CROWDFUNDING REVIEW – How do you organize your EDC items? Are they all at the bottom of your gear bag or stuff in your pockets? If you’ve been looking for a case that provides a landing spot for all your gadgets and gizmos AND looks nice, you will want to check out the crowdfunding campaign for the Orbitkey Nest.
What is it?
The Orbitkey Nest is a portable and customizable EDC organizer with a built-in wireless charger.
What’s in the box?
- Orbitkey Nest
- USB-C cable
- 6 divider tabs
- Cord wrap
Design and features
When it comes to look and feel, Orbitkey knows what they are doing. The Nest is made of premium materials such as the lid that is covered in smooth fine-grained leather. There’s also a matte-textured zinc alloy button clasp that adds a small touch of bling. They sent me the black version to test, but they are also offering a lighter ash-colored version of the Nest.
The polycarbonate base of the Nest is covered in nylon polyester material that gives it a nice soft tactile feel. On the back of the lid, you’ll find a USB-C connector for the built-in wireless charger (more on that later) and the hinge for the lid doubles as an elastic pen holder.
The Nest’s detachable lid opens to reveal an organization panel with slots for business cards, credit cards, a small notebook, and small items like SD cards, paperclips, and more. On the bottom is a roomy case that comes with 6 divider tabs.
The tabs have hooks on the bottom like Velcro. This tabs “stick” to the interior material of the case, which means that you can customize the case to fit all your favorite items.
In the image above, you can see how I’ve arranged the pre-production Orbitkey Nest that was sent to me to review.
I really like the customization feature of the bottom of the case, but I’m not a huge fan of the thin stiff material used for the card slots in the lid. This material has no give to it, so I hope that Orbitkey changes the material to something a little more stretchy like the larger pocket that you can see on the left side of the lid.
The lid of the Orbitkey Nest offers two great features. One is obvious, it has a shallow valet tray that you can use to hold your most items while you’re not using them. The other feature is a wireless charger for your phone or earbuds. Note that you’ll have to plug the Nest into a USB port in order to use this feature which is a little bit of a bummer as I’d love the Nest to have a built-in rechargeable battery that would allow for wireless charging on the fly. But even without it, it’s a cool feature that makes this gear organizer a handy accessory.
What I like
- Ability to customize the case
- Built-in wireless charger
- Well-made, attractive
What I’d change
- Include a built-in battery so the wireless charger can be used even when not connected to power
Final thoughts
We’ve reviewed Orbitkey products in the past like the Orbitkey Key Organizer and have been impressed by their design, materials, and workmanship. The Orbitkey Nest does not fail to impress. It has a premium look and feel and offers the user the ability to customize it to work for them and not the other way around.
Where can I find more info?
The Orbitkey Nest campaign ends on 03/19/20 and they are seeking a funding goal of $25,000. You can pre-order a Nest starting at $84. After the Nest campaign ends, rewards are estimated to start shipping in June 2020. Visit their Kickstarter page for all the details.
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Orbitkey.
