Cattleman/Sheffield/SpyderGuppie

[freginold]

Mine doesn't have magnets in the holder, but it does have little springs on either side of where the bits sit, pushing in on them from both sides, which does a good job of keeping the bits in place.  The springs sit toward the bottom of the holder, so that if you are trying to remove one of the bits, once you "pop" it a little bit out of place, it can be removed easily.

[kirk13]

The one I gifted to a co-worker is living a hard,busy life. I'm pleased to see how it's held up under hard(albeit not JAfromMN hard) use. It's needed a little fettling,but Concidering how little it cost,you can forgive it a lot.

I gave it a little service last weekend,had to tighten the knife pivot by a quarter turn. It wasn't unsafe,but was releasing the plier arm when you opened the knife. It also needed a couple of turns taken out of the plier release stud. This little ten pound cheapy has done far better than my Gerber Fit ever did!

The point Al makes about it not being a full stand alone tool...Ben,the young lad using the spiderguppie ,hasn't realised there's other tools he might need. I wonder if were not looking for excuses to carry more kit?

[Gareth]

Mine doesn't have magnets in the holder, but it does have little springs on either side of where the bits sit, pushing in on them from both sides, which does a good job of keeping the bits in place.  The springs sit toward the bottom of the holder, so that if you are trying to remove one of the bits, once you "pop" it a little bit out of place, it can be removed easily.

Now that is interesting.  Shows that there is definitely development being done on this tool, 'cos that cannot be a aftermarket mod.

[Gareth]

The one I gifted to a co-worker is living a hard,busy life. I'm pleased to see how it's held up under hard(albeit not JAfromMN hard) use. It's needed a little fettling,but Concidering how little it cost,you can forgive it a lot.

I gave it a little service last weekend,had to tighten the knife pivot by a quarter turn. It wasn't unsafe,but was releasing the plier arm when you opened the knife. It also needed a couple of turns taken out of the plier release stud. This little ten pound cheapy has done far better than my Gerber Fit ever did!

The point Al makes about it not being a full stand alone tool...Ben,the young lad using the spiderguppie ,hasn't realised there's other tools he might need. I wonder if were not looking for excuses to carry more kit?

I agree with you John, I think this would be more than adequate for a lot of people all by itself.

[freginold]

Now that is interesting.  Shows that there is definitely development being done on this tool, 'cos that cannot be a aftermarket mod.

Definitely not!  I only found the springs when I attempted to remove the rubber/plastic bit holder out of curiosity and they all popped out, many never to be seen again.  It was an interesting experience getting it back together, requiring cutting down some new springs, lots of patience, and some Superglue.

Without those springs in there, the bits easily fell out.  It's a pretty cool design.

[Gareth]

Well, after this topic came back up I decided to stick my 'Spyderguppie' in my pocket today.  Low and behold I needed a spanner (or wrench is you prefer) to adjust an air rifle spinner that was sticking and sending up some interesting ricochets.  A quick tweak later and all was good.

[Yadda]

There is a different version of this tool that is now starting to show up regularly on the 'bay.  It has fold out phillips and slot screwdrivers and a separate bit set.  I believe Grant first mentioned it in another thread, but I can't seem to locate the reference. 

Here's an example.  Standard notification, don't know them, not recommending them, only including the link for reference.  Buyer beware, caveat emptor, yada, yada, yada, ...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/OUTU-Multi-tool-set-wrench-jaw-screwdriver-pliers-knife-survival-driver-bits-/281387214396?pt=US_Hand_Tools&hash=item4183fc263c

[n4vgm]

You should see the dirty looks I get at Home Depot for checking the levels on the floor before buying one, or opening the fire extinguishers to check the gauges.   

Def

I did the same recently with drumsticks! I'll go through several pairs rolling them on the floor or a table until I find two that are totally straight and make those two a pair. I don't get strange looks, music stores are used to drummers!

[ColoSwiss]

My experience with this item is negative. Don't know if the bit holder is supposed to open, but it looks like it should, and promptly broke. The pliers lock is unreliable. The part of the wrench jaw that engages the thumb screw looks weak. An interesting tool, if only it was decently made.

[freginold]

Don't know if the bit holder is supposed to open, but it looks like it should, and promptly broke.

I thought the same exact thing.  Some super glue and improvised springs later, and it's as good as new.

[Grant Lamontagne]

My experience with this item is negative. Don't know if the bit holder is supposed to open, but it looks like it should, and promptly broke. The pliers lock is unreliable. The part of the wrench jaw that engages the thumb screw looks weak. An interesting tool, if only it was decently made.

I agree completely.  I actually think this is a potentially very good tool.  It just needs someone to think about it a bit more, tweak it a bit and manufacture it better and it could be a contender.

Def

[Royalfizbin]

Got me one from ebay.  The plier head does not make contact across the whole width of the tip.  If I point the tip towards my face and look at the gap, I can see that only one side closes all the way leaving the other side with a gap big enough to slip a business card in.   I'm also no very impressed with the wrench side.  It just feels weak.  I have lots of old adjustable wrenches that have sloppy jaws from over use.  Such flimsy adjusting gears will not hold up very long to real use.

[charlie fox]

So, I've carried one of these in the pocket of my bunker gear for the last year and here's my report:

- Pliers: OK, better than nothing. Not a lot room between jaws, but will allow one to grab, hold, bend, twist and otherwise plier stuff. Wire cutter is useless.

- Adjustable Wrench: It works, but there's not a lot of leverage from the short tool. I've used it a few times to tighten small items and partially disassemble a work bench, but not something I'd use if I had access to a "real" tool.

- Screwdrivers: By and large the most useful thing about this tool. Great idea, crap execution. I've used, and lost, each of the bits supplied. Luckily, our tool rooms supply these size bits, so resupply isn't a factor. I carry the largest Phillips and standard head I can get and a star bit that fits screws that we seem to find around the facility the frequently need loosening. I wish the bit hole was magnetic. I carry extra bits in a small Altoids tin with a heavy duty rubber band around it.

- Knife: Probably the least used implement on this tool for me. It's sharp and appears to hold an edge alright, but I haven't really used it enough to make a fair assessment.

All-in-all a useful tool, but it has it's limitations, just like all compromise tools. Well worth the $9 I paid for it.

[AaronX]

I considered getting one after finding out about the Spyderwrench. Glad to know it's pretty good.

[freginold]

The pliers aren't bad, and the wrench isn't great, but for a tool that gives you a little bit of a lot without taking up much pocket room, it's a pretty good value.  The screwdriver function is nice because you can use it both standard and offset.  You can do just about everything with it -- except load the screwdriver bits -- one-handed (the knife can only be opened one-handed with your right hand).