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Remember when you had to carry a separate toner and probe for every cable type?
I was cleaning out my work van the other day and found my old Fluke TS100 set from maybe 2010. That thing was a brick, and you needed a different toner module for coax, cat5, even phone lines. Now my Klein VDV500 does it all in one unit, plus it has that remote toner wand. The change really hit me on a job in Tampa last month. Had to trace a mess of old RG6 and new Cat6e in a drop ceiling. Would have taken an hour swapping modules back in the day. Did it in twenty minutes. The tech has just gotten so much simpler and lighter to haul around. What's the one old piece of gear you're glad you don't have to carry anymore?
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marywilson22d ago
Yeah, it's not just test gear either. My whole tool bag got lighter when I stopped needing a separate driver for every phone system or a dedicated crimper just for coax ends. It feels like everything used to need its own special box, and now the good stuff just handles more. Makes you wonder what bulky thing we're still carrying that will seem silly in another ten years.
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dakotab9322d ago
That "separate driver for every phone system" line hits hard. I once had a whole drawer just for weird security torx bits that only worked on one brand of card reader. Now a single multi-bit ratchet covers like 90% of it and the rest is obsolete. We're definitely still hauling around some single-use junk that'll be gone soon.
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parkerbrown22d ago
It's the same with home stuff. My dad had a whole wall of different chargers for his early cell phones, cameras, and gadgets. Each one was a different plug shape and voltage. Now a couple of USB-C cables charge my laptop, phone, and headphones. The move from a dozen single-purpose items to one or two universal tools is happening everywhere, and it really does make life simpler.
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