Has anyone had any experience with their keychain tools?

http://www.trueutility.com/collections/all-products

I'm kind of skeptical -- it seems that if you're going to carry some sort of tool on your keychain, why not a small multitool?

I read Amazon reviews of a few products, and opinion seems kind of mixed.

Speaking of keychain tools, Chaosmagnet's recent post got me to put a Nitecore whistle on my keychain. It's so compact that there is no excuse for me not to have a signaling device. Thanks, man.

You're welcome!

I'm with you on the keyring multi -- the LM PS4 is too easy to carry to not have it with me.

Another affirmation for the PS4. Ounce for ounce, it is the most useful item on my keyring.

Torches are good. Multitools are ok provided you recognise that its a $15 item, not a $50 one.
Lighter is pretty good.

They are a cool concept and I could see passing these out to ill-prepared folk as groomsman gifts or some other gift occasion. I doubt they'd be any serious use, though.
-Blast

Haven't really liked any of the novelties there, except Angled lights and the cork screw. Most lighters are for smokers (survival one must have the lid opening 180 degrees outward). So, looks like just another random collection.

a very tiny light on my keys would be the only thing i would go for.more than once i have fumbled around in the cold when the porch light was off to open the door.
i don't like too much bulk in my pocket so most of the gizmos from True Utility would be out.
also being retired i'm really not out and around much but i could see if someone worked and lived downtown and was on the go all the time some of those key chain tools could come in handy.

I found another pocket tool company. This one is more clever and aesthetic than applicable, I suppose. Still. their prybars seem stronger than just a flat bar:

http://www.schnelleengineering.com

Good find, Bink! Some intriguing stuff there...

I didn't go with the PS4, but with the Swiss + Tech Utilikey for concerns of weight. I'll see how that goes.

I haven't found myself needing a multitool and not having one somewhere. Thinking back to my usage (of the stuff I do carry around), it seems that the knife is the most often used, followed by flashlight, pen and paper (or some sort of notepad), bandaids, and prybar. On the other hand, maybe if I have a multitool readily available I'd find uses for it. The Utilitkey is kind of a compromise -- it's small, but it's got "screw drivers" and a bottle opener (the latter I did need recently).

Because I need a pen so often, I thought about adding the stylus/pen from True Utility -- it's a telescoping pen basically. But it's kinda expensive. It's cheaper just to carry an actual pen somewhere in my pocket.

I don't know if it qualifies as a multi-tool, but I have always carried a SAK (usually a Tinker model). I use it almost every day for something. I think, as you mentioned, you don't know how much you will use it unless you have it in your pocket.

Sure, I could go get a screwdriver out of the garage or my car's toolkit, but it is much easier to reach into my pocket.

I didn't think I would really use an EDC flashlight either. I bought one "just for emergencies." However, I find that I also use that almost every day.

Yesterday I used both the knife and flashlight while installing new printer cables for a computer. The day before I used both while doing some minor house repairs at my MIL's house.

One day, while miles from home, I repaired a leaking radiator hose on my car with only my SAK. Invaluable!

I keep a spacepen in my wallet, but the most used device is phone followed by keys

The KeyTool has been on my house key for the last three or four years, and it gets used on a regular basis. The bottle opener pops any bottle cap immediately, which can't be said for a lot of other, slimmer openers like those on SAKs or multitools (which also have to be folded open before you can use them). The tiny screw driver is also perfect to fix glasses or to open the battery lid of the Photon Freedom. The nail file also comes in handy for quick trims on finger nails, but I have to admit that I only once tried to use the other screwdrivers or the thread cutter, which was rather awkward. The tweezers work, but you also have to remove the key, so meh. Anyway, as a minimalistic and lightweight keychain tool I would recommend it any time.

I also carried the SkeletonKnife for some time in the coin pocket of my jeans because of its minimal weight. It was okay to open boxes or other stuff, but it became dull rather quickly and wasn't really useful as a knife. It got replaced by the equally minimalistic, but 10 times better P.E.C.K. by C.R.K.T.

For whatever reason the concept of the FlashStash also intrigued me, but it's been lying in a drawer for a while now. For the keychain it is too bulky, and I wouldn't like the coin cells to leak over the precious items I keep in the compartment: The dividing wall is not fixed, so I don't really trust that thing...


Disclaimer: I have nothing to do with the company, I'm just a sucker for any kind of gadgets (that Micro USB MobileCharger looks also interesting...). :-)