A client in her 70s taught me something about perm rods I'll never forget

Had a regular named Margaret come in about 3 months ago at the shop on Elm Street. She brought in her own old-school purple perm rods from the 80s and asked me to use them instead of my newer ones. I was skeptical at first but she said they gave her tighter curls with less frizz. Has anyone else had clients with vintage tools that actually worked better than modern stuff?

3 comments

3 Comments

hannah_west398d agoMost Upvoted

And older tools really did hold heat better, that's the trick.

evan5438d ago

and that's something I notice across the board with old stuff. like my grandpa's cast iron skillet from the 50s vs the new one I bought last year, the old one just feels denser and more solid. same with hand tools, my dad's old wrenches weigh twice as much as the new ones and they don't strip bolts as easy. I think manufacturers figured out they could make things lighter and cheaper and most people don't notice or care until something breaks. it's one of those things you don't think about until you actually hold both side by side.

dylan_sanchez7d ago

Bought a set of Craftsman sockets from the 80s at a garage sale for 10 bucks a few years back. They're stamped with that old "C" logo and the metal just feels different in your hand, like there's more carbon in the steel or something. New sockets from the same brand feel hollow even though they're the same size. Snapped a cheap 3/8 drive ratchet last month trying to break loose a rusty bolt, but that old one from the sale handles the same job no problem. It's not just about weight either, the chrome on the old stuff doesn't flake off after a few uses. Hit or miss with older things but when you find a good one it's hard to beat.