My name is Marlan, and I am a tooloholic. I collect strange tools like an entomologist collects rare insects. The tricker, the shinier, the weirder…the better! Most of them even have a legitimate function. Some were originally purchased because, “I never want to hassle with that inaccessible, difficult, or critical don’t-screw-this-one-up assembly/removal operation again.” (And Murphy’s Law being what it is, that situation won’t arise again for a decade—but I’m prepared if it does.) Others were purchased because they save time or help me avoid damaging or maiming critical parts. A few reside in the box simply because they are cool to have from a technoid perspective.
Just when I think I’m finally clean and sober, I’ll visit a shop or attend a trade show and jones for a trick new shiny tool that I gotta have. If I was a whiner, I’d do the politically correct two-step and blame the tool addiction on my upbringing. But the truth is there’s no one to blame but myself—I “encouraged” the Old Man to become a Snap-on rep so I could have a direct connection. After that, I was like a kid in a candy store. He only reinforced my existing predisposition. (“Son, there’s a right tool for every job— never use a screwdriver as a prybar!”)
The 10 tools shown in the sidebars below actually get used from time to time…really. (And there’s plenty more where these came from, so if any of you want more weirdness or a semi-regular feature, drop us a line!)
My name is Marlan, and I am a tooloholic. I collect strange tools like an entomologist collects rare insects. The tricker, the shinier, the weirder…the better! Most of them even have a legitimate function. Some were originally purchased because, "I never want to hassle with that inaccessible, difficult, or critical don't-screw-this-one-up assembly/removal operation again." (And Murphy's Law being what it is, that situation won't arise again for a decade--but I'm prepared if it does.) Others were purchased because they save time or help me avoid damaging or maiming critical parts. A few reside in the box simply because they are cool to have from a technoid perspective.Just when I think I'm finally clean and sober, I'll visit a shop or attend a trade show and jones for a trick new shiny tool that I gotta have. If I was a whiner, I'd do the politically correct two-step and blame the tool addiction on my upbringing. But the truth is there's no one to blame but myself--I "encouraged" the Old Man to become a Snap-on rep so I could have a direct connection. After that, I was like a kid in a candy store. He only reinforced my existing predisposition. ("Son, there's a right tool for every job-- never use a screwdriver as a prybar!")
The 10 tools shown in the sidebars below actually get used from time to time…really. (And there's plenty more where these came from, so if any of you want more weirdness or a semi-regular feature, drop us a line!)
