General Purpose Tools

Nite Ize DoohicKey Key Tool Keychain Multi-Tool

Best compact multi-tool

The DoohicKey from Nite Ize is a little keychain multi-tool. Let me start off by saying that I am a keychain and pocket minimalist. Anything more than my wallet, phone, and keychain just feels like too much. You’d have to pay me to wear a watch — that’s how much I dislike anything extra on me.

That said, I like to think of myself as a handy guy, and I definitely need a tool for opening up and breaking down boxes on a daily basis.

The Doohickey does just enough for me to earn its place on my keychain. It has an edge on it that’s sharp enough to get through packing tape, but not so sharp that it pokes me or damages my pocket. I did sand it a little for a slightly sharper edge.

In addition to that it works as a standard screwdriver. There’s a bottle opener here so you can be the hero at a party. There’s a 2-inch ruler on the top and a 4 centimeter ruler on the back, with engraved markings that have held up in my pocket for the past few months.

And maybe the most unexpected tool here is the hex nut wrench for ¼, 5/16, and ⅜ sizes. This has helped me a few times where I’m trying to screw something tight and there’s just a hex nut spinning around on the other side. I wish it went up to half-inch, but it’s still handy.

And finally there’s the carabiner itself. Which for me has been useful for quickly latching my keys somewhere safe, and adding and removing temporary keys, like rental car keys.

So that’s the Doohickey. For around $5 it’s a useful, compact multi-tool for your keychain, especially if you keep things pretty minimal.

-- Donald Bell 04/3/18

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