The Nite Ize Doohickey is a small keychain-sized multi-tool. I just learned that there’s another Nite Ize mini one-piece multi-tool, the “Doohickey 6X.”
The Dohickey 6X features six functions:
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- Bottle opener
- Combination paint scraper, tape cutter, and scoring tool
- Flathead screwdriver
- Pry tool
- Ruler with inch and metric markings,
- 3 wrench sizes
The paint scraper, tape cutter, and scoring tool functionality has me both intrigued and drawn back. A paint scraper? I guess it could maybe come in handy for those times when… sorry, I’m all out of ideas. The product images do show it being used as a plastic clamshell opener, with what I’d guess is described as the tape cutter edge, and that definitely seems like a handy feature.
I think that the original Doohickey is a great tool, especially at just $4. A lot of people like to carry a bottle opener, so why not add in a small pry bar and some other functions that could come in handy?
The Doohicky 6X is a few dollars more, and adds in the scraping edge and tape/clamshell piercing tip.
Price: ~$6.20
Jared
Meh. I’ve owned a couple flat multi-tools like this. They are never as handy as I expect and I just end up carrying a pocket knife or another tool. The wrench slots for example – don’t think I’ve ever come across a bolt I could use them on. Usually it’s recessed or up against something where I can’t slip the whole tool over it.
If it were a knife with the same functions (minus the wrench slots), then maybe we’d be talking. Perhaps this might be a leader in a category of multi-tools I don’t much care for based off the paint-scraper. From the looks of it, it could be pointy and sharp enough to substitute for a knife in certain applications.
John Lobert
No. Just no.
Mike (the other one)
These type of tools are more of a novelty than anything useful. It’s a glorified key fob. Might be useful for getting gum off your shoe.
Troy
I’ve had the original on my keys for several years, and I’ve never used it for anything other than a bottle opener.
Also, the cutter/scoring tool may not make it through a security check points. Mine always gets inspected, but the original seems to be fine because it has no sharp edges.
Adam
Only paint I see it scraping is a tiny blob that dropped onto the floor during touching up, and you don’t see it until a day later. And by that point, your fingernail works just as well.
Maybe better for scraping small labels off stuff?
Until I saw the tiny tooth on the 1/2 circle, I thought that was going to be listed as a mini-roller cleaner. Lol.
Toolfreak
Yikes.
The sharp point of the “piercing tip” looks like that could really do some damage if you had that thing on a keychain or in a pocket.
Even worse that the whole outside blade edge is sharp without a cover.
Stupid, stupid, very unsafe design.
Evadman
Came to say this. I have a little credit card sized one that fits in my wallet, but a key-chain would be better for me. However, not with a sharp edge like that, where it will either stick my leg or rip my pants.
NZ_Guest
Is there a multi-tool that doesn’t have a bottle opener?
Andy
I hate pointy tips on these things. I can cut myself just fine without one. I currently use a Kersaw key chain tool. The pry bar is handy and it opens bottles. What else do you really need?
Yadda
I have the original. Handy to have. The bottle opener gets used the most, but the box opener and scraper have been very useful over the years. Don’t need prying, scraping, or wrench functions often.
MacLean
NiteIze Pock-It is great…they should stick with making holsters and pouches.
Frank D
I had one of these things in my wallet for a while, maybe used it twice for a bottle and a small screw. Then one travel day TSA took it away …
Mike
These are good to keep in your glove compartment, hanging that on your belt or pants pocket might be a little dangerous with that sharp scraper at the end
Roadkill
I imagine it would be useful to take tags off your car. Safer than a razorblade. I use my doohickey pretty regularly, its a more standard type, but since I carry a screwdriver I rarely need that or a mini-pry. I usually use it to open boxes and bottles.
Mr Mike
I think everyone is missing the point. This is not a tool designed to be useful. It’s a cheap gadget designed to sell to your 10 year-old son or 80 year old grandma as a gift to you for Fathers/Mothers Day, etc.!
Ota
The features I use are: box opener, bottle opener and… the feature that is missed- the carabineer. I don’t always have a knife, but I always have my keys, and have been in the situation many times where I am trying to bust a zip-tie, a taped box or vacuum package with a my pickup key.
Maybe it’s the hex openings that immediately stand out as gimmicky or the built in ruler that makes you scratch your head. How many universal tools do-it-all – well? How many tools do you own where you use all the features?
Dave
Interesting- I purchased the original version at Lowe’s for $4 years ago, and that tool has lived on my keychain ever since. I have found it extremely handy, for cleaning fingernails, opening boxes, and once or twice I’ve used the bottle opener. The ruler is hard to read but occasionally proved expedient as a measuring tool. I once even used one of the “wrench” cutouts to open a spigot missing its valve handle, allowing me to give my thirsty, exhausted dogs some much-needed refreshment on a walk.
That said, I’ve handled the newer version discussed here, and the corner is far too “pokey” to carry in a pocket-it will draw blood with minimal pressure. The prying end on the 6x is ground much sharper than the original, and thus loses any utility as a improvised screwdriver.
I’ve purchased and carried 4 or 5 one-piece keychain “pocket tools,” of which numerous iterations exist and typically consist of a piece of stamped and ground 300-series stainless steel, with a prying end and a bottle opener, with other fairly useless features usually included as well.
I found the the original Doohickey to be my favorite for several reasons. First, it is widely available, sold in hardware store Nite-Ize end-aisle displays all over the country. Its low price makes trying one a low risk endeavor, and means replacing a lost Doohickey is fairly painless. This tool is compact, being roughly the same length and width as a standard house key, so there are no ridgid 4.5 inch pry bars jutting into your thigh and poking holes in your pocket lining. It is light weight, lighter than any other pry-type key chain tool I have seen.
The carabiner is an excellent feature I wish all one piece tools had: you can quickly detach it from your key ring to turn a fastener, clean a thumbnail, open a box, pop a bottle cap, or measure the length of a machine screw. Try one, if you hate it, you’re only out $4, and you’ll make a friend when you give it away. If you find it as useful as I have, it’ll be more than worth it.