Working in the rain can be difficult for a plumber. Yeah, we should be used to working in the wet, but rain can put projects on hold and can cause damage to tools and other items that are exposed to the wet on the back of the ute.
An issue that my dad and I have found when working in the rain is preventing new fixtures that are in boxes get damaged by the wet weather and ensuring tool bags and buckets are covered so that they don’t fill with water.
Our tools need to be accessible on the truck and we have always had them in an open tool bag that would need to be wrapped in a black rubbish bag to prevent rain filling it to the brim when driving around in wet weather. It was always a pain in the butt to re-wrap the open tool bag with a rubbish bag.
My issue was finding a bag that would have a cover to prevent rain filling the bag and cause rust to form on tools, yet be durable and big enough to hold all our tools and not fall apart when left on the back of the truck in both wet and dry weather.
It wasn’t until I was on the Australian Made website that I came across Beehive Tool Bags which is an Australian owned company that makes tool bags for all types of tradies and can custom make a tool bag specifically for your trade or need.
My discovery of Beehive Tool Bags was the answer I was looking for and Sean Kerlin, the Manager of Beehive Tool Bags sent me a sample of one of their most popular tool bag which is the Side Pocket Double Reinforced Base tool bag.
- The Side Pocket Double Base Tool Bag on the back of our truck
My dad couldn’t put our tools in the bag fast enough when it arrived and with the constant wet weather that we have experienced in Brisbane over the past month, it was the perfect time to put the bag to good use.
I’ll be honest, my dad was skeptical about the durability of the bag in wet weather but since using the bag for a month and having heavy rain in Brisbane for nearly the whole month of February and beginning of March, the bag looks as good as the day it was sent to us.
There are plenty of pockets to house every tool and I’m impressed to say that the flap that goes over the top of the bag keeps all our tools dry and protected from the wet weather.
This particular bag is mainly sold to the miners where they are exposed to water and dust. Since Beehive Tool Bags started manufacturing tool bags 14 years ago, the Side Pocket Double Reinforced Base tool bag has been (and continues to be) one of their most sought after products.
The bags are manufactured in Australia using Australian PVC materials which supports jobs in Australia and you can trust that the product is superior and of good quality.
- Our tools placed in the tool bag, protected from the rain.
Sean advises that the main selling point of their bags is their strength and durability. I know tool bags can get a hammering whether they are on the back of a ute or carried around and generally ‘chucked’ on a construction site. The safe working load for the Beehive Tool Bags is 15kg due to Occupational Health and Safety, but the bags have been tested to hold over 100kg in weight without failing or breaking. Beehive Tool Bags also provide a 2 year workmanship warranty and abide by the ACCC 2010 warranties.
What I love about Beehive Tool Bags is that they can be custom made to your liking. They can have lockable zips, smart phone holders, document pouches, customer names and logos printed on the side or flaps and can be made in different colours. Nothing is too hard. It was even suggested that when I get my own custom made tool bag, I could add a baby bottle holder should I need to feed my daughter when out and about.
My favourite tool bag designs are the pink and purple ‘ladies tradies’ tool bags. With more women entering a trade, there is a growing need to cater tool bags for women and when they are manufactured out of the colours of pink and purple, I think they are a winner.
Overall, I am impressed with Beehive Toolbags and believe that plumbers should give the bags a go. Sean made the perfect choice in sending the Side Pocket Double Reinforced Base tool bag as the tool bag to cater for plumbers.
If you are interested in purchasing a tool bag or getting one custom designed and manufactured for yourself, head to http://www.beehivevinyl.com.au. Trade prices for the bags are available to trades with their own business name.
The bags truly live up to their name ‘Made Tuff for Tuff Work’ and if you should decide to purchase one, you will certainly get your money’s worth out of it.
*Disclaimer, as mentioned in this blog post I received the Side Pocket Double Reinforced Base tool bag to review and give feedback as a tool bag for plumbers.
