Tools

(Written Oct 19, 2009)

A thought just came to me, on the nature of tools. Just how certain people can make better use of higher quality tools, and how sometimes it doesnt make a difference.

Take a hammer. For most folks, a simple claw hammer is all they will ever need. If shown an armorers shop, with the dozen or so hammers laying around, they could use any of them to do the job they need done (likely driving a nail in the wall), but would have no real idea how to properly use the tool for the job it was designed to do. Can it do the job they want it to? Sure! But it is much more useful in the hands of someone who knows what it was designed to do and can do that.

This concept can be applied to just about everything that exists in life. I love using computers as an example. Alot of folks get worked up over the PC vs Mac/Apple issue, but its the same thing as I mention above. I prefer a Mac myself, but thats because from time to time I have to use that percision tool for its intended purpose. If your only task for a computer is checking e-mail, surfing the internet, maybe downloading some music.. then a PC is perfect for you. Inexpensive, mass produced, and more than capable of doing the job you require. When you want it to start doing more advanced photo or video editing (or even running multiple 'high end' apps at once) and you start getting problems. Thats not taking into account the security and system issues. But, if you buy a Mac and all your doing is checking e-mail and playing solitaire... well, your probably wondering why it cost so much.

(For those of you who are going to start spouting off about gaming.. the same principle could be applied to a regular use PC vs a gaming PC... or a PC and an xBox, which is more or less just a very specific gaming computer)

It just sprang to mind while working on these airbrushes. My last attempt at airbrushing involved a $15 kit from Harbor Freight and an Air Compressor that was more suited to filling tires and running small tools. These things are quite a bit more, and the compressor is a tiny little thing, and had I bought them all new it would of cost me a small fortune. You get folks who only use them for basic applications, like putting a base coat of paint on a big model.. and in that case, the cheap $25-50 models from most hobby stores will work, powered by a can of compressed air. But when I tried to use that cheap one to paint minis, I was fairly disappointed by the results. I wonder if having the right tool for the job will make a difference, or if its an issue with me?