13
Shoutout to the old hardware store in my hometown that taught me about tools
I was in there last week looking for a specific wrench, and the owner, Frank, asked what I was working on. When I told him, he walked me over to a different aisle and showed me a tool I'd never seen before, a basin wrench. He said, 'This one right here, it'll save you an hour and a sore back.' I bought it for $22 and it worked perfectly. It made me realize I've been doing things the hard way for years just because I didn't know a better tool existed. What's a simple tool you learned about way later than you should have?
4 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In4 Comments
kimr742mo ago
Frank at the local Ace showed me a magnetic pickup tool. My life changed that day. I must have spent HOURS over the years fishing for dropped screws under my workbench. That little telescoping magnet is a miracle worker.
2
piper_kim2mo ago
How did I make it to thirty without knowing about a stud finder? I just kept knocking on walls like a confused woodpecker for years. My dad came over to help hang a shelf and pulled this little beeping box out of his bag. I felt my whole life had been a lie. All that time wasted tapping and guessing, and the answer was a twenty dollar gadget from the hardware aisle.
2
luna_wright2mo ago
My buddy was trying to fix a wobbly toilet for ages, fighting with the rusty bolts underneath. He was about to give up when his neighbor came over with a flange spreader. He said it looked like some medieval torture device, but it bent the metal flange back into place in two minutes. My friend had no idea that tool was even a thing. He bought one the next day.
0