My uncle told me to always bring a second coax crimper, and I finally learned why

My uncle, a guy who did cable for 30 years, told me on my first day, 'Kid, your main crimper will break at the worst time. Pack a spare.' I thought he was just being extra. Then, last Tuesday in a hot attic in Charlotte, I was finishing a big job. I went to crimp the final connector, and the handle on my good crimper just snapped clean off. I was stuck. But I dug in my bag and found the cheap backup one I'd thrown in just to humor him. It was slow and clunky, but it got the job done and saved me a two hour trip back to the shop. I called him right after and he just laughed. How many of you actually carry a backup for your main hand tools?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_amy2mo ago

My old foreman, Pete, drilled that into my head on my first telecom job. He said a backup stripper was non-negotiable. I rolled my eyes until I was on a ladder in a freezing warehouse, my good one jammed shut with metal shavings. That five dollar spare in my pouch felt like a gold medal. Your uncle is 100 percent right, it's always when you're almost done. What other backup tools do people swear by?

nora_barnes2mo ago

Honestly it's like that with Everything, not just tools. The world runs on cheap spares you hope you never need.