I broke a tool the other day. Well, if I want to be technical about, one of the other guys in the shop (who shall remain nameless) broke the tip off my #2 screwdriver. That tool had been with me for nearly ten years. I’ve had tools for longer time periods, but a #2 – along with a good 5mm Allen wrench – are the two tools that get used the most often.
The thing I liked most about that specific #2 was the handle: black with red flames. You know – NASCAR style! It resided in the cheap section of any hardware store. The tip was the perfect size and profile to fit snugly into derailleur limit screws. I’ve had “nicer” drivers from expensive sets made by more reputable manufacturers, but those issues alone don’t make for a good tool.
Found in the dollar section at Sears in Appleton, WI, NASCAR sat in the toolbox for a while because I already had a perfectly good #2 on the wall. In fact, the first couple of seasons it only saw piecemeal work at best. You know – the dirty stuff that I didn’t want my everyday #2 to be bothered with. I used it as a pry bar, a chisel, a punch – I even used the handle as a hammer. Hell, it was only a dollar! If it broke, so what? I’d go get another one. But it didn’t break. It hung in there like a trooper. Waiting patiently for the chance to get in the game full time. And then, one day it happened. I committed the mortal sin of accidentally leaving my everyday #2 at a race. It was time for the NASCAR screwdriver to step on the field and become the starter. And it did, for nearly 10 years straight.
Just like any new tool, it took a while for us to get to know each other. The weight, the balance, the texture and profile of the handle all had to become natural to me…. just like anytime you make new friends, there’s a break-in period where you aren’t sure if things are going to work out. I remember trying at least one other #2 during those early days. But this one stuck and won the starting job for good. It even traveled all over the country and much of the world with me. That screwdriver went to China, for cryin’ out loud. It is no exaggeration to say that tool adjusted hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of equipment. All for $1.
#2 finally gave up the ghost doing what it was meant to do – trying to remove a rusted cleat screw from the bottom of a shoe. This screw was rusted SOLID. NASCAR didn’t stand a chance.
I don’t mean this to sound like an obituary; it was a tool, and it did its job well. I respect that. I don’t feel bad about the passing. But I have to admit that I’m a bit bothered by the fact that I wasn’t at the helm when it “died”. Someone decided to borrow NASCAR without my permission. He knew better than to ask because I wouldn’t have given it. And now NASCAR #2 is gone. If someone was gonna kill off that sombitch, I wish it would have been me. I think it deserved that. We both did.
So it’s time to reach into the toolbox and grab the next #2. It’s a Husky with a black rubber handle. I’ve been using it for a week or so now. I’ll let you how things work out. In ten years.
