PenTool Stylus

Gadgeteer Hands On Review by Julie

November 07, 2001

What is the first thing that pops into your mind when I say the words Swiss Army? A pocket knife, with all kinds of blades and nifty tools right? Ok, now what do you think of when I say PenTool? Nothing? Well, that won't be the case after this review...

The PenTool from Unique Tools is a 12 in 1 multi-function instrument that could be considered a Swiss Army Pen. And if that wasn't enough, the fine folks at Tech Center Labs have taken this tool and have added a stylus tip to it. So now, you can have the ultimate stylus / pen / tool combo around.

Let's take a closer look... The PenTool that I was sent for review, has a blue metal (not sure if it is brass or aluminum) precision milled body. This body can be exploded into 18 parts! No, I'm not kidding!

The PenTool comes with 3 short blades, 2 long blades, 2 saw blades, 1 file, 1 ballpoint pen tip, 1 scraper / probe tip, 1 flat blade screw driver, 1 Phillips head screw driver, 1 wire striper tip, 1 hole punch, 1 tweezers / fork / pocket clip and one stylus tip.

All of these pieces are actually stored inside the three barrel sections that comprise the PenTool. The barrels are hollow with slotted sides. Three blades can fit into each section of barrel. This is a unique and efficient storage system.

The blades are all VERY sharp. Care must be taken when storing and removing them from the barrels. Believe me, you can get cut very easily.

To use a blade, you remove it from a barrel section, unscrew one of the end knobs and slide the blade between the split metal holder. You can then tighten the knob to hold the blade securely while you use it.

It should be noted that you won't be able to do any heavy duty work with these blades, but they will work fine for cutting or carving thin materials.

In addition to the cutting tools, you get some other useful tips. The screw driver tips, hole punch and wire stripper are actually cylinder joints that screw into the ends of the barrels to create the pen body.

These joints have serrated edges that make them easy to tighten or loosen as needed.

The stylus tip that comes with the PenTool is a relatively large white nylon tip. I found the tip to write smoothly on every PDA screen that I tested it on. And as a bonus, you actually get 2 stylus tips total as each one is double ended. If you feel like one end is wearing down and needs replaced, you can take it out and flip it over to start fresh. The only thing missing is a cap to protect the stylus tip while not in use.

I don't think I would ever pick the PenTool as my main stylus, but having all its other features makes it a great addition to my gear bag! Hey, a girl never knows when she might need a mini hack saw! And for less than $20, you really can't go wrong.

Price: $19.95

Pros:
Inexpensive tool
Smooth stylus tip

Cons:
Rattles
No cap to protect the stylus while not in use.