Following in our series of tool picks, here are 4 top-of-mind tool recommendations. You can also find them at the bottom of the page, in an Amazon affiliate widget, until I change it over to the next selection of 4 tool recommendations.
None of these recommendations should be surprising, but hopefully at least one or two are new to you.
I will also be adding them to our Amazon Influencer Page.
See Previous Tool Picks Here
Excel Hobby Knife
Everybody has heard about X-Acto hobby knives, right? It’s currently the top-selling hand tool on Amazon. But, there are other brands of hobby knives, and not just generic-branded clones.
Excel makes hobby knives too, and they’re compatible with standard blades including X-Acto’s. The knives feature a soft-grip handle, but the most unique part is the blade holder. Excel’s locking knob is at the rear of the tool, far away from the blade.
Price: $3.41 as an add-on item
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Retro 51 Tornado Pen
The Retro 51 Tornado is a short and robust rollerball pen, perfect for pocket-carry as an EDC pen. There are simple designs, such as the pictured one in Peacock-blue, and much more elaborate ones at higher prices.
I bought an orange Retro 51 Tornado back in May, as a sort of trial to see if some of their more collectible designs are worth the attention or higher pricing. It turned out to be a sturdy pen, suited for pocket-carry and even heavy use.
Amazon has these pens for $20. I paid $21 for my orange one. Refills are around $4-5 each and are easily available online under Retro 51 and Schmidt brands. They come with a medium-tip rollerball refill, but can also find ballpoint refills.
Price: $20
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Others, like this P-51 pen I bought for my WWII-enthusiast cousin for the holidays, cost more. This one’s $45 at Amazon. I ordered his gift for $36 plus shipping from Goulet.
Pentel Graphgear 1000 Mechanical Pencil
Okay, since we’re talking about pens and pen-shaped knives, I figured I’d share some love for Pentel Graphgear 1000 mechanical pencils again.
I first posted about it in 2011, and I still love using it. In another post, some of you mentioned the Graphgear 1000 being your favorites.
See Also: Do You Have a Favorite Pen, Pencil, Marker, or Other Writing Tool?
The Graphgear 1000 is one of my favorite mechanical pencils. It is durable, at least for a mechanical pencil, thanks to its retractable lead sleeve. When you want to put the pencil away, even to say slip into a pocket, press the back of the spring-action pocket clip and the tip retreats into the pencil.
While not exactly fragile, an unprotected lead sleeve, or tip, can be bent or damaged if it’s not protected in a bag or pocket. So, with the Pentel Graphgear 1000’s retractable tip, it’s more easily transported without the need for special protections.
It’s available in 0.3mm, 0.5mm, 0.7mm, and 0.9mm sizes.
Price: ~$10
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Ullman Magnetic Pick-up Tool
Following along with what turned out to be a pen-shaped tool theme, this is the Ullman HT-5, a convenient pocket magnetic pick-up tool.
It has a “power cap” that slides over the magnetic to block side attraction and increase magnetic power at the tip, a textured cushion grip, and a pocket clip.
(The power cap works in the same way as a magnetic cup, basically redirecting the rear-facing magnetic pole to the same direction as the front-facing pole.)
The tip extends out, give you 5-1/2″ to 25-1/2″ reach. With the power cap, it can lift up to 2-1/2 pounds.
Price: $6.49
Buy Now(via Amazon)
