The best gadget I ever had…
Not all gadgets are created equal. Some are cool for a while, and then end up at the back of the drawer. Others stand the test of time. In 1976, my dad gave me a PROTO key ring screw driver. 20 years later, it is still on my key ring, and I use it daily. It is the best gadget I've ever had.
The simplicity of the PROTO is its brilliance. This is no cheap piece of metal. This is solid steel. Designed to do one thing, and do it well. Back when tools were built to last, PROTO was the king. The screwdriver key ring was, I think, a give-away as advertising. But I would gladly trade a whole box full of normal tools for my PROTO.
Over 20 years, this simple tool has been pushed to the limits. As a box cutter, it is second to none. I've opened thousands of boxes with it, without cutting myself or the goods inside. As a computer tech, the PROTO is the 1st tool I grab when I need to get inside a case quickly. Other uses for the PROTO include paint can opener, beer opener, lock pick, hole punch, ice scraper, staple remover, paper shredder unclogger, and oh yeah, screwdriver.
Unfortunately, they don't make em like they used to. PROTO was bought at somepoint by Stanley tools. They still make good industrial tools, but the replacement for the screwdriver key ring is a cheap knock-off. Compared to the original, it is crap. If you are lucky, you can still find the old ones for sale on E-Bay. I stole the photo for this article from a current auction. Go get your own, and stay away from mine!
Jerry said,
October 10, 2006
Ok, now THIS is a cool gadget.
I bought it. Yep, I did.
tsutaoka said,
October 10, 2006
sounds like a good opportunity for a new business. market = everyone with a key ring. design time = simplicity. value proposition = highest value, not lowest cost.
Bill said,
October 10, 2006
Jerry just paid $4.95 + $1.50 in shipping, plus the PayPal fees, for a 20+ year old piece of metal that the original company gave away for free! I’d say there’s a market there…at least amongst gadget-hungry geeks with too much disposable income. Of course, I wouldn’t sell mine for $100 so in my opinion, he got a bargain.
Jerry said,
October 10, 2006
I would argue that I don’t believe it’s actually possible to have too much disposable income!
Frankly, I’m sure we’ve all paid more for less practical tools in the past. Let’s just consider this an investment… and leave it at that.
The best business models are based on just what was said… simple, highly marketable, with a high value to the target market.
Ron said,
June 27, 2008
I’ve had a key ring screwdriver made by General Tools for 25 years. It’s a simple flat steel disc the size of a quarter with four flat head extrusions. One is small enough to act as a philips head. It saved me many times especially when sailing. I’ve never seen one since I bought mine at a hardware store. I just bought 8 of these Proto screwdrivers to give to friends. Ron from Annapolis MD
Cody said,
July 19, 2009
I’ve been carrying a keyring screwdriver, like the one pictured, for 30 years now. Mine is stamped “P&C Tool Co.” on one side, and “H. W. Roberts” on the other. Apparently, there’s a long history of company acquisitions, which is why some of these are marked “Proto” and others P&C. The last change of hands was in 1984, when Stanley Works bought the Proto division from Ingersoll Rand.
http://plombtools.com/CompanyHistory.aspx
They have a small selection of the old No. 100 pocket screw drivers shown here:
http://plombtools.com/PocketScrewdrivers.aspx
They are definitely an invaluable tool. I got stuck between floors in a bank elevator many years ago and used mine to remove the screws on the access panels. After that, a pull on the door cable set me free. The look on the bank manager’s face was priceless when he saw it sitting there stuck between floors, the doors wide open and parts scattered on the floor.
Cary said,
August 4, 2009
Wow, I finally found someone else that knows the secret. I have been carrying my Proto for about 30 years. The bluing has just started to wear off. I have used it for all of the above mentioned things and never a nick of scratch.
Oh mine was a promo item for Mercury Motors, a regional Ark Tn trucking line that is long gone.
Cyanide said,
February 19, 2011
I have 3 of these, I have my dads and a uncles and of course my own, about 20 years ago I walked into a speed shop for hood locks for my 81 Monte Carlo and I bought a pair of the locks and the guy gave me mine, it is a Stanley Porto and it is just as good as my dads and uncles and it’s not made cheap, I use mine for everything!, my dads is an old PLOMB and my uncles is an old PROTO with one of them old phone numbers like pennsylvania-6500 lol, I haven’t it out for a long time or my dads, I think my dads has a number on it too, my dads was his dads, I would carry it but I don’t want to lose it, keys can be replaced and locks changed, I could never get my dads screwdriver back, so they sit in my safe, I have not seen one anywhere since I got mine from the guy at the speed shop, but I just wanted to say it is not a cheap one, it has stood up to some serious use, I have been asked about many times over the years, my doctor even asked me where I got it lol, bottom line, they are nice to have in a pinch, I wish S-K would make one, just my opinion…
Hal said,
June 4, 2011
I am lucky to have found one of these once upon a time while remodeling a commercial building.
I love this thing.