I received my first Swiss Army knife as a youngster, back when they still had a sturdy wire for a belt clip or lanyard, instead of today's wimpy key ring. As an adult, I migrated away from my beloved army knife, carrying small pen knives instead. But it was still a disappointment to lose that first knife at the tail end of a wilderness backpacking trip where I had used it to help lash together an emergency stretcher out of pack frames. Its replacement was a 3-function Victorinox perfect for travelling-I considered it a beer, wine and cheese knife.

But I was irresistibly drawn to the Cybertool when I first saw it in the Summer of 2000, realizing that it was not only way cool, but perfect for keeping my laptop from falling apart. Today's laptops have little tiny Phillips screws-many of them recessed-and if you carry your portable with you every day, you're guaranteed to always have a screw loose or two. My name brand laptop had lost several screws, and the serial port was dangling. That's where the Cybertool's best feature comes into play. It has a long arm with both 4mm and 5mm nut drivers that fit the nuts retaining DB-15 and DB-25 connectors. Fitting into the dual-position arm are a set of small but well-made tool bits with slotted and Phillips screw drivers, Torx, and a 4mm Allen key that is perfect for Ikea furniture. With a Cybertool, you can keep all your screws tight, reducing laptop failure (I set up a recurring event on my PDA to remind me to touch up all the screws & nuts on my unreliable laptop every 6 weeks).

The philosophy of this tool is to build on the foundation of a knife. This is in contrast to the multi-tool strategy of fitting a set of pliers with knives and hacksaws. While such tools are highly useful to many people, I think they are too heavy for a briefcase, and I am not going to slice cheese with the same tool that I use on my lawnmower or for fish scaling. A bottle opener is of course included, and a can opener that is only suitable for the direst of emergencies. Contrary to popular belief, you can pull a cork from a wine bottle using a Swiss Army knife, although the advice I was given to `push the cork INTO the bottle' resulted in a spectacular red shower in the Panoramawagen out of Lugano. Just screw into the cork as far as you can, and then gently inch the cork out of the bottle with a rocking motion (I have had no success with plastic `corks', though).

Perhaps the manufacturer exaggerates the number of functions provided by this tool, but I actually have used the ballpoint pen to flip a DIP switch. The mini-screwdriver stuck into the corkscrew is perfect for eyeglasses, and if you are careful, the scissors are adaptable to a wide range of personal hygiene tasks. My original knife didn't have steel pin, tweezers, or tooth pick-at least one of which has saved me from several evenings of post-gristle distress syndrome. The only totally useless implement is the all-purpose hook. Intended to facilitate in the carrying of brown paper boxes wrapped up with string, I have never observed a Swiss actually using one. Victorinox seems to have overbought this particular appendix, hanging them on snow board and bicycle knives also.

It isn't just a toy to impress your gadget-oriented co-workers-although it is good for that too. The thing really works, and after over a year in my briefcase, mine has developed quite a patina. It is well constructed and intelligently thought out, and if I ever lose mine, I'll replace it immediately. Good stuff!

You know, I hardly miss that first Swiss Army knife at all.

Granted, i fix computers for a living, but i use this knive for absolutely everything... breaking down cardboard boxes, writing down phone numbers, fixing eyeglasses, tooth picking, blister popping (yuck! at least i put the needle over a flame!). I swear i use this thing at least 10 times a day.

I think I have the deluxe model though (scissors, pliers and a box carrier added). I consider myself quite lost without this knife in my pocket. I've had a lot of similar products and none of them could compete for lack of one thing... a functional screwdriver. It has 10 different heads (as long as you don't lose them).

buy it. now.