When Christmas nears, I am always on the lookout for something to give those “hard to gift” individuals. This year, though, I have the perfect gift: the Kelvin 36! This gift is perfect for just about everyone you know! This handy tool, which costs $49.99, is the only one you’ll need for so many household tasks. It includes all of the following in a cast aluminum body: corkscrew, bottle opener, utility knife, screwdriver that locks at 90 and 180 degrees for extra torque, LED light, liquid level, 6 ft. tape measure, alloy magnets to hold loose screws, 13 double-ended screwdriver bits (hex, flat, phillips, square), and a hammer. Despite the fact that the Kelvin 36 includes all of these tools in one, it measures at a compact 5 x 1.5 x 2 inches and weighs only 1.2 pounds. It includes the required CR2032 batteries and comes in a very nice storage case.

The Kelvin 36 runs the risk of being one of those gadgets that is overlooked as a dust-gatherer, something that is unnecessary and duplicative of other things that you already have, but I assure you it’s not! Rather, it plays the part of the nice, attractive tool that can live in your house while the toolbox stays in the garage where it belongs. From opening the New Year’s Eve champagne to assembling the bookshelf you just brought home from the store, to hanging the picture right now, instead of waiting until you get the level from the garage, the Kelvin 36 is always right where you need it to be (in my case, the kitchen drawer). Instead of having to keep track of a multitude of tools that you’d like to be able to get your hands on right now, you only have to keep track of one.

In terms of its gifting potential, Christmas is not the Kelvin 36’s only season. Every college student would be lucky to have this in his dorm room. Young newlyweds (particularly those living in an apartment) don’t have to invest in an expensive set of tools if they are gifted with a Kelvin 36. It is far more practical and efficient. This is not something whose trendiness outweighs its usefulness. This is one very useful gadget! The fact that it is attractive and compact just adds to its cachet.

I would normally, at this point in the review, suggest that perhaps the Kelvin 36 has too many options – that not everyone requires all of these bells and whistles. Fortunately, though, Kelvin has already anticipated such individuals with its Kelvin 23! So if you’re intrigued by the idea of this multi-tool par excellence, but you’re not quite sure you need all of those screwdriver bits, for example, give Kelvin 36’s little brother a look.

If you’re having trouble thinking of a gift idea for a graduate or for someone for Christmas, or if you’re just tired of running to the garage for something as simple as a screwdriver (for which, of course, you know you’re going to grab Phillips instead of flathead), give the Kelvin 36 a look. I think you’ll be impressed.

-Product review by Laura Delgado, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, November, 2016