Customer Reviews

Occidental Leather 5080XXL Pro-Framer Belt Package (XXL)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If your looking for the last tool bag set you'll ever buy STOP LOOKING. I've been a carpenter for 20 years and have never had a better set of nail bags. Nylon bags loose their rivets and tear, also nails will get caught to the bags when your in a hurry pulling them out. Other leather nail bags will, also, loose their rivets ( do to thin leather) and they will rot and wear quickly where the bags loop the belt. These bags are made of the thickest leather I've ever seen on a set of bags. They have lasted me for 3 1/2 years now and still counting. And the company that makes them backs them with a two year gearanty. You can't find any others that do this. If you loose a rivit or they rot its no problem! But, it won't happen. Finding a place for all your hand tools isn't a problem anymore. There a special holders for any tool you use on your jobs. My bags hold all the tools I had in my last bags plus all the tools I always wish I could keep handy but couldn't, NO MORE ASKING THE HELP TO GET A PARTICULER HAND TOOL FROM THE TRAILER. Things I carry in my bags: LEFT SIDE: 30' tape, speed square, torpedo level,red & blue crayon, nail puller(but who ever needs that? right? ;), 7's, 16's, misc nails like cut and galvs. RIGHT SIDE: cell phone, construction master calc(GET ONE IT WILL SPEED UP THE JOB! ), pincil, box nife, chisel, screw driver, nail set, chalk box, cigarets( I dont want to hear it :)) and line level all in their on compartments. Then I still have one HUGE bag left for my layout square and my T-Bevel( in my previos bags I would put most of the above tools into the large bag( and they would always fall out and get lost or damaged on the site when I pulled tools out). Another great feature is have both the leather hammer loop on the front right side and the fancy :) hammer hoop in the back. If you have ever bent down to lay out a wall or nail it you know how your hammer will get in the way while in the front right. And if you've ever been two stories up tieing in a saufit...droping your hammer while trying to put it in your back hoop is enough to make you pull your hair out. Now you have the option of both! At any time! Buy this bag before your coworkers do, because once they've seen yours they'll all have them.

These bags are certainly built to last. I love the big bags, the quality and the SMELL! Yum. There are lots of tool holders. It will neatly carry everything a framer needs. On the left side, I have 16s in the big bag, 8s in the medium and hanger nails in the small one. I also have a cat's paw, pencil, speedsquare and nailset, all in their own holders. I'd like to carry a combination square in the holder designed for it, but it always gets in the way, or pokes my leg, or the cat's paw tears up the ruler part. On the right side I carry a chalk box in the small bag, 6d galvies in the bottom of the big bag, a chisel, torpedo level, utility knife, pencil, keel, dykes and a 25 foot tape in its own holder, which brings be to one MAJOR gripe. This is a big deal to me. Being right handed, I've always held the tape with my left hand and marked with my right. That's intuitive, right? These bags pretty much force me to grab the tape with my right hand, which gives it to my left. Then I grab a pencil with my right hand again. I'd love it if the tape holder was on the left side, while the rest remains as it is. I'm thinking about having them modified. I might also do better with a different left bag; one with one more small bag hanging off the big pouch.

Sometimes I wish the leather hammer loop was metal, like the other one. Its easier to slip the hammer into it. But the leather one is a good tin snips holder, so its even steven on that one.

I've tried the leather suspenders, which is great in theory because there are no clips to tear up your belt, but in practice they were really uncomfortable on me, and the shoulder pads never stayed in place. I might try the newer design they have available now.

Worth the money? Yes! They last forever and are (mostly) thoughtfully designed.

The tool belts and accessories from Occidental are by far the best on the market. I love the way the pouches and tool holders are laid out, all my tools (torpedo level, tape, speed square, cat's paw, nail puller, hammer, pencil, etc.) are all within reach. It took me only about 5 minutes to adjust to the new tool placements after I replaced my top of the line CLC tool belt.

Pluses
Pouches and tools pouches slide on the belt so I can wear the belt "backwards" (as Norm does on This Old House and New Yankee) yet still have the buckle in front, or forwards (pouches closer to the back)

Removeable pouches. I slide off my framing tool holder and replace it with my electrician's pouch when doing electrical work.

Easy access to all my tools. Occidental put time into layout and design of the individual tool holders in each bag.

THICK full grain leather. This should last for years.

Comfortable. I carry more tools with less strain and effort than any other belt I have owned.

11-24-04 I purchased the Stronghold suspender system and retro fit attachment to reduce low back strain. I now give it six stars.

Negatives

None

This belt is most definitely a quality belt. Occidental stands behind their products w/ a 2-year warranty, and guarantees their rivets and stitching on the bags forever. You can return it to the factory for repairs if ever needed (doubtful!). My only complaint, and it's minor, is the placement of the tape holder at the top of the right-hand bag. I find that it can get in the way a bit when you go to insert chisels, pencils, screwdrivers into the tool holders in the bag. However, since this is a front buckle, it's not like they can put it much of anywhere else. A lot of money to pay for a toolbelt you might think, particularly if you are not a pro. However, this rig is well thought out and well-constructed, and with even the slightest amount of care, should last most people a lifetime. You can go to Occidental Leather's website for instructions on how to care for the belt to ensure a lifetime of use.

I've been a carpenter for 25 years and have gone through my share of tool belts. This is with out a doubt the best I have owned. I will retire with this pouch and hand it down to my grand kids. It's well made and the pouches are nice sizes. If I had one thing I didn't like about it, it would be the hammer loop. It's too small and located in front. But I just took the old hammer loop of my old pouch. I'm sorry Amazon only has 5 stars to give.

Thats what my coworkers nick named me because off all the tools I carry and the size of the rig. This is what I carry every day ,tape,knife, caulk box,small prybar, 2 pencils, sharpie,4 in one screwdriver, snips, dikes, speed square, combo square, nail set, all in their own holders.Depending on what I am doing I'll also carry, a second caulk box, 2 vise-grip c clamps, rock saw, rasp, and a 9 inch level, with every tool in its place. Very large and heavy but with the 5055 suspenders very comfortable. Great for framing and rocking but too large and bulky for trim and fine work. Thinking about buying the trimmers belt also. My old belts always tore, these show no signs and will last for a very long time. These belts are not for everybody because of the price, size, and weight. Try one on before you buy and make sure everything is adjusted, it took me a week to get the suspenders adjusted right, but have not changed them since.

I have had my all leather tool pouch for about 18 years. I used it every day for probably 10 years. I am going back out in the field as a working super and I had bought new bags, (from the other guys)within in 1 week of use I am back to my original occidental leather framer. It is about ready for replacement but it took 18 years, 12 years of hard use. I will gladly pay the price for a new one. Well layed out comfortable and tough as the nails you put in it.

I've have a set of these bags now for over 10 years and as far as I'm concerned, they'll probably last another 10. Unfortunately, I won't ever find out because someone broke into my job trailer and one of the things that they stole were my 10 year old pouches - which I think speaks more loudly than anything I could say.... They are a bit bulky, but are built like a tank - they will hold up to anything that you'll throw at them in normal construction - Only slight problem would be that you can't fit a 35' fat-max in the tape holder. A 25' works fine for almost everything that I have to do. You might not like some things about these, like the size or weight, but I don't think you'll hear anyone complain about the quality.

I am ordering my second toolbelt like this. I have used my first one for for appoximately 8 years. Before I had used cheaper tool belts and did not get near the life out of them as I do out of this belt. I still am going to use my old belt for rough work. Thanks for the excellent product. Sincerely, Mark Freed