Tool Time

As a maintenance worker - and a woman, Kay Loague loves her new pink Sheetrock tools.

"It makes my job more fun," the Odessa woman said. "I love to see the expressions on people's faces."

And, while Tomboy Tools come in blue and pink, she said it's worth a few extra dollars for the pink tools because they benefit the Susan G. Komen for the Cure breast cancer fund. She's lost a brother and several friends to cancer.

"This is Breast Cancer Awareness Month," she said. "Everything I can do to help the cause is important. I appreciate the fact that Tomboy Tools is involved with that."

Barbara Engel-Barber, admittedly a tomboy herself, recently became the Odessa sales consultant for Tomboy Tools. Engel-Barber, who grew up on a farm, tried selling products like Mary Kay Cosmetics, but she said it just wasn't for her.

"I knew the prices weren't that far out of normal," she said of Tomboy Tools. "I felt that maybe I could do this. Maybe it would be a good fit for me."

So she talked to Pat Smart, a Tomboy Tools representative in Abilene. Engel-Barber liked what she saw and signed up to sell the tools.

Along with the color, the tools, which are available individually or in sets, appeal to women because they are lighter in weight and come in sizes more conducive to women's hands and features, Engel-Barber said. The hammer has a notch to hold a nail so women don't hurt their fingers holding them. Box knives have rubber gripping for better control and a thumbscrew, so users don't need a screwdriver to change the blade.

Sets include the Tomboy Traveler, which has a 13-ounce hammer, tape measure, hacksaw and several other items. It's available for $79.95 in pink or $69.95 in blue. Other sets, like the $26.95 caulking kit, cost the same in either color.

A large part of Engel-Barber's business comes from word of mouth and e-mail. She's also set up a booth at the VFW Flea Market to sell the tools.

"I'm hoping that I will be able to make enough money that I don't have to go out and get a daytime job," she said.

And she said you don't need to be a tomboy to use Tomboy Tools.

"This tomboy will teach you how to use your tools, and, if you don't want to learn, you can get the blue ones for your husband," she said.

Smart said Engel-Barber could be eligible for special rewards for new consultants.

"She's really hawking the tools," she said. "She's showed them with a lot of people."

Consultants show the tools at places like Girl Scout meetings and community college classes, Smart said.

"It's a great opportunity, and there are more and more single women who are homeowners," she said.

And Loague said the tools could be just plain fun to have around.

"I think every woman should have pink tools," she said. "It kind of takes the edge off the day when you get all stressed out and somebody laughs because you have pink tools."

Tomboy Tools

If you're interested in getting Tomboy Tools for yourself, call Barbara Engel-Barber at 425-8822.