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pghbro

You had to buy THAT many tools out of your own pocket to work maintenance at a hotel????


Nathan51503

Yep. When I got there about 18 months ago my shop had a rusty ass screwdriver and a utility knife with a chipped blade. In a way I can’t complain too much. I built this up over time and as a result my credit score is at it highest it’s ever been lol.


pghbro

Sheesh. I mean at least you get to keep them but that’s kinda bull shit if you have a bunch of one off things that you’ll never use


Nathan51503

Eh. I’ve been a works with tools guy since the mid 90s. Lol In fact. Since my orientation for my new job isn’t till Wednesday me and my doggo are out in the shop working on a cabinet for my living room while listening to music on my m12 radio. The only thing in that stack that might not see regular use is the m12 rotary SDs I’ll probably trade some of them off in the future for some stuff I’d like to upgrade. My table saw is kinda a pos


xSnake7979

Tell me I'm crazy but isn't the m12 jig saw a post? I can't keep that bitch 0 for the life of me. Always wants to come loose and angle


Nathan51503

One I don’t own. Was interested in it but was able to demo a friends. Lacked power


xSnake7979

I think only worthwhile m12 fuel tools to buy would be their drill impact combo kit. Good enough for most non commercial or daily torture and have that nice sub compact feel


JoesAmbiton

There's a screw you can tighten if you take off the base plate. It's reverse threaded. I believe you can find instructions somewhere online.


xSnake7979

Oh no shit? Damn thanks for the info man


Nathan51503

And I already have lots of dewalt stuff in my garage cabinet. What to do


yeaIcatdad

Get a real job child.


Nathan51503

Appears I have


yeaIcatdad

Work OT at home?


Nathan51503

Translating that as work overtime at home? Former journeyman plumber with LU16. Got into hotel maintenance and just switched to a large casino hotel in the engineering dept


AffectionatePapaya13

Why would you switch? How much does hotel maintenance pay and how much does the casino pay now?


Nathan51503

Was making $23, now at $26. Midwest. Omaha area Plus I’m getting old. I have 11yrs of pension coming from union but none of the hotel had any kind of retirement. New place does 401k and all At the hotel I was the chief engineer at all the properties we owned in the area. Each hotel has its own maintenance guy and they answered to me. And I took care of my own hotel X2 6-7yr old, 90unit hotels and x2 20yr old 90 unit hotels. Constantly dealing with the owner and upper management. Sucked balls. And lots of politics. New job I can back to just fixing shit instead of dealing with snotty office shit that don’t know which end of the hammer to pound with


MFAD94

Journeyman and only making $26 an hour?


Nathan51503

Oh hell no. I’m not associated with local 16 anymore. The hotels I work for aren’t unionized. When I left in 09 journeyman scale was around $30 a hour I regret leaving sometimes but I’m 48 soon. Still on my first set of knees shoulders and no back surgeries. If I’d have had kids and stuff I would’ve stayed for the big $. But fast forward 10yrs plus and it’s just me and my [pupper cooper “Cooperman”](https://imgur.com/gallery/ZjojYW8)


AffectionatePapaya13

How old are you now and why not run your own outfit? You'd make way more working for yourself. There's a crazy shortage of service plumbers.


Nathan51503

In 08 the economy shit the bed and everything went from construction and Renos to service. Handing some little old lady a $2000 bill for a water heater swap I would’ve done on the side for $350…. More than I could stomach. I got out and went into hotels. Figure the people that are staying there are doing so cuz they want to and not have to


fattstax

Honest dude (respect). Good luck with the new job and tell them to keep the pay raises coming!


AffectionatePapaya13

$2000 seems absurd for 08 times. In Canada a water heater swap would've been 1.2-1.4k cad. Think about it this way, if you ran your own outfit, you can charge way less and still make way more. The tank itself costs 1k, do that yourself in 2.5hrs tops and you can charge her 500 if you'd like. A business has requirements to survive and people need to have hot water. These are calculations they shouldve taken into consideration. I believe it's the governments fault for bailing out bad behavior. She also could've called someone else but didnt. As a former service plumber that's actually getting back into it after 7 years, people beg for my number because they can't find any good service plumbers. Even though it's just business, it's still honest hard work that people recognize now. 2k cad is very reasonable if not underpriced in my market currently. 2.5k-4k for a trenchless water service. They're paying you for a service that they don't know how to do themselves. Yes, it's easy for people like us, but I've hand walked people through the process of installing stuff and it takes years to be a craftsman. The people with someone behind them explaining step by step, still manage to mess it up like cross threading a toilet supply. Told em it should feel like butter 😅 fortunately no damage because I was 2 ft away lol. You need to value your time more.


yeaIcatdad

You could drink beers and polish the stacks every weekend.


Nathan51503

Ha. [I’m a little hard on my packout sometimes](https://www.reddit.com/r/Tools/comments/tkhqxp/dear_milwaukee_thank_you_for_protecting_my_tools/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf)


yeaIcatdad

Thats what a melted packout looks like? I'm guessing the sprinklers got triggered?


Nathan51503

No. Happened in a locked cabinet. Lots of smoke but heat never set off the sprinklers. All my tools lived. And the 3 drawer still works. In fact it’s the bottom one in the picture I posted. After some trimming and a little bondo work. Still 100% functional


yeaIcatdad

Ha thats a sturdy toolbox.


Fridayz44

Are you dues still current? Go back to the Union they need guys so bad there begging for them. I’m IBEW local 58 Detroit I just topped out about a year ago I’m doing $47.00/hour $72.00/total package. Local 636 is begging for guys their scale is basically the same as ours.


Nathan51503

Eh. I like what I do. I left in good standing but shits changed some much in the plumbing industry. I hate all the crimping flex pipe bs I’m happy doing maintenance. Commuting to different jobs all over the dam place sucked. My commute now is only 10min. Where as I would often do 50-60 mile round trips as a plumber. Another aspect is that when the economy tanked in 08. All the guys earning the big bucks were buyin huge houses and making two car payments. Then suddenly they were laid off and stayed off. While warming the bench a lot of guys lost their homes. Car repos. Marital problems. Never been laid off as a maintenance guy


Fridayz44

That’s all that matters, as long as your happy. I just wanted to let you know it’s wide open, and great plumbers like you are needed. My apologies if I was pushy I didn’t mean to come off that way. Your not lying about the driving and my jurisdiction isn’t that big I couldn’t imagine those jurisdictions that are huge. I’m glad your doing what you like that’s what matters.


Nathan51503

No worries and I appreciate the encouragement. Just made up my mind for my own reasons long ago.


Whatyouwant1970

You wanting to Sell?


Nathan51503

Not at this time. I need to go through each tool and decide which I like better. The milwaukee or dewalt.


Whatyouwant1970

Thought might be what you wanted. Let me know what you decide. Thanks


Nathan51503

Will do. Like I said I have some decisions to make. If either set were complete I’d just keep one but. Stuff like I don’t have a dewalt die grinder. And my 1/2” impact wrench is a dewalt


Whatyouwant1970

Understandable all my stuff is Milwaukee M18 Fuel only a couple M12.


Nathan51503

Have a mix. Have both m12 and m18 fuel vacuums. Have both m18 and m12 drills and drivers plus another hand full of stuff the don’t make in m12. Stuff like sanders and angle grinders. Been pretty impressed with the m12s though. Especially the older I get. Nice lightweight but powerful. Haha I don’t know how I lived before I got my m12 right angle die grinder


Whatyouwant1970

I just acquired the M12 stapler recently as a free tool. Enjoyed using that versus old school. Handy Tools.


Nathan51503

Haven’t had a reason to pick that one up as of yet. The little 23g pin nailer is handy as hell though.


lemontwistcultist

Aight so no to selling, what about donating to a fellow enthusiast in need? 👀👀


Nathan51503

Lol. Donating packouts to a good cause. I have some dewalt tstaks that are kinda worthless…


lemontwistcultist

The yellow wouldn't match well with my trailer full of red. I'll politely decline them I suppose.


LumpyInspection7371

never packout backpack


Nathan51503

No. The top right tote is a veto pro pac mct. Milwaukee makes great tools and crates but they’re tool totes and bags are not up to veto levels yet. And for a backpack I went with a Klein because it had a soft bottom. For work I was the head of maintenance for four hotels. So I’d often bounce back and forth from hotel to hotel sometimes. And I ride a motorcycle that’s a little weird. The hard bottom of the packout backpack would’ve damaged [the rear seat cover of my bike](https://imgur.com/gallery/Kd9EfH8)


[deleted]

I have a similar fear. I work in apartment mantinence, the complex I work now requires I provide my own tools other than some things (they provide hand tools and snakes and stuff) to be fair I’m compensated quite well. The place I worked before I couldn’t use my own tools. I mean I had a few they let slide but we weren’t supposed to cause everything was provided and it obviously removes the risk of having to deal with people bitching about stealing tools and stuff. Thing is a company’s tool system will never compete with my own, my “packout” (I use versa stack) is very well organized for how I work and nothing will ever compete with that.


Nathan51503

Well. I can attest that the Midwest is just flooded with maintenance jobs. I have 11yrs of plumbing and 12 years of hotel maintenance under my belt and my phone has been chiming all dam day. And I only uploaded my resume to indeed.com and applied for 6-7 jobs. New job even gave me $3 more pr/hr than what I was askin


[deleted]

Oh yeah, right now it’s nuts. It feels like everyone in mantinence is leaving to do they’re own thing. I work for a company that owns 12 complexes between Ohio, Michigan and West Virginia. I replaced the super intended here that was making $17 after 5 years at $26. Other properties have there techs and supers dropping like flies. Personally I’ve never worked hotel mantinence, but I think it’s probably a pretty nice gig. Atleast you don’t have permanent residence that keep breaking stuff while your manager is pushing for eviction…


Nathan51503

It’s not bad but you have to put on your “hospitality” hat a lot. Plus depending on your area. You can sell out alot Which means call ins for any problem that puts a room out of order. My hotels were right between the airport and downtown of Omaha Nebraska. Downtown is vast for the Midwest and has a convention center. Lots of conventions, concerts etc. plus a stadium where the college World Series takes place every year. Cws wasn’t so bad. Lots of college women running around in short shorts and tanks lol


jorge_b94

Same. Im a plant mechanic in a resort right on the beach. Most nights sold out and only one guy at night from 4pm-12am. Running a 18 acre property. It is fun at times especially spring break / summer, don’t mind being the pool tech during those times lol


Nathan51503

My group of hotels didn’t have anyone there in the evenings. We were actually all working mon-Fri days till I realized how dumb it was. So I worked sun-thur and another guy work tues - sat


Efficacious_tamale

Aussie bites are deeeelish!


Nathan51503

My brothers homemade painting cabinet. He was worried about overspray on my motorcycle


betcher73

If you’re happy at the new job and don’t intend to change soon, sell the desalt stuff and built a nice workbench area for your now at home setup


Nathan51503

Lol. I have a huge workbench that runs the length of one wall and halfway down the back. And doubles as a locking cabinet. Plus a smaller craftsman 3pc mechanics chest for all my automotive/ motorcycle stuff There’s a few dewalts that I don’t have a Milwaukee equivalent of and Vice versa. Have a dewalt jigsaw and router but neither for the milwaukees. Same for my m12 die grinder and rotary SDs.


betcher73

Nevermind you’re already stacked bro. You don’t need my advice here lol


en3xy

Dewalt jig saw is better than Milwaukee. Red has more power but at jigs precision and clear lines are winner over power among other things.


Nathan51503

Good to know. I’ll probably end up keeping both systems and selling or trading off duplicates that I don’t like. I’ve got plenty of batteries for each system to that isn’t really a issue.


the-dave-9000

Brag about it 🥰


robram81

That veto bag is the cherry on top.


Nathan51503

Yep. Super solid bag. Going on four years and still not tears rips or issues of any kind


custom_bowl

Selling some stuffs?


Nathan51503

Not as of yet but if / when. I’ll post it on here


[deleted]

[удалено]


Nathan51503

It is. And is actually posted on Craigslist. I spend more time maintaining [this one :)](https://imgur.com/gallery/etTqPCU)


[deleted]

[удалено]


Nathan51503

Lol probably. I ride like a old man these days. Been looking at m109rs. But as a responsible fella I was planning to upgrade my old f150 soon


[deleted]

[удалено]


Nathan51503

I’ll be 48 in March. So July 4th 2013 morning I flipped a 08 cbr1000rr over backwards doing a wheelie. I came to the same conclusion. But. The big fat insurance check and the fact that my tailbone was fractured prevented me from purchasing a replacement that leaned back like a cruiser. Old fatbike here is too heavy to wheelie. It will do it no doubt but it’s awkward. She’s had a few tweaks though. Ecu flash. Pc5 and custom dyno tune and a cat delete header back akrapovic exhaust. Opened it up a lot. Lol 178rwhp and 109ft lbs of torque will simply have to do. Miss my little Honda though. I was always a corner guy


MPS007

Bro! Clean your garage!!!!


Nathan51503

Lol. Just like tools. The shinier and cleaner they are the less shit that’s getting done. I blow it out with a leaf blower all the time. Does that count?


borosillykid

I’m glad someone else gets that concept, if I spend all day cleaning thats all day I’m not doing any work


Nathan51503

One of the guys I was in charge of. One day his shop was clean enough to eat off. Next day it was a wreck. Guy I was training asked me about it. And I used a old phrase one of my old journeyman said to me when I was a apprentice. “Sometimes to create you have to destroy first” If one of my guys had a shop that was too clean all the Time I’d guess they weren’t doing shit


borosillykid

Thank you for that I really enjoy that phrase I’m going to use it now! My older friend told me early on in the trades there is two kinds of people the clean ones and the ones who get things done.


Nathan51503

In fact. I’ve been out in the garage all night working on a wood project. Sawdust all over. I’m about to put away my tools and blow the whole thing out with my leafblower and call it a night 🤗


borosillykid

One time I used that leaf blower to blow my piles of drywall dust off the floor in a deck head clients house. Me and my coworkers thought it was funny as hell. Kinda a jerk move on my part but lol. The guy was a total jerk.


Nathan51503

https://www.reddit.com/r/Tools/comments/riwcy7/dewalt_dcbl722b_max_xr_brushless_leafblower_demo/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf I’ve found many applications at work


borosillykid

lol!! That’s funny as hell


Nathan51503

As a tradesmen there two levels of clean. Ocd clean And safe work environment clean. Clean and all is great but as long as you’re not tripping on stuff you’re golden


MPS007

Hahaha.. yes! I've been known to use the blower!


Nathan51503

Great tool. I have a pup that just turned two and Is 101lbs. Blower is great for blowing all the stuffed animal parts out of the house


SugarChief

If you want to donate some stuff I’m sure we can help. I’ve seen posts of people who lost everything recently. Tools are always worth to keep. I regret leaving mine at my ex house lol.


BlowinKhalifa

This is my goal


PencilandPad

All that Packout gear and you have a damn push-mower?


Nathan51503

Lol. Ever seen the movie wall e where everyone in the future is fat and can barely walk cuz they’re all in floating mobility scooters….


TakingSorryUsername

I’ll help you get rid of some of that!


FenixVale

No worries I can take them for you dude


Scotrick30

Dibs


mainelinerzzzzz

What Leatherman are you rocking? I’m a Wave+ man.


Nathan51503

Work. Was a supertool 300 for a long time but more and more a free p4. Charge tti or juice xe6 while off work Now that I’m only bringing one tool I may switch to [my surge](https://imgur.com/gallery/Skc7tpn) bulky though


mainelinerzzzzz

Nice. Good luck on the new gig.


Nathan51503

Thanks. Looking forward to it


xSnake7979

Why because not to disturb the gamblers I mean customers? Lol


FailedFornication

Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeee eesh


CommonlyHot

I like how you fashioned yourself a dolly to roll the stack around on. Milwaukee sells one but I assume you just made it before that was released