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Pro tip: The old torque wrench from my first shop taught me a lesson last week
I was working on a Cessna 172's landing gear in Phoenix, using a brand new digital wrench, when I remembered the old click-type one my boss handed me three years ago. That thing needed you to really feel the click, which made you pay close attention to every single bolt. Do you guys still use the old manual tools, or is everything digital now?
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sandra1462mo ago
Wait, you were using a three-year-old wrench on a plane?
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jade6182mo ago
Old tools force you to learn the real feel of the job. Digital stuff is great, but you can't beat that hands-on lesson. Still keep a few manual wrenches in my box for that reason.
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Man yeah that whole trend has me thinking. Its like how everyone wants to watch a video to learn how to fix something instead of just grabbing the tool and figuring it out. People are scared of making mistakes now which is how you actually learn. My grandpa taught me more about cars by handing me a greasy wrench than I ever learned from a YouTube tutorial. Theres something about that physical feedback, like feeling when a bolt is about to strip or when youre getting close to breaking it loose. We're losing all that tactile knowledge as a society and its kind of scary. Digital stuff is fine for reference but hands on is where the real skill lives.
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