Talked to a senior tech about using a fish tape for everything

I was helping this guy in Denver who's been installing for 25 years. He saw me struggling with a drop and said, 'Kid, a fish tape is for fishing, not for prying.' He showed me how he uses a set of fiberglass push rods he got 8 years ago for tight wall spaces. It was way faster and didn't kink the line. What other old-school tools are people still using that actually work better?

3 comments

3 Comments

uma_nguyen242mo ago

Got a pair of manual wire strippers from my grandpa's toolbox. The kind with the different sized holes. They never overheat or cut the copper, and I can strip a wire in my pocket without hunting for my fancy automatic ones.

noah_chen172mo agoMost Upvoted

But come on, those old manual ones are a pain. You have to line up the wire just right in the tiny hole or you crush the whole thing. My automatic strippers work first try every single time, no fiddling around. It takes me half the time to finish a project. Sure, the old ones won't break, but I'd rather get the job done fast.

leow901mo ago

Honestly, you kind of changed my mind here. I was all about the automatic ones for the speed, but now I'm thinking the old manual ones might actually hold up better in the long run. Never had a pair overheat on me like my fancy ones do after a few hours of work. Maybe I'll dig out my grandpa's old set and give them a real shot.