I realized the other day that I don’t blog much about the non-software tools and objects that I use every day. I’ve mentioned my Nest and a few of my favorite capture tools, but not much else. I checked my pockets to see what I had that I never left home without; I found my trusty Gerber Artifact1 and thought it worth telling folks about.
The Artifact is a small multi-tool with only one moving part (a small X-Acto blade). It fits nicely on a keychain or a lanyard, and provides an extremely portable crowbar, flat and phillips screwdrivers, a bottle opener and a sharp blade.
I have a Gerber Diesel, and I love it. It’s too big to comfortably carry in my pocket, though, so I end up using a belt pouch for it, which feels ridiculous. Thus, it usually only comes out of the drawer when I already expect to require its tools. The Artifact is always in my pocket, and comes out frequently: it’s perfect for opening boxes and bottles, tightening miscellaneous screws, and prying open things that my fingernails just can’t (or shouldn’t) handle.
The Artifact has replaced the Utili-Key for me. I love that I don’t have to unfold anything for it to be immediately useful. There’s a version of it called the Shard, too, which lacks the utility blade and is 100% TSA-happy.
The Artifact runs about $12 US, the Shard about $7. If you’re looking for a compact, multi-purpose tool2 and are sick of the pocket-knife-bulge in your pants3, I highly recommend this one.
