How To Spend Your Christmas Cash

Just Tooling Around

It’s not all just all about the big bucks though, there’s room for the little things too. Often, it’s the little changes which make the biggest differences in fact – changing your inputs or picking up a nice little toy can brighten your day for months.

Whether you’re looking for the right tool for those about-the-house jobs or simply something to keep you busy on those rainy Sundays when you can’t be bothered to get changed in the morning, there’s bound to be something out there for you.

Something useful that’s cool and gadgety. Something you want, but don’t really need. Something you can justify buying despite the raised eyebrow of your permanently sceptical spouse.

Toys, gadgets and perfect little tools suitable for your everyday geekery – we’ve looked at and used them all in our time, so here’s what we’d recommend.

Leatherman Wave Multitool

UK Price: £105.99 (inc. Delivery)
US Price: $55.99 (excl. Tax)

Given the price difference here, the Leatherman Wave is something we’re going to have to envy our American friends for (damn you, Brett) – or at least, we would if most of us didn’t already have one.

Leatherman are pretty much the top-of-the-line multitool maker and the Wave is one of the most popular lines they sell. Folding down into a pocket sized lump of usefulness, the Wave expands to include pliers, wire cutters, screw drivers of various size, scissors and more. The whole thing comes with an attractive leather carry pouch into which the Wave slips snugly, so you carry it on your belt wherever you go and feel ready for anything! Yay!

It’s probably not the type of thing you want to carry around without a good reason, but that might not stop you. Once you’ve found a good multitool you can rely on then the tendency is to take it everywhere you go and find reasons to use it. The Wave won’t ever let you down.

Dremel 400 Rotary Tool

UK Price: £64.95 (inc. VAT)
US Price: $78.99 (excl. Tax)

The Dremel is, to many bit-tech modders and readers, almost an extra limb. They wield it almost like a magic wand – one zap at a plain old case and then, tada! A masterpiece of engraving!

Of course, if you’re not already all clued up on the intricacies of engraving and case modding then it can be a bit of a daunting place to start. Don’t worry though – we’ve got your back. The Dremel 400 isn’t strictly all you need and once you’ve picked one up then you’d do best to invest in a compatible flexshaft, but the Dremel 400 is enough for most novices to get to grips with and it isn’t going to break the bank either.

Once you’ve got hold of one then you’re only one article away from having a beautiful, custom case all of your own. Our Engraving 101 article details what type of flexshaft you’ll need, how best to use your new tools and what type of work you’d be best off starting with – perfect for beginners!

Corsair 8GB Flash Survivor

UK Price: £46.99 (inc. VAT)
US Price: $84.69 (excl. Tax)

The Corsair Survivor is the ultimate in USB drives and, though we live in a time where you can pretty much just find USB keys on the street given enough time to look, the Survivor still somehow manages to be appealing.

Created out of anodized, CNC-milled aircraft-grade aluminium, the Survivor is a flash drive which can take any beating you’d care to throw at it and, as we discovered in a recent round-up, the Survivor isn’t just tough but is also waterproof and pretty much immune to harm.

If you’re looking to splurge out on some new data protection for when you’re on the go then you could do a lot worse than picking up the Survivor. The cost alone guarantees you a substantial amount of willy-waving and you can rest assured that on the rare occasion that someone does try to shoot you, you'll at least have one thing on your person which stands a chance of surviving the blow!