I'm surprised that this recent blast of activity hasn't prompted someone to
once again send in Peter Egan's list of tools. Interesting.
I have a fair number of tools. I've broken a pile of cheap imports and a few
Craftsman items. I have yet to break any of my Snap-On, Mac or S-K tools.
My main 3/8 drive ratchet is an S-K that I've had for some time. The fact that
it has not been broken these many years is not due to the thing laying idle.
Same with my Snap-On OEX series 1/2 and 9/16 combo wrenches. If you work on
Triumphs, you know these sizes see some action. Mine have lost some of that
showroom shine, and in fact look like they were made about a week after that
fateful day some Neanderthal dropped the pointy stick and piece of flint, and
fired up the forge. Okay, maybe two weeks. That level of surface finish must
have taken some practice.
There is no One True Tool. I have great respect for some of my tools, but I
do not hesitate to run down the street to the local home improvement place for
the zillion piece $5.95 tool set when I need to grind the head so that it
slips in past that obstruction, heat and bend the handle just so, and apply
that B.F'ing hammer to the finished product.
While I'm at it, might as well tell my Sears story. In truth, I used to work
for Sears, as a grunt in the employee cafeteria. That's a while back. Anyway,
one saturday morning my wife and I were sipping our coffee and munching our
pastries, browsing the paper. Her car needed a new battery, and we spotted an
ad from Sears, listing a good price, valid through sunday the 15th. No sweat,
we'll head up to the local crags today to take advantage of the sunshine, and
get the battery tomorrow, the last day of the sale, when the storm moves in.
So sunday morning we head in, the clerk says the sale ended the 15th. A typo
in the ad, sunday was the 16th, the 15th was yesterday. Sorry. It's not his
fault.
We talk for a bit, hem and haw, rant and rave. The clerk, probably just
transferred from candy, remains adamant. We head home, but stop at the
library on the way. We look up some info about Sears and the home office in
the Thomas Register, head home and write some letters. About a week or so
later, we get a phone call from the manager of Sears' Utah region automotive
division manager, asking if we'd like to head down to the nearby Sears store
at our convenience to pick up a nice new battery at the sale price in effect
last week. The clerks will be expecting us.
It pays to do your homework.
mjb.
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