Used to think those little suction cup handles were just for show

Had a nightmare week installing a custom shower door in a high-rise condo downtown, kept dropping the panels trying to get them through the narrow hallway. My partner, Mike, finally grabbed his set of those cheap-looking suction handles and showed me how to get a solid grip on the glass. We got the whole thing in place without a single scratch after that. Anyone else have a simple tool they wrote off that actually saved a job?

3 comments

3 Comments

willow_garcia10d ago

Totally get writing off a tool because it looks flimsy. My thing was always the manual hand pump for brake bleeder kits. Thought it was a waste of time compared to the fancy pressurized systems. Tried to bleed the brakes on my old truck with a helper and a wrench, made a huge mess and got air in the lines. Finally broke down and used the little pump, and it pulled fluid through perfectly with zero fuss. Sometimes the simple, cheap tool is just the right one for the job.

claire_butler110d ago

Wait you tried to do it WITHOUT the pump first? That sounds like a total nightmare. I can just picture brake fluid everywhere and that awful smell. The little hand pump is like five bucks and it saves you from all that. Some tools just look too simple to work but they're secretly genius.

williams909d ago

Honestly, how did you even try to lift big glass panels without those things? Were you just doing a full bear hug and praying? I wrote those suction cups off as junk for years too, until I had to move a giant microwave. That little handle was the only thing that got a grip on the smooth surface. It’s funny how the simplest looking tools are the ones that save you from total disaster.