Tool Belts - Favorites

[Charles Wilson]

Anyone have a favorite tool belt brand or model?

Chuck

[Phil Watson]

Not a toll belt but more of a tool holder. I have and like the Balistic apron from WoodCraft. It is a bit on the expensive side .

[David Seng]

Which tool belt is a pretty wide open topic. A lot depends on what you want to use it for. My needs for a belt vary depending on what kind of work I'm doing. Framing a house or building a deck I like a belt with big pouches. In the house remodeling that same big belt loaded with tools becomes a hazard to drywall and trim. In the shop - all I need on my person is a pencil and a tape.

One of the top quality tool belt manufacturers is Occidental - their leather belts and pouches last for years even under full time use and abuse on the jobsite. Their nylon stuff seems pretty stout too. Either ought to last a lifetime for a non-contractor/daily user.

CLC (Custom Leather Craft) and McGuire Nicholas make some nice belts and pouches too.

I like loose bags (bags slide over belt) over bags attached to the belt - they're less apt to spill when I'm in awkward positions - and I can always drop a bag or swap out for a different style if the job warrants.

[Jim Becker]

I agree with David. Tool belts are something that can be quite specialized. Since I only use one for incidental home improvement carpentry, I have a simple leather one that I've had since I was in the insulation contracting business many years ago. When I look at the tool belts that my general contractor's team uses, they are much, much more involved and full featured, especially since they carry a lot more stuff than I do for my limited work. Duluth Trading has some pretty neat tool belt combinations!

I never use a tool belt in the shop. Or an apron, for that matter. I'm never more than a few steps away from anything and I prefer to return "anything" to it's given place after using it, rather than carrying it around.

[jason lambert]

Occidental Leather Inc makes the best ones I have seen. They are really nice but I have about 4 belts depending on what I am doing, wood, electric wiring, etc. My advice is get the smallest one you need. The bigger they are seems like a good idea at first but can get bulky. You can't carry your whole toolbox.