Nah, it’s more like machinists’ humor, I suspect. Finger tight is a term I’m familiar with, so this actually gets a bolt truly tight (not just finger tight) while also serving as a visual pun.
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Former Apple Design Chief Jony Ive Shares His 12 Favorite Tools of the Trade
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I've got several Bridge City marking/measuring tools, Lee-Neilsen wood planes, and Japanese saws; you can get good tools but they won't be mass-produced, nor cheap.
View attachment 2003473
(yeah, I'm a pretentious prat, but I do USE them!)
And just last week I found, and ordered, a calibrated wrench to torque to "finger-tight"; woot!
View attachment 2003475
That last one is hysterical.
YES! Good tools are expensive, and cheap tools are sometimes expensive too. Choosing the right tool for the purpose and quality is sometimes hard.
And you find really good tools in the oddest places. I was introduced to Wiha at a Fry's in Dallas. I bought several sets there, one a combo set of straight and phillips drivers, and another that was a 'security' torx set. Still have them after 2o years, and they are still solid tools. I found a Wiha small socket and hex driver set in a 'cutout bin' at a local fastener store. A fantastic set! No idea why it wouldn't have sold. Weird. I found a bunch of tools from the early days of cabling, and they are solid bulletproof heavy duty, where now finding anything made of metal is oddly like finding Waldo. Whatever...
Paying for an overpriced leather 'case' for a tape measure is a personal decision. If it helps you feel better, good for you. *shrug* I've never needed a case for a tape measure. (I did have a boss that yelled at me for loosening the tab at the end of a tape measure. It's MEANT to slide to compensate for the thickness of that tab so the measurement you get is ridiculously an eighth of an inch more accurate. The guy was a loon! He went to work at EDS, where his degree of micromanagement was likely applauded?)
Tools are important. Those with the most win.
So here's a funny alternative take.
I have some nice pans in my kitchen. And despite what some cast-iron zealots say, they can't do everything. Sometimes you need a good stainless steel pan, and sometimes a non-stick pan is the right tool for the job.
My non-stick pan is wearing out, and just not doing the job we need it to do. (Poaching eggs is one of those jobs we use it for, and we do that a lot.)
In researching what the best non-stick pans out there are, you'll see a lot of people recommending going all-in on AllClad hard-anodized pans. But if you dig a little deeper, you know what a lot of top chefs recommend? IKEA. A non-stick pan is always going to wear out, no matter how careful you are with it, and how well you care for it, so you might as well buy good-quality cheap non-stick pans and replace them more often.
I'm a firm believer in "buy nice or buy twice," but in the case of things that are going to wear out with use no matter what, sometimes buying "good" is fine.
I have some nice pans in my kitchen. And despite what some cast-iron zealots say, they can't do everything. Sometimes you need a good stainless steel pan, and sometimes a non-stick pan is the right tool for the job.
My non-stick pan is wearing out, and just not doing the job we need it to do. (Poaching eggs is one of those jobs we use it for, and we do that a lot.)
In researching what the best non-stick pans out there are, you'll see a lot of people recommending going all-in on AllClad hard-anodized pans. But if you dig a little deeper, you know what a lot of top chefs recommend? IKEA. A non-stick pan is always going to wear out, no matter how careful you are with it, and how well you care for it, so you might as well buy good-quality cheap non-stick pans and replace them more often.
I'm a firm believer in "buy nice or buy twice," but in the case of things that are going to wear out with use no matter what, sometimes buying "good" is fine.
It’s off topic, and I hope you get the sense I’m trying to be respectful, but most people don’t accept the ethics of veganisn as self-evident and don’t see the use of animal products as being an ethical issue (and, if they do, they tend to be fine with the use of cruelty-free animal products). It’s one thing to attack people for violations of commonly held morality, but veganism is a minority ethnical position. It’s equivalent to attacking someone outside of your faith for behavior that’s a sin in your faith. (It’s another thing to attack people for targeting you for abuse for your beliefs or deliberately insulting your faith or attacking symbols of your faith, but that comes under the commonly accepted morality of respect for others’ beliefs [or the “don’t be a jerk” rule], which the other person violated.) For people who hold minority ethical positions (even abolitionists back in the 1800s), you have to convince the bulk of people of the ethics of your position to effect change, and attacks for what you perceive as unethical behavior don’t really change minds. Changing minds tends to be more a work of patient progress and respect for others (even if they don’t respect you at first), eventually receiving respect in return.
Also, it really shouldn’t be a surprise that Johnny Ive isn’t vegan, at least in the morality sense. Several Apple products he’s designed make use of leather, such as the Apple Watch, and he may have designed leather cases for Apple’s products before that, I legitimately don’t remember. Maybe an iPad Smart Cover or something like that.
1. “Less than before” room freshening aerosol spray, for sparking creative design inspiration.
2. “Even less next time” CAD software.
3. “Fewer pixel details” design app.
4. “One port less than last year” motivational poster.
5. White paper that’s whiter than typical white paper.
6. Pencils with the lightest faintest thinnest graphite available.
7. Brand new iPhone weekly since I need not be concerned about drop durability.
8. Gallons of “Even less than the year before” grease, unless things catch up with me and consumers complain that I removed too much.
9. Expensive form-first fashion statement tools that few mere mortals purchase (and fewer actually use).
10. DVD of the “Smug Alert” South Park episode.
11. Expensive coffee that’s so light and airy it’s often confused with hot water.
12. Post-it notes for glass doors/walls.
2. “Even less next time” CAD software.
3. “Fewer pixel details” design app.
4. “One port less than last year” motivational poster.
5. White paper that’s whiter than typical white paper.
6. Pencils with the lightest faintest thinnest graphite available.
7. Brand new iPhone weekly since I need not be concerned about drop durability.
8. Gallons of “Even less than the year before” grease, unless things catch up with me and consumers complain that I removed too much.
9. Expensive form-first fashion statement tools that few mere mortals purchase (and fewer actually use).
10. DVD of the “Smug Alert” South Park episode.
11. Expensive coffee that’s so light and airy it’s often confused with hot water.
12. Post-it notes for glass doors/walls.
Niiiiiiice setup there. Someday, if I play the right cards, I will my have a similar setup.I've got several Bridge City marking/measuring tools, Lee-Neilsen wood planes, and Japanese saws; you can get good tools but they won't be mass-produced, nor cheap.
View attachment 2003473
(yeah, I'm a pretentious prat, but I do USE them!)
And just last week I found, and ordered, a calibrated wrench to torque to "finger-tight"; woot!
View attachment 2003475
Agree, but, and I used to be a chef. The problem with 'cheap' pans is they sometimes really ARE cheap. Finding flecks of non-stick coating in food is more than just gross. I cooked on un-coated pans my whole career. How? Butter, and lots of it. Well, and oils, and just the juices that came from whatever was cooking, but mainly, it seemed, butter.
We used to really have a problem tossing pans as they were expensive. Personally I went to All-Clad (copper core) route, and have several of their non-stick fry pans too. They are so much better than Calphalon which some have failed way too soon. But I did have a 'cheap' pan I loved. I had it so long, I don't remember the brand and most of the bottom was scraped off over the time. It finally had the coating start to come off. Wish I knew what brand that was, I'd buy another in a second.
One thing: I remember hearing that some pan coatings are toxic to birds and potentially other animals/pets when heated too hot. Anything can be toxic, but I remember people having their birds dying mysteriously. *shrug*
I'm a vote for quality pans I guess...
On another comment on tools, I used to spend money on drill bits and other drill powered attachments, and still do on occasion, but for drill bits? They ALL eventually break or dull, and getting them sharpened is often not worth the money over just tossing them and replacing them. Concrete bits I'll spend a little more on because having that hardened plate fall out sure ruins a project, having to run out for another one. And screw driver bits, I usually go for quantity as they either snap or round over and are useless.
There are some things that paying less for is just spending more for in the long run, for sure...
Luggage is one that I refuse to pay big money for. Why pay thousands for Tumi, when the local TJ-Maxx usually has luggage that will last for years for a fraction of the price, and sometimes has Tumi luggage too! (I almost bought a pair of Tumi luggage with the carbon fiber handles at TJ-Maxx. Fell in instant love of the look, but thought that someone would steal them and my underwear, ruining a trip or sickening the poor person, depending on coming/going)
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I bought a Samsonite years ago when I started travelling a lot for business, and that thing has seen a LOT of miles, and when the handle snapped after 10 or 11 years of being a road warrior, I emailed them to find out where I could buy a replacement handle, and they sent me the part I needed for free. Customer for life.
It was never a question of whether Johnny Ive is vegan. But I’ve always wondered “who” at Apple was responsible for those leather iPad covers and leather watch bands… and this post about Johnny Ive seems to point accountability directly to him and his choices.
Vegans and vegetarians are indeed a minority community, but we’ve always been scratching our heads about Apple’s choices with their leather accessories. Now, we have a more conclusive suspect.
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Former Apple design chief Jony Ive, who still partners with Apple on products, has revealed his 12 must-have design tools for making, marking, measuring, and carrying with him every day.
![jony-ive-ipad-pro.jpeg]()
The list appears in a special issue of Financial Times' "How to Spend It" magazine (paywalled), of which Ive is guest editor, and the designer uses the opportunity to put the focus on his obsession with "making."
Ive doesn't offer any explanation for what makes the list or what specific products they helped him design, but in a separate piece in which Ive and fellow LoveFrom designer Marc Newson talk about the equipment in their Cotswolds workshop, he opines:
- Torque wrench — Snap-On adjustable torque wrench, £455
- Tonearm — Linn titanium Ekos SE tonearm, $5,645, basilaudio.com
- Hex Keys — Wiha colour-coded hex L-Key set, from $3.69
- Paper folder — Paper folder, hwebber.co.uk
- Measuring Tape — Hermès leather In The Pocket measuring tape, $530
- Loupe — Vintage brass folding magnifier by Leitz Wetzlar, from Ive’s personal collection
- Fountain pen — Vintage pen by Montegrappa, from Ive's personal collection
- Eraser — Graf Von Faber-Castell platinum-plated eraser, £100, jacksonsart.com
- Pencil case — Vintage leather pouch by Visvim, from Ive's personal collection
- Protractor — Mitutoyo 6in universal bevel protractor, £264
- Depth gauge — Starrett 440Z-3RL depth micrometer, $355
Weather station — Wempe Navigator II ship’s clock and weather station, $1,960
Later in the conversation, Ive recalls how Newson helped him through the challenges he faced working on the Apple Watch, and how he "really struggled" with the physical design.
Ive co-founded LoveFrom with Newson in 2019 after leaving his position at Apple. At the time, the tech giant said it would remain one of Ive's primary clients, but which Apple products he has helped to design since then is unknown. Apple said Ive was involved in the design of the colorful 24-inch iMac released in April, but it's not clear if that work occurred after Ive left the company.
It remains unclear how many employees work for LoveFrom, but Ive recruited at least four of his former Apple colleagues to work with him at the firm, including Wan Si, Chris Wilson, Patch Kessler, and Jeff Tiller.
Article Link: Former Apple Design Chief Jony Ive Shares His 12 Favorite Tools of the Trade
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Fair enough, but I always figured that Ive was responsible for the design of Apple’s accessories, certainly in a “the buck stops here” sense if not directly.
For me, it's not just price but function. Good tools tend not to break or fail in use; as well as last. There's also something to be said for how they feel in your hand. Solid, smooth, and an aura of quality. My dad's Snap-On tools will be my sons when I stop wrenching on cars.
There alway is the cost vs. long term utility. I generally buy the best I can afford; but there are times when a cheap tool that is a use once item fits the bill. When I built our fence, I bought a $60 air nailer from Harbor Freight. As long as it drove a few hundred nails I was happy, and it was a lot cheaper than buying a quality one or renting one. It's actually done several fences as people have borrowed it.
Same with the grinder I may use once a year.
Now, my drills and saws are a different story.
Agree, somewhat. For checked bags, I buy a cheap one but it must come in a butt ugly obnoxious color. I had a lime green one that lasted for years; and everyone looks at like "WTF?" but doesn't mistake it for theirs and it's easy to spot.
Carryon, I have one of those metal cased roll ons that are popular with pilots. Not cheap, early indestructible, and no bag will crush it in the overhead or if I have to check it. It's also not easily confused with every other black bag.
I have had Tumi bags. They are overpriced and over rated, IMHO. They are not that durable. Hartmann is also overrated and has gone way down hill after they were bought by Samsonite. I've gone through Hartmann 3 roll ons whose handles break and wheels fall apart; and these were pre buyout ones. I shudder to think what the new ones are like. Only good thing was the Tumi and Hartmanns all were free gifts from the airline I fly.
Pro tip: Always put dirty underwear on top in the carryon. Inside out.
I went out and bought all of the socket sets I didn't need as Sears was dumping their older more well built sets. I still have some of the sockets my dad had when he was young. I did get a Craftsman socket that split doing a head gasket, and had to race out and get a replacement. I also got hooked on TRW Powerforged Tools, and got sets of them. Never had to replace one of their sockets, but they dropped the whole line decades ago. Have a couple sets of Lowes sockets when they were made my Williams. Now, who in China makes theirs. *sigh*
really good tools are so hard to find now. People are griping about Snap-On now. It's sad...
I had a 'butt ugly' suitcase, and actually there were three others on a flight. It was hard to tell the differences excpet for looking at the baggage tags. I was surprised they would be so popular, and on that flight. The Tumi I have is from TJ Maxx. NEVER buy suitcases for list prices. They get beat up, thrown, slammed, dropped, stacked, lost, found, etc, the first time I used one of those the airline scratched the entire side up and within a couple of trips the corner was dented. Never pay list prices...
😆 I tried that once but everything in my carry-on smelled like stinky old man butt. Be judicious in what you pack in a carry-on. I do put all of the dirty clothes on the top of checked bags. Why not! Some trips a bloodhound could find my bag at the bottom of a swimming pool. But live life hard, get dirty, smelly, happy...
No Mitutoyo?
www.mitutoyo.com
Small Tools and Data Management | Mitutoyo America Corporation
Explore Mitutoyo’s renowned small tools and data management solutions: precision calipers, high-resolution micrometers, gage blocks and more.
www.mitutoyo.com
No Mitutoyo?
Small Tools and Data Management | Mitutoyo America Corporation
Explore Mitutoyo’s renowned small tools and data management solutions: precision calipers, high-resolution micrometers, gage blocks and more.
I still have some of their mics, calipers and scales around. GOOD STUFF!!! Gotta watch out though, they have a 'low end' tool 'level' that is a little sketchy. Used to be if you wanted cheaper than them, you bought Grainger junk, but you can find cheap Mitutoyo models now. Smart idea, I guess, but you have to know what you are buying.
Actually the iPhone was made by Scott forstall (and his team). If we have to thank someone for the iPhone that’d be Scott, not so much ive.
Funny, when the iPhone appeared, nearly every action was “obvious” and easy to figure out without needing Google or YouTube.
It wasn’t until super genius designer Jony got his mitts into the software that suddenly you needed Google, YouTube, and Macrumors often to figure out how to do certain things.
Hmmm wonder why.