What Is A Snowflake Tool, And Should You Get One?

A snowflake tool is made for that person who always needs a tool when they don't have one. There are plenty of brands who have their own version of this versatile disk. With tool heads radiating out from the center snowflake-style, this gadget is in the race to replace your multi-tool pocket knife. At under 3 ounces and roughly the size of a cookie, a snowflake tool will fit in a pocket, purse, glove compartment, or backpack. It's designed to hang on a key ring, and it can do the job of 18 or more tools, depending on the brand. With specs like these, the snowflake tool looks like a dream problem solver.

While there are plenty of tools with hidden features, this compact mini-tool keeps no secrets. With endings, openings, and edges, snowflake tools make most of their uses evident with just a glance. After learning all of these amazing selling points, you may sit back and ask yourself, "What's the catch?" Often, when we buy something that boasts "quantity," it's quality that we're left wanting. Yet, reviews of most of these products, no matter the brand, are overwhelmingly positive. At under $10 each, that price may make it worth a try.

Among the 18 to 20 or more tools compiled into a snowflake tool (like this option from Desuccus), you've got a box cutter, wire cutter, bottle opener, ring spanner, and a selection of wrench and driver heads. Combining so many of the tools every homeowner should have into one metal piece is very clever, but do snowflake tools' many advertised functions even work? Is having everything on hand enough temptation to get one of your own, even if you only use one or two of its components?

Reviewers rave about its convenient size and its sheer amount of uses. Yet, a hefty portion of five-star reviews for various brands focus on its appearance and clever multifunctions while mentioning they haven't tried it themselves. Snowflake tools don't get away without fair criticisms. Many customers share that for the wrench and driver heads, it's hard to find hardware that the tool actually matches. Numerous reviews complain that the snowflake tool is too heavy for a keychain, and that its rough edges make it uncomfortable or even unsafe to keep in a pocket. Curious consumers with $10 to spare, this may be the right product for you. But if you have high expectations for what a snowflake tool will accomplish, you should probably keep shopping.