Nice thread, funny how when some can handle the truth they want the thread closed.
I like some have been with tools in hand since maybe 5 or so, and have served as machinist, mechanic, and some other occupations for life. I agree with the op about the fancy tool boxers, its similar to people that have to always show off with fancy cars or pickups. There are two types of people in shops, talkers and doer's.
The look at me types are the talkers, and usually think very highly of themselves and believe they are gods gift to the craft they are in. They are usually someone that has gone to a school to learn the trade, not someone who is for lack of better terms is born for the trade, not many of that type around.
Snap on tools are over rated, some are made in china, as well as the expensive car priced rollaways, snap on is also way over priced and sometimes not even warrantied as well as lesser brands. So like alot of things now they are just not what they used to be. One thing that can be okay about snap on is some of the special tools and more hard to come by tools, but it will cost ya.
I really got a kick out of the cig stuff and the constant breaks etc. Not fair to us nonsmokers.
Now for the other side of the coin. I have worked for and with alot of crap heads in my day, I even have been set up by jealous fellow workers to fail.
The thing I have discovered that makes any job desirable to stay at is ownership of the job, and freedom, the freedom part you will likely never find in automotive repair, because that means being able to take time off when needed or start or stop when you desire to. That is something that is worth more than having more on a paycheck and something that outfits will someday have to adopt to hold on to employees, yeah I know all the excuses for not allowing it. The thing I hate most is the fascination with day shift, since a mechanic spends time in a well lit shop and uses lights under the hood or the vehicle there is no need to be forced
to spend many hours a day of your free time in traffic to go or come home from work, as well as all the lost rest in between during the week. And is likely why
the quality of repair work is so questionable. I found it funny how the op said the tech doesn't share the responsibility, in all cases the tech does, his job hinges on it. And if someone has to spend the same cash that he would if he bought say a back hoe, a machine that would command over $60 / hour, how come his outlay for tools aren't compensated for? I forsee that in the future all auto shops will have to supply the hand tools, especially since they are so out of reason
and a major cost for someone that ends up not making enough to pay for them, I'm talking a non smoker type that has to afford rent. Its been a fun rant.
