I wonder what Metmo's spin would be on such a concept

Seeing, how amazing and well thought out are Metmo’s designs on past concepts are, I can’t help but wonder what they could come up on such a multitool concept. Propably not feasible, considering complexity, and manufacturing costs, but still, I couldn’t imagine an end result less than amazing. :slight_smile:

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A coworker of mine had one of his grandfather. The Bonsa toolkits are a classic, dating back to a time when resources were expensive and traveling was hard. One was mentioned in the context of an Antarctic expedition, the saw being used to reduce the size of a sled so as to reduce the energy/effort needed to pull it.

They show up on eBay every so often (I bought one a while back). Other classes of tool in this space include the hollow handle tools with multiple bits and the metal capsules where the capsule functioned as the handle for the tool:

Oh… I hope Peg and the MetMo team think about making a modern version of the Bonsa kits (that I had no idea about before your post). With MetMo tools.

I have glimmer of a small hope that one day the team will do something like Metrinch, but to get around the patent …use an asymmetric cam. This would be worthy of it’s own patent as the pressure on the spanners (not the sockets) can be placed on the opposite side of the flats, if needed.

Lee Valley just announced a handle tool:

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A place where this sort of thing might be discussed is:

which is notable for being opensource and supporting additions via Github/

This is great!

Hey, thanks for firing this over our way, that’s one heck of a multitool case! This is an awesome crossover between multi drive and an old school swiss army tool. You can see where we got our inspiration from for the leather work too :stuck_out_tongue: I love the idea of a beefed up multi drive that can become a hammer one minute, then a corkscrew the next. There’s definitely something in this idea, we shall ponder!

Hey,

I’ve seen these before but didn’t know the term Bonsa until now and now I’m slightly obsessed! Just found a really nice WW1 example on ebay that may be joining the growing MetMo antique collection.

Just on a side tangent, have you seen the Yankee Driver by Garrett Wade too? Yankee Screwdriver & Push Drill Set | Shop Garrett Wade

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It’s definitely on our radar, there’s too much history there to leave them alone :slight_smile:

That sounds like an interesting idea! I did have a look at their patents and I’m pretty sure they lapsed, (but not dug too hard) Just to delve deeper into your idea, if you could send a quick sketch of your asymmetric cam idea that would help me get my head around it. I’m quite visual and my brain operates mainly by doodling :sweat_smile:

Yes, though the push-screwdriver/drill I have is a German-made Schroeder I bought at a local Sears back when they still sold quality tools.

Happy to have brought it to your attention! :slight_smile: Big fan of your work! The concepts, the aesthetics, everything! Also these style of tools went under the brand Hoffritz for a long while in the US, no idea about europe. Thats how I found them on ebay. I do have a hammer module, which came in to my posession as a child. Back then i wondered about the flat end, because it must have had some function, but had no idea till I saw a complete kit image a lot later, and that took a lot of sleuthing. :slight_smile:

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Remembered I had a picture of it (since then, the brass hammer has been swapped out for a 6 oz. steel hammer from Lee Valley and a small steel Japanese nail set (also usable as a hammer) and managed to fit in 3 smallish C clamps, and the green X-acto handle has migrated to where I’m keeping my craft knives):

Frequently used tool roll [4096x2304] [OC] : r/toolporn

The screwdriver in the upper right is interesting:

There was a similar tool done in metric which I’ve since added:

Irwin 6-in-1 Nut Drivers Review

which adds bulk and weight and inconvenience storing the sockets in the handle.

Probably the most interesting tool in that photo is the brass “gunsmith” screwdriver — my Great-uncle Garland had one, but it was either shop-made, or modified so that all the screwdriver tips were parallel ground and fit the screws of the .22 rifle and .32 revolver which he owned. His was made in Lancaster, Pa. (cue commentary on The Wars of the Roses which my seeing and asking after that prompted), but inexpensive imports were readily available last I checked:

Vintage Brass 5 In 1 Hammer | eBay

Still looking for a photo of the small “Camera tool kit” by Niwa which I carry in a “Safety Case” from Levenger.

One mention of it took me to this photo:

which Spyderco re-created as a “Byrdharp” (since discontinued)

Leathermans Grandpa : r/multitools

Had to take a new picture:

As noted, Byrdharp (top-left), Niwa camera toolkit (top-right), Wiha metric hex keys in Bondhus holder (lower-right), Bondhus Imperial hex keys (lower-left), misc. small 4mm bits (in pouch, middle-left), Spyderco Byrdharp multi-tool (top-left). The leather case is from Levenger, called a “Safety Case”, it was modeled on the tool cases used by knitting machine mechanics for their tools.

Carried it in my laptop bag for decades, but now it lives in my “Precision tool bag” along w/ most of my Metmo gear and a pair of Knipex Cobra/Plier wrenches in a case, some Fix-it Sticks (from the initial run when they were made in the U.S.), a 5-7 flashlight, some Altoid tins w/ bits in them, Leatherman PST and Crunch, a Snap-on ratchet, and one of my most-favourite tools of all, my Silca T-Ratchet + Ti-Torque Kit (I have a first generation from the Kickstarter) — 2nd gen. units are on-sale now on silca.cc ($95 marked down from $125).