Wikia

Handiness

A Sim improving their Handiness skill by tinkering with an object

For the similar skill in The Sims and The Sims 2, see Mechanical.

Handiness is a skill in The Sims 3 which replaces Mechanical from The Sims 2 and The Sims Stories. The skill is augmented by the Handy trait. It allows Sims to fix and upgrade objects.

Statistics

Objects Repaired, Electrical Objects Repaired, Plumbing Objects Repaired, Objects Upgraded, Unique Upgrades Completed, Percent of Unique Upgrades Completed, Times Electrocuted

Challenges

Electrician: Electricians have repaired at least 10 electrical objects. The experience gained means they will never be electrocuted by an electrical object again.

Plumber: Plumbers have repaired at least 10 plumbing objects. They are so good at repairs that plumbing objects repaired by them never break again.

Tinkerer: Tinkerers have finished at least 10 unique upgrades on household items. Installing the "Unbreakable" upgrade on multiple objects only counts as one unique upgrade, so it helps to experiment with different upgrade options! Tinkerers never fail when upgrading objects.

Abilities

Level	Ability	Notes
1	Tinker	Allows the Sim to tinker with an object to add a random upgrade
3	Upgrade (Self Cleaning)	Cleanable objects can be made self cleaning
4	Upgrade Features	Fireproofing (Stove), Improved Speakers (Stereo), Silent Running (Dishwasher) Improved Jets (Hot Tub)
6	Upgrade (Unbreakable)	Objects can be made unbreakable
7	Upgrade TV & Other	Seems to unlock most of the remaining upgrades
10	Discount	Objects in the Buy and Build Mode are cheaper

Upgrades

Upgrade	Level	Applicable Object	Note
Always Good Fortune^[TS3:WA]	6	Fortune Factory Fortune Cookie Maker	Always gives Sims the positive moodlet from the fortune cookies.
Auto Light	4	Cheap Fireplace	The fire turns itself on whenever the Sim walks into the room.
Auto Water	4	Sprinkler	Automatically waters the plants every morning.
Boost Channels	6-10	Cheap TV	Unlocks advance channels which are not available in cheap televisions. With higher skills, more channels can be unlocked
Change Fire Color	3	Cheap Fireplace	The player can choose between blue, purple, green and normal.
Clean Polymer Injection System^[TS3:A]	6	Washing Machine	Makes the Fresh Clothing moodlet last longer
Custom Doorbell Sound	3	Door	Changes the sound of the doorbell.
Dimesional Gate^[TS3:ST]	10	PlasmaPunch Gyroscopic Conductor	Create a dimesional gate.
Faster Cooking	4	Microwave	Cooks food faster.
Fireproof	4	Fireplace, Stove	Will never set things on fire. (The Fireproof Homestead lifetime reward makes this upgrade useless in the active household.)
Flavor Enhancement^[TS3:WA]	9	Nectar Maker	Increases nectar flavor by 15%.
Improve Fire Alarm^[TS3:A]^[1]	4	Firestation Alarm	Respond faster to firefighting emergencies.
Improve Meal Quality	7	Stove	Increases the quality of cooked meals.
Improve Speakers	3	Stereo	Increases effect of "Enjoying Music" moodlet by 10.
Improved Crushing	6	Trash Compactor	Allows Sims to store more trash.
Improved Graphics	8	Computer	Sims gain more fun playing with computers.
Improved Jets^[TS3:LN]	6	Hot Tub	Changes the hot tubs' bubbles effect.
Improved Memory	9	Food Replicator	Every subsequently stored meal will have 20 copies available instead of the regular 10.
Improved Pressing^[TS3:WA]	5	Nectar Maker	Adds an extra one bottle of nectar on each production.
Inertial Stabilizer^[TS3:ST]	10	PlasmaPunch Gyroscopic Conductor	Sims will never get nauseous again.
Inkinization 2.0^[TS3:A]	6	The Digital Tattoo Applicator	Never give or receive a bad tattoo on this device again.
Look-Good Mirrors^[TS3:A]^[2]	6	Styling Station	Customers will be more likely to be satisfied with their Makeovers.
More Efficient^[TS3:A]	6	Windmill, Solar panel	Bills are reduced by 3% (Solar Panel) and 6% (Windmill) instead of 2% and 4%.
Never Lose^[TS3:LN]	6	Dartboard	Hacks the dartboard, allowing the Sim that hacked it to always win.
Perfect Teleportation	9	Teleporter	Disables the possibility that Teleporter fails.
Self-Cleaning	3	Toilets, Bathtubs, Sinks, Stove	This object will clean itself every time it gets dirty.
Silent Running	4	Cheap Dishwasher	Makes your dishwasher run silently.
Unbreakable	6	Plumbing Objects, Stereo, Teleporter, TV, Computer, Dishwasher, Trash Compactor, Washing Machine^[TS3:A]	This object will never break. (Completing the Plumber skill challenge makes this upgrade useless on plumbing objects. They should instead be made Self-Cleaning.)
Upgraded Extinguisher^[TS3:A]^[1]	3	Fire Extinguisher	Sims can extinguish fires Faster.
Wire House With Speakers	8	Stereo	"Enjoying Music" moodlet follows all around the house. The stereo interrupts sleep throughout the house instead of just nearby rooms.

Opportunities

Settle an Argument: Reward: Cash; Location: Specified Sim; Description: [Sim] is a bit peeved with modern technology, and has taken the opinion that it's unreliable and breaks too often. Have a chat with [Sim] and provide a convincing argument about the greatness of modern technology. You'll earn a little money and improve your relationship with [Sim] for settling the disagreement.

Bring Back the Jams: Goal: Upgrade the Stereo and return it to [Random Sim]; Reward: Cash; Location: Specified Sim; Description: A Stereo belonging to [Sim] is barely pumping out tunes like it used to, and it's making [Sim] look really uncool. [Sim] will leave the stereo with you (in the family inventory) to Upgrade. Once you're finished, bring it back and [Sim] will pay you for the work.

Broken Laptop: Goal: Repair the Laptop and return it to [Random Sim]; Reward: Cash; Location: Specified Sim

Bad Reception: Goal: Repair the TV and return it to [Random Sim]; Reward: Cash; Description: [Sim] has a TV that's busted and there's nobody around to fix it. Take the TV set (It will be placed in your family inventory.) and whack it a few times to see if you can't get it working again. [Sim] will pay you for the repair work.

Not Music, Not Fun: Goal: Repair the Stereo and return it to [Random Sim]; Reward: Cash; Location: Specified Sim

Glitches

Unbreakable and Perfect Teleportation

The player can give both Unbreakable and Perfect upgrades to the same Teleporter by taking advantage of a glitch by completing the Perfect Teleportation upgrade first, then starting a new upgrade for Unbreakable, and canceling it after only some work is done.

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Unlocked through the Firefighter profession.
↑ Unlocked through the Stylist profession.

[Firefighter-0] 1.0 ^1.1 Unlocked through the Firefighter profession.

[1] Unlocked through the Stylist profession.

TS3:WA

TS3:A

TS3:ST

[1]

TS3:LN

[2]

Wikia

Handiness

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