Dropped my impact wrench off a 2nd story roof - still works! What's your 'tool abuse' survival story?

Alright folks, gotta share this one from a home inspection yesterday. Was checking a roof deck attachment on a 2-story when my Milwaukee M18 Fuel impact wrench slipped right out of my tool belt. Thing took a dive off the edge, bounced off the gutter, and landed square on the concrete driveway. My heart sank - that's a $250 tool right there.

Grabbed it expecting the worst, but aside from some nasty scratches on the housing, fired right up. No weird noises, chuck still tight. These newer brushless models are built like tanks. Anyone else have a 'tool abuse' story where quality actually surprised you?

Tom, you got lucky with that Milwaukee. I've seen guys at the shop run those things through absolute hell. My story: left my old Kobalt socket set on the roof of my van last winter. Drove off, heard the crash in the rearview. 3/4" drive ratchet and 12 sockets scattered across the highway. Ratchet was toast (teeth stripped), but every single socket was still usable. Cheap set too - maybe $40 on sale. Sometimes it's the simple tools that survive.

Landscaping tools get abused daily. Dropped my Stihl brush cutter down a 15-foot ravine last month while clearing a slope. Tumbled end over end, hit rocks, the whole nine yards. Climbed down expecting to need a new one. Aside from a cracked handle guard (replaced for $12), fired up on the third pull. German engineering ain't cheap but man does it hold up. Meanwhile my buddy's cheapo brand saw died when he looked at it wrong.

Drywall guys are rough on tools too. Had my DeWalt drywall gun fall off a baker scaffold last week - landed right in a 5-gallon bucket of joint compound. Fully submerged in mud for like 10 minutes before I noticed. Rinsed it off with the hose, let it dry overnight. Works perfect. My old corded Porter-Cable would've shorted instantly. Newer stuff has better seals I guess. Still wouldn't recommend the 'mud bath' test though lol.

Great stories everyone. Hank - highway survival is impressive. Dave - Stihl doesn't mess around. Luke - the mud dunk test is a new one! Makes you appreciate when manufacturers actually build things to last. I've killed cheaper tools with far less abuse. Moral seems to be: buy quality, and sometimes even then you get lucky. Still checking my tool belt clips twice now after yesterday's scare!