10 Tips to Prevent and Recover Stolen Tools

If you’re a craftsman, your tools are the bread and butter of your work. It’s likely that you’ve spent significant amounts of money on the tools in your toolkit, so you’ve always got the right equipment to hand no matter the job. Even if you’re more of a DIY hobbyist, you’d be lost without your tools when you’ve an important job to do around the home.

Tools such as Snap-on spanners, Craftsman professional tool sets, power tools, and toolboxes are expensive, and thieves know exactly what brands they’re looking for when it comes to taking what isn’t theirs.

In this article, we look at 10 tips to prevent your tools being stolen, as well as how to recover them if the worst happens.

Tool Protection

To minimize the risk of your tools being taken, there are several steps you can take, for example:

1. Keep your tools locked away. Whenever you’re away from your gear, keep it locked in a sturdy and secure tool box. Remember that the larger and heavier the box, the less likely it is to be stolen by an opportunist.
2. Permanently mark your equipment. It’s possible to buy stamps that permanently mark your tools with a specific word or pattern. You can also engrave your tools so if they’re taken by accident or otherwise, you can easily identify what’s yours.
3. Paint your tools. By painting your tools an unusual or bright color, you can easily identify them if they wander off.
4. Keep a close eye on your tools. OK, so it’s not practical to watch over your equipment 24 hours a day. However, if you’re going to lunch or are leaving your tools for some time, put them away in advance.
5. Use a GPS tracking device. It’s likely you’ve spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars on your tools. If you’ve a particularly expensive tool such as a mig welder or a cordless drywall gun, fitting it with a hidden GPS tracking device ensures you can locate it in the event of a theft. It’s also a good idea to hide a GPS device within your toolbox.
6. Fit an alarm. For bigger tools that are usually kept chained up or for tool boxes, you can add inexpensive alarm systems to further ensure their security.

Tool Recovery

If someone has taken your equipment, either on purpose or accidentally, you need to be able to identify them so you can recover them. The following steps can be a significant help under these circumstances:

7. Purchase insurance. Particularly if your tools are valuable and manufactured by a premium brand, it’s crucial to have a robust personal property insurance policy to help you keep working if the worst happens.
8. Keep a note of valuable data. Expensive major tools, like air tools and power tools often have a serial number printed on them. Take a note of these and keep them safe. For smaller yet important tools, consider engraving or punching identifiable information on the handles.
9. File a police report. Always keep an inventory of your tools, so you’re aware of everything of value in your tool box. If you’re belongings are taken, make a list of everything, as well as their serial numbers. If you spot your tools for sale, you can backup your claim with the police report.
10. Don’t keep the cycle going by buying cheap stolen tools. If you hear of someone selling expensive tools on the cheap, avoid buying them so the cycle is broken.

Decent tools require a significant outlay to purchase. Remember to keep some money aside in your budget to keep them secure.

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