{"id":2413,"date":"2016-05-14T17:32:44","date_gmt":"2016-05-15T00:32:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/explore.globalcreations.com\/theblog\/?p=2413"},"modified":"2016-05-14T17:33:09","modified_gmt":"2016-05-15T00:33:09","slug":"credit-card-survival-tools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/explore.globalcreations.com\/theblog\/featured\/credit-card-survival-tools\/","title":{"rendered":"Credit Card Survival Tools"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Tool<\/p>\n

There are a lot of survival tools that are designed to be about the size of a credit card. \u00a0The idea is that they are small enough that you can always have one with you when an emergency happens. \u00a0The Chief Scout got me two\u00a0that I’ll review here. \u00a0One is a ToolLogic Credit Card Companion<\/a>\u00a0and the other is a Wallet Ninja<\/a>. \u00a0They are completely different in their designs.<\/p>\n

Survival Tool Design Concepts<\/h1>\n

The Tool Logic (and its twin the Raptor Credit Card Tool<\/a>) is designed as a case that holds the tools. \u00a0The Wallet Ninja is designed as a one piece suite of tools. \u00a0Thus, \u00a0the ToolLogic is considerably thicker, but smooth on the outside. \u00a0It can slip in your pocket without cutting up your pocket or your leg. \u00a0However, \u00a0it’s too fat to fit in most wallets. \u00a0On the other hand, \u00a0the Wallet Ninja will fit in a wallet, but if you put it in your pocket – or a pocket in your backpack, \u00a0it could easily poke holes in them. \u00a0It needs a case of some sort to protect your pockets. \u00a0Both are about the size of a credit card – except in thickness. \u00a0There are a lot of variations\u00a0on these two designs available to purchase.<\/p>\n

ToolLogic – Credit Card Companion<\/h1>\n

\"ToolLogic\"<\/a>As a case that hold tools, \u00a0for the most\u00a0part one must remove the tools in order to use them. \u00a0The exceptions are a tiny compass, that won’t point north, and a magnifying glass, made of plastic, that are embedded in the case.<\/p>\n

Most of the advertising about this product\u00a0says it has nine tools. \u00a0I count more than that:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Compass<\/li>\n
  2. Magnifying glass<\/li>\n
  3. Serrated knife (2 inch blade)<\/li>\n
  4. 4 mm wrench (in the knife blade)<\/li>\n
  5. 5 mm wrench\u00a0(in the knife blade)<\/li>\n
  6. 6 mm wrench\u00a0(in the knife blade)<\/li>\n
  7. Phillips screwdriver (in the can opener)<\/li>\n
  8. Flat screwdriver\u00a0 (in the can opener)<\/li>\n
  9. Can opener<\/li>\n
  10. Tweezers<\/li>\n
  11. Toothpick<\/li>\n
  12. 6 Centimeter ruler<\/li>\n
  13. 3 Inch ruler<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Are these useful tools? With the exception of the compass, \u00a0yes, if you need them.<\/p>\n

    If you happen to be bicycling, \u00a0the wrenches are likely to fit a few of the bolts on your bike. \u00a0However, \u00a0you probably should have a more complete set if you want to adjust the other bolts. \u00a0The screwdrivers might also come in handy with a bike. \u00a0The can opener tool, of which the screwdrivers are a part, \u00a0offers enough leverage to make them useful.<\/p>\n

    The can opener itself is less than 1.5 inches long. \u00a0If you can get a good grip on it, \u00a0it will open a can, but it will be a bit of a chore.<\/p>\n

    The tweezers and toothpick are plastic. \u00a0The toothpick seems strong enough for its purpose. \u00a0The tweezers are not as beefy as the toothpick and could be easily broken without proper care in their use.<\/p>\n

    The rulers are engraved in the side of the plastic case. \u00a0The metric ruler is readable, \u00a0while the English ruler lacks numbers and requires that the can opener be in the case. \u00a0If you are\u00a0lost in the wilderness, \u00a0you probably won’t have a need for a ruler. \u00a0They would be helpful around the house or shop if you happen to have the tool in your pocket.<\/p>\n

    The magnifier works ok if you set it on a page to enlarge the letters. \u00a0If you are examining a critter of some sort it will need to be very close to be of much use. \u00a0It will focus sunlight to a less-than-perfect point, so maybe one could get a fire going with it. \u00a0Again, \u00a0the magnifier would need to be very close to whatever you are trying to burn.<\/p>\n

    The most impressive item in this tool is the serrated knife. \u00a0 It is stainless steel, sharp and likely to stay\u00a0sharp. \u00a0The serrations make it perfect for cutting rope or even sawing through small branches. \u00a0It has a cutout that fits over your index finger while your thumb sits on top as you hold your hand in a fist.<\/p>\n

    \"ToolLogic<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Wallet Ninja<\/h1>\n

    \"WalletThe Wallet Ninja is constructed of\u00a0one piece of steel,\u00a0so its simply a matter of applying the tool you need. \u00a0It is said to have 18 tools. \u00a0Heres’ what I found:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Letter Opener<\/li>\n
    2. Tack puller<\/li>\n
    3. Box Opener<\/li>\n
    4. Small screwdriver (flat for eyeglasses)<\/li>\n
    5. Large screwdriver (flat)<\/li>\n
    6. Screwdriver (Phillips)<\/li>\n
    7. Can opener<\/li>\n
    8. Bottle opener<\/li>\n
    9. 2 mm wrench<\/li>\n
    10. 4 mm wrench<\/li>\n
    11. 6 mm wrench<\/li>\n
    12. 8 mm wrench<\/li>\n
    13. 10 mm wrench<\/li>\n
    14. 12 mm wrench<\/li>\n
    15. Peeler<\/li>\n
    16. Cell phone stand<\/li>\n
    17. 5 cm ruler<\/li>\n
    18. 2 inch ruler<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      \"CellAgain, these tools are mostly useful if you need them.<\/p>\n

      The letter opener doubles as a tack puller depending upon how you want to use it. \u00a0The letter opener works, but can make a mess of your envelope since it’s not as sharp as a dedicated letter opener. \u00a0Plus, \u00a0when I gripped the tool tightly to rip open an envelope, the screwdriver on the other end of the tool\u00a0dug into my hand. \u00a0As a tack puller, it will dig into whatever material you are pulling the tack from, unless you are very careful. \u00a0The box opener is another point on the outside of the tool that will dig into a box that has been taped shut.<\/p>\n

      The screwdrivers and wrenches might be all you need to keep your bicycle or skate board going in an emergency. \u00a0The side of the tool opposite the wrenches is smooth so it won’t damage your hand while wrenching on things.<\/p>\n

      I wonder about the peeler. \u00a0It’s a short, partly sharpened edge adjacent to the can opener. \u00a0It’s pretty small to peel much of anything.<\/p>\n

      The can opener and bottle opener seem functional, \u00a0you just need to be careful how you grip the Ninja\u00a0or some other tool will dig into your hand.<\/p>\n

      The most clever tool would be the cell phone holder \u2013 if it worked. \u00a0The photo above shows it in action. \u00a0When I tried it, the weight of my phone pushed the tool back toward the credit card and the phone slipped right off. \u00a0It is possible to set the phone on the surface, rather then on the credit card, and lean it against the tool, as long as the surface isn’t smooth enough to let your phone slip. \u00a0Seems like you could find something in the woods to lean your phone against if you wanted to use its camera as a mirror or shoot a long distance selfie.<\/p>\n

      Conclusion<\/h1>\n

      With the exception of the knife in the ToolLogic Credit Card Companion<\/a>, neither of these multi-tools would offer much help in a wilderness emergency. \u00a0The Wallet Ninja<\/a> does offer a lot of wrenches and screwdrivers that would be handy for a bicyclist. \u00a0When you are looking around at the many variations on these tools, keep in mind the most likely\u00a0situations you might encounter then look for a multi-tool that offers as much help as possible.<\/p>\n

      If you don’t mind a little extra weight in your pocket or on your belt and a considerable extra expense, \u00a0I strongly recommend the Leatherman New Wave Multi-tool<\/a>. \u00a0It offers real tools like knives, saw, and pliers that can be used regularly when camping whether or not you are in an emergency situation. \u00a0I always carry mine and use it daily.<\/p>\n

      Please Share<\/h1>\n

       <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      There are a lot of survival tools that are designed to be about the size of a credit card. \u00a0The idea is that they are small enough that you can always have one with you when an emergency happens. \u00a0The Chief Scout got me two\u00a0that I’ll review here. \u00a0One is a ToolLogic Credit Card Companion\u00a0and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2422,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,2,19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2413","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-equipment","category-featured","category-products"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/explore.globalcreations.com\/theblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2413","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/explore.globalcreations.com\/theblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/explore.globalcreations.com\/theblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/explore.globalcreations.com\/theblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/explore.globalcreations.com\/theblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2413"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/explore.globalcreations.com\/theblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2413\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2423,"href":"https:\/\/explore.globalcreations.com\/theblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2413\/revisions\/2423"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/explore.globalcreations.com\/theblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2422"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/explore.globalcreations.com\/theblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2413"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/explore.globalcreations.com\/theblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2413"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/explore.globalcreations.com\/theblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2413"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}