Have you ever noticed how important little things can be? In fact the smaller things get, the more attention they often demand. I was reminded of this the other day when I received my latest mailing from Lee Valley Tools. It was an update on new products they’re introducing.
While all were interesting and some were tempting, one stood out. It was a set of 19 inserts for sockets. Each plastic insert contains a rare earth magnet. Push the insert in place, and no more fighting to get a nut started or having a nut fall away as you remove it, never to be found again.
The inserts are small things in and of themselves and not very expensive. The things they will hold are even smaller and also not very expensive. In fact, I could lose an awful lot of nuts and bolts for the $9.95 the inserts will cost. However, it’s not the actual cost of bits of hardware that comes into play here. It is the frustration that comes with losing that last nut or bolt and knowing you’ll have to put the project on hold until you can go to the hardware store to secure a replacement.
Unfortunately, the shipping fee would be almost as much as the cost of the inserts. I need to check with local hardware stores to see if they can order anything similar. If so, it will be worth the wait. If not, well, I may just have to find a few more tools to add to my order to make the shipping costs worth it.
