For the past week I’ve been building walls, hanging drywall, and polishing my new Brattleboro location. I’m thoroughly exhausted and had decided to pass on this week’s article until an idea flashed in my head. So not to disappoint regular readers, I’m pushing my weary soul a few extra hours to talk about technology and current events in my life.
One of the most rewarding parts of opening a new location is personally laying out the sales and service floor plan. For me, laying out and actually building the store starts it on the right foot and provides the proper omen. This step sets the stage because I’m not ubiquitous and have multiple locations.
I frequently reward myself with a new tool. I say “frequently” because I’m at the home center several times a weekend; with each trip I reward myself with a new tool. Most of the time they’re gimmicky things I’ll use once and never again.
Years ago one of those gizmos was a stud finder which actually turned out to be quite useful. Aside from being great at locating me, it does a phenomenal job of actually locating studs and warning of hidden electrical wires.
Technology behind the function of stud finders is a small source of radar that senses density variances behind wall board. When the button is pushed, it sets a constant and as it’s passed over a stud the radar bounces back faster. High quality stud finders can penetrate several inches.
One of my brothers stops by the new store occasionally. Last night he brought his new laser equipped level to show off. Unlike my cheapo $20.00 version, his was equipped with a laser and LED lights to illuminate the bubble sites.
With the push of a button the laser illuminates from one end of the aluminum level and can be used to align pictures or any other arduous leveling task. Using my $20.00 level we checked the quality and found it was extremely precise. Adding a laser only tacked another $20.00 to the price.
Lasers are popping up on power tools like saws and drills and have become prevalent options. Until a couple years ago I’ve always passed by laser equipped tools because they seem schlocky, but tonight I vowed to never use anything else due to the tool’s accuracy. The laser shoots a line exactly where the blade will interface.
Wireless tools will never take the place of their AC powered kindred, but most handymen would be lost without them. Years ago my first set was nickel cadmium and the batteries seemed to have a short life. I always had several spares on hand just in case one died in the middle of a project. My new set uses lithium ion cells which makes all the difference in the world.
First and foremost, lithium ion batteries are significantly lighter which makes the tool easier to handle reducing worker fatigue. Additionally, lithium ion technology doesn’t retain a memory so they can be charged part way through a cycle. Finally, the tools seem to have full power until the battery needs recharging.
It seems apropos that I’m using technology to create a repair center for technology. One would think with all the technology available in my toolkit I’d get more work done and sometimes I wonder the same. However, I never wonder that when I’m spending hours in the home center postulating how much faster my work will get done with the most technologically equipped tools.
(Jeromy Patriquin is the President of Laptop & Computer Repair, Inc. located at 509 Main St. in Gardner. You can text him directly at (978) 413-2840 or visit www.LocalComputerWiz.com.)