I should have known better.  I really, REALLY should have known better.  But the temptation of a low price at the discount tool store for a hammer I needed was too much to resist.  It got me most of the way through the job before the ears of the claw broke off.  So I finished the job using a nail puller.  Which of course proved to be the better tool for pulling nails out of my brother’s roof anyway.  (Note: further experience has taught me one of those special flat shovels with the grooves cut in the end actually work better.  And I have been assured by @EXAIR_JP that my future experiences will actually prove the checkbook and a reputable roofer are the best tools for the job).

So for a few years after that job, it sat on the pegboard of the garage, getting occasional use, but mostly being overlooked in favor of its superior quality replacement.  As it so happened, I picked it up to drive an axle into a bearing hub on a motorcycle the other night with this result:

That’s when it struck me: (not literally, thankfully) Why did I waste my money on this piece of junk and why didn’t I throw it away when it broke the first time?  Answer to the latter is that I detest the throwaway society we have become and thought I could eek a few more years out of the business end of the hammer.  Which I did, but to what good I’m not sure.

As to the why I wasted my money in the first place, it’s simple:  I succumbed to the temptation of a low price.  Fortunately, it only meant the loss of a few dollars, but as you can see from the picture, it could’ve been much worse if the broken piece had decided to fly towards my head and not the ground.

You’ve heard it from countless places, including here :  you get what you pay for.  It’s true of hammers and for air nozzles. Investing in our engineered nozzles can provide immediate air savings and prevent future break outs of cold sweat when your friendly, neighborhood OSHA inspector pops in for a visit.

Got an application? Give us a call.  We’ll find you a solution and promise you there’ll be no broken hammers.

Dan Preston

Engineer
DanPreston@exair.com