If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s stuff breaking while I’m using it.

While building our new loft, Tyler and I needed to drill dozens holes and drive a multitude of screws. I started drilling a 1/2″ hole with my corded drill. I’m not sure when I got that drill — I remember using it to work on my Thunderbird, so it must have been at least three years ago — but I do remember where I got it: K-Mart. Yup, I got the drill from K-Mart. As you all know, K-Mart sells nothing but the best, especially when it comes to store-brand power tools (riiiiight…). I probably shouldn’t have been surprised when my $10 K-Mart drill came apart, but the reality was that I was a bit shocked.

I was drilling the hole when the bit broke through and jammed. I tried pulling up on the drill to free the bit. The drill body came up with no hassle. Unfortunately, it left behind the bit and the rest of the drive shaft. I got out a pair of vice grips, freed the bit from the wood, and reinserted the drive shaft into the drill. After the repair, everything spun as it should have, so I attempted to tackle the hole again. The same thing happened.

At this point somewhat irritated, I removed the bit from the drill and chucked the drill out the window. Muwahaha! Primal aggression having been taken out on the piece of shoddy crap, I returned to the problem at hand.

Unfortunately, the only other drill I had at the time was a cordless 9.6v Black and Decker device. Earlier in the day, that drill started emitting an odor reminiscent of an electrical fire, that sort of pungent ionization stench. Burning or not, it didn’t matter: the drill was too underpowered for 1/2″ drilling anyway. Time for a new tool!

The archetypal American male enjoys shopping for tools, and I am no exception. I’m not sure what it is: perhaps it’s some deeply engrained instinct present since the first rocks were used to cut meat. There’s definitely a childish fascination associated with searching out the perfect drill, saw, or wrench. I think that the imagination runs wild with the possibilities made realizable by the tool.

Of course, even the most versatile tool is of little use if it is broken. I have been inconvenienced too many times by broken tools, so last year I made a commitment to myself to never again purchase flimsy tools. The result? Unless exceptional circumstances warrant, I vowed to purchase only Craftsman hand tools and contractor-grade power tools.

Mindful of the limits of my quest, I decided that I wanted a Makita 18-volt drill/driver. Four hundred inch-pounds of torque, all-metal drive train, NiMH battery, 1/2″ chuck… (insert HoHoHo sound from Home Improvement). Mmmm… Now, where to buy it? I went to Lowes. D’oh, sold out. Next stop: Sears. They had it, but it was $30 more than Lowes. Will they price match? Yes! Plus, I got a few extra bucks for completing the price match. Even better, and much to my surprise, there was an additional $30 rebate. Score!

The drill bored through the wood with aplomb, and we finished the loft.