I completely respect your choice of a phone and my Dad has the same type of phone as you for similar reasons but maybe I'm just a young whippersnapper in my 30s but a smart phone has been a very big timesaver in my profession of farming and cattle feeding. Anytime something on the farm breaks down literally the first thing I do is figure out the part that bad and find it on my phone right there where the part is and depending on the information I go to where the new part is or order it online, again info from where I am working. Most AG related machinery has literally the same parts search the guys behind the counter are looking at with info on if they have the part or where one actually is and I am looking at the part on the machine not on the counter (John Deere has virtually the same parts website as in their stores for an example).
It is kind of funny how Dad asks me more than weekly to look something up on the not so smart phone and i've never accidentally dialed anybody's contact with my phone... It does require a fingerprint or a code to unlock if you want to do anything other than call 911 and that takes multiple touches of the screen that are unlikely in my pocket.
Again I respect your choice in phones and am only giving an example of how I use mine, there are numerous people that just use them for mind numbing reasons.....I don't respect that.... But it is a useful time saving tool if used correctly.

 

This sort of failure would haunt me even in my sleep. Regardless the generous warranty return policy I'd prefer such an important piece of gear NOT be prone to such "mishaps" no matter what I paid for it, no matter how great the warranty is---dead people don't need such policies!

Agree 1,000,000 % on the usefulness you're finding---none of that is really lost on us old fogeys seemingly clinging to the "good old days", those like 10 years ago when cell phones of any description were rare, when 8 year old kids didn't have them.

As a younger person you're using and adapting the smart phone and parts of your life to work together---in that way its an invaluable time-saving tool that really does enhance your productivity. Those of us not needing or wanting such a device can't justify the expense and complexity of something that's outdated almost as soon as its released. In short we don't need it, don't want it and most likely would never use it to its full capability.

As we grow older or more experienced we're less prone to go with a trend just because "everyone is doing it......". It's not about because most of us are living comfortably but its about need. My Motorola W315 flip phone is almost 10 years old, never misses a call and works just fine!

 

i agree with you 1000%. but in Harbor freights defense, the jack failure was 100% my fault as i did not have it properly positioned under the pumpkin. then when the weight on the jack shifted, it slid off the edge of the pumpkin twisting the frame.
i actually was not going to return it until i went to buy a new one and the manager asked what was wrong with the one "i just bought". he remember me buying it with a gantry crane and a few other large items, i filled up a rack body truck with items for a few people.
anyway, when i told him the frame got bent when a truck fell off it he apologized and said bring it back, i will warranty it. i even told him it was my fault and not the jacks, and he said don't matter, bring it back. so i did.



same here. i love my "smart phone" all it does is make and take calls. nothing else.

 

I appreciate your reply and I apologize for using the term "young whippersnapper", it was intended as a funny but in hindsight was very easily read as an insult.
All of my life I've respected my elders regardless of how much older they were than me and have learned greatly from them as they have generally already gone through what I am working on or dealing with in life or know someone that has that can help.

As far as smartphones go it isn't really age as much as what you really want to have, I know of many younger people that don't have one and don't want one but I also know many very old people that love to play with their smart phones. My father-in-law loves his and even has a Drone that has a controller that connects to his smart phone for real-time video feed from the sky. Lol

 

That's about as "smart" as needed---at least for two of us here!

Okay on the HF jack then---I wasn't aware it was mostly operator error---that's been known to happen a few times. So far in my life I've not yet had to deal with such an equipment failure---that's mostly a combination of good luck and mostly being careful when lifting or supporting a vehicle.

 

the worst part about it was the fact that i am the king of safety. i always use jack stands and wheel chocks.
and stress safety to all the kids when they come over to do repairs or learn.
so when the jack bent as the truck came down and the side of the tire landed on my foot breaking it and trapping me was a real hit to my pride.
it only took the cop that showed up after i called for help 30 seconds to pick the truck up 1 inch to get my foot out from under the tire.
i still take a lot of crap from the rest of the guys on the police dept over that one.
last week one of the guys drove past and saw me rotating the tires, he stopped and called out the window if i wanted to put the first aid squad on standby.

 

Well, that's what friends are for, right?

I'm right there with ya on safety---when I owned a body shop one of my first tool buys was somewhere near 20 jack stands. EVERY car ever lifted with one of my jacks (or inside my buildings) would be supported and the jack lowered before humans were allowed to work underneath. As I said I've never had a hydraulic jack mishap but have always had a "fear" of them leaking down without warning.

Keep in mind I'm from that era when bumper jacks were common place and I've been under too many cars with those as my only support. Since I survived my teens with such foolishness I didn't want to press my luck any further. Even today I'm cautious.

BTW TJC glad you're okay and here to share your story.

 

What adapter and program do you use? I'm somewhat interested in getting a scanner for my girlfriends car, but its likely I'll barely use it, so don't want to spend more than I need to...

 

I use an ELM327 clone bluetooth adapter off ebay, and Car Gauge Pro. I paid under $30 total.

 

Impact sockets do NOT shatter, if you had one shatter it was either defective from a good manufacture ie. bad heat treatment or it was a cheap "imitation" socket from china or some other 3rd word country that was cast rather than forged. I have seen several of those in the last few years and they scare the hell out of me .

 

I like Mac, but there is no Mac dealer to the shop where I work.
I recommend Snap On they are excellent.
If have Matco it choice too..