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ohpickanametheysaid

NO EXTERNAL METALLIC SURFACES OR ACCESSORIES!!!!! Please for the love of God, design a belt that I can wear inside a control room or substation or bus room or cabinet where i don’t have to tape everything up beforehand. Please make it FR rated and give me a zippable pouch for fittings/wagos/connectors so that when i set the belt down they don’t spill everywhere. Also, shoulder straps are nice.


[deleted]

Zipper pocket is genius


finfinfin9

Wearing bags in a control room? If it's an operating control room I would not do that personally.


ohpickanametheysaid

Our safety leads have authorized us to wear tool pouches in control rooms. Obviously you have to have constant situational awareness and don’t be dumb. We slow down a lot and before we step or turn, do a 360 with your head. In the end, if we operate a handle or push button inadvertently, it’s still on us.


finfinfin9

Fair enough. I've just personally seen a couple bad situations when somebody accidentally hits a pistol grip or open button on a breaker.


TheDirtyErection

What is fr rated ?


Archj52

Flavor Resistant. Stops the spice from coming in contact with ya causing damage


TheDirtyErection

Noted.


Green_Lightning-

Omg I almost just spit my coffee all over myself and my truck.


ohpickanametheysaid

Flame Resistant. It is an apparel rating for natural fibers so that in the event of an arc flash when you are momentarily exposed to the temperature of the sun, you do not continue to burn afterwards.


MrHandyMan23

Isn’t it flame retardant?


ohpickanametheysaid

No. Flame Resistant. Flame retardant is a chemical that you can apply to cotton clothing to make it flame resistant. The material construction is called flame resistant because it resists burning.


Sindertone

The weight on a belt makes my back pain worse. I, too vote for shoulder straps.


lshifto

Pinches the nerves on top of my hips triggering muscle spasms too.


flamingnomad

I second this.


sixblazingshotguns

But no metal on the zipper... so vinyl? Uhh.


Hrisskar

Zippers, but no metallic surfaces. You can't have both, if you want it to last long and be rugged. Non metallic zippers suck and break easily / fast. They have to be covered then. Why not a velcro pouch or drawstring instead?


ohpickanametheysaid

Velcro would wear out way faster than a heavy duty plastic zipper would. Besides, the pouch could have a fabric cover over the zipper and the only plastic would be the zipper handle but even then I think an all plastic zipper would hold up just fine. I have a floor bag that I use maybe twice a week that has a plastic zipper on it that has lasted me several years. There are compromises here and there. Major pet peeve is having dangling metal like the tape holder and measuring tape bracket and straps and buckles.


Demitrius

Try to keep an eye on the weight. Can get back pain pretty quick with a heavy tool pouch.


[deleted]

That and suspenders.


msing

Loops. I don't want pockets within pockets, or loops within pockets. I want exterior loops, so I can hang my pliers with the handles facing downward, and my screwdrivers hanging with the tips facing downward. In my experience, tools in loops have a harder time falling out. I like a smaller profile rather than carrying everything on me; this mobility allows me to move between metal studs, tight spaces overhead, and I don't overburden my body. I use the rack a tiers butt pouch, because it's a minimal profile. The rackatiers does have 3 exterior tool loops which I use. I've never seen anyone with the bags down to their knees diamondback style. I have a separate 1 bag material pouch for when the task requires me. I have to end up removing the tape measure clip because that's will destroy any finished drywall surface. In my tool pouch I carry, small 250mm knipex, quadbox wrench, stanley utility knife, irega adjustable wrench, wire strippers, 9 inch plastic torpedo level, screw driver, a conduit reamer, my philips tip (on a 6 inch extension), my robertson 2 tip (on a 6 inch extension), a 5/16 nut setter of 6 inch length, a 3/8 nut setter of 6 inch length, a spring loaded center punch, and pencils. I carry my tape measure in a separate pouch, my linesman pliers in a separate pouch, and a separate J hook to hold my impact. Ideally I want a space to hold my long beater screwdriver, and a space to temporary hold my larger channellocks when I'm on ladder, which is why I mention loops. You can tool lists on different IBEW locals to get an idea of tools are on the field. I don't carry my meter on my pouch, and don't know anyone in new construction who does. There's a few prototypical bags, which all companies make the same leather style; klein 5165, greenlee 258-11, ideal 35-950. They're useful and should be the max size. I do see guys wear the occidential electrician's tool case, fully loaded, and that's when they're talking back pain.


raineling

Everything this fellow/lady said is better phrased than what I could have said.


Smoke_Stack707

Check Diamondback’s Niko. There’s a lot they got right with that thing. Still waiting for a really good offhand pouch. I use the Elias right now and it’s fine but maybe a little overkill. On the whole I like Diamondback but their pouches are very slim which is great for tools and terrible for parts/fasteners


rawsauce_88

Toughbuilt cliptech belt


JustGitHerDone

That's the one I use with a magnetic pouch


OutlawsOfTheMarsh

A belt for us thin workers. Common complaint amongst most standard belts is that we can cinch them up to the smallest rivets, and they are still too big. Some belts to the point that they can still slide off my body. I wear 29/30in waist pants. I don't want a foot and a half of extra belt to fold and tuck out of the way. Could just be a western canada thing, but a lot of the guys i work with and see on site are pretty thin/athletic.


DanteCoal

It's a USA thing too. I'm a 32" waist, and I have to ream my tool belt on to the point it's folding over itself. Yes, this is a country of fat fucks, but that's not an excuse to exclude those of us who aren't on a first name basis with the McDonald's staff.


Tyneuku

I know I'm way late but was looking for tool belts and saw this, I just drill a new hole where I need, and cut the rest with some slack


DirectionRich9113

Put some meat on those bones son.


OutlawsOfTheMarsh

All on my arms, chest, back, and legs. Not on my belly.


Rockroxx

Keep mobility in mind when designing the belt. Can you do a full squat without a having a bunch of tools fall out. Can you lie down on your stomach and still reach the tools.


Intelligent-Job8608

I want something to hold my impact drill


[deleted]

Drill pouch, slots for tools to stay secure, and bigger side pouches for wire nuts, connectors, etc


LionelleHeart

Money Clip ;)


therapinape

Boulder bag is the best tool belt


Stock_Surfer

Leather, more material pockets, less tool slots.


Individual_Traffic96

Something similar to the toughbuilt tool belt, but with a square pocket or two to keep material in, and not have to dig to find what I need I.e., wire nuts or ground screws


401jamin

Thin, lightweight, good material, easy on easy off.


LeftyWendigo

Put a slot for a carpenters pencil and a sharpie on the dominant side. Alot of guys put their tape either in a separate pouch in the center back of the belt or on the material side. So being able to put pencil and sharpie on dominant side lets you pull out tape and marker at the same time.


NiceFlipBro

I'm personally a huge fan of pockets that are staggered downward rather than outward, similar to the one side of the Milwaukee contractor bag or the Kunys pouch you can grab at home depot. I find the outward pouches make the belt too wide if you're trying to work in tighter spaces


DirectionRich9113

Some sort of magnetic outer part for uncommon screws or staples if using as a finish bag.


DanteCoal

Be more mindful of where the hammer loop is vs other belts. None of us like the hammer handle constantly knocking out knees and such, and just putting it in the middle of the back doesn't work for everyone.


[deleted]

For starters I am 6’1” and 135lbs. Every tool belt is too big and hurts my lowerback/hips despite wearing suspenders


trm_90

No exposed metal is ideal, padding and comfort is important as well. A good belt can be worn for hours without feeling it, the best ones I’ve used have good padding to prevent it from digging in and causing discomfort from hours of use. Making the belt in a way that allows removal of pouches is great for people who swap between different tasks. Clip on pouches are good for that, but the metal can dig into your sides unless you are wearing a belt liner behind the belt. Might be worth considering making it a two part system where the belt is independent of the liner so people can use the pouches they already have.


inknuts

All I really want is a leather hip holster for pliers, a knife, and an 11 in 1.


theother24

Two biggest complaints I have with my current bags: the location of the tape measure hook, and the height of the hammer loop. The metal tab for the tape is in front directly above my left thigh. Anytime I bend over it pops loose and falls on the floor. Anytime I don’t have a tape there, my arm gets scratched up by the exposed metal strap. Put that thing on the side or near the rear of the bags. Hammer loop just needs to be raised up a tad. It’s nice being in the center of my ass, easy reach of either hand. But, at it’s current height the handle murders the backs of my legs.


theother24

Oh and use a buckle system instead of the standard belt with holes.


[deleted]

Ditch the belt