Nite Ize DoohicKey Keychain Multi Tool, Stainless-Steel 5-in-1 Multi Tool With Bottle Opener + Carabiner Clip, Black

The pry end is the most useful part, and why I bought it. It could stand to be a wee bit thinner for some jobs, like wedging under car trim where you’ve got very small gaps.But, overall, it’s going to get the job done with most things, and that’s the real goal of a keychain tool. It isn’t what you take if you have a specific job, it’s what you keep handy for when an unexpected job comes up while doing other things.It excels at that. Again, the pry is the most important part, but the other bits are still handy. I’d say the ruler markings are number two, with the bottle opener right behind. Haven’t been in any situation where the hex openings would be useful so far.When you consider the price, it’s punching out of its weight class.

I like having a little pry tool around to open, scrape, and split things without damaging or gunking up my blade. I DON’T like all the bells and whistles of other “premium” pry bars. I don’t need titanium, I don’t need 15 other tools on it, and I don’t need it to be “tactical,” whatever that means. The DoohicKey is perfect. It’s cheap but sturdy. You don’t need to baby it, which is key because prybars are meant to be abused in place of your other tools. I’d recommend it over other pry tools in the same price range, because it is cut from the steel in one solid piece instead of injection-molded. It fits easily on your keys or a zipper and you don’t even feel that it’s there until you need it. Don’t buy into the EDC influencer hype; this thing is all you need.

If you’re debating between the Nite Ize DoohicKey and the Kershaw PT-1, I would go with the DoohicKey.Reasons for DoohicKey:It’s lighter and thinner. The box opening part is finer, so it’s closer to a cutting edge without being a blade compared to the Kershaw.The carabiner like clip makes attaching to things easier. (The clip feels a tad flimsy compared to a true carabiner clip, but so far has held up.)Use case:I use it mostly for keyboard maintenance: scraping gunk off of it, popping out keys to clean/fix. The occasional prying of staples or gunk on desk. And to maintain the longevity of my Victorinox pocket knife, who’s combo tool can be used for scraping and prying.I don’t use it much for opening boxes, as I prefer the utility of a blade. And haven’t had the need at all for the wrench section, which may… possibly… come in handy if you’re in a MacGyver type situation.Note:Though I haven’t had issues with the TSA in the US with this tool, I have had to surrender this to the “TSA” of Costa Rica, who have a very strict “no multi-tool” policy. So keep that in mind for return travel.Reasons for Kershaw PT-1:As one good YouTube reviewer points out: the bottle opener is better, the flat head end is useful for… well, flatheads, and not having the wrench hole area in the middle is good for stuff not getting stuck in there, like keys.To that I would also add: if you have bigger hands, don’t mind the chunkier size and weight, need the flat head option and want a comparatively better bottle opener.If you remove the plastic on both sides (they are easily removable), to thin it out it doesn’t make much of a dent in the bulky feeling.