Why This Clever, Coin-Sized EDC Item Is So Much Better Than an App

Now more than at any time in history, there really does seem to be an app for everything.

That’s certainly true of one of our oldest tools, the ruler, as numerous apps employ your phone’s camera to measure distances.

However, one weakness they share is a lack of accuracy when it comes to curved surfaces. 

Titaner

That’s where an upgraded item from Chinese titanium specialists at Titaner, which has previously brought to life innovative pens, multi-tools and even an oven tray, comes in.

The Titaner Tiroler 2.0 employs its own circularity to make measuring contoured surfaces (as well as straight ones) not only easy but fun. 

The fact that it’s super fidget-friendly is a wonderful bonus, too.

Putting the fun in function

Made primarily of aerospace-grade Titanium (like all things Titaner), the Tiroler 2.0 is essentially two rings — an outer static one and an inner dynamic one — that you can roll along any surface to measure it.

With every full revolution — either 10 cm or 5 inches, depending on your metric/Imperial proclivities — it makes a satisfying click you can both hear and feel. 

Titaner

That feature, combined with a series of numbered tick marks on the inner wheel, engages your brain to calculate the measurement figure.

For example, if you were measuring a mountain bike wheel’s diameter using the Imperial version, it might click 5 times. That’s 25 inches.

Take that number, then look at the little window, which might display the spot right between the 2 and 3 marks — in other words, 2.5 inches.

Titaner

Add those numbers together and you’ve got a wheel very common to the back of MTB mullet set-ups these days, 27.5!

Nerdy? Perhaps. Effective and enjoyable? No doubt.

New and improved

As popular as the original Tiroler was — it raised the equivalent of nearly $250,000 on Kickstarter a couple of years back — this new edition introduces a number of notable improvements.

First and foremost is what you might call a tire: a removable silicone O-ring running in a groove around the inner ring, which enables better traction on surfaces such as glass and metal and reduces the chance of scratches.

Titaner

Making the spin of the wheel even smoother are larger bearings and a lubricating filament infused with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).

Titaner also made the clicking sound louder and moved the window from the bottom to the top of the outer ring, so clicks are easier to hear and the numbers are easier to read.

Titaner

Even if you don’t do a ton of measuring in your daily life, the Tiroler 2.0 also offers incredible tactile satisfaction, one of Titaner’s specialties, enabling it to join the brand’s Multi-Tool Pry Bar as a top-notch functional fidget spinner.

I could also see it being a great gift for any child with a burgeoning interest in math. If nothing else, it will give them a welcome break from the almost-inescapable digital screens of modern life.

Availability and pricing

The Titaner Tiroler 2.0 is currently available via Kickstarter at a launch day price of $55 for the 10cm version and $65 for the (slightly larger) 5-inch version. The estimated delivery is September.

Titaner

Titaner Tiroler 2.0

• Starts at $55

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