Key of Opening and Biting - Swiss Tech Utili-Key

Let me start this out by saying i LOVE multi-tools.   Put the title on something and you have my interest.  Simply put, I detest having to carry more stuff than I have to, so anything that lightens the load is perfect.  Inventory management has plagued gamers for decades as a sort of necessary evil, and this is even MORE true in real life if you prefer to follow a lifestyle that includes some EDC gear.  In this case, this very reduction is why I will gladly take the risks involved with this annoyingly wonderful tool:  the Swiss Tech Utili-Key 6-in-1 KeyChain MultiTool.

This little bugger easily attaches to a keychain and stays rather solidly closed until you need it.  I won't ever recommend that you do anything illegal, but I've heard tales that this tool often makes it through TSA checkpoints in with other keys.

When opened, the hole for keychain attachment opens as well, releasing it from it's ring.

Personally I prefer to keep mine in my Blackhawk! Pocket Pack.  The tool is generally safe to carry on a keychain, but I know how rough I can be on some things.



You'll notice that the blade and serrations are well covered by the tool's opposite arm.  It's pretty securely affixed there, so there's very little chance this will bite you when it's not in use.

Once opened, the tools become a little more apparent.

First two are the knife and saw blades.  Not very big, but works in a pinch for opening all sorts of packages and boxes, for scoring items, and even cutting cans up for use as a penny stove (yes, i promise a future post on this).

Third would be the phillips head screwdriver, note the almost 1" shaft that unlike many other tools allows you to work with recessed screws on all sorts of devices.  With this I've successfully stripped apart to bare parts a Dell Latitude laptop while away from home.
Fourth is included here, up farther on the shaft you see a bottle opener that has a good positive lip for grabbing edges.

Fifth and Sixth would be the two flat head screwdriver options at the head, one for smallish normal screws, and one for extra small screws such as those used on the hinges on eye glasses.

So you can see all the neat opening features...  now the down side, the biting...  notice how when fully extended the blade part of the handle could easily cut your fingers if you are not extra careful with this one.

Sure you could use it folded at a 90 degree angle, however I have found this to be awkward and very slow when dealing with more than a quarter to a half turn.  Even then it's easy to grab

In summary, the Swiss Tech Utili-key is a really small tool that you can fit in almost any carry scenario, gives you many options for opening lots of things up, as long as you don't take it's thirst for blood personally.  I've nicknamed mine Vlad.