The $3.50 notebook that saved me from a $2,000 tool replacement mistake

Kept losing track of which flooring nailer was due for service. Six months in and the main one seized up on a job in Austin. Cost me $2,000 for a replacement and lost a day of work. Grabbed a composition notebook from the dollar store. Now I write the date and last service on every tool with a sharpie. Also keep a page for each tool with parts numbers. Has anyone else found a low cost system for keeping equipment alive longer?

2 comments

2 Comments

fiona_johnson823d ago

Stole this idea and went a step further. Slapped a laminated card on my tool box that lists every tool I own and the last service date next to it. Use a dry erase marker to update it whenever I do maintenance. One glance and I know exactly what's due. Also color code the cards - green for good to go, yellow for coming up, red for overdue. Cheaper than a new tool and takes about 10 seconds to check when I grab something.

ryan9523d agoMost Upvoted

Nah man, that feels like overkill to me. I'd spend more time messing with cards and dry erase markers than just remembering my tools. If I can't keep track of a dozen wrenches and when I last sharpened my chisels, maybe I shouldn't own them. Plus that color coding system sounds like a pain to update every time you grab something for a quick job.