VICTORINOX CyberTool 34 Review

I’ve always been fascinated by pocket knives. Swiss Army knives especially.
There’s something so cool about cramming a bunch of tools into one functional
package that you can stick in your pocket or gear bag. Used to be, Swiss Army
knives have mainly been thought of as the outdoorsman’s or survivalist’s tool.
Well it is the geek era now folks and to usher in this period is the CyberTool
from VICTORINOX. This is the same company that has been making Swiss Army brand
knifes for over 100yrs.

My CyberTool was a gift from Microsoft at the
Mobius conference that Judie and I
attended this fall. I remember pulling it out of the small tin box and thinking
WOW, this thing is sooooo cool! Lest you think I’m the only geeky girl around,
Judie did her share of oh’s and ah’s too. I think she gave hers away to her
husband though… I kept mine for myself!

The CyberTool is a geek and computer tech’s dream tool. This baby is packed
with 34 different blades, bits and widgets. Here’s what you get:

Large and Small Blades Bit Wrench and Bit Case 4mm & 5mm Hex Sockets 4mm Hex Bit 4mm Flat Head Bit #8,#10, & #15 Torx Bits #2 Phillips Head Bit 3mm Small Screwdriver 6mm Large Screwdriver Mini Screwdriver #0, & #1 Posidrive Bits Ballpoint Pen DIP Switch Setter Can Opener Bottle Opener Wire Stripper Wire Cutters Wire Crimper Reamer Corkscrew Straight Pin Hook Crochet Key Ring Toothpick Tweezers Pliers Scissors

This knife is available in Black, Red and Sapphire translucent colors. There
are also 29 and 41 tool versions as well.

The CyberTool 34 weighs 5.5oz (156g) and is 3.58in long x 1in wide (91mm x .
So, it isn’t a small pocket knife by any stretch of the imagination. You
probably won’t be comfortable carrying it in a jeans pocket either. Maybe a side
cargo pants pocket though.

I’ll admit that I don’t use all the tools that the CyberTool offers. Like the
crochet hook, toothpick, corkscrew, can/bottle openers and tweezers… But the
blades and screw drivers see very frequent use from me. I’m always needing to do
things like open the back of my computer, take the plate off the back of a PDA,
cut open a box, or tighten the screws on my eye glasses.

One thing that I can’t find on my CyberTool is the straight pin… I have no
idea where it is or even if I have one with my knife. If anyone knows where it
is, let me know.

The bit driver is the niftiest feature of this knife. You get 4 dual headed
bits that fit in the 5mm hex socket driver. 3 of the bits store in a unique
fold-out tray. The tray folds under the driver so that the bits can’t fall out
and become lost. The bits included are: Philips 0,1,2, Standard and hex 4mm and
Torx(R) 8,10,15 bits. Also included are 3mm and 1.5mm drivers; the 1.5mm driver
is suitable for tightening eyeglass screws.

You also get a pair of pliers and scissors. I am surprised how rugged the
pliers are. They made of thick stainless steel and can be used to cut and strip
wire.

What I like best about this knife is that every blade and tool snaps open or
closed with an audible click. I know I’m crazy, but things like that equal a
quality product in my mind. The CyberTool has a very solid and well constructed
feel to it and makes a great gift for just about anyone.

Price: $75.00

Pros:

Variety of screwdriver and Torx bits
Quality product
Major geek appeal

Cons:

Big and heavy