Prudent Prepping: Seeing is... Seeing

The dust has settled and the First 72 Hours have passed. Now we concentrate  on what to do in, and how to plan for, the long term via Prudent Prepping.

Knowledge (and Vision) is Good

As you can see in my photo, I wear glasses. I first wore glasses when I was 27 and then only for distance. These days I still need glasses for distance, and in addition I use "cheaters" for very close work or reading extremely small type. I buy my magnifiers from Sam's Club in a five pack for around $25, with the equivalent available from Amazon for nearly the same price after shipping is factored. Over the years I've had bent frames and scratched or broken lenses on my normal glasses which were covered in my vision insurance. What was not covered are the tiny screws which, when lost, allow the ear piece to fall off or have the lens fall out of the frame. This always happened either after hours or far away from civilization, which is why I bought 2 of these repair kits from CVS.            

What I really like about this particular kit is the assorted screws ( 2 each metric and imperial standard) and the enclosed magnifying lens which you place on the screwdriver shaft before you attempt to install these very tiny screws. I do not have a camera able to take pictures of the tool in use, but let me say the magnifying lens is a terrific boost to my eyesight, right where it is needed most: at the end of the screwdriver!

The screws in the kit are four of the most common sizes used in glasses:

• 1.4mm and 1.6mm with a flat head
• #5 and #7 barrel screws with a dome head

These are held in the hollow handle of the screwdriver, along with a very small piece of flexible tubing to be used as a screw keeper. The lens is placed on the shaft, followed by the tubing, and then the proper screw is set on the driver tip. Holding the screw on the tip with a finger, the 'keeper' tubing is then pushed down the shaft, over the screw head, which prevents the screw from falling off the driver tip. I recommend storing  the tubing on the shaft and not putting it back into the handle since it is so small.

Other Items

Only one other thing to be added to the stores this week: Uncle Bill's Sliver Gripper tweezers. I originally purchased a set of these tweezers 20+ years ago and kept them in my sales bag First Aid box. They had a very fine and sharp point to easily dig the finest splinter out of your skin. About 4-5 years ago they disappeared, and I could not recall where I found them until they showed up on one of those 'Others also purchased' graphics on Amazon. I'm a bit afraid to see what they look like in comparison to the originals, since several reviewers ding the current version with only one star. It seems the tips are not as fine as the original version and possibly not as high quality steel is used currently. If the new version is anything like the original, I will purchase several.

We will see.

Recap

Eyeglass repair kit from CVS Pharmacy: first one $4.79, second $2.39, total with tax $7.83.

   

If you have comments, suggestions or corrections, please post them so we all can learn. And remember, Some Is Always Better Than None!

NOTE: All items tested were purchased by me. No products have been loaned in exchange for a favorable review. Any items sent to me for T&E will be listed as such. Suck it Feds.