The Repair Rebel, created by Thomas Smafield, is a 24-feature multitool cast out of solid titanium, with no moving parts, featuring hex heads, a torx head, spoke keys, and screwdrivers. Its manufacture is being funded by a Kickstarter campaign if that’s your thing.
The open trail is full of surprises and consequently the right tool has the potential to be a life saver on a long bike trip. In light of this we have introduced a sleek and multifunctional tool called the Repair Rebel. There are a number of qualities a user should consider when selecting a multitool; the Repair Rebel’s design allows it to excel uniquely in aspects previously regarded as design trade offs.
What do you think — is this better than a folding tool? Leave a comment with your thoughts. [via Inhabitat]
24 thoughts on “Repair Rebel Multitool – Is Round Better Than Folding?”
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I think I’d prefer a smoother inner surface. Something more like this (although it has a bottle opener making the inside ‘not smooth’ too):
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/420387966/ringtool-the-wolds-most-useful-and-compact-multi-t
I don’t know much about bikes so maybe I am missing something but won’t the shape of the tool make it impossible to get to a large number of screws/bolts on a bike? The Allen head bolts under the seat for example?
Simon
Take it from someone who has done a lot of in the middle of nowhere repairs, individual tools work much better!
It’s cute but it’s going to be tough to swing that circle around in any kind of tighter spot.
Go use it on a fixie, not a mountain bike, where there are all these hard to reach places. and those hex are a little short to get a good purchase onto the bolts, I guess the creator made it short to be easy on the hand….bad compromise. and Ti is softer than steel, so it’s likely the bolt that is going to wear out the tool.
Depends on the coating/alloy. Raw titanium is fairly soft (~6.0 on Mohs) but treated coatings can be much stronger, titanium nitride has a hardness of 9.0.
Titanium Nitride will not make a soft substrate stronger. It’s a molecular coating that increases the slipperiness of cutting tools to increase their life and/or tool speed. Because it’s so thin and brittle, it will just crack if used on anything softer than tool steel or carbide.
I couldn’t finish the video, the wire frame view is way too stretched, it made me feel I was going cross-eyed.
Looks more like a fashion statement than a tool. I wouldn’t want to waste pocket space on this, much rather have a leatherman/swisstool.
It is very similar to the “ringtool”, also a Kickstarter project, but as previous comments point out, this one is enormous! I am glad that America has discovered the bicycle, but many of these “wondertools” suggest they are still in their proverbial infancy :-P
Something which also reflects the pricing. Both the ringtool and this are way too expensive. Both in relation to their long established competitors and to their limited function. 35 $ is 1/4 the price of a bike in Copenhagen. A city deemed to have the worlds 5th highest cost of living (UBS 2012).
So… Not worth it. But nice try.
Way to big, round and bulky to fit anywhere. Folding is much better. A 110 pc screwdriver/wrench is cheap at Walmart or Harbor Freight.
Take it from someone who has done a lot of in the middle of nowhere repairs, individual tools work much better!