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Comment by warmcat | Hacker News Reader

One major hurdle that I face regularly when something is broken is getting the tools I need to fix it. Buying tools that I may not need for another 5 years and won't likely be used anywhere else just does not make any sense to my mind even though replacing the device will be likelier more expensive. Also, there aren't guides to repair all devices/equipment online. If I open it, I am afraid I won't be able to put it back together. I love the idea of Repair cafe and would likely make a few visits if there is one nearby. (Any repair cafes in NYC?)

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A lot of specialised tools can be replaced by elbow grease and ingenuity. In fact, that's half the fun and victory if you manage to fix something. Usually a set of appropriately sized screwdrivers and various pliers is all you need.

> If I open it, I am afraid I won't be able to put it back together.

That happens, but: the thing was broken anyway, and, now it's twice broken and disassembled, so you can throw it away in good conscience, hopefully having figured out how to approach it correctly the next time, so it's not even a waste of time.

> A lot of specialised tools can be replaced by elbow grease and ingenuity.

This. A long time ago I remember making a custom screwdriver head to open a video game cartridge by softening a bic pen cap over a candle, then pressing it over the cap for 10 seconds. Let it cool, and voila.

I've also found the same approach indispensable for doing simple carpentry without all the specialized tools of a wood shop.

I remember using that exact trick to open up a GameCube! Though I read about it online, wasn't clever enough to think of it myself :)

I think I read about it it in a gaming mag, so can't take credit myself

That's true, and there's something to be said for ingenuity. But in many cases, having the right tool turns a 1-hour PITA task into a 5-minute easy task.

Having the right tools for the job is nice. By now I always try to get them somewhere. Luckily the bigger things are usually rented out.

You also have to store all those tools somewhere. That's the bigger issue for me.

It's about 5 screwdrivers for a laptop/smartphone/TV (of course, that makes it 15 for all three) and around 10 screwdrivers/spanners for home appliances. You can fit all that in a purse :D

That's the thing I don't like about Apple products. I swapped the HDD for a SSD in my father's Mac Mini and had to order a kit with all the right special screwdrivers and special tools just for that.

I agree it’s annoying they are different, but I’m yet to buy an HD or replacement part that didn’t ship with the screw drivers for free or almost free. Now I have loads of them and I can’t bring myself to throw away screw drivers.

Similar thoughts on Apple products here. Looking at the iFixit guide for the current iMacs kills all my wishes for owning one (I considered it, but not after seeing the teardown...). And it's so unnecessary! They could have easily made it much more upgrade- and repairable without compromising the visual design.

Fixing is not their goal, and I'm OK with that. I really dislike Apple for a lot of reasons but their hardware is not one of them.

If you look at some of the breakdowns on ifixit, there might be an area where they needed 4 screws. In another laptop, they would have been identical screws, but in the Apple they are all different sizes. Each one is specific to the area it's holding so they could cram in more components. It may not be as easily repairable but it is good engineering.

Tools generally don't depreciate very much. You can resell them years later and still get most of your money back. With inflation as bad as it is you might even sell them for more than you bought them. A garage full of tools is like gold in a vault, except this gold is useful.

You might be interested in seeing if you have a local Tool Library. They allow their patrons to borrow tools for a membership fee. A quick Google search shows quite a few in NYC.

Personally, I don't find it all that bad. The digitizer on our tablet our tablet crapped out a few months back. I found a YouTube video on how to replace it. The tools cost like $7 off of Amazon and the digitizer was about $20. A few minutes of fooling around and viola working touchscreen again. Overtime basic electronics tools are very cheap.

There's the Fixer's Collective[0] that meets in Brooklyn and Manhattan on alternating weeks.

[0]: https://www.facebook.com/fixerscollective/

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