TEC Accessories is a specialty brand that makes EDC (everyday carry) keychains, accessories, and other such random utility and everyday convenience products.
I was browsing their site the other day when I came across the BOT-L-BIT, a 1/4″ hex bit bottle opener.
Advertisement
Basically, it turns any screwdriver bit holder into a bottle opener. It stores away with your regular 1/4″ bits, and so it doesn’t take up a lot of extra space in your pocket, pouch, drawer, tool bag, or junk drawer. Assuming you have some screwdriver bits and a bit driver near where you’d normally pop open crown cork-capped bottle.
(I had to look that up, discovering for the first time that those pryable metal caps are called crown corks.)
Part of me wanted to order one of these ASAP, the other part of me wonders if the $6 is better spent on a keychain bottle opener, or a novelty screwdriver-handled one.
But it’s not just useful as a bottle opener. TEC shows that it can be used as a scraper, paint can lid opener, and package opener.
Its appeal increases a bit when you consider that it has other multi-functional purposes, aside from just being the prying part of a full bottle opener.
Advertisement
Price: $6 + Shipping
Buy Now(via TEC Accessories)
This is one of those things I’d keep on my wishlist until I was placing a larger order from TEC Accessories or one of their distributors. Otherwise it’s not worth paying shipping fees for.
If you’re looking for a nice compact screwdriver bit holder, I really like these Wera ones. Unfortunately, they’ve shot up in price in recent years – $20 on Amazon.
NCD
No
Koko The Talking Ape
They aren’t called “bottlecaps”?
Stuart
How do you differentiate between threaded plastic caps, twisty metal caps, and metal caps that must be pried open with a tool (or improvisation)?
Wayne
WTF? Anyone says “bottlecap”, we think “beer bottle”. Anyone says “bottle opener”, we think “beer bottle”.
You may not think the same, but I’ll bet at least 99.9% of anyone coming to ToolGuyd has the same thought…
(“Twist offs” also mean beer bottles, just in case. Those little caps on soda pop or water bottles? Called “trash”.)
Stuart
That 1% can make things difficult, which emails such as: “I bought this, but it doesn’t make it any easier to open up my bottle of water!”
Besides, I got stuck with the sentence sounding awkward, wondered if there was a term for bottle caps, and there was! If I learned something new, why not share it?
Sometimes specificity is needed. Ask for “soda” in different parts of the country, and you’ll get different things.
Wayne
“That 1% can make things difficult, which emails such as: “I bought this, but it doesn’t make it any easier to open up my bottle of water!””
That’s not a line I expected to read on a non-political site. Ha!
And you’ll notice please I wrote “soda pop” as a catch-all. Didn’t use an ink pen, neither.
I was just poking, anyway, it’s interesting info. I can see the diff being critical if you’re buying supplies for a capping operation, but at my end of the operation “bottlecap” is all I need to know.
Keep it up, good stuff!
Stuart
Ha!
I treated it lightly. I didn’t really think there would be confusion. As mentioned, I wondered if there was a precise way to describe bottle caps, and there was!
If I have to learn something, so should everyone else. =P
Maybe it’ll be a Jeopardy trivia question someone will get right because of me.
fred
Lee Valley – Veritas has a new bit holder handle that looks interesting – but not available yet:
http://www.leevalley.com/us/wood/Page.aspx?p=75948&cat=1,43411,43417
The design purportedly eliminates bit wobble.
Stuart
I saw. Husky is also coming out with a locking bit holding screwdriver that is surprisingly wobble-free.
Koko the Talking Ape
Have a link for that? The Lee Valley thing is $37. 8-(
Mizzourob
Now we need a corkscrew for bit ratchets for the wine lovers
Ken
Koko The Talking Ape drinks wine coolers…
Koko the Talking Ape
No need to get personal. In point of fact, I’m a Zima primate.
Corey
But is it Bluetooth and impact rated?
Big Adam
I’ll stick with my Craftsman wrench opener. Far more tactile and satisfying.
https://goo.gl/images/ZAJLND
I have the screwdriver version too, but the wrench is the nicer piece of engineering (and virtually indestructible)
https://goo.gl/images/N9C5vC
Noah
But do they come in power bit instead of insert style?
Johann
I love my Gerber Shard for a TSA approved keychain tool. Screwdrivers, bottle capper, wire strippers (but really that’s just advertising).
http://www.gerbergear.com/Multi-Tools/Solid-State/Shard-Keychain-Tool_22-01769
It’s on Amazon too, but looks like a bunch of knockoff sellers there.
Jim Felt
“Crown cork”??? This site is so edumacational! Just wow.
I’m gonna try this on my wife. Then run like heck. So there’s a cardiovascular benefit too.
Well played Stuart.
David Seiffert
We make an aluminum bottle opening coaster, and I still have trouble figuring what to call all of the different bottle openers. Metal, plastic, pop-off, twist off. There even are different types of crown corks. We designed a wrench for twist off metal caps, then discovered there are 21 and 27 toothed versions of both pop off and twist offs, had to go back t the drawing board.
Koko the Talking Ape
No need to get personal. In point of fact, I’m a Zima primate.
Alex Tooke
Does anyone else know of novel/quirky 1/4 inch bits outside of standard screwdriver bits?