This Beautifully Machined Keychain Multi-Tool Includes a Feature We Haven’t Seen Before

Intended for photographers and filmmakers, the Kondor Blue x David Manning collab has applications for just about anyone.

By Steve Mazzucchi

Published August 28, 2024

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Updated August 28, 2024

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In case you are unfamiliar, Kondor Blue is a Los Angeles-area creator of high-quality production accessories for filmmakers. David Manning, meanwhile, is a San Diego-based professional photographer and YouTuber with more than 400,000 subscribers.

This is not one of those multi-tools that promises a dozen features and may struggle to do any single one of them very well. Instead, the brand and the man chose to focus on just a few key, properly executed functions.

Together, they’ve teamed up on what Manning calls his “dream EDC tool” aimed at photographers and filmmakers. But we see it as a pretty compelling option for just about anyone who appreciates craftsmanship, the power of bit drivers and the need to pop bottles. Here’s why.

Kondor Blue David Manning EDC Clip Tool

$69 at Kondor Blue

Kondor Blue David Manning EDC Clip Tool

First off, this is not one of those multi-tools that promises a dozen features and may struggle to do any single one of them very well. Instead, the brand and the man chose to focus on just a few key, properly executed functions. (If The James Brand made a multi-tool, this might be how they’d go about it.)

The most prominent of these is a magnetic bit driver, ideal for working with digital camera and action cam bases on the go. This tool integrates storage for the included 4mm hex bit and Phillips #2, but you can swap out to alternatives you lean on more regularly if you like. When it’s time to use one, you simply move it to the top of the tool and go from there.

david-manning-edc-multi-tool-camera — The bits you need can be stored in the side of the EDC Clip Tool until you need them.

A second useful function is the stainless steel flathead screwdriver/box opener that emerges from the bottom of the tool. It’s rounded enough to be TSA-compliant yet sharp enough for poking and slicing through tape — not to mention making sure camera plates are tight.

Pull down the spring-loaded slide gate with your thumb to add the tool to a keyring, belt loop or bag — and also to access the hidden bottle opener, with an angle that has been optimized not only for easy cap removal but fidget-friendly spinning around your finger.

kondor-blue-edc-multi-tool-box-cutting — The stainless steel ridge at the base of the tool is just sharp enough to slice through boxes.

Last but not least is the feature we referenced in the title of this story. The lower half of the tool is dedicated to storage for an Apple AirTag. This rare element ensures not only that you’ll never lose the tool but also helps you keep track of whatever it’s attached to, be that a camera, a bag or your jeans.

(Hey, sometimes these things get misplaced after popping a few too many bottles, ya know?)