A few months back my husband and I borrowed a few pairs of vice grips from our friends when ours went missing during a plumbing repair adventure. Since we're apparently horrible friends, we still haven't managed to return them! Maybe if they had these little labels on them, we would have been confronted with the guilt of being bad people and made the trip over to return them! Did we mention they're all-weather and fade resistant? Score!
I've been skulking over at Emily Press (they're labels for everything and it's easy to get obsessed — you've been warned) and ran across these great tool labels. Tool labels! Who needs purchased tool labels? Isn't that what masking tape is for?
Well we're glad you asked. Having labeled many a tool in the past (which sounds like a night of people watching at the local pub), we can attest to the fact that tape with sharpie just doesn't last and wussy labels from your home office label maker peel off.
These labels have a cool coating that allows them to hold up to the elements, makes them fade-resistant and water proof! Pretty much, they're meant to work as hard as your tools do and in the day and age where we're buying less tools and sharing more with neighbors (goooo community!), it's all the more important to make sure your items can easily be returned to you. Pick up a set of 70 labels for $19.95 over at Emily Press.
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Comments (13)
Always a good idea, but the price of $20 seems a bit excessive for what you get.
Just because it has a label with your name on it doesn't mean you'll get it back. I have my name in my books, and I've stopped loaning them out because I never get them back.
My husband makes sure that he gets his tools back since he has close to 10 grand of them...
When I was working steadily in set construction, I got several of those customized dog tags you can get at pet stores, and used Gorilla Glue to apply them to my drill, batteries and charger. This sounds way easier!
I really hope you're joking when you say that you have borrowed tools from friends and haven't yet returned them.
it's not the same concept but my father-in-law with rather OCD-like tendencies, has that same kind of hole board with his tools and he drew outlines of each tool onto the board with a sharpie. It doesn't help finding the tools but he certainly knows when one is missing.. it's kinda visually nice too to see when the tools are all being used.
Sharpie costs like $1.29.
Suggest that you keep a small can of pink paint on the shelf, and whenever you purchase a new tool, paint a section of the handle with the pink paint. Men do not seem to like to keep pink tools in the tool box, and women are reminded to return them pronto, too.
flyingsaucer, I love your father's idea! Not only does it remind him what's missing but it keeps everything in their designated place. And I bet it's neat to look at.
Did we mention they're all-weather and fade resistant? Score!
I know this is intended to be in jest, but please, for the love of pete, bring their vise grips back and give them a nice bouquet or something.
Labeling thi
Sigh. Messed up previous comment.
Labeling things does increase your chances of getting them back. I had a friend in college who labeled EVERYTHING she owned, right down to food containers and her underwear. At the end of freshman year, we were all missing stuff except for her.
@hurfdurf -- the labels are all-weather and fade resistant, not the tools... which I agree, they should return.
I found out through many unhappy past events that if I loan something I am essentially giving it away. So I never lend anything I really want to keep. Period. And I never borrow anything without borrowing it's owner, too! (Like the time we needed some help assembling a LOT of IKEA furniture. My helpers brought some of their own tools, kept an eye on them, and took them home again later.) I will buy or rent something I could borrow before borrowing it, just to avoid the problems attached.