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Although hand and specialty tools may not be as glamourous or exciting as diagnostic and power tools, they are just as important to any automotive technician. As with other tools, hand tools and specialty tools are constantly evolving. Keeping your customers up to date with the latest advancements will help them work faster, therefore putting more money in their pockets as well as yours.
For independent tool distributor James Stinson, hand and specialty tools make up the majority of his sales. Located in central Georgia, Stinson visits shops ranging from dealerships, small repair shops, truck shops to even some mining shops.
Even while busy on the road, Stinson makes it a point to always keep a working relationship with his own community. It’s important to him and, by doing so, helps his business. In fact, his latest big-ticket hand tool sale stemmed from a call from a local foundation asking for his help.
As part of a grant, the foundation was looking to provide select graduating automotive and diesel students from the nearby vocational technical college with various hand tools to help jumpstart their careers.
“They gave me a list of items that the students might like to have, and I fulfilled it as much as I could with the amount they gave me,” Stinson says.
While giving the foundation a good discount, he was able to provide the students with pry bars, torque wrenches, wrenches, ratchets, sockets, and screwdrivers, to name a few.
“I try to keep a good relationship with the instructors,” Stinson says. “They call on me from time to time with different things, so it worked out pretty well.”
Having been around the tool business his whole life - his father retired as a mobile tool dealer in 2015 - Stinson understands the importance of helping his customers, taking care of their needs, and what technicians look for.
Key Trends
As vehicle components continue to progress, the evolution of hand and specialty tools closely follows. In addition to tools being created, or redesigned, to assist technicians to work more efficiently, there has also been a continual shift across the spectrum, regardless of new parts, and that is to help technicians work more at ease.
This includes manufacturers taking a closer look at improving ergonomics as well as decreasing pain points when having to work in not-so-comfortable, awkward tight spaces.
A better grip
Having a good grip on a tool is essential for obvious safety concerns. But just as importantly, a good grip benefits the user in more ways, especially if it’s a tool used frequently.
“Ergonomics now play a great role in today’s hand tools,” says Gray Hendricks, executive vice president of sales, marketing, and product development at Titan Tools.
One example now common in the market, he notes, are tools with handles that provide a better grip to decrease user fatigue while still providing the ability to do the task at hand, such as screwdrivers removing fasteners that may have once been damaged or required an impact driver to remove.
With the trend now focused on grips and ergonomics, tool manufacturers are spending more time thinking through the usability of their tools, notes Chris Sanford, vice president of sales for SK Tools.
“What it comes down to is you want as much torque as you can get with as little strain on your wrist and arm,” he says.
Andre van Lagen, sales manager for North America at Mueller-Kueps, also agrees, adding that the material used in the handles has been a focus when it comes to technician comfort.
Last year, Mueller Kueps launched its Heavy Duty Duo Handle Pry Bar, No. 276 343V2, which features not one, but two ergonomic, soft-touch, and hammer-resistant handles. By having two handles, the pry bar allows for two-handed use for not only safety but also comfort.
Whether it’s the size and shape of the handle, the material used to construct the handle, or the coating covering the handle, these are just a few ergonomic features worth bringing up with your customers.
Too close for comfort
Working in tight spaces is inevitable for technicians, especially as vehicle components continue to advance. To help ease pain points, hand and specialty tools manufacturers are always looking for ways to address this issue.
To reach extremely tight spaces, SK Tools developed X-Frame ratcheting wrenches that feature an arc swing as low as 1.7 degrees. The ratcheting wrenches use six pawls, two of which engage at any given time, resulting in 216 positions. Additionally, with its I-beam handle, force is distributed evenly for strength and durability.
Titan Tools recently reengineered their traditional style high tooth count ratchets to allow technicians to generate more torque by making the tools longer. By already having a high tooth count – thus, minimizing the sweep – technicians will not have to sacrifice the overall torque that the ratchet can now handle.
Another example is Cal-Van’s 45-degree Universal Hose Clamp Pliers, No. 58. The pliers are designed to provide better access to hose clamps than standard pliers in difficult-to-reach areas, such as coolant tank ventilation line clamps, radiator hose clamps, and transmission cooler lines. The pliers feature a special tip to grip almost any hose clamp from any direction. Additionally, with its angled head and extra-long reach, the pliers can access some of the most obstructed clamps.
Gearing up younger techs
For mobile tool dealer Stinson, it’s more of the younger techs who are purchasing hand tools on his truck. Not only are they buying to build their inventory, but they buy to have the “latest and greatest,” he notes.
What hand tools are best for young techs?
Although it really depends on their role within the shop, new/young technicians should have a good set of ratchets, sockets, wrenches, screwdrivers, magnetic pick-up tools, mirrors, and oil filter wrenches, Cal-Van Tools’ Kenny says.
SK Tools’ Sanford would also add extensions, various pliers (such as solid joint, tongue, and groove, and retaining ring pliers), pry bars, scrapers, a torque wrench, punches and chisels, and hex keys.
“For a new technician, there are a lot of good starter sets out there,” Sanford says.
However, with many to choose from, Sanford advises when looking to buy a starter set, they should build their toolbox strategically. For example, a 143-pc set may be more effective than an 850-pc set.
The 850-pc set may sound exciting and all-encompassing but might not make financial sense for a young technician to take on right away.
“That 143-pc set is just as effective for a beginning technician,” Sanford says. “They then can add as they are financially able to. If they are not careful, they can rack up thousands of dollars in debt and be paying on that for years.”
Upgrading seasoned techs
When it comes to his more seasoned customers, Stinson notes that many of them often warranty out what they already have, but that’s not to say that upgrading their hand and specialty tools from time to time is uncommon.
“A lot of them already have what they need, but that’s when the new stuff comes into play,” he notes. “They’re always looking for new and improved ways of doing things. So, if you can provide them with a new and quicker way, they’re going to buy.”
Since tools are constantly evolving, it makes sense for a professional technician to always be aware of tools that will enable them to be more effective, Cal-Van Tools’ Kenny says.
“If something allows a technician to turn a 30-minute job into a 15-minute job, and they do that job often, then it’s obviously a good investment on their part to be able to complete jobs faster.”
Selling tips
When it comes to making the sale, price will obviously play a factor. However, it’s important to note that when it comes to hand tools, quality should be at the forefront.
“For technicians who use their tools ten to 12 hours a day, they want a tool that’s not going to break, chip, or fail,” SK Tools Sanford says. “To me, it’s all about a quality tool.”
“It’s not worth buying things twice,” Cal-Van’s Kenny adds. “Quality is important, especially if they want this to be their profession.”
The same holds true for specialty tools, even if technicians only use the tool on a few occasions.
“Where people stray is if it’s for one use," Sanford says. “It’s easier to become more price driven, [however] quality still holds. Quality is still the number one consideration. You still want it to do the right job.”
Keeping your truck well stocked with hand and specialty tools and putting the right tools in your customer’s hands is key to making the sale.
“People like to touch and feel before they buy, and if you have it readily available now, you’re more likely to close the sale,” Titan Tools’ Hendricks says.
“Mobile tool distributors have a key role,” SK Tools’ Sanford adds. By visiting shops on a regular basis, they can put the tools in the technician’s hand to get a feel for how it works, he notes. “I think that’s the key when selling hand tools.”
Demoing the tool is also recommended by our sources.
“Demo, demo, demo,” Cal-Van’s Kenny stresses. “Show people what the tool does.”
Whether that’s showing them in person or taking your own video in a shop or at home, Kenny suggests. If selling tubing cutters, for example, take a piece of brake tubing into a shop and show the technicians how it works and why it makes jobs easier.
For tool dealer Stinson, when making the sale, you must also “sell yourself.”
“That’s going to be the biggest thing because technicians can get their tools anywhere, so they are actually buying you and not the tool,” Stinson says. “They are buying you and what you can do for them.”
Especially when it comes to hand tools. These tools can sell themselves in most cases, Stinson notes. “If you don’t provide a good service for your technician as far as after the sale, such as how the warranty goes, then the tools are just tools.”
A key piece of advice passed down from his father and what Stinson is hoping to drill into his son, who has recently joined him and is running his own route, is that “if you don’t service what you sell, then what you sell is no good.”
“You've got to be able to backup what you sell.”
