FEATURE
TOP TEN TOOLS
Top 10 favourite tools: Trades tell their tales
IF there is one thing that is abundantly clear to me after many years of discussion and observation of people using tools, it is that just about every individual has favourites - the tools that they instinctively reach for when a particular job needs doing. For every ‘correct’ application of tools there is an equal or greater number of ‘incorrect’ uses, to the point that sometimes I think the ‘incorrect’ uses have some merit.
As I collected the interviews for this article, it quickly became obvious that the tool users I spoke to were thoughtful users. They had a clear understanding of how much a tool was worth in a cost benefit analysis and they were highly skilled in the safe and effective use of the tools they used. I wonder if the skilled trades of 100 years ago could have said the same?
I deliberately chose ‘top ten favourite tools’ to discuss from each of my interviewees because that is going to be more interesting than ‘top ten most used’ – I hope.
The builder’s choice
Jay runs a small building company in South East England with about four small construction sites currently running. He uses contractors and employees in his business.
24 TBH February, 2019 PASLODE gas nailer
www.toolbusiness.co.uk
As a convinced Milwaukee fan, Jay chose four tools that are permanently in the toolbox. A three-year-old 18v impact driver is used for general screwdriving and impresses with its reliability, power, battery life and easy charging. This is accompanied by an 18v 3/8 drive impact wrench, used mostly for Timberlock bolts used in roofing work.
For general use, he chose the Milwaukee 18v circular saw and cordless grinder. According to Jay, these tools are basic and tireless workhorses able to be passed around on-site to be used by any of his workers. They are not the most up-to-date ‘fuel’ versions, but when the time comes to replace them, Milwaukee will be the name on the box.
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