[CAUT] The Ideal Tool Case Revisited

[Alan McCoy]

Hey Jeff,

Would you mind reminding those of us with short memories the make and model
of the dysfunctional case that you describe here and also the new one with
wheels that you just found.

Thanks.

Alan "Every day is a brand-new, clean-slate day" McCoy


> From: Jeff Olson <jlolson@cal.net>
> Reply-To: "College and University Technicians <caut@ptg.org>" <caut@ptg.org>
> Date: Thu, 09 Feb 2006 17:49:26 -0800
> To: "College and University Technicians <caut@ptg.org>" <caut@ptg.org>
> Subject: [CAUT] The Ideal Tool Case Revisited
> 
> Sigh.  It was an intense but short-lived love, marred by frustration and
> misunderstanding, as all dysfunctional relationships are.
> 
> Alas, my perfect tool case, with its copious, neatly zippered side tool
> compartments, and its many outside pouches, has fallen tragically short of my
> starry-eyed expectations.
> 
> Problem # 1: lack of balance.  Due to its tall height and narrow base, my
> ex-beloved had an annoying tendency to fall over, regardless of how
> assiduously I balanced tools on either side.
> 
> Problem # 2:  the outside pockets were rather shallow for my tuning wrenches
> and other tools I liked to have easily accessible.
> 
> The sum of these two problems was the unfortunate tendency for the bag to fall
> over, *and* for tools to fly out.  One the second day of our stormy
> relationship, the bag had fallen over in the back of my station wagon,
> generously dispensing tools throughout the car.  It took me ten minutes to
> re-gather them, under the watchful eye of my customer, who for some
> unfathomable reason had appeared on his front porch to scrutinize my tool bag
> humiliation.
> 
> Problem # 3: unzipping the side compartments to get at tools proved
> irritating, especially in combination wtih problem # 2, because tools attached
> to the outside of the side compartments resisted zippering (because of
> weight), and tended to clang injuriously on certain surfaces, like hardwood
> floors, for instance.
> 
> Problem # 4:  weight.  Making use of the many tool pouches to any degree
> resulted in a 33 lb. bag, which tended to stretch one's shoulder painfully
> while wandering through apartment complexes, colleges, and churches.
> 
> Anyhow, this sad story has a happy ending, because I purchased a tool bag
> today with rollers and extended handle (for easy transport, despite weight),
> and a much wider base (so it doesn't fall over), as well as much deeper
> pockets (so that if it does, the tools won't fly off as though launched from
> mini-cannons).
> 
> So, yes, I'm in love again, knowing that finally I've found my true perfect
> tool case.  For the moment, anyway. :-)
> 
> Jeff O.