The Hatchling: It's a Roid, It's a Roid!

Happy Spring Everyone!

It can't get here too soon in my opinion, still pretty cold here in the Northeast.

I can't remember where I first saw little openers in this style. It might have been at a backyard keg party in college or maybe it was at someone's house during a March Madness basketball game. But for a while it seemed like they were everywhere. Usually they were made of aluminum but then over the years I have even seen them in hard plastic with a metal insert.

The one thing that has been a constant is that I always found them lacking in one way or another. Sure, they open bottles just fine but the lanyard hole is always too small and they just don't have much else going for them aesthetically. Lately I have seen some that were much thicker than the old ones as if thickness alone would fix the poor overall design decisions...although why making something so thick that it crowds out your keys is beyond me and besides, what if you don't have a huge keyring?

Anyway, for several years I have thought about making a new tool that would take this simple design to the next level. I wanted to add a little more function to it and up the ante on the overall aesthetics of the piece. This is a first attempt at doing just that.

The Hatchling is a cute little thing, and I think you will agree that his arrival is just right for the season. Even though he is small, at only 2.5 inches long, his massive .260 inch thickness certainly qualifies him to be a member of the Roid Family of tools. The hungry little mouth is a 5/16 hex wrench and of course he is very thirsty too. The tiny egg from which he came is a 3/8 hex wrench. And if you turn him on his side his nose becomes a screwdriver which doubles as a Mini XL Pry Bar.

Even though I consulted my Sibley's Guide to North American Pocket Tools, I'm still not sure just what species the Hatchling is, but he comes in a wide variety of colorful plumage. There are some solids, color fades, rainbows, and even some unexpected effects. Where possible I have tried to preserve some of the texture of the thick titanium plate stock to add character. Some of the resulting textures and color combos are very interesting and unusual.

And for those of you wanting a plainer and heavier piece, I have a big batch of these coming in 1/4" CPM 154 steel in a month or so.

The Hatchlings will run $65 plus shipping. I'll make it one per customer on them and, as usual on these mixed up color batches, I will send you what I send you so no color choice. As proud new parents though, I think everyone will be delighted and get along fine with the new arrival!

Thanks for stopping by everyone and hope your weekend is a relaxing one.


Hatchlings are gone for now but more are coming soon, thank you!