A very touching gift was given to me recently, for an anniversary, and because my tastes are well known, it was something i wanted to blog about!This is the Spyderco-Byrd "Harp Tool" so named because of its resemblance to the musical instrument in its layout.
The tool consists of a C shaped bar of steel, filled with eight separate tools, held in place by a pin under tension from the ring itself. The tools in the array are held in place by having a ridge and slot on alternate faces, such that the tension "snaps" them in place.
Available tools are: a flat-head and Phillips-head screwdriver, a punch/awl, a gimlet (I had to look that one up, but it is a small hand drill) , a wood-saw, corkscrew (always a favorite and plain essential if operating in the European AO), a light-use file and a small/"large"-head hammer that doubles as a bottle cap opener.
Lacking a knife, this is definitely a secondary tool-kit addition, but you can never have too many tools stashed away. The tools are all functional enough to get little jobs done, but are obviously not up to a lot of hard labour, especially given the ridge-and-slot locking design. I'm not sure what I would use the hammer for that I wouldn't just use a rock for, but For Want of a Nail...
With an overall length of 16.5 cm (6.5") and a closed length of 9.5cm (3.75") and weighing only 117g (4..6oz.) this is a light weight addition to a pack, picnic basket or glove box. That's where I will be stashing this little guy, perfect for a three hour tour.
