Keychain Gizmo

The blackout that socked much of the northeast last year made me glad I had planned ahead... just in case. Luckily, the area I was in at the time wasn't affected by the blackout, but I could very have been. To make matters worse, I, like many of the folks in NYC, was away from home.

On my keychain, in addition to keys to the house, the office and my vehicle I have three extra gizmos.

The first is the Utili-Key made by Swiss-Tech. It looks like a key, but when you unfold it you have yourself a knife (with a half straight / half serrated blade), a bottle-openner, phillips and two flat bit screwdrivers. It's technically a multi-tool but a Leatherman it is not. But if you need it, the stainless steel Utili-Key beats the heck out of having nothing.

Next is a Photon Micro-Light II. The picture contains some loose change to give you and idea of scale of the whole kit. The light is quite bright, handy in a survival situation to make your position known to rescuers. The M-L II has two switches. One a pressure, or "squeeze" switch, and the other is a small "constant on" switch.

Finally is a small version of the popular magnesium firestarter. If you need to make fire, first gather the makings, then shave some of the magnesium rod (the silver-colored part) and then either use the enclosed striker or use the Utili-Key on the embedded ferro rod to shower the magnesium shavings with sparks.

It's nowhere near a full survival kit (or hotel room with room service) but if you need it, this little setup gives you the basics: a knife, a light source, and the ability to make fire. And at around thirty bucks, it's cheap insurance.

All three, and lot's more, are available at Survial Keychain.