Went to get my favorite Klein Telco WTFSS (Wey Too Fucking Sharp Scissors) from my just-reacquired networking bag and... 30 years I've had these, and now... rust. Just the faintest shadow on the working edge, and a few specks along the serrated edge... but still.
The Telco scissors from US suppliers like Jonard and Klein are one of the few kinds of tools where I feel the US tool industry holds an edge (sic!) to European quality and usefulness. There are a few other items, surprisingly often by Jonard, where they're unique in providing a good or even existing solution.
For sundry things like wrenches, fixed or adjustable, socket sets, screwdrivers, and most basic pliers, US makers are still in the 70s (in a bad way, that is). The likes of Bahco (before
Crap-Ontm bought them to gut them and sell crap branded with the logo) and Facom (also sadly bought for its brand name by a company whose only useful product today is a breaking bar; i.e. Stanley), Knipex, Stahlwille, Elora, Gedore, Wera and Wiha laugh at the products from the US. And the Japanese tools are no joke either, with Ko-ken and Vessel being two very good examples.
In other news: My geothermal pump had a guru meditation moment yesterday, and needed a controller reboot.
How's the text above, for keeping the flame going?