Many years ago, my brother gave me my first cordless drill as a Christmas gift. The whole family thought it was an awesome innovation and I used it all the time. It was just so handy!
Imagine my dismay, then, when years later the batteries just stopped holding a charge. Not long after that, the batteries wouldn’t take a charge at all. Years after I got it, I finally had to throw the gift away because the manufacturer no longer supported that model and the second-hand batteries I had bought weren’t working properly.
I could tell you were every nick and ding in the body had come from. I had stories, memories, in that drill. It was a gift from a dear brother, something that should have lasted me until my last breath. But, no. It became landfill material simply because the batteries died and the manufacturer decided to re-design how their newer batteries clipped into their tools.
Compare that to my latest purchase - a 70′s-era die grinder. All-metal body, with easily accessed brushes, and a nice long electrical cord to plug in. Not the handiest thing in the world, but it looks good and functions perfectly even though it’s at least thirty-five years old. When it has a problem, I can disassemble the whole thing, repair the entire mechanism, and have it back up and running before the day’s out.
Of the two tools, which do you think is better for the environment and for our culture?
As a blacksmith, my work revolves around the central idea that iron abides. I make things that are solid, that will last a thousand years. There’s a spirit of peace about the work because you know that it will endure. If you take care of it, your grandchildren will be able to enjoy it just as much as you do. As nice as the ironwork is, it’s the memories they evoke which makes them a real value.
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