That new fiber splice tool from last month is already giving me grief

Got sent on a job in the west side neighborhood last Thursday to hook up a new fiber drop. The company issued us these new all-in-one splice tools that are supposed to be faster. On the third house, the cleaver mechanism just stopped holding the fiber straight. It kept making angled cuts, ruining two connectors before I caught on. I had to drive back to the shop for my old kit, which added an hour to the job. Everyone in the van was raving about these things, but I'm not sold on swapping out reliable gear for a fancy gadget that fails. Has anyone else had a tool just quit on them mid-job like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

jenkins.spencer2d ago

Man, that sounds like my luck with any new tool. Last time I tried one of those "time saver" gadgets, it was a paint can opener that snapped in half on the second can. I ended up using a flathead screwdriver like always. Sometimes the old way is just the right way, you know? Especially when you're on the clock and a tool decides to take a break before you do.

henrygonzalez1d ago

Exactly, it's like we're all chasing the next new thing when the simple stuff already works. Makes you wonder why we keep falling for the shiny packaging, right?

elliots491d ago

Tell me about it @jenkins.spencer, my tape measure locked up yesterday mid-cut.