CMU School of Drama


Saturday, March 28, 2015

Multitool in a hair-clip

Boing Boing: The $10 Monkey Business Clippa Mini Tools Clip is a hair-clip with a sawblade, trolley coin, wrench, phillips screwdriver, ruler, and eyeglass screwdriver.

12 comments:

Bronwyn Donohue said...

I rather love this invention and yet wonder at the necessity of it's being. In a way, it seems slightly sexist in the sense that it is clearly geared towards women and not towards men. Why not just make a swiss army knife that contains all of these components? It also seems slightly unsafe to have a sawblade that close to one's scalp.

54-102 :: A

Monica Skrzypczak said...

My first thought is that this is really cool, but I question who would wear this. Why does it have to be in a hairlip, something that is generally for women, and usually for girls in grade school. I honestly cannot remember the last time I knew someone who wore a hair clip rather than a bobby pin. I don’t see why they couldn't just make this a pocket sized multitool. I know they have one that is basically the size of a credit card. This seems like a pointless edition to the multitool lineup, not to mention uncomfortable. The screwdriver would probably stab into your head every time you tried to put it on. It also seems like it would be really dangerous to have the cutting part so close to your head when you snap it down, and so close to your hand when the clip is open. I mean, the clip can cut through rope, and does not provide a good grip.

Alex Fasciolo said...

I don’t really get the point of this product. Something that kind of frustrates me about the multi tool market is that manufacturers are starting to turn everything into a multitool. In the case of the leatherman watch/bracelet multitool, I kind of understand it, it’s something you have on yourself every day and use in a pinch when you get caught off guard, but in this case I think it’s gone a tad too far. I just don’t think that a hair clip could be the best tool for anything but clipping up your hair. Asides from the fact that it looks rather fragile and could bend/snap into an unusable form, it seems like something that could really easily be lost. Even if I were someone who used hair clips, I personally wouldn’t want to spend $10 on one every time I lost it. The concept of turning everyday objects into a multitool seems promising, but not when brought to ridiculous extremes like this.

Nikki Baltzer said...

When I first saw this I can’t help but feel excited that the world of tools is leaving their gender specific consumer demographic and opening their option to catering to a wider spectrum. This will hopefully start a trend in breaking the idea that men are the only ones who know how to use and can have tool. Those times are over and everyone should be allowed by society to like what they like and do what makes them happy. I put a firm emphasis on that this will start a change because based off of the design of the hair clip is can still mask itself as a normal hair clip and not call attention to itself that it is an awesome tool that can do many jobs. With that in mind I think this a great product for all women to have in their hair. Because will all the things we as humans interact with on a daily basis something’s always bound to break or need a fast fix and this would be the perfect fast tool for the job.

Paula Halpern said...

I understand the basic concept of this: that women can own multitools too. This product is obviously geared towards women. First of all, I agree with Bronwyn, it doesn't seem particularly safe to have a saw blade right at your scalp. Especially if someone bumps you. Also there's the trouble of those kinds of clips; for the most part, they don't work. I have never used hair clips like this when I was younger because it doesn't hold hair that is even remotely thick. I get it that multitools are trying to be marketed to a different kind of people, but I don't thin-haired elementary school girls is the market that the developers were going for. I did like the leatherman bracelet, I feel like they are moving slightly in the right direction with that. But I don't think a hair clip is the way to go.

Nikki LoPinto said...

I really want one of these. It looks so compact and easy to carry around! I'm not one to carry a lot of things around in my pockets or on keyholes like some of the other people in my class, so having something as easy and small as a multi-tool hairpin would probably make things a lot easier on calls or in the shop. I do worry that the metal of the clip wouldn't stand up to most of the pressure and force it would undergo in shops like ours. The designers would have to pick a metal that both bent for the clip part, yet also didn't break in half when twisted inside a Robertson screw hole. For me, I say the less parts the better! I like sleek, small things that I can put on my person that don't take up room. Who cares if clips are supposedly feminine? That doesn't mean you can't put a clip on your belt-loop and carry it around like that.

Fiona Rhodes said...

At first glance- how awesome! My multitool was the best purchase I have ever made, and it’s great that they’re making them smaller and more convenient every day. A closer look leads me to believe it’s impractical and dangerous. First, the material is so thin that it wouldn’t make a sturdy tool, or even one that could be used comfortably. In the photograph of the person using it to peel an orange, I can see the material bending under the pressure from the fingers. Second, the cutting edge. Why is it on the outside? When using it as a wrench, wouldn’t you have to grab both sides to turn it…and consequently slice the side of your finger? If it is meant to be used as a barrette, then you would need to be able to place it in your hair- by holding both sides firmly in place. Hmmm. Not going to work. Third, it is a hairclip. A hair clip is, presumably, clipping your annoying bangs out of the way while you are working. To use this, you are removing it to use it in work, and thus allowing your hair to obstruct your view. Practical? I think not.

Alex E. S. Reed said...

Okay, I won’t argue how cool this is, though I will wonder why it too them so long to come up with it! Otherwise, I’m a little iffy on the stability of this thing I mean, it’s a hairclip, and those things aren’t very strong. Also, I always use bobby pins, they are less damaging on my hair and cheaper. Finally, this is marketed towards women (poorly) mainly and I don’t know many who really NEED this type of thing on hand, even out of the woman I know in the labor field. It could come in handy for survivalists, but still, small market. The number of tools it offers is pretty interesting, it makes me take a second look and the shape of other “household” objects and think of their multitool-ness. But again, not really something that I need constantly on me, and I especially don’t want a knife next to my scalp. That’s just asking for trouble.

Zara said...

Personally, I would love this invention. I have no need for an actual hair clip being that I and most people use bobby pins. However, for those that do use such clips, I can see this being rather useful. I don’t necessarily see how the blade on the side that is shown cutting some rather stiff things isn’t going to cut your hair or scalp when you use it. However, some of the other uses are interestingly useful. I don’t understand why they show a candle being burned though. Would someone ironically say “hey I have a wick, if only I had hair pin multi tool so I can burn this.” Otherwise, I would be sold on this. I think a few of these things are rather innovative. However, I don’t see how –like in a few other comments- people could find this invention to be sexist. It’s a hair clip. Obviously it will be geared towards a female audience. If men would rather have a hair clip multi tool then can.

Kat Landry said...

When I first saw this I freaked out- thought it was actually the coolest thing ever. Now that I'm thinking about it though...I can't say I think it's a great investment. Not only are there certain features that are potentially unsafe (screwdriver pointed toward head, blade on the side that would be used as a handle for the wrench), but it doesn't feel like something people would actually use, or happen to be wearing when they need it. Most of the time when these things would come in handy would be in a work environment, and if you're in a work environment I would assume you'd have something a little more reliable on hand than your trusty hairclip.

Olivia Hern said...

As someone who wears hair clips ALL THE TIME, I think that this is awesome. Many people seem to be angry about the "sexist" nature of the tool. I am as big a feminist as anyone could meet, but I fail to see why having a small, easy access auxiliary multitool is in any way sexist. I could totally see myself whipping this out for small tasks! The fact that I have hair that could store such a handy little tool doesn't mean I'm less able, or that this tool is marketed to women. It is marketed to people who have hair!

I also don't know how frequently people commenting on this actually use hair clips, but most of the concerns that people seem to have are irrelevant. They are actually pretty sturdy, and the edges never poke into your head. If I had one of these, it certainly wouldn't replace my regular multitool, but it seems like these is a pretty useful, interesting tool that people are loving to hate on. Sure, it might not not be everyone's cup of tea, but this is something I would definitely use.

Thomas Ford said...

I remember this multitool from Katie’s presentation in scenofab, and I still think it’s a stupid idea. I like the concept of multitools that are small enough to go with you everywhere, but once you get to a certain size they’re no longer efficient. I had a Wave for a while, which is considered to be the most popular multitool out there, but last year I got a Wingman, which is half the cost of the Wave and I like it way more. As a multitool it’s not as good at some things and it has less tools, but it’s smaller. My Wave needs to be on my hip in a sheath because of its size, but the Wingman fits in my pocket. To me the Wingman, and other small multitools like the Skeletool, is the most effective because they can be on you when you need them, like what this clip is trying to do, but they’re also functional. This clip just doesn’t seem like it would be good at doing things that require a moderate amount of torque/force. Also, it’s pretty awkwardly big for a hair clip. The one cool thing about it is the candles.