Outside Industrial · About
Built by a tradesman, not a content farm.
I’m Heith. I’ve spent years in HVAC and mechanical work — buying tools with my own money for jobs that had to get done right, on time, the first time. Somewhere along the way I became the guy coworkers asked: “which one should I buy?” So I started writing it down. That’s this site.
What this is
Outside Industrial is a curated workshop supply guide. The picks are tools worth your money, with honest notes on the rest — researched the way a buyer researches: spec sheets, manufacturer documentation, warranty terms, parts availability, and what working tradespeople and shop folks report over time.
How we pick
Every guide states which of these it leans on:
- Trade-informed buying questions. Years of buying tools with my own money shapes the questions — what breaks first, what the warranty actually covers, what the spec sheet doesn’t say.
- Spec and manufacturer research. Manuals, specs, warranty terms, parts availability. Boring, but it’s where the truth lives.
- Pro and community feedback. What working tradespeople and shop folks report over time — the long view no launch-day review can give.
What we’re not: a test lab. We don’t run controlled tool tests and won’t pretend to — when a guide leans on research rather than hands-on time, it says so.
What you won’t find here
- Paid placements, rankings for sale, or “reviews” written to please a brand.
- Countdown timers, fake scarcity, or inflated strikethrough prices.
- Your personal address or phone number — we don’t publish ours either. Contact is by email.
Some links are affiliate links — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never influences what gets picked. Read the full disclosure.
Good to know
Who runs Outside Industrial?
Heith — HVAC and mechanical work by trade, tool buyer by necessity. This site is the written-down version of the buying advice coworkers have asked for for years.
Do brands pay to be featured?
No. Not for picks, rankings, kind words, or placement — at any price. Brands can advertise, but advertising buys clearly labeled placement, never editorial favor.
How is the site funded?
Affiliate commissions: when you buy through links on this site, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Commissions keep the lights on; they never decide what gets picked. Full disclosure.