And now for something disappointing.
One of the things I have always wanted to carry with me is a Phillips screwdriver. Most pocket knives have good flat blade screwdrivers, but I find myself needing a Phillips version rather often.
I was rather excited to find this at thinkgeek.com:
It is called a Screwpop. It has several features that made me think it would be a perfect addition to my key chain.
- It has a full-sized #2 Phillips screwdriver bit! If you pull it out and flip it over, there is a flat blade on the other side.
- It has a bottle opener!
Sadly, I cannot recommend this little guy. There are several drawbacks that I feel overwhelm the positive features of this tool.
Complaint #1: The bottle opener works poorly. It is even worse if there is a key ring going through the end of it. The opening on the Screwpop is not the right shape to easily fit over the edge of a bottle cap. I found that it took me several tries to open a bottle. This is disappointing, especially after being spoiled by another bottle opener that is such a joy to use, although it is not quite portable.
Complaint #2: It is bulky. It takes up an excessive amount of space. I don't like carrying bulky items in my pockets. This is why I minimize the number of keys I carry. It is not worth dragging something around with me unless it functions especially well.
Complaint #3: The fit and finish was not as good as I would have expected. There were bits of the flash left at the seams from when the handle was cast. Not excessive, and nothing that a quick moment with a file couldn't fix, but still disappointing.
Potential complaint #4: It never happened to me while I carried it, but there is the potential to lose the screwdriver bit. It could fall out and be lost forever. The bit has spring-loaded detent to hold it in place, which makes it difficult to replace. A plain bit would just fall out.
The one positive, was that the Phillips bit worked very well. However, I am convinced there must be a better option. It also makes me glad that thinkgeek.com is no longer selling this item. I do not know if it was because it didn't meet their normal standards, but I hope that is the reason. I like that site, and it made me sad that they carried something that didn't live up to its potential.
What you need is one of these:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thinkgeek.com/product/6d98/?srp=7
I have one on my key ring and most of the time I forget it's even there-until I need it or I'm going through security at the airport or something!
I've looked at those... My hesitation is that I want a #2 Phillips because it is the most common size used on computer cases.
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