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?

4 comments

4 Comments

vera_johnson91mo ago

Ngl, I actually miss having separate tools for everything. That fluke brick you mentioned was heavy, sure, but it was built like a tank and the toner tone was way more clear than anything I've used since. These all-in-one units are convenient until the one part breaks and you gotta replace the whole $300 tool. Plus the old coax modules actually grabbed the F connectors tight. My new Klein wand slips off half the time on loose fittings. There's something to be said for a tool that does one job perfectly instead of four jobs okay. The tech might be lighter but it feels more disposable and less repairable. And forget about the newer stuff working with legacy systems. When you're tracing 30 year old phone lines that someone painted over three times, those single function toners still win every time.

marywilson3mo 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.

dakotab933mo 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 Now a single multi-bit ratchet covers like 90% of it and the rest is obsolete.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.

parkerbrown3mo 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.