Even if you don't usually carry a multitool, there are times when a pen, a craft knife or a screwdriver could just be super handy. The Ti-ONE gives you these and more at a super-compact size small enough to hang off a keychain or necklace.
The Ti-One is a compact EDC (everyday carry) tool, available in stainless steel or titanium, with interchangeable elements. The basic version includes a fixed knife, two different-shaped craft blades, flat and cross-head screwdriver bits, one black, long-life "eternity pen," a ruler, a belt ring, and a ‘window breaker’.
This should make a very handy screwdriver, thanks to magnetic bits that snap in at two points – one at the end, so you can use it as a regular twisting screwdriver or fold out the ruler arm for a little extra torque, and another in the middle of the tool, so you've got the option of a proper T-handle driver if you rally need to put some grunt through it... To the extent that something this tiny can handle grunt.
You can option it up in a number of different ways, including a set of 24 different driver bits covering all sorts of fastener types, straight and bendable extension rods for the driver, 12 different "eternity pen" colors, or 9 different craft blades shaped for specific tasks.
There's apparently also the option to add in some radio-luminescent tritium vials, which act as battery-free light sources at night – handy when you're fidgeting about looking for a keyhole, or just role-playing as an intergalactic visitor. Mind you, we can't see them in the options list at the minute, just in the FAQ section, where the team makes it clear they cost an extra US$19 each, or three for US$50.
Clearly, adding options like the 24-bit set will make the whole thing a lot less portable, but the tool itself is so small – 90 mm (3.5 in) x 10 mm (0.4 in) x 10 mm (0.4 in) – that one might wonder how to prevent losing it. There are optional extras for this too, including a leather pouch, titanium pocket clip, and a titanium necklace, so you can hang it around your neck.
Mind you, at just 21.7 g (0.765 oz) for the lightweight titanium version, it weighs less than a Camry key fob, and will be right at home on a keyring or in your pocket. Even the stainless steel version, at 37.5 g (1.32 oz), won't drag your pants down.
The "eternity pen" tips – both the standard black and the optional 12-pack of colored tips – are interesting in their own right. These make smudge-proof, permanent marks on more or less any surface, but wear so slowly that they basically never need sharpening. Ti-One's manufacturer claims that each nib can draw a line 10 km (6.2 mi) long, which we'd dare say is longer than most folks' doodles.
The company doesn't specify exactly how these things work, but we'd guess it's something like this metallic solid-ink pen, since the pen nib's also tough enough to open boxes with.
The Ti-One is now available on Kickstarter, where an early bird pledge of $59 will get you the basic stainless-steel package. The titanium version starts at $79 – both represent a 40% discount on the RRP, and deliveries are slated to begin in December.
Standard crowdfunding cautions apply, but this does strike us as an interesting take on the ultra-compact EDC multitool, with a focus more toward creative and crafty folk as opposed to fixers, survivalists and tinkerers.
Source: Ti-One Kickstarter