Screw Key

sander

#1 – 8:12 AM August 18, 2009

Why?
It has no leverage because the head is inexplicably narrow yet it has a hex middel part that serves no purpose.
How do you screw up such a simple idea?

toolguyd

#2 – 8:12 AM August 18, 2009

These look way more more durable than the ubiquitous "Utili=Key."

I wonder... what's the purpose of the hex shafts? Is it possible that these are modified power bits to save on cost?

A stubby 1/4" wrench might be a nice addition to this duo for extra torque capabilities!

Patrick Austin

#3 – 9:42 AM August 18, 2009

Those look a little on the hefty side. I'm not quite sure why you'd want something so solid for what's usually going to be fairly lightweight repair duties. Now, in titanium...

retrojoe

#4 – 10:03 AM August 18, 2009

A horrible thing to have on your key ring if you also keep your car keys on the same. Weighty key rings wreak havoc on the key while it's in the ignition. All of that weight bouncing up and down will wear down and cause stress fractures in the key. Since double sided keys became common the issues aren't as bad but the overly thin Toyota keys are still notorious. And the old GM single sided keys are hands down the worst for this effect.

nixiebunny

#5 – 10:50 AM August 18, 2009

This is not a very good screwdriver - why carry the wrong tool for the job? I use one that looks like a screwdriver, comes with four bits, and is a pleasure to use and carry in the ol' pocket.

http://www.toolplanet.com/product/MIT-4-IN-1-Pocket-Screwdriver-MIT-2809/bits

Available at fine hardware stores and gas stations everywhere.

dculberson

#6 – 10:59 AM August 18, 2009

Retrojoe, heavy key rings wear not just the keys themselves but also the ignition cylinder. My MIL had her cylinder go bad - after hanging a heavy wallet/keychain on it for years. How often do ignition cylinders fail without heavy keychains?? Not very, in my experience.

Takuan

#7 – 11:51 AM August 18, 2009

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=32215&cat=1,43411,43417

hohum

#8 – 11:54 AM August 18, 2009

As a classic Saab Scania owner, I would just like to say that weighing down your keychain is no issue if your ignition is in the right place - down by your side, right between the shifter and the e-brake!

@4, Although that tool is much more useful, it is also much chunkier and less pocketable. I'd never carry one of those in my pocket as an EDC sort of thing, whereas these screw keys I certainly would.

Paul Bennett

#9 – 6:10 PM August 18, 2009

I picked up a utli-key ... google it. Way better than these.

Feenicks

#10 – 6:39 PM August 18, 2009

I had a set of something almost identical to these. VERY useful, but yeah - Quite a pain to get leverage on if anything is a bit tight, but for a surpise PC case opening or some such, very handy.

THe ones i had were Shiny silvery staineless or something tho, but looked almost identical to these.

Never had any probs with the weight of them on a keyring tho, they are no worse than a key each...

Alas i had to remove them from my keyring last time i flew in a plane. Yet, security wouldnt let me take them on the plane. :-( Silly to try i guess, but i had actually flown many times with them before, even had security have a closer look and eventually, go 'oh yeah okay then'... but i guess it just took that one flight for someone to be a bit more of a tosser and had to take em off. I just gave them to my wife who was there but alas somewhere along they way they got lost.

i do miss them.

Joe MommaSan

#11 – 6:53 PM August 18, 2009

Eight bucks shipping kills it for me. I'd buy them for five bucks a set - thirteen is too high.

Anonymous Anonymous

#12 – 7:26 PM August 18, 2009

Here are ten of them much cheaper and with a bottle opener:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Bottle-Opener-Key-Chain-Key-Ring-w%2f-Screwdrivers_W0QQitemZ200370680851QQcmdZViewItem

SCREW THAT

#13 – 7:40 PM August 18, 2009

$25.00 shipping for california to hawaii...on WHAT?!

The PO small priority boxes are $5 shipping.

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

shecky

#14 – 10:01 PM August 18, 2009

It seems silly to complain about the lack of leverage. These are keychain gadgets after all. You know... for the times when you don't actually have a full size screwdriver on your person.

Even more compact are replacement Victorinox Quatro screwdrivers. About the size of a nickel, has two flat and two Phillips. They are available individually as replacement parts from online dealers and ebay.

peter harris

#15 – 2:37 AM August 19, 2009

been waiting for a miniture hex set for ages but not a ring please
dont see the point of wide slot heads always it needs a jewlers
sizes the combination of a tommy bar might be useful

pfoley

#16 – 3:27 AM August 19, 2009

I would make the hole hexagonal to fit the hex shaft. Use a second key for leverage if needed.

Ted Lemon

#17 – 6:33 AM August 19, 2009

These look like good-quality steel screwdriver bits the ends of which have been mashed flat with a heavy press, possibly after having been heated up to the point where they're more malleable. It's worth noting that since you have them on a key ring, you can get extra leverage using the key ring - it's not like you're going to take them off the ring before using them if you have any choice about it.

dculberson

#18 – 7:33 AM August 19, 2009

Pfoley, that is genius. Absolutely excellent idea.

Anonymous Anonymous

#19 – 9:06 AM August 19, 2009

I carry a huge and heavy keychain every day: mini-Sharpie, Inka pen, Damascus prybar, Countycomm lighter and AAA flashlight, etc.

My ignition is fine after 8 years. Ford F150, folks; buy a real truck.

Seriously, though: for about the same weight you could carry a Victorinox Climber or Tinker and solve a lot of problems. But carry it all the time!

JMM

#20 – 9:18 AM August 19, 2009

PFoley, brilliant idea.

Craig

#21 – 1:09 PM August 19, 2009

The idea is you use the keyring itself for turning leverage.

Lost car key

#22 – 4:17 AM September 2, 2009

Thanks for sharing the information about the nice product. This is very useful one.