Saturday, June 18, 2011

The Perfect Diddle Stick?

Those who know me, know that my life is one big quest for the perfect....whatever.

The perfect wave (sometimes get 'em every day for a week straight here in the Hawai'ian Islands)

The perfect powder day (got about 15 of them last ski season between ski trips to Austria, Utah, British Columbia)

The perfect one-ski quiver (so far 188cm K2 Coomba, but the fun part is looking for something better)

The perfect racing bicycle (58.5 Serotta Legend Titanium)

The perfect airline (ha ha, just kidding)

Last week at Spruce Meadows' The National I asked NathanD, one of SM's audio guys, if I could borrow a small electronics screwdriver (aka "Diddle Stick"). He handed me a contraption of a type I'd never seen. After examining it and using it for a day, I'm thinking I may have found The Perfect Diddle Stick. Fortunately, they were available at the Home Depot across Route 22X from Spruce, so I bought a few to investigate Perfect Diddledom a bit further.

The device in question is called a "12 in 1 Mini Dial A Bit" ("12 en 1" in the Canadian government-mandated French on the label), by Fuller.

The heel stores 5 double-ended bits: various Torx (T6, T7, T8, T10, T15), various flat-blades (#1.5, #2.5), various mini-Philips (#0, #00, #000) and even two small Robertson bits (#0, #1). Another double-ended bit resides in the tip, yielding a total selection of 12. The bits are selected using a small thumb-wheel in the heel, which also keeps the unused bits from falling out of the handle.



The hilt is extendable. In short configuration, the diddle is 13cm (5 1/2"). Extended, it is 20 cm (8").



Shirt-pocket clip.

I think this Diddle Stick may become my go-to device for diddling.









1 comment:

The Big Guy said...

Heading to Home Depot now....

Thanks for the lead!

TBG