Well made tools

There is something to well made tools. I am deeply fascinated by them and find it very satisfying to figure out why they are build the way they are.

The first time I formulated this clearly, must have been when I was in my teens. I had a fairly basic Swiss army knife: blade, corkscrew, bottle opener, toothpick and tweezers. I later got gifted a small screw driver that fits into the corkscrew. The screw driver was the right size for adjusting with how much resistance the arms of glasses move.

There is an elegance to how the pieces fold into the body. The tools move easily in between states but stay in place once they are completely folded out or folded in. I don't remember how it works, but the hinges add some small resistance you need to overcome before opening or closing a piece.

When I think about why I like well made tools so much, it's that someone put thought into it. There's nothing accidental in the design. If you have a well made tool, changing some part of it will leave you with a worse tool. The same is true for good explanations.

Update 2024-03-12: I read a blog post about woodworking tools that reminded me of my post: https://covingtonandsons.com/what-are-professional-grade-tools/. Recommended.