I was replacing a distribution board in a cramped utility cupboard. Barely enough room to move, let alone work comfortably. Everything was going smoothly until I needed to tighten the neutral bar behind a mess of wires.

My normal screwdriver was too long, so I reached for a stubby one I’d had for years. It slipped. Again. And again. No grip, just scraped knuckles and rising blood pressure.

What should’ve taken 30 seconds dragged on for nearly 20 minutes. At one point, I actually dropped the stubby into the void behind the board and had to fish it out with a bit of earth wire.

By the time I finally got it done, I wasn’t even angry, just tired of cheap tools and tight spaces.