Pro Tool Reviews: Milwaukee Jobsite Backpacks… when I first saw this at this year’s New Product Symposium, it immediately went on my Christmas list. Okay, that was a little self serving. I wanted to throw that out there first just in case anyone that might be shopping for me is reading…
6 comments:
Milwaukee has recently come out with some really fantastic products and it looks like I can add this backpack to the list. The Fastback folding utility knife and Inkzall permanent marker have both become a part of my every day carry and I'd be interested in seeing if this product lives up to that bar. I currently have a CLC tool backpack that I have most of my tools in. The problem is that it's way to heavy to realistically carry anywhere so I mostly just use it for storage and nothing else. Admittedly I don't really have an actual use for a tool backpack. I don't have any jobsites to go to so I don't really need a backpack. That being said, if I did have a practical use for this I would probably get it in a heartbeat. It looks much better thought out than the CLC bag I already have. The rubber bottom so it can stand freely and heavy duty construction are great. One problem that I have with the CLC bag is that you can put tools in multiple pockets one of which faces the back so it's really uncomfortable to wear. This bag seems to address that issue and although it might not be able to hold as many tools, it's probably much more comfortable.
After purchasing my CLC tool bag back pack I am considerable turned off to back packs for tools for my main means of transporting tools due to how quickly the weight adds up. I do enjoy how well laid out this back seems to be in comparison to most other tool bags. How ever, especially for these middle wall back packs, first order of retrievability becomes a challenge. most of the time you cant get to a tool without opening the entire compartment, As soon as you open one side the whole thing spills over because it quickly becomes unbalanced. I personally am waiting for the pelican tool box to come down in price because I frequently find myself missing having a well laid out drawer to have my tools stored and well kept in. Not to mention I would prefer to have something that I can throw onto the table and when I open it all the tools are not completely jumbled.
Living my life, I've broken a lot of things. Literally, nothing is Katie-proof. I cracked my phone screen with a Lifeproof case on it (case in point, ignore the pun). I've been investing in backpacks from outdoor companies like Northface and LLBean since I realized my curse. They're worked well for me, but eventually they wear out. That being said, I would love to see how they made this particular model so I could find a similar item for daily use. As far as the design of the bag, I'm really glad they made a backpack version. It's so much easier if you're working to have a backpack where you can organize your tools than a tool bag that you have to root through every time you need tin snips or something. Plus, if you're climbing a ladder and need your hands, you're good to go. Great design. I hope this holds up on the job floor.
I keep looking at various Backpacks, cases, and boxes, that would be useful for me as a Stage Manager. I have a large fishing tackle box which I currently use to hold my SM kit and I'm getting more and more irritated with my current system. It's nice and laid out when I get it to the room but it's really nice to just sit and leave, so it's not useful at school since I can't leave it in the room at the end of rehearsal. I've been thinking that a backpack might be more useful for me to use in this way. My biggest problem is that while they have pictures of the bag I really can't decide if it would be beneficial to use unless I can actually load it up and use it a bit, and I don't want to invest in something I might not use in the long run. I like the layout of the Milwaukee backpack and would be interested in looking more at it but I don't think I can be entirely sold on it until I've actually seen and worked with one.
This seems like a pretty solid tool backpack design. Milwaukee puts out some pretty great products. That being said, I question how heavy the bag is when fully loaded up. I have a large CLC bag, and when it's full, I can barely carry it across the room. I feel like the fatal flaw with most tool backpacks is simply the weight of all the hand tools one tries to stuff into them. That being said, I can imagine a scenario where a technician who specializes in specific field, like network troubleshooting, might efficiently use this bag. If nothing else, the bag can sit up by itself fully stuffed in my closet, where it will never move.
If only they had announced this a few weeks earlier maybe I’d be walking around campus wearing this backpack instead of my current one. What a cool concept, wearing your tools on your back. I’ve never seen anyone carry a tool backpack but it seems like a great idea, spread out the weight of your heavy tools across both shoulders. There are a lot of well thought out design features here, from the water-resistant shell, to the separation and protection between the tool and laptop section. However, when I saw a Milwaukee backpack I assumed there would have been a 12v battery incorporated somewhere, whether it was to power a backpack radio, a phone charger or some other electric feature Milwaukee could conjure up. No battery (yet) but still a cool design.
Post a Comment