Titanium Pocket Tools: branch off hobby?

I honestly thought this thread was going to a little bit more well received then it was :grumpy:. I think that spending $3, 4, 500+ on one of those vox snails is absolutely ridiculous, but my EOS ti shark was $15 and I use it almost everyday. I use the pry bar as a scraper, a box opener (or for any other cutting task a dull edge would work for), and for tightening screws (as well as occasionally prying). I am a lot more comfortable with using a $15 Ti pocket tool than a $200+ knife for scraping gunk off of stuff. I find these tools useful and collectible (while still being relatively cheap). I know that there are some tools that go for $50+ like the tools made by liong mah and jason stout (which are both awesome and I would love to own), but most of them aren't too expensive and (for me at least) have a cool 'collectibilty' factor. Regardless of if you think they are cool or not these pocket tools definitely get used, but a lot of the tasks don't take as much of a toll on these Ti tools as they would with knives.
 
They are cool and collectible allright.

That being said, the ones I have played with have been completely useless, for even something simple like disconnecting a vehicle's battery terminal, they require a perfect set of circumstances before the tools will fit it where you need them and have room to turn. The prying tools are so small they offer almost no leverage, even for simple stuff like bottle caps.
 
d0nut said:
Agreed.

In my 37 years on this earth, I've never had the need for a mini pry bar in my life. I really cant see the usefulness of these little gizmos but apparently someone does.
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Give it time. Your life's not over yet. I found it useful at 68. :tyrannosaurus:
 
Hmm I get everybody's points but still see some usefulness in these mini wrenches and stuff.

They are very similar to my admittedly cheaper and more useful bicycle tools.
For some guys it might be good to sacrifice performance and money to get a smaller and lighter tool to not weigh down their carbon fiber titanium racing bike.

Also, I once left town without any tool and had to carry my bicycle some 10 miles back before a nice Hoosier pulled over and gave me a lift the last 15 miles even if he had to go somewhere else. That would probably never have happened in my home country...

Anyways, any tiny light edc wrench would have sufficed to fix my bike to ride back. I wouldn't have cared if it wouldn't have enough leverage and I'd have to retighten things a few times.

My point is these things wouldn't replace a serious tool but in a pinch could make a big difference. Better a shitty tool in the pocket at all times than the proper tool left at home.
Still I wouldn't spend that cash some of them ask for. :eek:
 
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Excellent bottle opener, pretty good prybar. 25 cents at garage sales everywhere.
 
Peter Atwood started the trend of micro-tools years ago, and a lot of makers are jumping into the game lately with their own designs. Just like with any hobby, a more inexpensive thing will usually get the job done just as well as a more expensive item. Any non-knife person would ask why buy a $400+ knife when a $20 SAK will do the same job opening up packages and breaking down cardboard boxes? Same with these micro-tools. They can become as addicting as knives or flashlights or any other EDC item (I should know - I used to laugh at the idea of someone paying more than $20 for a glorified bottle opener).

I used to have a big Atwood titanium collection but sold off most of them; now my collection is mostly steel. Still have a couple titanium pieces, but those are just for collecting. Steel is a lot better for a user tool.

Not titanium, but this rides with me everyday and has opened its fair share of beers:

nvdrmq.jpg
 
iSaur said:
church-key-can-and-bottle-opener.jpg


Excellent bottle opener, pretty good prybar. 25 cents at garage sales everywhere.
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Larger than keys and annoying in pocket. Would you want that on your keys?

I've been eyeing the Pickpocket Torq/Alpha for a while because its profile is so small and doesn't try too hard with the tools. ^^^That one Symphonyincminor has looks nice also.
Yeah, you can always open a bottle with other stuff, but the whole point of having these things on your keys is to not have to look for something.
 
I got one of the early S30V Atwood tools, and rarely used it other than a bottle opener... so I started forging pocket-sized damascus openers and carrying those... just starting to sell them now on Etsy under DrunkenMarmotForge - not cheap, but all the forging is done by hand hammer at the moment - still trying to justify buying a hydraulic press.
 
I have one. Just one. It's an Atwood Pest. I was able to buy it for the retail price. Demand among collectors drives the secondary market price up beyond my what I'd be willing to spend. I like it for its larger size and its simplicity. I use the prybar all the time for removing electrical components from boards. Here's what it looked like when it was new, and what it looks like now. I sandblasted it at one point.


 
Panem et circenses. Cool yes, but overpriced hell yes. Insanity seems to be the word of the day right now.. but I guess I'm just "hater".

Same thing with knucks. I admit to have one, but spending several hundred dollars for machined piece of brass/titanium? No thanks, I have far more useful uses for that kind of money.. But I guess someone could say the same for knives.

I don't get it.
 
A lot of stuff is priced with zero regard to it's usefulness or the work that goes in to acquiring it. Compare the cost of a cellphone to a steak dinner. A ton of wheat to the price of a getting your house painted. A round the world flight to the cost of a train ticket to the airport. The list goes on. Wars were fought over salt back in the day... now they sprinkle it on roads to get rid of ice.
http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,925341,00.html

I wouldn't buy one but who cares if people want to spend hundreds of dollars on bottle openers. :p
 
A lot of you are missing the point. If you base your purchases solely on usage, then of course you should go for the $15 opener. However, you should also go for the <$20 high carbon steel knife, using the exact same logic. Do you?

Does it make you happy? Then that is what you are buying, not the bottle opener. If you want to and are able to, then contrary to what seems to be some folks' opinion, you have not earned the contempt of Interwebz commandos, whether they believe they should be able to feel it for you or not.

If you are going to have a negative opinion on those pieces from a utility standpoint, then it is far better to have one based on actual utility, and not some pointless harangue about the price. To wit:

1. Bottle opener and ultralight prybar are usually the only items that will be of maximum utility. Pocket wrenches, screwdrivers, and most other tools like that are unlikely to have the real torque needed to do actual work (except in specific instances) due to the fact that they are on a pocket tool, and don't have the length or handle. It's the same type of compromise/sacrifice that one gets from a multitool, versus a real tool that was designed for a specific purpose. That is a legitimate criticism; and that is why some folks tend toward the simpler tools that only have those items on them.

2. In addition to "joy of ownership", you are buying small size (pocket tool) and portability. As some folks have pointed out, better to have a compromise with you than a perfect solution that you left home because you couldn't carry it. And the picture of the standard kitchen can/bottle opener illustrated this point beautifully: would you want that in your pocket?

3. I personally like stainless steel. But although it's less expensive than titanium, it's heavier; and these are things you have to carry. It's up to the individual; and again, you are buying more than "just a bottle opener".

4. Any decoration or embellishment that does not actually accomplish a purpose is purely subjective. Some folks like it in the same way people buy decorative items for their home, or detailing on their cars. However, if it is something that is done, it is work; and it has a value to the artist/craftsman.

Of course there are folks who take full advantage of "the market". Obviously there will be those who will object when that is taken past some arbitrary point that each individual designates as his "limit". But there is a big difference between a personal choice and the wholesale denigration of a product market just because you personally don't approve.
 
BlackKnight86 said:
A lot of you are missing the point. If you base your purchases solely on usage, then of course you should go for the $15 opener. However, you should also go for the <$20 high carbon steel knife, using the exact same logic.
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I feel like there should a be a sticky somewhere touching on the subjective nature of hobbies like ours. I think most of us here treat it like an unwritten rule until someone starts posting in absolutes, (ZT messed up my order, boycott ZT! etc)
then they get the masses at their doorstep each telling them how wrong they are. Once is usually enough, but you know how comments go:rolleyes:

A Mora and an Opinel would be able to serve me in 99% of my tasks, I'm sure. Even though my most expensive knife is pocket change compared to what's out there, it's still 80+ more than a standard Mora or Opinel.
 
It's always amazed me how much people will pay for a little pocket tool that was waterjetted. Here is one I just got. Even has a pocket clip made by the maker.

 
Socom Elite said:
It's always amazed me how much people will pay for a little pocket tool that was waterjetted. Here is one I just got. Even has a pocket clip made by the maker.

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Looks like it was milled to me..Don't remember seeing too many waterjetted parts that look that good.
Not sure what you payed for that, but probably wasn't that bad of a deal. (you don't have to answer that..pm if you feel like it :) )

Ti is an interesting material besides being elemental..It seems to have this allure that I couldn't really figure out..Other than it can propose some challenges to machine but not too bad..My best guess is that it's around 2/3 weight of steel, but more importantly..Its a common material in military materials..Mainly aerospace...Tough material, but not really a hard material.
 
bhyde said:
Looks like it was milled to me..Don't remember seeing too many waterjetted parts that look that good.
Not sure what you payed for that, but probably wasn't that bad of a deal. (you don't have to answer that..pm if you feel like it :) )

Ti is an interesting material besides being elemental..It seems to have this allure that I couldn't really figure out..Other than it can propose some challenges to machine but not too bad..My best guess is that it's around 2/3 weight of steel, but more importantly..Its a common material in military materials..Mainly aerospace...Tough material, but not really a hard material.
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I think the titanium pry bar I have was machined. And half the cost or 1/4 as others. This is an example of a quality pocket tool for a fantastic price.
 
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