Tools for Nostalgia

28370002
My Dad, Stanley Arthur.

My Father was a career Navy man and “tool guy”. When you’re on a ship in the middle of an ocean, you’d better have complete knowledge of all working systems and be able to repair them fast. Obviously, your life, and all of your shipmates’ lives depend upon it.

His last job was being the go-to handyman at his condominium complex. Everyone knew my Dad. He could fix just about anything that could go wrong within the building. Most men from the Greatest Generation were self-sufficient when it came to fixing what was broken and they knew their tools inside and out. DIY was not an established category or a distinction in the mid-twentieth century because it was a normal everyday occurrence. I have the pleasure of helping these men and women from my desk, quite often today.

I loved my Father’s tools and I inherited them when he passed away. No one else in my family wanted the tools. I still have them. There are basic items: hammers, screwdrivers, saws, chisels, levels, and such. He had electronic tools, but nothing digital. They came along after his time. I have a feeling he would have loved stud finders although he never owned one. He would have thought they were better than sliced bread.

I see a whole new generation of Do-It-Yourselfers. I believe that the New Age of Communication (the Internet) has enabled this long prolonged pursuit. You see many DIY ideas everywhere on social media sites. They spark imagination, enable and encourage people to, DIY. It’s not only about saving money although that’s a benefit. It’s about the creativity, the challenge, and the accomplishment. Entrepeneurial DIYers are even establishing new businesses and are growing existing businesses. It’s a business renaissance.

It’s great to see all this from where I sit. We have an excellent view of new trends and growth in the DIY world. Everything old isn’t necessarily new again. It’s just different and the spirit from former generations is still there. After all, the founder of Zircon is a tool guy and a DIYer. Older products often still work and time has proven how useful good tools are whether they’re electronic in nature or otherwise.

The world today is a bigger and more complex place compared to my Father’s world. It’s nice to see people today finding enjoyment and satisfaction from their DIY accomplishments. My Dad loved it, and he’d still love it if he was still here today.

Do you have a personal DIY story that you would like to share? I would love to hear from you. Check out our Resources Blog for other customer insights. Please follow us on Twitter or visit our Zircon Facebook page.

Tom is a user experience expert and Customer Service Manager at Zircon. He provides personalized training, education and service to high tech and hardware tool customers worldwide. All with a smile, to boot!