February_2022 - 58

BIG TIME BOXES
Loyalty from kindness
W
hen Andrew Kay was
a young automotive
technician, a Matco
Tools mobile tool dealer was
one of the many distributors
who would come into his shop.
Unlike the other guys, Jimmy
Smith from Matco was the only
one who would talk to Kay. He
took a risk with Kay and trusted
him, and from there, a lifelong
customer was born.
" With my first box, I didn't have any
credit but he got me into my first box and
it grew from there. It meant a lot and it's
gone a long ways because I probably have in
the neighborhood of a quarter million dollars
worth of tools, " says Kay, an ASE certified
Honda master technician at Hendrick
Honda of Charleston in South Carolina.
That first box was a Matco four-series
double bay and then Kay upgraded to a
five series double bay with a hutch and side
locker. He has since sold that and now has
the Matco six series triple bay 28 " toolbox
with a matching Matco JSC770 roll cart.
The dark green color on his box is now a
rarity as this particular shade (called " green
envy " ) has been discontinued, as has the
textured black (called " crinkle black " ) that
appears on the box.
" Nobody can ever get my color combo
again, " Kay says. " It's a big eye-catching
piece. "
And because he was not able to order the
roll cart in two tones to match his box, Kay
ordered two carts and swapped the drawers.
The top box is actually a half-hutch in
the middle with drawers on either side. He
custom ordered two side lockers with two
sets of sliding shelves and a power strip
on each side. All his Milwaukee 18V and
chargers are on one side and the 12V and
chargers are on the other.
Many years ago, Kay's shop foreman told
him he was organizing his box all wrong
This technician's toolbox takes up the entire wall of his garage and is packed with Matco tools.
By Amanda Silliker, Editor
Andrew Kay
Shop: Hendrick Honda of Charleston
Location: Charleston, SC
and that he would soon get tired from
" bending over 30 times a day to reach the
same tool. " Turns out he was right, so now
Kay keeps his most-used tools around waist
level. In the skinnier drawers, he keeps his
wrenches, screwdrivers and flatter tools.
The deeper drawers hold his sockets standing
up in socket organizers and pliers on
plier racks.
" You try to take up as much vertical
space as you can in each drawer, " says Kay.
The roll cart usually has the tools he
uses the most throughout the day such as
his metric wrenches, screwdrivers, torques,
socket extension, swivel-foot pry bars, and
ratchets. Often found on the roll cart are
hammers, pliers, and diagnostic equipment
at the bottom.
Kay's favorite part of his toolbox is the
half hutch.
" A full hutch for me is a waste of space
in terms of square footage. I prefer to have
doors on either side for organization, " he
says. " The half hutch is big enough that you
58 PTEN FEBRUARY 2022 www.VehicleServicePros.com
can put a laptop, scanner, radio, and stuff
that you want to lock away. "
He also finds the power drawers in the
side lockers very useful for plugging in battery
chargers and tools.
" Battery charging capabilities is a must, "
he adds.
Kay's box has a power drawer, each side
locker has a power drawer, and the box
comes with " convenience power " on the
front of the box with 110V and USB power.
Kay's loyalty to Matco runs deep and he
even had a stint as a Matco dealer himself
but ended up selling the franchise once he
started having kids. Now, he works at the
same Honda dealership that he started out
at when he was 17.
When asked if he has plans to add to his
toolbox, he is quick to respond " absolutely
not! "
" My wife would kill me if I added on to
this box, " he says. " It takes up the entire wall
of my garage - there's no room to go up
or out. ""
Want to see more photos of Kay's box?
Visit: VehicleServicePros.com/21247789
Want to show off YOUR Big-Time Box?
For more information, email
Editor@VehicleServicePros.com.

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February_2022

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