Contender 10- EDC Multi Tool Screwdriver Keychain Bottle Opener Kit For Outdoor

[Grant Lamontagne]

It is time to have a look at the last of our Fantastic Five Dollar Challenge contenders, affectionately known as Contender 10.  The seller calls it EDC Multi Tool Screwdriver Keychain Bottle Opener Kit For Outdoor Camping Hiking, but I call it something that you wouldn't want to try to use in an enclosed space and would be very unhappy to have in your pocket when you fall down.



And according to the listing:

    100% Brand new and high quality
    Shape with the smallest size of a tool more useful features which can be considered environmentally friendly EDC tool
    EDC environmental tools, small size, simple operation, easy to carry, durable metal material, variety of practical screw head (from 3MM-7MM/Hex outer screw head, 1/4 Universal sleeve, bottle opener, bicycle rims slack adjusters,  slotted screw, cross screw, T10 Torx, independent screwdriver, etc.), T10 Torx head for sizes M48, SOG ax and BANCHMADA141 fixed problem
    Configuration: In addition to the "octopus" body, gave a separate head screwdriver and a 20mm diameter 304 stainless steel key ring
    Tips: if stainless steel was used in wet environments or large temperature difference, it will appear as rust, keep dry, anti-rust oil rubbed regularly maintained.

Specification:

    Material: Stainless steel
    Color: Light Gray
    Weight: 27g

Package includes:

    1 * Octopus Multi Tool Screwdriver
    1 * Separate head screwdriver
    1 * key ring

Please kindly Note: Items will be repackaged to save your shipping charge & to be environmentally friendly. We guaranty the item will be protected well in buble bags, No retail box!

From the pictures it doesn't really look like it was cast all that well- it looks like some of the components might suffer from the top and bottom halves of the mold being offset slightly, but as these are stock photos I can't really comment on whether the one that arrives will be the same or not.  The worrying part is that the stock photos are usually shot of the best of the bunch, which doesn't bode well for whatever ends up arriving.   



I can't say as I have a lot of faith in this one, although at a mere $2.85 with free shipping this is actually the third cheapest of the tools in the Challenge, so I suppose it wins some points for that.  I'm hoping that the screwdriver heads aren't as offset as they seem in the photos.  I also wonder why it ships with the same size flathead as the one that is molded into it?

I'm kind of confused about this one and I wonder how it is really going to stack up, both in function and in reliability.

Def

[Kev D]

Yep that looks cheap and nasty. I doubt that one will win any beauty contests. It'll be interesting to see if a bottle could be opened with it to. It'll dig into the hand while attempting to get enough leverage on it lift the cap.

You're going to need protective gloves for a few of these tools

Good luck   

[Grant Lamontagne]

Indeed I will.  This one shouldn't be too dangerous as there are no sharp edges, but I wonder how long until there are some jagged edges.   

Def

[cody6268]

First of all, this is obviously a very blatant copy of a tool made by our own Tofty, and that's actually 3D printed.

It looks really sloppily made--it reminds me of the cheap cast iron toys from the '70s that copied toys from the '20s and '30s.  Might even be nothing more than silver painted cast iron.

[Grant Lamontagne]

100% agreement with the above.  It absolutely is a rip off of Tofty's design.

Def

[kkokkolis]

A link to Tofty's tool?

[Grant Lamontagne]

Two contenders arrived yesterday, one of which being this one, which is why I am posting in this thread. 



What can I say?  It's a design from our own Tofty, so we know it's useful, or at least it probably would be if it was made correctly.  The casting on this example is slightly better than the one in the picture, and most of the parts at least line up.  Unfortunately I don't see them listed in his shop on Shapeways any more, so I can't get an original to compare this one to.



This one also comes with a small split ring and a flathead driver, which annoys me quite a bit, as you will see from the following photos:





The supplied bit is 4.01mm wide, and the on board flathead is 4.3mm, which means there is less than 1/3 of a millimeter difference between them.  For those that don't know how big a millimeter is, well, a US Dime (not to be confused with the Gerber Dime) is about 1mm thick, so imagine less than 1/3 of that thickness in the difference.



Which makes you wonder why the hell they bothered.  Apparently whoever cast this thing together couldn't be bothered to at least give me a larger flathead to add versatility.   



Setting that aside though, I can see this small unit having some use- as I said, it was designed by an MTO member who has a gift for design.



As such, I expect it to be more useful than many in the challenge, although I don't think I like the idea of carrying it on the split ring- that seems like it might hamper the usefulness of this tool.  I think a small kydex holster would be more effective.



Given that this one is designed by our old pal I'll give it points for function, but the cheap casting loses ground for it, the included carry method leaves something to be desired and the screwdriver bit is, well, let's just say it's an insult.



But, as Tofty is not actively selling it, I am thinking that pending any major issues in use, this one might just be another winner in the Five Dollar Challenge.  Unless the poor casting fails and it falls apart during use....



Which, in the Five Dollar Challenge is always a possibility!

Def