ToughBuilt XL Rolling Massive Mouth Bag

The tool bag that finally stopped me looking for another tool bag

I've been through a few different tool bags over the years.

Some have been too small. Some have had loads of space but very little organisation. Others have been great until they're actually full of tools, at which point carrying them around all day becomes a workout I definitely didn't sign up for.

Then I bought the ToughBuilt XL Rolling Massive Mouth Bag, TB-CT-61-18.

For the amount of kit I need to carry as a field service engineer, this is by far the best combination I've found of size, organisation, build quality and comfort.

And, importantly, it has wheels.

Very good wheels.

Why I ended up with this one

One of the challenges with my job is that I don't always know exactly what I'm going to find until I'm standing in front of the equipment.

I could be doing a relatively straightforward repair, fault finding an electrical problem, replacing mechanical components or dealing with something completely unexpected.

That means I like having a decent selection of tools with me.

I've tried smaller bags, but inevitably I'd end up leaving something in the van. I've also tried larger bags where everything fits, but finding anything inside becomes an archaeological expedition.

The ToughBuilt gets the balance just about right for me.

It's big, but it's usefully big.

I can carry the tools I regularly need without feeling like I'm dragging an entire workshop behind me.

Well, most of the time.

The wheels are brilliant

Once you start filling a tool bag with sockets, spanners, screwdrivers, pliers, meters, drivers and all the other bits I've decided I absolutely cannot possibly leave in the van, things get heavy very quickly.

That's where the wheels make such a difference.

Most of my working day involves getting my tools from the van into a gym and then moving between pieces of equipment.

Instead of carrying all that weight on my shoulder, I extend the handle and roll the bag along behind me.

It sounds like a fairly small thing, but when you're doing it day after day, it's one of my favourite features of the bag.

The wheels themselves are chunky and substantial rather than the tiny suitcase-style wheels you sometimes see fitted to rolling tool bags. They feel appropriate for something that's going to spend its life being dragged around worksites.

My shoulders are extremely grateful for them.

The handle actually feels up to the job

A wheeled tool bag isn't much use if you're constantly wondering whether the telescopic handle is going to survive the weight you've put inside it.

This one feels really solid.

I've got no problem pulling a heavily loaded bag over thresholds, through doors and across the various surfaces I encounter getting into sites.

It doesn't feel like ToughBuilt designed a tool bag and then decided at the last minute to bolt a suitcase handle onto it.

The handle feels like it's actually been designed for the weight the bag is capable of carrying.

Organisation without sacrificing space

This is probably where the bag really works for me.

There's plenty of individual storage for the tools I use regularly, which means screwdrivers, pliers and other everyday bits can have their own places.

I can open the bag and actually see what I'm looking for rather than having everything piled together.

But ToughBuilt hasn't gone too far with it.

There's still a huge central cavity for larger tools and equipment.

That's really important for the way I work.

Some tool bags have fantastic organisation until you try putting anything bigger than a screwdriver inside them. Suddenly you've got 400 beautifully designed pockets and nowhere to put the actual tool you need.

This gives me both.

I can organise all the smaller stuff around the outside while still having a massive area in the middle for larger tools.

The Massive Mouth isn't just a ridiculous name

I admit, XL Rolling Massive Mouth sounds slightly like something you'd encounter at the end of a video game.

But once you start using it, the name makes sense.

The bag opens incredibly wide.

That means when I get onto a job I can open it up and actually see what's inside.

It's a small detail that makes a massive difference when you're constantly reaching for tools.

No digging around at the bottom wondering where your 10mm socket has escaped to this time.

Although, to be fair, I'm not sure any tool bag technology can completely solve the 10mm socket problem.

The build quality is excellent

Mine isn't treated gently.

It's a working tool bag.

It gets loaded up, pulled around gyms, lifted in and out of the van, dragged over thresholds and generally subjected to everything that comes with working in field service.

The whole thing feels properly substantial.

The body is rigid, the wheels are chunky, the handle feels strong and the materials feel like they're designed for professional use rather than occasional DIY.

That's one of the biggest differences I've noticed compared with some of the other bags I've owned.

It feels like something I'm going to have for a long time.

The 25-year guarantee helps too

Another thing I really like is the warranty behind it.

The ToughBuilt XL Rolling Massive Mouth Bag is eligible for ToughBuilt's 25-year extended guarantee in the UK and EU when the product is registered.

That covers the original purchaser against defects in materials or workmanship, subject to ToughBuilt's warranty terms.

You do need to register the product to activate the extended guarantee, so that's something worth doing when you buy one.

It's also worth pointing out that this isn't a blanket replacement policy for anything that happens to the bag. Normal wear and tear, accidents, misuse, abuse, alterations and improper maintenance aren't covered, and the warranty stays with the original purchaser rather than transferring to someone else.

That's completely reasonable.

For something I'm expecting to use heavily for years, though, having a manufacturer willing to stand behind it for that long gives me a lot of confidence in the product.

There is one problem…

There is a downside to owning a tool bag capable of carrying this much equipment.

It can get bloody heavy.

That's not necessarily the bag's fault.

It's mine.

Most of the time, the weight isn't really an issue because that's exactly what the wheels are there for. I get it out of the van, extend the handle and roll everything into the gym.

Then occasionally I arrive somewhere and discover…

stairs.

And no lift.

At that point I'm suddenly reminded exactly how many tools I've managed to cram into this thing.

Carrying it upstairs is a workout

To ToughBuilt's credit, the bag has really strong carrying handles.

Even when mine is fully loaded, I've never felt concerned about the handles taking the weight.

Unfortunately, ToughBuilt hasn't upgraded the person holding them.

When this thing is full, carrying it up a flight of stairs is tough.

Luckily, most of the gyms I visit have lifts, so it isn't something I have to deal with very often.

But if you're regularly working somewhere where you're going to be carrying your tools up multiple flights of stairs, it's definitely something I'd consider before buying one.

Personally, I wouldn't sacrifice the capacity to make the bag lighter.

The whole reason I bought it is because I wanted one main bag capable of carrying the tools I actually need.

It's simply the compromise that comes with having that much kit in one place.

Why it's staying in my kit

After going through several different tool bags, I've finally got one where I'm not constantly wondering what I'll replace it with next.

That's probably the biggest compliment I can give it.

It's big enough for the amount of equipment I carry.

There are plenty of pockets for organising individual tools.

There's a huge central space for bigger equipment.

The opening makes everything easy to get to.

The wheels are excellent.

The telescopic handle feels properly solid.

The carrying handles feel strong.

And the whole thing feels built to survive being used as an actual field service tool bag.

It isn't perfect.

Load it with as much kit as I do and you're going to know about it the moment you encounter a staircase.

But for the vast majority of my working day, I'm rolling it rather than carrying it.

And for the way I work, it's probably the closest I've found to my ideal main tool bag.

Would I buy it again?

Yes. Easily.

I've been through enough tool bags now to know what annoys me about them.

This one has solved far more of those problems than it's created.

If mine disappeared tomorrow, I wouldn't spend three weeks researching what to replace it with.

I'd buy another one.

My verdict

• Capacity ★★★★★
• Organisation ★★★★★
• Build quality ★★★★★
• Wheels ★★★★★
• Telescopic handle ★★★★★
• Everyday practicality ★★★★★
• Carrying it upstairs fully loaded ★★★☆☆

Would I buy it again? Absolutely.

Best thing: I can carry a serious amount of kit, keep it organised and roll the whole lot straight onto the job.

Biggest drawback: Fill all that space with tools and you'll definitely know about it when there's no lift.