Def's haul!

[Grant Lamontagne]

Not too bad a day today.  It started off good with a package from a certain Hawk Chuckin' Man which included (among other things!  Thanks John!) a Coleman Pro-lock, which is that odd lookin tool with the slide out tool cartridges in the handles.  I doubt it would have been an edc for me even if it had become common, but it makes a hell of an addition to a collection as an important oddity in the development of the modern multitool.  Much like the SportRatchet and the SwitchPlier, the Pro Lock is something no tool collector should be without!

Then, my wife dragged me to a new shopping district not too far from here and it didn't take me long to find the Home Despot.  No multis there that I could see (although some fantastic looking Sheffield folding knives!  ) but I was really looking for a cell phone case.  I know, I know, Home Despot is the last place one would look for a cell phone case, but my parents found some there and I wanted a similar one.  Well the Home Despot here didn't have them, but they did have bigger ones with room for a cell phone, PDA, multitool, pen, flashlight etc and for only $10.  Naturally I grabbed it since I miss my Maxpedition bag so much. 

All in all a pretty good day so far!

Def

[I'm Still Bison]

That looks as good or better than the Nite-ize gear.Nice find!

[Grant Lamontagne]

It has a flap on the back that fits into your pocket as well so it doesn't flop around.  It's an interesting design- it really just boils down to whether it will stand up to a significant amount of use or not.

Def

[Grant Lamontagne]

Here's the one I was looking for:

http://www.homedepot.ca/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CatalogSearchResultView?D=932002&Ntt=932002&catalogId=10051&langId=-15&storeId=10051&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Ntx=mode+matchall&recN=0&N=0&Ntk=P_PartNumber

Def

[M.TEX]

 Hey Def. Could you please post a picture of that tool ?
 I don't know much about the old ones....

 Thanks, M.TEX
 

[Grant Lamontagne]

Here are some pics of it...

Def

[Grant Lamontagne]

Open with a SwissTool RS and a close up of the handle so you can see the cartridge inserted into it.

Def

[Grant Lamontagne]

Open the lever and use it to pop the cartridge out of the handle.

Def

[Grant Lamontagne]

Shot of the cartridge out of the handle.

All in all it's a neat design but the implements themselves are pretty cheap and cheesy.  I assume that the tool didn't last when they realized that the implements (in this case the whole cartridge unit) was the most expensive part so it was relatively pointless to try and save folks money by not buying a whole new tool.

Def

[M.TEX]

 Thanks... That's a very nice tool . 

[Grant Lamontagne]

Yup... I have been watching for one of these for a while but they only seem to be available when I am broke... and unfortunately they are available fairly often! 

Def

[AJ]

Cool, all on a Friday too...

[Grant Lamontagne]

Yeah, it kind of amazed me that I got mail on a Friday.  Normally the mailman skips our little street on a Friday so he can get finished faster.  He must have made the effort today knowing that he's off Monday anyway, and probably didn't want to carry two extra days' mail.

 

Def

[J-sews]

Too bad the ProLock wasn't produced with better quality components.    Maybe the "cost savings" rational wasn't sound, but the removable cartridges also offered other advantages. Customizing your tool for what tasks you were likely to face during the day was one concept never realized. Even better was the ability to seperate components and use them on the same task.

Grasp an object with the pliers and carve on it with the knife blade, for instance. Or grab a nut with the pliers and turn the screw with a screwdriver. You can't do that with any other single multitool.

Also too bad Coleman had to cease and desist production of the ProLock so soon. I would have liked to see a cartridge full of hex wrenches produced, or a cartridge with some scissors.

[Grant Lamontagne]

I would have loved to have some options too, or even just to have the tools on it be of better quality.  As it stands now, you still have the benefit of being able to hold the nut while you turn the screw, which is something very few tools let you do, so the concept isn't wasted.  But since the screwdrivers are on par with some of the wonderful $5 multi screwdrivers, it may not be the best tool out there.

Still, it is what I wanted- a fine example of the multitool dodo- an evolutionary dead end, but without it we wouldn't have quite the same understanding of those that succeeded.

Def