Heck, yes.

I'm almost exclusively a vi guy on my linux box. It's not worth the time or effort to learn the keyboard for emacs/pico/nano, etc.

But sometimes, I need mouse work...or block work...or more advanced editing. NoteTab Light and Keynote for quick notes on the Windows platform. OpenOffice if it's something I want to take a little more time with.

I like having screwdrivers with different feels, different length blades, etc....

Whereas if you're locked-in to a proprietary format, you're sorta stuck with the tools they want to give you, you know?

(Glad I'm not alone on this)

I often use different tools, that do essentially the same job, depending on the need. Take Notetaker and OmniOutliner for example. Both are outliners but I use them for entirely different tasks. I use Notetaker as basically a digital commonplace book. I use OmniOutliner for just about every other outlining task I have (including expense tracking, bill paying, project planning, you name it). Could I just use one for that? Sure I could but I find that one works better for a particular job than the other.

In that same vein I am sure I could put other little snippets of data like passwords and such in either one but I put those in Notational Velocity for the same reason. It just works better than the others for that particular purpose.

Redundancy is not waste when it works.

I generally find that each new tool has its own affordances, and that by switching tools it exercises different parts of my brain. That is usually good news.

From time to time I get bored of new tools and leave behind a litter of half-done stuff, which is usually bad news.

I am constantly finding myself using HTML-Kit and NoteTab Light, with the occasional round of Emacs thrown into the mix. All essentially text editors, but each with its own focus.

Surprised I haven't worn out the ALT and TAB keys...

I guess if you're talking about editing a well-known format (and the three I live in are source code, text files of prose, and XML) then you only choose a tool for a single editing session. On the other hand, a difficult format forces you to choose for life. It's the difference between choosing what colour felt-tip to write in, and choosing what car to drive.

I find myself using a single text editor for everything, but looking round every year or so to see what's about. but then I also wire up my text editor with a load of other tools; I might wire up familiar tools like a compiler, or custom stuff like the PIM compiler I've been working on. When I change editor, I reuse all the old tools.

As has been noted elsewhere by members of the 43Fold, diligently investigating the capabilities of new tools is an *excellent* way to avoid doing any actual work.

That said, I spent a lot of time figuring out what I need and what's available. I'm sure some of that was wasted time, but the upshot is that I'm comfortable that I need everything I use and vice versa. Though I too am drawn to the idea of One Text Editor to Rule Them All, that's not realistic for someone who writes for a living, so during the course of a day I will typically use four or five different means of manipulating and organizing text. Writing, outlining, copyediting, note-taking, and storage all require different screwdrivers (list of apps available on request for the truly bored, the truly boring, or other writers who want to compare notes). I still get pangs when I see a neat new tool like Kinkless, but I'm finally happy enough with my system that I can exercise restraint and not lose an afternoon to contemplating how OmniOutliner would fit into my system. (I have no doubt it kicks ass, but I don't NEED it. I had to make the same painful call with VoodooPad, though I will admit that every few months I pull it up and try to integrate it again.)

That said, if anyone who has to deal with the exigencies of freelance writing (e.g., multiple file formats, integration with Word, editing and copyediting compatibility, outlining capability) has successfully narrowed it down to one screwdriver, I'm VERY interested in hearing about it.

I've been working with DevonThink as a writing/researching tool and have stopped using most of my other tools related to that task, except for my screenwriting software and web browser. I'm not entirely sure if it is what I will stick with, but so far I'm finding it easier to organize my writing with DevonThink. Prior to that, I used a wiki, a text editor, and an outliner.

i like variety. for web work (html, css, etc) i use a variety of text editors but the most often used is textmate and subetha edit.

for tracking appointments and actions i use a combo of OS X tech: ical, Mail, and my own FileMaker Pro solution, Action Tracker.

i have alot of free time so I make it a point to experiment often with the goal of learning new software and being aware of it. i advise a good number of family and friends so this knowledge may be useful for their situation even if it does not suit me.

Not me -- I'd rather trade the benefits that various tools give for the ease of only having one tool to screw around with. I use VIM for pretty much everything text related (except email), and that gets me where I wanna go.