Originally published at: http://boingboing.net/2017/04/17/multitool-in-a-hairclip.html
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Previously on Boing Boing:
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Yeah. I can see myself using the new one more. The old one had the hex wrench but good luck if it happens to be the size you need. The bottle opener would get way more use from me.
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Sure, but is it tactical?
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I like the idea. How good is it as a hair clip?
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A nail file right where the hair would be pushed up against it?
Either it doesn’t work well as a file, or if it does then it could damage the hair.
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Exactly. Those types of clips do nothing for my hair.
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Sure, but is it tactical?
Only the black ones.
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I agree, yet I’m still tempted to order one! (I even acknowledge that there’s really no practical purpose for this thing.)
ETA: OK, going to pass, but not because of fear of damaging my hair, but because of one of their other similar products. Apparently a black or silver hair clip of the exact same design is unisex, but “pink” (actually magenta) makes this into a “Lady” Mini Tools Clip.
That’s some mighty fine gender stereotype reinforcement, there.
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Buy several if you travel as TSA or your country’s version of our Goon Squad will be confiscating them regularly to “protect” us from stylish but practical terrorists…
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I love this stuff.
I’ve kinda taken to collecting the absurd little “EDC” gizmos that have popped up, to a large degree since we got a black man in the White House who was gonna take all our guns and make society collapse into a zombie apocalypse. I bought one of these direct from China for less than a buck shipped. Because, why not? Persuaded by the pictures showing the clip being used to drive fasteners, cut rope, peel an orange, shave a carrot, turn into an oil lamp, and even shoot rubber bands. The only thing it really does reasonably well is hold down a hank of hair, though.
However, these often keychain-sized quasi survivalist gadgets go back a pretty long time. I remember as a kid in the 70s occasionally seeing these fidgety gizmos ancestors in the backs of man/boy magazines and occasionally in the hands of an actual man/boy. I started collection about 15-20 years ago when I came across this odd credit card sized piece of stamped steel that has a bottle opener, can opener, knife edge, saw, screwdriver, nut driver cutouts, and a number-less measuring scale that corresponds to neither metric nor imperial units. Those things are still around, and have morphed numerous variants, along with the various silly thumb sized prybars, tools, and weapons, occasionally in exotic metals and finishes, at boutique prices. Dog love the free market!
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Yeah I typically see those used to attach things to hair rather than to style hair. The classic one being keeping a kippah on your head, and IIRC these multi tool ones were thought up with that use in mind. But I also have female friends who use them to clip in tiny ridiculous hats, bows and the like.
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Something like this?
My MIL gave all of us one of these as stocking stuffers a few years ago, mostly as a “cute gadget” item instead of something that she thought any of us would seriously use. I keep it in my wallet, but mostly forget about it unless I’m looking for a rarely used card and come across it. I suspect it’s going to get me in trouble some day when I forget it’s there.
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Similar, but configured differently, and not painted. No writing on it other than the words, “Stainless Steel” stamped into it. The bottle opener works ok, as does the can opener. The wrenches are fully enclosed graduating step type and of dubious value considering the shape of the overall tool, and placement of the saw and knife edges. The saw is barely over an inch in length and will cut notches in a stick, but would be difficult to use for anything else. The knife edge might work ok to scrape stuff. And of course, the ruler is useless if you hew to a standard system of measurements. Curiously, the wrenches are more or less in several metric sizes. I’ve had mine a pretty long time, and I think the basic design goes back much further. These days, they are generically offered from ebay amazon, direct from Asia for almost nothing. I guess it could be useful if you had absolutely nothing else. And just a little more thought would make it much more viable. As it is, it’s a mostly useless trinket.
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But how they hell do you use this with hair in your face?!
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