Robert The Tool Junkie

Here at Haus of Tools, we love to get reviews and blogs from tool users in a particular trade, or just from self-professed “tool junkies” who love to share their knowledge about tools. One of our first experts is Robert. Robert’s been a lifelong tool junkie and he helps us with occasional handyman projects, photo, video and blog work. Allow us to introduce Robert!

 

Guy and his first car

My love for tools started at an early age. My dad was an engineer and skilled at many trades so whenever something at home needed fixing, my dad knew how to fix it. When I was young, I remember that there was a garage full of tools so my dad let me satisfy my curiosity and always showed me how to use them. Often on weekends we would go to Sears or the local hardware store to buy a new tool for a job that needed to be done. 

When I turned 16, I bought my first car, a 1969 Plymouth Barracuda. The car needed a lot of work so this was a great opportunity to get and use some new tools. Over the next two years I started buying my own tools and soon had my own collection – an entire chest of tools! As I worked on my car, I often wondered if there were a better tool that would make the task easier or safer and of course, this quest led me to continue to buy more tools. Many, many tools later, I did finally restore my old Barracuda.

It did not stop there…at 22 I bought my first property, a small condo in Redondo Beach. Remodeling a house of course needs many different tools than working on cars, so, you guessed it, I needed to buy more tools to improve the home. This of course worked out as I ventured into woodworking and when I had the opportunity to help a friend start his electrical business.

My existing collection was also a great help during the time I managed a car repair shop. As you can see, my love for tools has been an incredible influence on my life and my career.

These career paths and hobbies have given me firsthand experience with many tools which has helped me weed out the good brands from the bad and I’m more than happy to share my experiences to help anyone looking for great tools. 

As I’ve grown in my experience working with new tools and seeing the new innovations toolmakers add on, to this day I still get excited about seeing and using a new tool. This excitement and lifelong passion for tools keeps me using my tools every day and I consider myself to be a certified “Tool Junkie!”