Review: ZenoDW - El Jefe

Time for another piece of pocket-gadgetry! This is a piece I Kickstarted, and have been carrying in my pocket for some time now, without having posted anything about it. No fault of the piece, in fact, that might even be a selling point. Unobtrusive!

This is El Jefe, by Zeno DW. It is cut from bronze, and measures57mm x32mm x 5mm (2 1/4"x 1 1/4"x 3/16"). What makes this dense little piece of bronze so useful is that it is firstly topped off with a belt-loop sized notch, to hang from pants or pack, ensuring it stays handy, especially if you are carrying keys. Bottle opener is pretty standard, but never unwelcome. A hole for a key-carrying split loop is also pretty standard. But here is where this little tool comes into its own, a bonded ferrocium rod and accompanying steel striker (on the keychain) sits along one of the long edges, giving you sparks on demand, right there in your pocket.

The most exciting thing about this fob however, is the ceramic knife sharpening rods set into the "keyhole" looking notch on the opposite long edge. I have fixed up a number of workplace kitchen knives with this little beauty.

So, between the solid billet of bronze (which I have sitting on the bitter end of my multi-tool lanyard), the Jefe adds some rustic charm to my EDC, along with the multifunctionality I prize in all my gadgets. Its only drawback perhaps, is the very rough nature of the finish. It looks like something you'd find in the back of a drawer in your grandfathers workshop. I don't mind that at all, but some might.  I also wonder what kind of glue the ferrocium and ceramic rods are held on with, and what kind of conditions would dislodge them. None that my pants have been exposed to, as yet, so I'm not too worried.