Tools are designed to get the job done quicker and easier. In the multifaceted HVAC industry, tools are stocked depending on the type of work typically performed and the tasks most often executed on the job. For example, if a person often works with sheet metal, then he’ll likely keep a hand aviator and other types of snips handy. Other tools, such as multimeters, are useful across multiple applications and are likely to be found in most HVAC toolboxes. And, when you find a good tool — one that takes a lickin’ and keeps on tickin’ — you’re bound to keep it around for years, and, in some cases, decades.
Some contractors and techs will hold on to tools until something bigger or better comes along. Dustin Uptmore, area service manager, commercial service, Capstone Mechanical, Waco, Texas, said a tool’s longevity varies, though most are kept around for four to five years. He said he’s worked with technicians who “would lose tools regularly and have to replace them. Others would have tools for a very long time — more than 10 years.” As for himself, he said when a new tool comes around that makes his job easier, he’ll consider an upgrade.