| By :
Mark Etinger
A man is supposed to be able to build stuff, change tires, and not cry, unless it's in the privacy of his own bedroom after the death of a loved one. There are a few items that every man should have ready in case things go wrong. There are a few different titles for these materials; we can call them maintenance products, general equipment, or even houseware. When a rusty door hinge starts to squeak, you need WD-40. A quick shot of that grease will get your door opening faster than a fat man's mouth. You may also do well to have some spare door parts such as an extra master lock, in case you can't get the key back from your ex-girlfriend. Duct tape is another man essential. You can quick-fix pretty much anything with some good old fashioned duct tape. Masking tape is handy too, especially during a move or lesser jobs that don't require the strength of the gray tape of steel. Oh, and you should have a tool kit with different sized wrenches and screwdrivers, including the Philips and flathead (which reminds me, why is it called a Philips screwdriver? Thanks to the internet, I'll find out…Henry F. Phillips, figures) and some of the other 17 types of screwdriver. A tape measure is handy, and so is a hammer. You can keep storm window parts also, especially if you live in a place like Florida that is subject to storms and high winds and such. Shelf brackets are great when you need extra shelves, which you inevitably will, because your closet is probably looking a little overstuffed these days, isn't it? So build them with two by fours and the shelf brackets you have in your garage. A power tool, such as a drill is valuable because it allows you to build larger scale things, such as tables. It also accelerates the time you spend on smaller projects, see above. After that you can pretty much feel good about your general equipment supply. You may want some extra paint the same colors of your walls, just in case. Some spackle and some caulk also comes in handy. Rope is good when you need to tie things. And cables, too, in case you need to carry something large in the trunk of your car. But that's getting into a more sophisticated realm of manliness, real handy-manliness. Which is the subject for another article.
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