As far back as I can remember I've always loved working on mechanical things and having the right tools to do it with. At a little over 4 years old, one of the presents I really wanted for Christmas in 1956 was a Handy Andy toolset. The toy toolset soon gave way to owning the real thing as soon I got my first bicycle, a 24-inch Rollfast that was made in England. The first thing I did to the Rollfast was to pull the fenders off, and throw on a set of ape-hangers with a stretched gooseneck that put the handgrips way above my head. My dad told me at the time it probably was a mistake, but he didn't stop me, he always seemed to let me find things out for myself. When it came to tools the old man was real picky to the point we always washed everything in mineral spirits (paint thinner) before we could put them back in the toolbox. He taught me to buy the best tools I could afford, and to always take care of them. In 1969 when I decided to pull my '47 Chevy panel down to the bare frame there were a lot of new tools that I needed to go out and buy. With my budget the Snap-on name wasn't even in the hat, I took a trip to Sears in El Monte, California, and bought as many Craftsman handtools as I could afford. To my disappointment I discovered to be able to purchase a new Craftsman bench grinder or drill press even Sears' prices were out of my league. Shortly afterwards I spotted an advertisement for a new Harbor Freight store that had just opened in my neighborhood with ridiculously low prices offered for some of the equipment I needed. Some of the Harbor Freight tools I bought in '69 never lived to see 1970, and then some I still have today. At the time I bought Harbor Freight tools my hopes were they would last long enough to earn enough money to save up and buy a better known brand. In my wildest dreams I never thought I would still be using some of them in the 21st century.