If you're in the habit of grabbing fast food while out and about, there's a good chance that you use the restaurants' disposable plastic cutlery. Uphold offers a more eco-friendly alternative, as it's a reusable modular cutlery set that packs away into a slim case.
Created by Hong Kong architect/industrial designer Eric Tong, the Uphold set consists of a knife, fork and spoon. When pulled apart into their different components, all three sit inside an included case that measures 100 x 66 x 10 mm (3.9 x 2.6 x 0.4 in).
Each utensil is made up of a titanium alloy head, an aluminum alloy handle, and a TPU/TEP (thermoplastic polyurethane/thermoplastic elastomer) connector which goes between the two.
The fork and spoon heads sit flat in the box, but pop into concave shape when connected to their handles. And their edges are rounded, in order to keep them from cutting into users' mouths.
According to Tong, the utensils should last for at least 3,000 uses, and the heads can be replaced as needed. Additionally, all of the components are BPA-free, dishwasher-safe, and fully recyclable via existing facilities – although one does wonder if most recycling plants would bother with such small items.
And yes, about that shovel-like spoon … its shape reportedly allows it to more effectively scoop food from the flat-bottomed takeout containers with which it will be used, as opposed to the curved-bottom bowls in users' homes.
Should you be interested, the Uphold Pocket-Size Reusable Folding Travel Cutlery set is currently the subject of an Indiegogo campaign. Assuming it reaches production, a pledge of US$36 will get you one of your own – the planned retail price is $40.
It's demonstrated in the video below.
For other approaches to packable cutlery-on-the-go, check out the Outlery, GoSun and S+ Cutlery systems.
Sources: Indiegogo, Uphold Living
