Milwaukee has been expanding their tool storage portfolio, which includes a bunch of stationary tool storage products, 2 sizes of portable tool boxes, a tool backpack, an organizer, and zippered pouches.
Their newest offering is the 48-22-8210 jobsite technician tool bag, which Milwaukee says was designed from the ground-up to address the needs of professionals who need a secure place to store and transport their tools, as well as their technology, while on the jobsite.
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I agree with what’s said in Milwaukee’s press release, about how a lot of service techs, MRO professionals, tradesmen, and other users now travel with laptops and/or tablets. I’ve seen more than one service tech with a laptop poking out from a tool backpack, or from a secondary bag that’s carried alongside a tool bag or box.
Milwaukee’s tool backpack has a laptop pouch, as do other brands’ backpacks and tech bags. Not everyone will utilize this feature, but many users will see this as an essential feature.
To start, the new Milwaukee jobsite tech bag has a large central compartment with plenty of pockets. How many? 53. That’s a lot of organization potential!
Features
- Made from 1680D ballistic material (heavy duty ballistic nylon)
- Heavy duty zippers
- Hard molded base for greater durability
- Protected separate tech storage pocket for your laptop, tablet, or other similar tech
- Integrated rain flap which wraps over the laptop pocket and main tool compartment
- Fold-down front compartment
- Dedicated puncture-resistant pocket for sharp tools (such as jab saws)
- Padded, breathable shoulder strap
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All these features sound great on paper, and the new tech bag images look good too.
There are a couple of outside compartments, and what looks to be expandable water bottle compartments on both sides.
Price: $99
Released: May 2016
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First Thoughts
To be frank, I’m struggling to find a downside to Milwaukee’s new jobsite tech tool bag.
I think that a lot of users will love the laptop/tech pocket, but there will be plenty of other users who use this as just a shoulder tool bag. Maybe they can slap a tool palette into the laptop pouch for a little extra organization and small hand tool storage.
I’m fairly certain that Milwaukee intends this to be a tech tool bag, as in a tool bag that also holds your tech, but I also believe that service techs in particular will gravitate to the design. Maybe they meant it to have both meanings.
I like that the main compartment looks spacious and is lined with hand tool pouches, and that there’s enough room for a compact power tool or two. A fully loaded bag might be a bit too heavy to carry with the shoulder strap, but there are also the built-in and strong-looking handles.
What do you think – is this a winner? Is the laptop pouch a definite benefit, or a feature you don’t really care about?
Dean
It’s definitely a winner if you are a mobile trade person. However, for the average homeowner its a bit to pricey and frankly not really needed. All my tools go into a 5 gallon bucket when I need to haul them somewhere else on the property. Still, it would be a nice thing to have but its waaaaay down on the priority list for me
Drew M
That rain flap looks awful. Why didn’t they just put flaps over all the zippers like basically every backpack maker has done for the last 30 years or more?
I agree it is too expensive but I like the idea. Basically every day, I need to carry a laptop and some tools with me. I use a JanSport backpack (with a padded laptop slot), a tool bag and a toolbox. It would be nice to consolidate and eliminate some stuff though.
Pete
Basically they took their backpack and made it into a satchel. Not of my tastes or needs.
Mike
It’s definitely a step in the right direction. Most of the existing tech bags are basically laptop carriers with a few tool loops thrown in the mix. This appears to be the opposite, a tool carrier with a dedicated compartment for a laptop. What it’s missing (and frankly, all these bags are missing it) is a rigid panel to protect the laptop. When loaded the bag gets heavy, 20 to 30 pounds isn’t unusual. It’s too easy to bang the bag on a doorway, the edge of a counter, or even worse a corner of something. With all the weight behind it the laptop doesn’t stand a chance when it gets hit first. Put a panel on the outside of the laptop padding to distribute the force from a sharp hit.
I agree about the rain flap. It looks funny at best. When I saw the picture, my first thought was someone gave it a wedgie and pulled its underwear over its head.
Michael Quinlan
After having used a Milwaukee tool backpack for two days recently, I can say I’m not really a fan of what Milwaukee thinks a tool bag should be. It seemed sturdy enough, but there were too many things that just didn’t work for me. I expect this new bag will be of a similar design, with some actual pockets, and a lot of what Milwaukee calls a pocket even when it really isn’t one.
My recent search for a tool backpack taught me that opinions on tool bags are very subjective – many people rave about what fails to satisfy others. If the pocket layout and compartments fit your needs, that’s what matters.
Mike
This is a good bag for a electrician not for a plumber or carpenter it doesn’t look durable enough
Joe mama
So you say it’s only good for an electrician (sweet great for me since I mainly do electrical) but Youur comments I have a feeling are just full of shit and you have no clue. You say it’s not good for plumbers or contractor because is doesn’t look durable. So does that mean you really don’t know shit because you have only seen it in pictures online and have no real world experience? People like you should not post comments because your full have shit and have no experience on the products youhe commenting on.