Gadgetoid

gadg-et-oid [gaj-it-oid]

-adjective

1. having the characteristics or form of a gadget;
resembling a mechanical contrivance or device.

Scarab Multi-Tools Keyring

As Christmas draws close, the search for gifts begins and gadget bloggers turn their attention to shameless traffic grasping by spouting out more Christmas gift lists than you could shake a candy-cane at.

I’m no exception, and have been reaching out into the gadgetosphere for all things shiny and gift-like to cast my eye over. One of the many things I’ve happened upon is the Scarab Multi-Tools Keyring. Now I’ve never been one to carry any tools around, despite needing them surprisingly frequently for someone who doesn’t have a career in tinkering, maintenance or anything else typically requiring tools.

So the Scarab Multi-Tools Keyring piqued my interest, it boasts a flat-head and cross-head screwdriver, a knife, wire strippers, pliers and one of those godawful nail-file/cleaner tools which admittedly comes in handy, but seems like the sort of thing one is better doing in the privacy of their own home.

All this handy tool goodness compacts down into a reassuringly weighty, scarab shaped keyring and each tool can be retrieved with varying levels of awkwardness and personal risk- although I can’t really blame it for sacrificing ease of use for aesthetics. I’ve always been a fan of the latter!

The screwdrivers, nail tool and knife all fold out of the sides and snap into place. This is a little tricky to do with the knife as you have to pull it by the blade, but it’s a man’s tool damnit and I wont be beaten by a tiny slither of sharpened steel.

The Scarab has surprised me over the past week or so. I’ve kept it handy in my pocket and it has come in useful more than a couple of times. I find myself using the knife blade most of all, for opening mail, and scrabing the corrosion from out of a battery-powered clock mechanism I was refurbishing for my daughter’s school project. The screwdrivers also came in handy here, both for unscrewing screws and levering off plastic casing. Of course, in the comfort of my own home I could have dug around in toolboxes and drawers for tools to accomplish the same thing, but there’s something very satisfying about having the right tool in your pocket when it’s needed.

I couldn’t recommend this thing more for the average handyman/geek/hardware hacker, and it’s definitely a great little stocking filler.

For £7.99 the Scarab multi-tool is a little on the pricey side, but it’s a handy little object and will most likely prove its value in time saved searching through those aforementioned drawers and tool boxes.

Thursday, November 24th, 2011, Gadgets.