Hypothetical Swiss Army flashlight

The Swiss Army knife, and later, Leatherman tool and various multi-tools patterned after it take all the small hand tools they can and cram them in to one pocketable package. Sure, few people would choose one over a quality dedicated tool given the option, but the point of a multi-tool is that it’s readily available and it will get the job done in a pinch.

I’m imagining a device that serves the same function for battery-powered electronics, based around the flashlight in the same way the Leatherman tool is based around pliers. I’m imagining something offered in various sizes (18650, 26650, 2x26650, most likely) combining at least the following:

  • Flashlight
  • Hand warmer
  • USB power bank/internal charger
  • SD card reader, or by leaving a card in it, flash drive, with built-in support for USB OTG
  • Fire starter

What other functionality could potentially get packed in to such a device while keeping the 18650 version somewhat pocketable?

One more “tool” you could add - pipe bomb. Push a button, timer counts down, then shorts the battery.

I'm pretty sure you are going to invent the smartphone here.

Compass instead of a rear clicky switch.

The smartphone is the Swiss Army knife of portable computing. While I did include a couple computing-related features here, I’m seeing it as more of an outdoor/camping/survival tool. With USB power and the potential to carry a decent amount of storage, this could also serve as a useful accessory to the smartphone.

Lots of products already do the same functions… except the fire starter. :bigsmile:
But you can add one magnesium rod at the lanyard hole.

There’s already a hand-cranked flashlight/USBcharger/firestarter with compass available:
http://beprepared.com/hand-cranking-fire-starter.html

A friend of mine who is really into camping and bushcraft once told me “The less functions a tool has, the most useful it is”.

I agree entirely, when you know what tools you’re going to need, or if you have the ability to carry them all. Multi-tools are for situations where you don’t really expect to need any particular tool, but you want to be prepared.

My Victorinox Swisstool isn’t a very good screwdriver, yet I end up using it for that quite a bit when I didn’t think I’d need a screwdriver. It works a lot better than trying to turn screws with something that isn’t a screwdriver at all.

I am not a fan of mixing mechanical tools with electronics.
My EDC tools need to be rock solid and able to “get banged around” a bit and occaisionally maybe even get wet.

I love my Leatherman Squirt E4 due to its very functional wire strippers
and grippy ( if small) pliers.

I’d much rather have a Squirt “F6” (Flashlight Version) mechanical only
version with specialty tools for torch work.
Possibly build in tailcap removal pliers
( I don’t know the name for these).
Maybe make the phillips screwdriver insulated?

You do realize some steel wool and a 9vdc AA battery and maybe a bit of char cloth (or cotton ball) and you can have a firestarter (or 2x 18650’s in series)

http://wildwoodsurvival.com/survival/fire/battery/index.html

GPS !!!