LEWIS CLEVELAND FIX · BUILD · LEARN
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INVENTORY / 43 ITEMS

The Toolbox

Tools, technology and equipment that end up on the same bench. Some of it earns its place daily. Some of it was bought optimistically and is still waiting, patiently, for the project that justifies it.

WHAT I ASK OF EVERYTHING ON THESE SHELVES

  • Why is this in my toolbox?
  • What problem does it solve?
  • Why do I reach for this one?
  • What little detail makes it good?
  • What annoys me about it?
  • Would I buy another one with my own money?
43TOOLS ON THE SHELVES
7MAKERS
5SHELVES IN USE
8WRITTEN UP

The Drawers

The makers that have quietly taken over a drawer each.

CANON

The Camera Bag

Long before I started filling vans with tools, I spent a lot of time looking at the world through a viewfinder.

6 ITEMS WERA

The Green Drawer

Wera appears to have discovered exactly how to make tools that appeal to the part of my brain that likes engineering and the part that likes colour-coded organisation.

12 ITEMS KNIPEX

The Red & Blue Drawer

At some point I appear to have stopped buying pliers and started collecting Knipex.

16 ITEMS DEWALT

The Yellow Boxes

Four of these share one battery platform, which is the entire argument for buying into a cordless system in the first place.

5 ITEMS THOR

Things That Hit Other Things

A dead blow and a soft-faced club hammer, which between them cover most of the occasions where hitting something is the correct answer but hitting it with steel is not.

2 ITEMS

Things That Work Together

Shared batteries, shared mounts, and one family of hammers.

Kit & Care

The ones I have used long enough to have an opinion worth reading.

  • Tools
  • 7 min read
  • 14.09.26

Wera Kraftform Screwdrivers

Kraftform Plus Lasertip, VDE and Chiseldrivers. Some of the least glamorous tools in my bag, and some of the most used.

Retro-futuristic illustration of three rows of Wera screwdrivers on a workbench: green Kraftform Plus, red and yellow VDE insulated, and black and yellow Chiseldrivers
  • Tools
  • 3 min read
  • 12.09.26

Shop Shades Safety Glasses

The ones that live on my face. Comfortable enough that I forget I'm wearing them, which is the only PPE test that matters.

Two pairs of Shop Shades safety glasses on a workbench, clear and tinted, tools and a retro-futurist workshop poster behind
  • Tools
  • 8 min read
  • 12.09.26

Wera Multicolour L-Key Sets

The best hex keys I have ever used. I started with one set and now carry metric, imperial and TORX.

Three Wera multicolour L-key sets on a bench — metric, imperial and TORX — labelled, with the tool bag behind
43 results
The ToughBuilt XL Rolling Massive Mouth bag on a gym floor, front pockets loaded with drivers and pliers
TOUGHBUILTBags & Storage

ToughBuilt XL Rolling Massive Mouth Bag

TB-CT-61-18

DAILY USE

The main bag. Big, organised, and it rolls.

The first bag I have owned where I am not quietly planning its replacement. Pockets for the everyday tools, a large central space for the awkward stuff, and wheels that turn out not to be a gimmick.

TYPE
Rolling tool bag
The verdict, after actually using it
HOW LONGCurrent main bag
WHEREVan to gym floor, and between machines all day
WHAT'S GOOD
  • Chunky wheels and a telescopic handle that genuinely takes the weight
  • Opens wide enough to actually see what is in it
  • Organised around the outside, one big cavity in the middle
  • Survives being dragged over thresholds and car parks
WHAT ANNOYS ME
  • Big enough to encourage carrying more than you need
  • Fully loaded, it is still heavy — the wheels move the problem rather than removing it
BUY IT AGAIN?Yes. It is the first tool bag I have stopped thinking about.
ALONGSIDEWera Multicolour L-Key Sets Shop Shades Safety Glasses
Read the review toughbuilt.com
WERATorque

Wera Click-Torque C3

C3

WRITE-UP TO COME
DRIVE
1/2″
TORQUE RANGE
40–200 Nm
ALONGSIDEWera Click-Torque C2
WERAVDE Screwdrivers

Wera Kraftform Plus VDE Lasertip Set

WRITE-UP TO COME
PIECES
7
BLADE
Chrome molybdenum steel
FEATURES
Lasertip, Kraftform handle
What’s in the set
  • 4 × 160 i SL — 0.4 × 2.5 × 80mm
  • 160 i SL — 0.6 × 3.5 × 100mm
  • 160 i SL — 0.8 × 4.0 × 100mm
  • 160 i SL — 1 × 5.5 × 125mm
  • 162 i — PH1 × 80mm
  • 162 i — PH2 × 100mm
  • 247 single-pole voltage tester
ALONGSIDEWera Kraftform Plus Mixed Lasertip Set Knipex VDE Pliers Set
Read the review
Three Wera multicolour L-key sets on a bench — metric, imperial and TORX
WERAHex & TORX Keys

Wera Multicolour L-Key Sets

950/9 Hex-Plus Multicolour HF 1 (metric, imperial and TORX)

DAILY USE

Metric, imperial and TORX. Colour coded, and findable on a dark gym floor.

The colour coding turns “check the size, try another one” into “I need the green one.” I started with the metric set and now carry all three.

SETS
Metric, imperial and TORX
PROFILE
Hex-Plus
FEATURES
Colour coded, holding function
The verdict, after actually using it
HOW LONGMetric set first, all three sets in the bag since
WHEREEvery job. Covers, guards, adjustments, strip-downs.
WHAT'S GOOD
  • Colour coding by size — you stop reading and start recognising
  • Bright sleeves are visible on black gym flooring, which no marketing department planned for
  • Hex-Plus profile spreads the load instead of notching the socket
  • Holding function keeps the fastener on the key
WHAT ANNOYS ME
  • Three sets is more than most people need, and I own three sets
  • The sleeves make them fractionally bulkier than plain keys
BUY IT AGAIN?Immediately, and I already have — twice.
ALONGSIDEWera Kraftform Kompakt 400 ToughBuilt XL Rolling Massive Mouth Bag
Read the review wera-tools.co.uk
Two pairs of Shop Shades safety glasses on a workbench, clear and tinted
SHOP SHADESEye Protection

Shop Shades Safety Glasses

Both frame shapes

DAILY USE

Safety glasses I forget I am wearing, which is the whole point.

Lightweight, they fit a wide face without gripping my temples, and they look like something you would choose to wear. I own both frame shapes, which was completely unnecessary.

TYPE
Safety glasses
The verdict, after actually using it
HOW LONGOn my face most working days
WHEREAll day, every day on site
WHAT'S GOOD
  • Comfortable enough that I forget they are on, which is the only PPE test that matters
  • Fit a wide face without pressure on the temples
  • Look like normal glasses rather than industrial eyewear
  • Two frame shapes, so there is no excuse not to wear a pair
WHAT ANNOYS ME
  • An American product, so getting them to the UK costs more than the glasses probably should
  • Not the cheapest way to protect your eyes, by a distance
BUY IT AGAIN?Yes. I already bought the second pair for no defensible reason.
ALONGSIDEToughBuilt XL Rolling Massive Mouth Bag
Read the review johnmalecki.com

This is an inventory rather than a recommendation list — everything on these shelves is something I actually own. It arrives in batches, and a tool only gets a verdict once I have used it enough to have one worth reading.