Are we enabling the thief by organizing with Systainers??

[Scorpion]

So I'm organically beginning to organize my tools more and more with Systainers.  Partially because I'm buying more tools that come in Systainers but also because I'm beginning to prefer them as I have more of them.  This preference drives me to move non-festool tools to Systainers as well (like many of you).

So I had a moment this last weekend where I  was in between projects and wanted to clean out the garage.  It was so easy to move my tools to one side while cleaning the other (and vise-versa).  During a break, with beer in hand, I stood back and admired all of my tools and how mobile they'd become how easy it would be to stuff them into my truck and head over to work on my parents house...or someone else's truck should I turn my back for 10 minutes.

My old organization method utilized drawers and tool boxes none of which were very portable at all and would take all day to move out is the garage.  I personally experienced it when we moved to a new house 7 years ago.  My biggest concern was someone grabbing a tool or so I had left out on my bench when I'm inside the house for a few minutes.

So I'm pondering -- when is portability a bad thing if it's not a requirement (like a pro who works out of the back of his truck)? 

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[RKA]

Well, it stands to reason, if it's easy for you to move, it's easy for anyone else.  On a job site, it's probably necessary and you need to find some other way to secure the tools.  At home though, I guess it depends on where you live.  If I was that concerned, I would close and lock the garage door before walking away, but I wouldn't resort to a more difficult form of storage to minimize (not eliminate) a potential loss.  Last night I was rolling stacks of systainers around my basement while I was working on some things.  Took me 2 minutes to get the tools out of the way and put them back when I was finished.  Systainers may not be space efficient, but it's a forced form of organization that far exceeds the rest of the mess I've got going on down there.

 

[six-point socket II]

Hi,

my point of view, keeping it as civil as I possibly can: We enable thieves through a lot of things - organizing tools with/in Systainers is not on my list of contributing factors.

Honestly, what organized/highly professional thieves can and will take within minutes will leave you with your mouth open in disbelief.

If we're talking about acquisitive crime/ crime in relation to substance abuse and the grab and runners, well any small toolbox left unattended can be taken by anyone at anytime.

I have counter measures in place and I would suggest you do the same. I don't know if there is still a place on earth where I would not lock all doors and windows the second I'm about leave out of sight of them or where I would leave something of the slightest value unattended.

Kind regards,
Oliver

 

[live4ever]

Absolutely, yes.

I'm doing the same as you and have had the same thoughts.  A clean, organized, mobile shop is definitely easier to steal from and get away with what you want, especially if you're talking about a thief who knows what they're taking and its value. 

That being said, organizing with systainers for me at least is part of a larger organizational strategy that includes better documentation of my tools (to help w insurance claim if I do have a loss) as well as upgrading shop security.  If I just have a wall of systainer stacks gleaming in the sunlight every time I open the garage door I'm just asking for it, especially where I live.

 

[AlexThePalex]

Thiefs really don't need any systainers to get away with your stuff.

 

[Corwin]

Systainer Ports from Festool are lockable. Might slow 'em down.

Just saying.  [cool]

 

[#Tee]

I wouldnt worry so much about it...if anyone wants your tools theyll find a way regardless of where its at or what its in. yolo and enjoy your money makers.

 

[HarveyWildes]

... I don't know if there is still a place on earth where I would not lock all doors and windows the second I'm about leave out of sight of them or where I would leave something of the slightest value unattended.
...

Maybe this isn't quite on track, but...

I would leave my garage unlocked in Burgess Junction, WY.  It's not that people in Wyoming won't steal stuff, it's just that everyone except the eight people who live in Burgess Junction drives at least 30 miles to get there, and those eight know that you have an arsenal of hunting rifles at your house in case of a bear invasion (and for the local elk).

Seriously, the people in Burgess Junction are just happy to be left alone.  If you are happy with social interaction once or twice a week, they are neighborly, but will mostly leave you alone too, and consider themselves friendly for not bothering you unnecessarily.

So there you go - that's at least eight people out of 9 billion. 

 

[Scorpion]

... I don't know if there is still a place on earth where I would not lock all doors and windows the second I'm about leave out of sight of them or where I would leave something of the slightest value unattended.
...

Maybe this isn't quite on track, but...

I would leave my garage unlocked in Burgess Junction, WY.  It's not that people in Wyoming won't steal stuff, it's just that everyone except the eight people who live in Burgess Junction drives at least 30 miles to get there, and those eight know that you have an arsenal of hunting rifles at your house in case of a bear invasion (and for the local elk).

Seriously, the people in Burgess Junction are just happy to be left alone.  If you are happy with social interaction once or twice a week, they are neighborly, but will mostly leave you alone too, and consider themselves friendly for not bothering you unnecessarily.

So there you go - that's at least eight people out of 9 billion. 

I agree with both of you. It's difficult to understand another man's reality. I live in what I believe is a good neighborhood. Even in good neighborhoods kids steal stuff because kids steal stuff and the occasional bad neighborhood Dude swings by just to see what he can see just on the chance. 

Maybe I could've worded things a little bit differently. Maybe the observation was this-

"if I don't absolutely need tools to be mobile, are there good reasons why they shouldn't be?"  An example could then be "a tool that is more mobile would be easier to steal".  Can anyone think of other reasons?

 

[leakyroof]

... I don't know if there is still a place on earth where I would not lock all doors and windows the second I'm about leave out of sight of them or where I would leave something of the slightest value unattended.
...

Maybe this isn't quite on track, but...

I would leave my garage unlocked in Burgess Junction, WY.  It's not that people in Wyoming won't steal stuff, it's just that everyone except the eight people who live in Burgess Junction drives at least 30 miles to get there, and those eight know that you have an arsenal of hunting rifles at your house in case of a bear invasion (and for the local elk).

Seriously, the people in Burgess Junction are just happy to be left alone.  If you are happy with social interaction once or twice a week, they are neighborly, but will mostly leave you alone too, and consider themselves friendly for not bothering you unnecessarily.

So there you go - that's at least eight people out of 9 billion. 

. Way, way too funny.... I'm sure TRUE as well, but really funny... [thumbs up] [thumbs up] [thumbs up]

 

[Bob D.]

On the same line as the OPs question I see a similar thing happening in our small neighborhood of 22 homes.
That being are we enabling others to take advantage of us unknowingly or unintentionally.

Not tools for my example but it seems along the same line. Over the past few years our small development out in  NJ farm country has experienced occasional theft of miscellaneous items from peoples yards, from their vehicles if they left a door unlocked or forgot and left a window down, a tool box out of the bed of a pickup not long ago, lawn furniture or stuff off the back porch or patio. Haven't had any break-ins and if you asked anyone in the area they would say it's a safe place. None of the thefts have been the result of forced entry, no car windows smashed or locks cut, but they seem to be crimes of opportunity. Someone wandering through the neighborhood at night who must be trying car doors looking for one that is unlocked and when they find one they will go through it and grab change out of the cup holder or a CD. But it's never been anything of significant monetary value.

We don't have police in our township so depend on the State Police. The local barracks probably cover a hundred square miles or more so they are busy. In most of those cases the owner thought their stuff was Ok where it was or they forgot to lock it up. Is that enabling the thief? Unintentionally maybe but after all the times this has happened here (and the word gets passed around so its not like people don't know how prevalent it is) you would think that they would be more careful about locking up or putting things away. But we have a neighbor who leaves his lawn tractor sitting in the driveway day and night. It's not a piece of junk either, probably worth $1500 as it sits today. Why does he leave it out I don't know. They have a garage that they don't put the car in and there is plenty of room in there.

I am the only one who has security cameras and every time something goes missing they will get in touch and ask if my cameras saw anyone who didn't belong in the area last night or three days ago. I scan through the files but usually don't anything. Sometimes maybe a car going down the street at 3 am but my cameras are trained on my property not watching the roads and at night it is difficult to see enough detail at 75 or 100 feet to ID a vehicle let alone a person. Now if they came up my drive or crossed anywhere onto my property from any direction I will know who they are. But I have intentionally set my cameras so as not to be peeking into my neighbors property as best I can. I don't want anyone thinking I am spying on them and I told them all when I put the cameras up and I showed them the view from the camera(s) that look in their direction.

Given the list of items that have disappeared it seems like kids but haven't been able to prove that yet.

But when someone breaks into a jobsite and makes off with $10K of quality tools they know what they are doing and you're not going to deter them easily.

First question I would have is who could have known such a haul of Festool was there. Maybe someone working for another contractor or a truck driver bringing material to a job or a disgruntled former employee. Now a days who knows.

 

[WarnerConstCo.]

That's what insurance is for and I don't know where my house key is.

 

[Paul G]

That's what insurance is for....

And a .45  [big grin]

 

[Paul G]

Maybe I could've worded things a little bit differently. Maybe the observation was this-

"if I don't absolutely need tools to be mobile, are there good reasons why they shouldn't be?"  An example could then be "a tool that is more mobile would be easier to steal".  Can anyone think of other reasons?

Sure, large heavy tools can be far more powerful and capable for certain tasks.

 

[six-point socket II]

... I don't know if there is still a place on earth where I would not lock all doors and windows the second I'm about leave out of sight of them or where I would leave something of the slightest value unattended.
...

Maybe this isn't quite on track, but...

I would leave my garage unlocked in Burgess Junction, WY.  It's not that people in Wyoming won't steal stuff, it's just that everyone except the eight people who live in Burgess Junction drives at least 30 miles to get there, and those eight know that you have an arsenal of hunting rifles at your house in case of a bear invasion (and for the local elk).

Seriously, the people in Burgess Junction are just happy to be left alone.  If you are happy with social interaction once or twice a week, they are neighborly, but will mostly leave you alone too, and consider themselves friendly for not bothering you unnecessarily.

So there you go - that's at least eight people out of 9 billion. 

Hi,

Sounds very good to me!  [smile]

Kind regards,
Oliver

 

[HarveyWildes]

... I don't know if there is still a place on earth where I would not lock all doors and windows the second I'm about leave out of sight of them or where I would leave something of the slightest value unattended.
...

Maybe this isn't quite on track, but...

I would leave my garage unlocked in Burgess Junction, WY.  It's not that people in Wyoming won't steal stuff, it's just that everyone except the eight people who live in Burgess Junction drives at least 30 miles to get there, and those eight know that you have an arsenal of hunting rifles at your house in case of a bear invasion (and for the local elk).

Seriously, the people in Burgess Junction are just happy to be left alone.  If you are happy with social interaction once or twice a week, they are neighborly, but will mostly leave you alone too, and consider themselves friendly for not bothering you unnecessarily.

So there you go - that's at least eight people out of 9 billion. 

Hi,

Sounds very good to me!  [smile]

Kind regards,
Oliver

Me too, after the snow has melted, for a few peaceful days at a time.  It's a place where you can hear the silence, and the pressures of everyday melt away .

And since I don't take my tools with me on such trips, I sit there in the silence wondering if my tools will still be there when I get back to the big city (~330,000 people in our tri-city area), and realizing that at that very moment, I don't really care...

 

[WastedP]

I'm worried that someone may steal my tires and wheels because I left them attached to my truck.  The truck's rear window doesn't lock, and the ignition can be started with a chainsaw scrench, which I keep in the center console.

In order to sleep easy at night, I may have to resort to removing the wheels each evening, and locking them up.

 

[Paul G]

I'm worried that someone may steal my tires and wheels because I left them attached to my truck.  The truck's rear window doesn't lock, and the ignition can be started with a chainsaw scrench, which I keep in the center console.

In order to sleep easy at night, I may have to resort to removing the wheels each evening, and locking them up.

The sarcasm suggests you've never had your wheels stolen from your truck. Thankfully a deterrent to that real issue is relatively inexpensivehttp://www.gorilla-auto.com/x2-wheel-locks

 

[Naildrivingman]

"Locks are for honest people"

That's a quote I heard a lot of years ago and it's true now as then.  If we behave with a reasonable amount of caution and common sense, we are probably doing the best we can.  Face it, if a thief wants something bad enough, it will be gone.

RE the OP, is there a difference between tools organized and stacked in Systainers versus individual tools in native cases organized on a shelf?  I would hazard a guess that tools stacked on a shelf are easier to abscond than ones in linked/stacked Systainers. I would further guess that if linked together, Systainers might be a deterrent because most thieves may not be bright enough to know how to unlink them!

 

[Scorpion]

"Locks are for honest people"

...Systainers might be a deterrent because most thieves may not be bright enough to know how to unlink them!

LOL!!  I guess it is possible that they won't get the Systainer thing and move on to the neighbor with the SnapOn toolbox. 

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