Sometimes I will use something and realize I’ve owned it forever. It’s a nice change in our throwaway reality. I think my personal record is a bicycle multi-tool I got for one of my first bikes, ~25 years ago. Still have it, still use it. When it comes to electronic devices I have a Panasonic mini Hi-Fi from ~2005. Never felt like changing it.
What’s your record?
I bought my mechanical keyboard in 1997. It has the original large round plug on it and through the years I’ve had to buy adapters to go to a ps/2 port and now to usb, but the keyboard itself still works pretty well. Definitely time for a good cleaning though, I’ve been having a lot of stuck or missed keys lately. Since I write code this keyboard has seen a LOT of daily use over the years.
An Enermax keyboard has been my daily driver as a programmer for my career that started in 2007. It still works just fine and I still have no reason to change to something else. Lots of reasons not to, since I like the classic keyboard layout and the flat laptop keys.
Trying to type anything on the chiclet style keyboards reminds me of the days of learning to code on a ZX81. You just can’t type quickly on those without the proper feedback. If my current keyboard ever dies, I don’t know what I’ll do.
Wired Headphones 🔌🎧
Basically can’t live without them 🎵❤️
My brain. I know, it is very rare in society.
My Victorinox Swiss army knife. Got it close to 30 years ago, and I still carry it every day, using it for dozens of different things.
I’ve replaced the scales once, and the blade was ruined by a dodgy knife sharpener, but it still holds an edge.
Which one? I am picking up one, after having make done with my keys and a thick steel hook keychain for quarter of my life, despite being the one army man that does everything and anything.
The Cyber Tool M. The screwdriver bits are eternally useful in my everyday life.
Looking for the Huntsman as my first SAK. Cyber Tool M seems to be better than Swiss Champ if I were to buy a chunkier SAK in the future… that bit driver is seriously as underrated as a Rambler compared to a Compact.
Can you tell me what are the bits? I try looking but never ended up finding the info. It is always product photos from afar, never closeups. From what I saw, there is flathead, philips, Torx and some other shape (maybe Allen), but not their sizes.
I’m quoting from memory right now, as I’ve had to leave it home today while flying.
- 3 different sizes of Philips head
- 1 x straight driver (smaller/thinner than the built-in on the SAK itself)
- 3 different Torx bits
- 1 x Allen bit
I can’t remember the exact sizes of the last two, but they’ve always been the right sizes for me, working in technology.
A bit unusual question. What would you advise a fresh SAK buyer? And what would be the tools you would rank as most useful, or pitch to me? I watched the SAKtubers and all that stuff just to get an idea, and I find incredible use in daily life in a pocketable multitool.
Two blades are a must - it’s surprising how many times a smaller blade is useful (eg. prying the back off something with a very narrow gap).
The screwdrivers are my most commonly used/useful tools in everyday life - tighten a hinge or a handle, stuff like that.
Most of the others are occasionally useful - I’ve used the awl for emergency repairs on tent stitching - but the above are the ones I’d rate the most.
Screwdriver and corkscrew always get me. But I am leaning towards corkscrew for untying knots, that is way too common a problem, and nothing does it like it. Isn’t the Philips #1 size too large for electronics? And that only the inline is actually worth it, since backside is very flimsy? Or would you just carry a separate screwdriver or a Rambler? Do not mind my questions too much.
