Who has one of these?

Grant Lamontagne · **on:** January 07, 2012, 12:58:22 AM

For the longest time this was one of my white whales- not because they were hard to come by, but because the few places desperate enough to sell these things charged as much (or more) than the tool was worth for shipping to Canada. My guess is they didn't want such a dangerous item to fall into the hands of the average Canadian!

That's right, it's the Spyderco/Byrd Harp Tool, and thanks to DaveK I have one of these virtually worthless things of my very own! Of course "virtually worthless" from me is a compliment as I love these strange ideas. When it comes to tools, I am a huge fan of evolutionary dead ends, and this is about as dead as ends get!

It's interesting though, as this harp type design is actually very popular historically, making tools of this type difficult to get as corkscrew aficionados (people crazier than multitool collectors!) snap these up like crazy. For some interesting info Google "harp style corkscrew" or "folding bow style corkscrew" and you'll find lots of sites dedicated to these kinds of things- few of which were popular past the early 1900's by the look of them.

(Above pictures "borrowed" from:
http://www.corkscrewsonline.com/corkscrew_guide_folding_bow_corkscrews.html )

Back to the present, apparently Spyderco thought it would be fun to re-introduce this type of tool to see if anyone was interested. My guess is not too many people were, but there's enough novelty to it that it caught my eye! And, at about $20, it's inexpensive enough that just about anyone with a hankering for a tool that makes people say "WTF is that thing?" can afford one!

It's actually got a few interesting ideas in it- each of the tools has a notch cut into the sides of it where the tool next to it rests so that the individual implements "lock" open. This lock isn't great, but it provides a reasonably firm hold when working with it.

The other interesting idea is built into the hammer head and shaft:

It's a bottle opener. Haven't you always wanted to open a bottle with a hammer? I know I've thought about it a few times! Still, I like how a simple function like that was incorporated into an existing tool rather than adding an additional tool for such a basic function.

Some of the other tools on the Harp are more or less useless though- the saw for example is just over an inch long, which means it's really only good for cutting pencils in half, and I'm not certain how much call there is for that these days. Or ever.

The file also suffers from being terrifically short and may be useful for striking a match, but not much more. The awl is a nice feature lacking on too many tools these days, but this one has a tendency to poke you when you are trying to access the other tools, so I'm not a huge fan of it here! Besides, the drill bit could probably do just about anything you'd need the awl for anyway, unless you want to poke a pilot hole for an IV.

The screwdrivers are good, with significant reach and work well enough, but be careful when twisting it as there's a good chance the "lock" will fail and the whole thing will fold on you.

The Harp is a neat tool for amusement or shock factor, but I wouldn't want to count on it in a real SHTF situation. I would imagine that most of these that were sold were probably sold to family members of tool guys who saw the one tool he didn't have and bought it for him. As a tool guy, I can honestly say that not many tool guys will go out and buy one of these for themselves, as they really are kind of silly!

Still, I like the oddities of the multitool world, so this is one of my favorite toys!

Def

Chako · **Reply #1 on:** January 07, 2012, 01:15:28 AM

Yes, very eccentric and endearing. I have one as well, and I like mine quite a lot for the same reasons.

jekostas · **Reply #2 on:** January 07, 2012, 01:18:17 AM

Couldn't find in Canada?

You know, Warriors and Wonders have been carrying these things for like 2 years, and they regularly go on sale.

Grant Lamontagne · **Reply #3 on:** January 07, 2012, 01:20:42 AM

Quote from: jekostas on January 07, 2012, 01:18:17 AM

Couldn't find in Canada?

You know, Warriors and Wonders have been carrying these things for like 2 years, and they regularly go on sale.

That's because no one is buying them...

I've been to W&W's website but never bought anything from them. I suppose if I'd been truly serious about getting one I would have gone to effort to find one in Canada already. To be honest, I probably could have ordered one from S&R Knives too, but things tend to cost too much when you pay retail prices in Canada. I spent $140 on a Charge XTi at Canadian Tire for example.

Def

Craig · **Reply #4 on:** January 07, 2012, 01:26:19 AM

Combination hammer and bottle opener, genius

Worth owning for that alone

Sazabi · **Reply #5 on:** January 07, 2012, 02:29:53 AM

Quote from: Grant Lamontagne on January 07, 2012, 01:20:42 AM

Quote from: jekostas on January 07, 2012, 01:18:17 AM
Couldn't find in Canada?

You know, Warriors and Wonders have been carrying these things for like 2 years, and they regularly go on sale.

That's because no one is buying them...

I've been to W&W's website but never bought anything from them. I suppose if I'd been truly serious about getting one I would have gone to effort to find one in Canada already. To be honest, I probably could have ordered one from S&R Knives too, but things tend to cost too much when you pay retail prices in Canada. I spent $140 on a Charge XTi at Canadian Tire for example.

Def

Could be worse, Grant; the REI I stopped by today wanted $150 for their TTi.

Grant Lamontagne · **Reply #6 on:** January 07, 2012, 02:39:05 AM

Yes, but the MSRP on a TTi is $145-150 so that's not too strange.

Def

Sazabi · **Reply #7 on:** January 07, 2012, 02:44:57 AM

Quote from: Grant Lamontagne on January 07, 2012, 02:39:05 AM

Yes, but the MSRP on a TTi is $145-150 so that's not too strange.

Def

Fair enough, but baring MAP, I don't like paying MSRP ever. :/

Grant Lamontagne · **Reply #8 on:** January 07, 2012, 03:19:18 AM

MAP and MSRP are two different things. MSRP is Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price and MAP is Minimum Advertised Price.

Def

Beerplumber · **Reply #9 on:** January 07, 2012, 05:47:58 AM

I've seen these tools at my local shop and passed on them for unknown reasons. Thanks for enabling Grant I'll grab one Monday. I hadn't considered the "WTF" factor. I have great faith it will be life changing as you've promised.

Stay multi my friends

Beerplumber · **Reply #10 on:** January 07, 2012, 05:51:02 AM

and I have all these pencils that need cutting laying around!

Stay multi my friends

Grant Lamontagne · **Reply #11 on:** January 07, 2012, 05:53:51 AM

Well if you have pencils that need to be cut, this may be the tool for you.

DISCLAIMER: I did not actually test cut any pencils with this tool- it was speculation only!

Of course tomorrow I'm going to see if I can find a pencil and test this out!

Def

MultiMat · **Reply #12 on:** January 07, 2012, 06:22:37 AM

Me

, whacky , a bit kooky & a little stupid how could I resist

.

My one is a Toolmaster brand came with a nice leather sheath & is old. Not sure it is old enough to attract the mad prices that some of these 'vintage' versions go for

. I think my one was cheap

I use the beast

of a hammer on bent blade tips & it works quite well at that task

Grant Lamontagne · **Reply #13 on:** January 07, 2012, 05:08:16 PM

Nice one Mat- mine also has a sheath. It's a "leather" affair that's actually quite nicely done, but probably wouldn't stand up to any significant use. To me, when a tool doesn't have a good sheath it's likely because the manufacturer probably doesn't want you to carry or use it too often, or they'd prefer you lost it before you realized how useless it was!

Def

nuphoria · **Reply #14 on:** January 07, 2012, 05:41:05 PM

I confess I have wanted one of those too! Thanks for the review and pics.

Top fiddle factor if nothing else

Grant Lamontagne · **Reply #15 on:** January 07, 2012, 05:52:39 PM

Oh, that's not a review- I'll get around to one of those sooner or later! This was just me playing with my light tent and determined to make something of it!

Def

Mercury · **Reply #16 on:** January 07, 2012, 11:35:45 PM

Pretty interesting tool, looks like it could actually be useful in a pinch.

Grant Lamontagne · **Reply #17 on:** January 08, 2012, 05:50:38 AM

In enough of a pinch, anything is useful.

Def

scrappy · **Reply #18 on:** January 08, 2012, 06:12:07 AM

Quote from: Grant Lamontagne on January 08, 2012, 05:50:38 AM

In enough of a pinch, anything is useful.

Def

that is so true!

Mercury · **Reply #19 on:** January 08, 2012, 09:44:54 AM

Quote from: scrappy on January 08, 2012, 06:12:07 AM

Quote from: Grant Lamontagne on January 08, 2012, 05:50:38 AM
In enough of a pinch, anything is useful.

Def
that is so true!

+1

user24 · **Reply #20 on:** January 08, 2012, 04:29:56 PM

I had a very similar tool when I was a kid, it was rubbish! An interesting curiosity, but not practical, at least mine wasn't. Makes a nice collection piece though.

Grant Lamontagne · **Reply #21 on:** January 08, 2012, 05:10:42 PM

This may sound weird to some of you, and perhaps might explain some thing about me from a psychological point of view

, but this thing kind of reminds me of old dental tools for some reason!

Def

Mercury · **Reply #22 on:** January 08, 2012, 06:32:23 PM

Same here Def, but not in a good way. It's kind of a terrifying memory association.

Grant Lamontagne · **Reply #23 on:** January 08, 2012, 06:35:08 PM

So I'm not alone- that's a relief! For once the voices I hear may not all be mine!

Def

Mercury · **Reply #24 on:** January 08, 2012, 06:43:45 PM

They talk to you TOO?

Grant Lamontagne · **Reply #25 on:** January 08, 2012, 06:52:37 PM

Well, really they talk about me and I don't appreciate it!

Def

J-sews · **Reply #26 on:** January 08, 2012, 09:51:00 PM

Do the tools just flop around loosely on the Byrd Harp?

Because I see on the old ones you linked to, they use a round piece on the pivot with detent stops in them to hold the tools "open" or "closed"

Quote from: Grant Lamontagne on January 07, 2012, 12:58:22 AM

(Image removed from quote.)

(Image removed from quote.)

(Above pictures "borrowed" from:
http://www.corkscrewsonline.com/corkscrew_guide_folding_bow_corkscrews.html )

Grant Lamontagne · **Reply #27 on:** January 08, 2012, 10:14:57 PM

Nope- one side of each tool is ground concave so the tool next to it seats into place. In this picture you can see the dark area running up the shaft of the awl, and if you look closely you can see a similar "trench" on the shafts of the other tools:

I'll try to get some better pics of it tomorrow to see if I can illustrate it better.

Def

J-sews · **Reply #28 on:** January 08, 2012, 10:24:31 PM

Ah, okay, I'm seeing that now

Grant Lamontagne · **Reply #29 on:** January 08, 2012, 10:26:16 PM

It's a pretty ingeniously simple idea. I wonder how long it took them to think of it!

Def

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