Wednesday, November 12, 2014
A New Take on the Toolbelt: TrakBelt 360
Remodeling: Lauren Hunter talks with the firefighter and forensic photographer who reimagined the toolbelt. Watch how this clever solution can update your standard worker gear.
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7 comments:
I'm not entirely sure how I feel about the rigidity of this tool belt. The outer framing seems to be too stiff and too large a diameter in relation to the person's waist to be a natural and comfortable setting. I feel as though if I were to use one, I would be constantly banging into it with my forearms, because the feeling of a belt on your waist gives your spacial awareness a much smaller range than this belt has. I do like the swivel 360 track, but also feel that it may be too much to handle with all my tools constantly changing position. Often, I find that construction people have a set place on their person for each tool, and instinctively reach for the same place every time, and this belt does not accommodate that. It's a cool idea, just maybe not so intuitive.
I really like the idea behind this new tool belt. I tend to slide my tool pouch around quite a bit on my belt while I'm working since I like to have it in one place while I'm stationary and reaching for tools but in a different, more comfortable position while I'm walking. This belt would make that much easier. I agree with Kim that the rigidity and diameter of the belt worry me. It would obviously take some getting used to but after a few hours wearing I'm sure I could get used to it. The one downside I see is that it looks difficult to put on and take off. Since it also attaches to your actual belt, you can't just grab it and go. It would take more time to deal with which could be a problem. But if it really works as advertised, it could be great. Based on the kickstarter which is almost funded it looks like it will cost about 80 bucks, which is kind of a lot for a belt but not that unreasonable.
I guess I don't personally work with enough tools to notice how much they get in my way, but this belt does not seem super practical to me. I wouldn't want to wear something that took time to put on, takes up space, adds weight, and really help me too much. I get the concept, but the benefits wouldn't surpass the downsides. The belt is bulky with those giant pads that would get in the way and make you sweat more. If the items can move on the belt, what prevents them from moving when you don't want them to? Personally sounds like a waste of money.
I'm on the same page as Keith: I don't work enough with tools for this product to be necessarily useful to me. Personally, it seems like a bit much. If you need to carry that much around with you, why not just get a bag? Your belt and pockets should be reserved for the necessities, not everything + the kitchen sink. Plus, that's gotta weigh you down, regardless of all belt capabilities. Would carrying that much stuff around cause back problems? Maybe be. However, as a female who needs to wear female pants which have minimal pocket space, this may be the answer we're looking for. If I were to use one of these though, I'd like to see it designed for women's hips in mind. Overall, this is a solid idea and a nice redesign, but I'm not feeling it.
I feel like I always need new ways to keep all of my tools on me while I am on a call. I also always run into my tools getting caught on the walls or chairs or really anything around me. The idea you would be able to easily slide the tool pouch around your body seems really convent but the TrakBelt 360 seems like it would be a little bulky on your body. Especially if you are someone like me who is a bit smaller of a person. I agree with Kim on that point about the belt and Philip on the length of time it would take to put on. Some of the tool pouches you can buy though are just as time consuming to put on. I do not think I would personally buy this but the idea is definitely good!
I find it hard to see any real advantage of this system over a normal tool belt. For a photographer who needs might need to sling s lens bag to the front and a camera clip to the front absolutely but for me and my tools I'm not as big of s fan. I prefer knowing exactly where I put each tool and not having to guess and be able to reach for the tool without having to look. With this belt I feel that I would easily loose track and potentially be a cause for more hang ups on surroundings due to not being aware of a larger pouch now on my side instead of behind me. On the contrary it could help be able to move pouches out of the way but still not enough to convince me. Even my kilt which is set up as a tool belt is great because everything has a place and I know where I last put it and don't have to think twice about what I need or where it went too.
While this is a cool idea, currently the belt looks a little clunky. Hopefully some more designing will allow the belt to be a little more seamless and still integrate with existing pouches. I look forward to seeing how this product progresses, as I am currently in the process of growing my tool belt.
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