What’s Your Favourite Tool?

Do you remember being a kid? Back then, everything was simple. You could watch cartoons every Saturday morning with a glass of choccie milk, and nobody ever asked you to submit a tax return.

Rhino remembers having a favourite plate as a kid. It was white plastic with a red rim and a cartoon rooster emblazoned across it, and written above the rooster’s head in loopy script was the legend, ‘The Sunshine Breakfast!”. Rhino refused to eat from anything else, including Christmas Dinner, which made everyone else mad because they were all using the ‘fancy’ plates.

But why are we telling you this? It’s because a recent survey conducted by Rhino revealed something interesting. It seems that our customers still have their favourites, despite being fully grown men and women running businesses of their own.

“What is Your Favourite Tool?”

It sounds like the setup for a bad joke. But Rhino’s survey, sent out in December 2024, was no laughing matter. We asked 512 anonymous tradespeople (all Rhino customers) a series of questions to get to know our customers better. And the results made for fascinating reading.

Did you know, for example, that 43% of our customers thought that electricians had it easiest of all the trades? If you’re a sparky reading this, this might get your temperature rising. We talk about it in greater detail here – you should check it out if you’re feeling in fight mode!

Anyhow, here is a breakdown of our customer’s favourite tools.

1. Multi-tool

In at #1 is the mighty multi-tool. Were we surprised at this one? Not really.

The multi-tool does so many different things, it’s sort of like having several tools in one. This bad boy can cut, it can sand, it can scrape, it can grind. It just fits in your hand right. The quick-release system that most come with these days mean you can go through attachments faster than Inspector Gadget. And when you get your first cordless, it’s basically impossible to go back to cable versions. It’s safe to say the multi-tool holds a special place in most tradespeople’s hearts.

2. Impact drive

Having used one ourselves, helping put our office back together after the floods in January, Rhino can attest that using an impact driver is just so satisfying. You also save your wrist compared to if you had to screw in 4” screws without it, as the tool does the hardest part for you.

Not to be confused with impact wrenches, impact drivers on the good end of the market can be a little pricey and are often stolen from vans along with other big-ticket items like drills and power saws.

3. Press tool

Lots of you love your press tools. Presumably, those who voted it as your favourite tool are in the plumbing, metalwork or HVAC games, or any other trade where you need a really good seal.

This is a controversial tool among some time-served tradespeople as they think it takes the skill out of the job at hand, but that’s not really the case. The real test it to watch someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing operate a press tool, to truly understand why you need skill, training and experience to complete most trade jobs to a good standard.

4. Drill

The drill is the classic item for any tradesperson to have in their toolbox. If trade tools were like a fried breakfast, we think the drill would be the bacon. (What would the tool equivalent of the grilled tomato? Maybe the digital angle finder, as some people consider it a non-essential).

Many people who grew up to go into the trades had admired drills from a young age. Maybe you had a little plastic version you played with as a kid, ‘fixing’ things around the house? Or maybe you saw the real one in the toolbox and thought, “I can’t wait to grow up and fire up that bad boy.”

Regardless, lots of you love your drills and when you consider how useful they are, it’s not hard to see why.

5. Grips

This was a surprise entry as the fifth most popular tool, as the humble grips don’t exactly bring the same excitement as the fancy, oscillating cordless power tools. In fact, it’s easy to forget about them altogether, that is, until you can’t find them. Most tradespeople can’t get through a single job without their trusty grips, as they really are that versatile. So, it was heartwarming to see the grips get the recognition they deserve.

If you’ve got several pairs of grips, you might find yourself favouring one pair above the others without really knowing why. Some of the people at Rhino HQ can get really funny about which mug they use to drink their tea out of, so we feel like we understand!

Protect What You Love

Rhino’s favourite rooster plate (last seen in 1998) is lost forever. Emotional though it may be, we didn’t rely on it to earn our living so we can live with it being gone.

However, tools are different and an altogether more serious issue. We know how important tools are to your business, and how big an impact it can make if you fall victim to tool theft. You can’t do your jobs, you have to cancel work, you lose customers and the bottom line is, you lose money.

Tool theft is a real and growing issue in the UK. If you’ve seen the news on the topic, been on any online trade forums or chatted to fellow tradesfolk, you know that the theft-and-resale market in the UK is absolutely rampant at the moment.

With Rhino’s tool insurance, you can replace your stuff quickly if it gets stolen. The shiny new set you can get on your insurance may not be worn in the specific way you like it yet, or be coated with the dust of a thousand jobs, but it will soon feel like yours.

Give Rhino a call today on 0116 243 7904 or grab a quote yourself to cover your tools today.