wiremunky

Forum regular named Flying Machine turned me on to this tool last year but i didnt think to post about it until a recent AVS thread. If you have ever dealt with “banana peel” for structured cable you know what a pain in the neck it can be. Sometimes its easy to work with but other times the pull string keeps snapping on you or it doesn’t exist. This makes it hard to peel back especially at a rack where you might need to remove 10′ or more. Their are several manufacturers with similar tools available. The one in this video is from Jonard Industries. They all work the same.

Husky 14 inch The Total Tool Bag With Tool Wall
Model #79907N09
$89.97

This is one of the most unique tool bags i have seen in a long time. It’s a steal @ $89.97. I spotted it in Home Depot. The flaps are filled with storage puches & pockets inside and out. They can be completely unzipped to give you complete access to the “tool wall” in the center of the bag.

The outside has a bunch of nice pockets including the ones on each side that can hold small parts boxes or other tools.

The handle is a dark chrome with a rubber grip in the center. The handle hinges nicely so that it can fold down flat while transporting the tools. There is also a shoulder strap included.

The bag has a “shape” to it. What i mean is that its rigid and not soft so the bag mantains its shape and dimensions. It has 4 large rubber feet on the bottom.

Thinking about Crestron Digital Media brought me to this youtube video for Panduit Opticam fiber termination system. WOW!

I began making patch cables for my Crestron PVID’s and BIPAD’s. This pic shows my first box of 200 RCA compression fittings. ZERO failure after testing. Years ago everything was soldered. My first job had me sitting in the back room making custom terminated straightwire and monster cable for an hour or 2 each day. This was back before you could get monster cable at the gas station. I hated every smokey finger burning moment of it. I was in heaven when our first batch of compression fittings showed up. They had 3 parts and they sucked. There wasn’t a clear stop for the center pin so it was easy to end up with a cable that would pass continuity but not work. Then we got some in that had 2 parts and finally we started using Liberty which had 1 part and we haven’t used anything else since. The center pin is fixed so you avoid the issues we have had with other manufacturers.

Tired of kneeling down to get your tools? Check out this Husky tool bag. It has rings built into the flap so that you can hang it up. I didn’t get a price or model number from it because it was sitting alone on a shelf at Home Depot.

I ran in to this industrial looking parts organizer today at homdepot. The body is hard plastic and the handle  looks  aluminum. Feels super durable. At first i saw the small trays inside and figured i wouldnt be able to use it but then i opened it up to find larger ones on the bottom. The top is very clear so you can see exactly whats inside. The trays are removable. The top looks solid and the clasps are metal eliminating the possibility of the thing flying open while your carrying it. See the lame blurry iphone pics below .

Click Pic To See More

FlyingMachine pointed me to this video @ On-Q’s website : http://www.onqlegrand.com . These jacks are similar to Panduits Mini Com but the termination tool is built in.

First it was Home Depot carrying low voltage parts & tools, over the last few years it has really grown. Today i saw CCTV cameras there. And now.. we have Best Buy pushing installation tools.

CLC 1589 43 Pocket – 18” Double Closed Compartments Tool Carrier.

I spotted this at home depot today for $49.99, forgive me for the blurry iPhone pics . CLC is getting much closer to the Veto Pro Pac XL with this one.

One side is outfitted with pockets for tools and the other side is left open for your drill or test gear. The Veto Pro Pac XL has tool pockets on both sides. To be honest i like CLC’s design better. I don’t use the tool pockets on one side of my XL, eliminating the pockets would give me more room space. The larger Veto Pro Pac XXL has tool pockets on one side and the other area is empty just like the CLC 1589.

The outside of the bag has a nice selection of pockets & holders. I normally don’t use any outer pockets that are held closed with buttons or velcro because things tend to get crushed or fall out. The metal handle seems secure but its hollow and seems like it could bend. The rubber grip is a perfect fit and very comfortable. It also comes with an adjustable shoulder strap. The bottom of the bag is nylon and has rubber feet attached to it. This makes it finish floor friendly but i would advise against using it outside when the ground is damp because water will soak into it.

Overall i think this is a great tool bag and for $49.99 you can’t go wrong. I wish i would have purchased this instead of the CLC 1539 to use as a drill bag.

I spent today organizing my gear and i decided to put together an article about my tool bags & boxes. Its interesting to see how my wants & needs were shaped based on what was available. If you rewind back 10 years to the BucketBoss and compare it to the Veto Pro Pac i use today you will see that my needs have always been the same. I wanted something that would hold each tool upright so that i could access them quickly and keep them organized. Both products (and some of the others in between) were able to do it but only the Veto Pro Pac is able to do it right.

The slide show is below, each photo has a description included. I had most of them here at home, some in the garage and some in the basement. The surprising thing was the amount of tools i found in each one. I probably have enough tools here to outfit 2 more CI’s .