/8, 1/2, and 3/4 drive sockets, tap and dies, the long and short version of anything possible. I have nibblers both electric and pneumatic, rotary hammer drills, impact drivers, saws in every variation from chop to sliding compound. Wrenches, plastic welders, heat guns, every nailer you could use including a wiggle nailer. I have PEX tools, bike tools, db meters, lux meters, capacity testers, water quality testers, butane soldering irons. I have home made tools for everything from timing belts to welding jigs. I feel like I'm actually going mad with this as I have SO MANY of everything I can't find half of it.

So what do I need, what do you all get by with? Maybe I just need an idea of what I should be able to fit it in because while I know some get by with a rolling tool box I actually have a 40' freight container full of my tools and I think it's insane.

 

Depends on what your definition of get by is n I have the basic tool cart with all the tools I need for average work on rigs and stuff for the house as well but have alot of friends with shops and welders and all that so I get by ok lol

 

Send em my way

 

Why do you have that many tools. That is more than just shadetree mechanic crap. Job?
Are you still working with those tools in that job?
Any possibility that you will go back to that job again and need those tools?
If you do go back to that job and need those tools, are the tools you currently have "obsolete"(more for the power tools)?

 

Go through your stuff piece by piece. If you havent used it in a year, get rid of it.

 

@ecgreen The issue applying that rule to tools is the nibbler for example, I don't use it often but when I need that thing, nothing else will come even close! I can rip through two 2' sheets of corrugated tin in 7-8 seconds with it.

@ABNFDC I have zero excuses, I'm a homesteader type by nature and broke more often than not so having tools saves me insane amounts of money most of the time. As a result when I get a deal on something I just go for it and I don't know, I have A LOT of tools for one guy.

I guess I have this stupid fear that I'm going to need something, not have it and be funked as a result. The 3/4" drive for example well, check this out:



I spun a bearing on this RV (home made, 1.5kw of solar on the roof) 1,000 miles from home. The race was welded to the spindle so I got it off as safely as I could and cleaned up the threads as best I could but still couldn't torque the castle nut down enough. So now I have a few options:

1) New hubs, kingpins and so on, damn that was like $1,500 if I did it myself.
2) A new axle but the closest was 700 miles away and $1,200ish.
3) Ahhhhh, weld it on, last resort for me as I couldn't service anything after than.

4) This is what I did since I'm a thug. I got myself a 3/4" 16 die and ground the old threads off then I rethreaded it and used two normal nuts so one acted as a locking nut. Thankfully it was on the passenger side so the direction of spin was in my favor. Oh and that rotor on there, had to go back since it wasn't big enough for the axle, I had to clean up the old one and reusing it arrrrg.


Anyway, this is the kinda shit I'm talking about, I hate feeling "helpless" and tools make me feel like I have control. This ended up costing me less than $100 and only because of the tools I'd had with me and my own skillset.

I'm insane huh, it's fine just say it.

 

Bought and paid for keep them all, you will get rid of something and need it

 

I have a lot of tools also that hardly get used, but there when I need them. I don't want to rely on anyone for nothing, if I can't do it I'll pay someone to.

 

Nothing really wrong with that.

As already mentioned, it's bought and paid for. It is only really a drawback when you move or die.

If you want to take baby steps, start with getting rid of the duplicates. Pick one-air or electric. Pick one 6 or 12 point. Do you need long AND short combo wrenches when you likely have stubby AND long ratchets, etc.

BTW, 3/4" comes in handy. Great for Tacoma hubs. I only kept my breaker bar and buy sockets as I need though.

 

Man, you know what happens, there's the one time you need a tool and you use that to never sell anything. I was thinking this about my nibbler then I had to adjust something on a roof rack bar (the notch some bolts went in on the bottom rail). Anyway, I pull out the electric and the head was too big, had I not had the air I would have been out of luck. But I can't use that to keep everything and you make good points as a real many has 5 uses for any one tool so there's no need to have triple redundancy. Hell in a pinch you can always turn a long into a short wrench but you can't go in the other direction.

 

@mwc273 that's what I have guns, bullets, and solar for! Even if I don't actually think it's going to happen.

 

I have nowhere near what you do, but I'm 25 and don't work in a mechanical field. I still have two rolling boxes about 5 ft tall each and enough larger stuff that wouldn't fit in drawers to take up the equivalent of another. I honestly think I have just enough.

I recently pulled things that I have dozens of others of and put together a tool box for my mom. I didn't really need a 5th complete set of identical wrenches or a 10th 16 oz hammer.

 

The issue for me is I'm trying to downsize to a motorhome (yeah, maybe I should have said that) but I'm with you. I don't think if I had twenty 10mm sockets I'd feel like I have enough! There are some things you use so much I would almost call them a consumable.

Thanks for the the responses, there clearly is no right answer so I'll just start with doubles.

 

My granddad is long dead...sooo when is this great collapse happening. ?
Any info you wanna share...

 

All of the tools... you need all of the tools...

 

Can never have enough tools. Dont throw out anything. My rule is if i have needed it before i will probably need it again. Best have it and not need it, then to need it and not have it and feel like a fuckin dummy!

 

None. You drive a toyota.

 

Never get rid of tools. You will always regret it. You will end up needing it after to sell it. You can never have to many. You can get buy with basic hand tool and power tools but tools are always going to have value. The older ones may even gain value.

 

I'm in the same boat man I've got tools I have not used in years but cannot convince myself to let any go. Multiple tool boxes, shelves stacked with power tools, boxes and boxes of odds and ends that fill my garage. I dread ever moving!

 

OK, you could accept who you are the way you are and keep the tools (I would get rid of doubles though) and find a place for them.