Back when I used to re-crimp terminals with my teeth like a caveman

I used to just yank off old ring terminals with pliers and crimp new ones by squeezing them with my teeth. That worked fine until I had to replace a connector on a 737 APU in Phoenix last August and chipped my molar on a 12-gauge terminal. Now I actually walk over to the toolbox for my proper crimper, and I swear it takes the same amount of time but without the dental bill. Has anyone else gotten lazy with a simple step and paid for it later?

3 comments

3 Comments

xena_hernandez9816d ago

Oh man, @abbyf79 is totally right but is it really that deep though? Like yeah chipping a tooth sucks (been there with a popcorn kernel once) but I feel like we're treating a five minute mistake like a life crisis. It's a crimper, not a life sentence.

abbyf7916d ago

Why is it that we all have this weird habit of skipping the easy step just to save two seconds? Your tooth story is brutal but honestly, I see this everywhere - people take shortcuts that end up costing way more time and money in the long run. It's like when I tried to peel a frozen orange with my bare hands instead of waiting for it to thaw, and ended up with juice all over the kitchen and a bruised thumb. We convince ourselves we're being efficient, but really we're just creating extra trouble for no reason. Your 12-gauge terminal story is just a perfect example of that whole "pay now or pay way more later" thing that seems to hit everyone eventually. Makes you wonder how many small moments of patience would save us all a headache.

laura_wilson16d ago

I mean, I get what you're saying but is this really some big life lesson? @xena_hernandez98 made a good point earlier, sometimes a mistake is just a mistake and we don't need to turn it into a whole thing about patience and consequences. Like yeah, you chipped a tooth and it sucks, but we're acting like everyone who skips one tiny step is doomed to failure forever. I've taken plenty of shortcuts that worked out fine, nobody posts about those stories though lol. Sometimes grabbing the orange without waiting is just what you do, and you deal with the mess and move on without making it some deep metaphor.