We just a TV commercial for the Wallet Ninja, an 18-in-1 credit card-sized multi-tool. The spokesman was loud, extremely over-caffeinated, and more excited than anyone should ever be about a credit card tool. But he made the tool look fun.
The Wallet Ninja is priced at $10-$15, which seems like a bit much for a simple metal credit card tool, but maybe it’s got some great features. I took a few minutes to learn more about it.
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Features
- 6 hex wrenches
- 4 screwdrivers
- cell phone stand (requires any other credit card to work)
- bottle opener
- can opener
- letter opener
- box opener
- fruit peeler
- 2 inch ruler
- 5 cm ruler
The Wallet Ninja is made from heat-treated stainless steel and is guaranteed to never rust, bend, or dull.
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There are a number of other credit card tools currently on the market, such as the widely-available 11-in-1 survival tool.
The Wallet Ninja has 18 “tools,” but overall it doesn’t look very functional. While it might come in handy in a pitch, how many people buy into the hype only to never actually use the tool except to show off to their buddies?
Some reviewers remark how the Wallet Ninja tool is awesome, others describe it as being plain awful.
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Honestly, it looks quite flashy at first, notwithstanding the obnoxiousness of the TV commercial. If there was ever an iconic 1-minute infomercial, that was it. But, although flashy and loud enough to look fun and a bit intriguing at the surface, the tool also looks awkward and odd to use.
Watching the YouTube version of the commercial, the can opener usage example makes me cringe. I’d rather find a sharp rock before I used a can opener function that creates ribbons of metal.
Am I being overly critical here? Have you used something like this? Would you use this?
mike
Great more gimmicky junk for people to buy for holiday use.
adam
only worth it if one of the 18 functions is a throwing card (star)
Dennis
I haven’t used this specific brand. But variations of this have been around for years. I think I still have one or two in a junk box somewhere. Looks good as a concept, doesn’t work in reality. The blades are always horrible. The screwdrivers and wrenches are awkward. At best you may be able to pry the lid off of a beer bottle with the bottle opener. Although you can buy a bottle opener for your keyring for 50 cents. You’re better off putting your money towards a compact multi-tool.
Nathan
There’s a Swiss Army card. My parents gave me one years ago and i eventually beat it to death. It’s not terribly durable, but it is useful in that it gives you scissors, pen knife, tweezers and pen in a form factor you can stuff into a (fat) wallet card slot. All of those are tools i have needed on multiple occasions when i had no other option around, so i’d say for me it was not just a gimmick. It also had a ruler, magnifying glass and LED light, but i never really used those.
This one, on the other hand, would probably last forever, but the functions of this are different, and doubt i’d use it.
Matt Ryan
They are a good idea in theory but I have yet to try one that actually works. The steel is always junk, so they blades, saws, and screwdrivers just deform. Also your probably better off using a Bic lighter than the bottle opener on that thing. (I have not used that particular wallet tool card, but I have used others.
SteveR
Stuart–I wouldn’t buy it; it looks too large to get into tight spaces and difficult to get a grip on because it’s flat (i.e., not ergonomic). If you were Tom Hanks in “Castaway” (or even on Gilligan’s Island), you might welcome this. It might come in handy if I had no other tools.
You have to realize that a tool that multi-tasks like this isn’t going to be good at any one of them. I just looked again, and noticed how difficult it would be to use the wrench openings to remove a nut or bolt. How would you turn it to loosen/tighten a bolt without it catching on something? The wrench openings all look pretty small. And being flat, it would be difficult to get a good grip on it to effectively turn it. This looks like a giveaway a salesman would use as a “thank you” for purchasing insurance or some other product, not something you’d pay money for.
Mike
Fruit peeler?
I have a hard enough time making wallets last for any length of time. Sticking a supposedly unbendable steel card in there would only make it worse.
I agree with you 100% about these types of tools in general. They tend to get used only when a new owner is intentionally looking for things to use it on. Once the novelty wears off they get placed in a drawer somewhere.
T
I was actually productive with a similar tool once. Used a free promo card tool wrench to counterhold the lock nut on a tripple SU carb choke rod. I had dry fit the whole assembly on bench then installed the em, forgetting to tighten a couple nuts. I scratched my head at what to do since a wrench wouldnt clear the rod and frame rail, I wasnt too keen on spending another half day R/Ring them so… somehow I remembered the cheesy card wrench I had and tried it. I am a believer in gimmicks, as long as they are free.
Chuchundra
I’ve seen similar tools for under three dollars. I was actually thinking of buying some and giving them out as business cards.
For quick, in a pinch stuff I keep a Gerber Shard on my key chain. It’s great for all sorts of little things like opening boxes, opening bottles, cutting twine and general, small prying and screwing tasks.
firefly
Plus one for the Shard, I probably used it for less than 10 times in the two or three year period that I have it. But that certainly more than pay for it cost.
Stan
There is a American made version of this tool named Pocketmonkey. However unlike this likely imported version, this isn’t as thick and likely won’t rip up your wallet. Amazon lists the coo if anyone is interested and this items is made in China.
Given the Wallet Ninja has multiple “sharp” edges whereas the Pocketmonkey edges aren’t as pronounced. Both might be TSA approved, but I can definitely see TSA having more issues with the edges on the bottom with the Wallet Ninja.
For the record, I have ZERO and stress this point NO benefits in mentioning either brands. Think what you want, but trust me, if either was paying me for a post similar this, don’t you think I’d be making a much longer post and using marketing buzz words?
Stuart
Yes, the Pocket Money ($12-$25 via Amazon) is made in the USA. That this one is made in China and the Pocket Money in the USA shouldn’t have much bearing on quality. Both have different designs, and both are equally impractical.
No, you might not be paid to bash certain tools or to praise others, but you do tend to dismiss any product that is not made in the USA. This inevitably affects your objectivity.
If the Wallet Ninja was made in the USA, my thoughts about it would not change. Would yours?
Stan
Stuart,
I own up and take responsibility that I do tend to appreciate American made products far more than imported products. However, not everyone is fortunate enough to a comfortable lifestyle where money is not that big of a deal. I’ve had several buddies and family members lose their jobs due to outsourcing and some of people were war veterans and close to retiring.
Some of friends lived paycheck to paycheck and barely had enough money to eat. I’ve been there before and unless has experienced the same situation, chances are this is hard to understand where I am coming from.
If this Wallet Ninja was also American made,I’d still say I wouldn’t try putting this past TSA, but I would praise the company for manufacturing the tool in USA. However, compared to the Pocket Monkey, I still wouldn’t likely be that interested in the Wallet Ninja.
Unemployment is a serious issue in America and the continuous outsourcing of American jobs is a giant problem. I vote with my wallet and write to proper channels to voice my opinion as well.
Problem is, I am just one person and in a minority of people that actually care about country of origin and are willing to seek out American made items. Not just old stock, but new items as well. I am very far from being rich and I don’t have a cushy six figure salary with a Master’s/PHD either.
Stuart
Let me tell you – a Masters degree or PhD doesn’t equate to “being rich” or a “cushy six figure salary.” I take great offense to this comment, as it implies I didn’t work hard to earn my doctorate, or that I don’t work hard.
Do you really think that working towards higher degrees comes from privilege, a rich lifestyle, or money? My degrees came from years of hard work. And just because I have advanced degrees doesn’t mean “richness” or freedom from hard work.
Maybe you didn’t know I have a PhD, or maybe you did and that was a personal shot.
Either way, you seem to have some misconceptions about PhDs.
ToolGuyd exists because for years I needed tools to support various activities, and didn’t have the money to buy premium tools, or to buy things twice. In college I worked part time in the dining hall in order to make a couple of bucks to support my projects and activities. I also worked as a physics lab instructor, giving up a couple of hours each week for labs and my Friday afternoons for training. The pay – $180 for an entire semester’s worth of labs, and this is in 21st century dollars.
Then, my Masters and PhD years required long days, often long nights, and I was supported with a small poverty-level stipend.
So when I bought a tool, I researched all options and then made purchasing decisions after examining all the facts and details.
I can’t say that I had to eat Raman noodles for every meal, but I had to be smart with every purchase.
ToolGuyd was a side project I found enjoyment in during breaks from the pressures and stresses of my research. Now, I run ToolGuyd full time, and then some.
I very thoroughly enjoy scientific research, and I’m good at it too. The truth is that I still have an intense desire to pursue full-time work at a research or development laboratory. But I also thoroughly enjoy my work for and with ToolGuyd. ToolGuyd gives me the freedom to work with my hands and on projects I have always wanted to work on but didn’t have the time for. Unfortunately, the two are mutually exclusive.
Neither of the two paths in front of me offer what I would consider a “cushy salary.”
Even with ToolGuyd, I engage in freelance work and external assignments. Do you think I sit here on a throne of cash?
I might have American- and European-made tools in my toolbox, but I also have a lot of imported tools. Because I’m not made of money and cannot easily afford top-quality tools all or even much of the time.
That’s why I counter your comments sometimes, because you tend to dismiss tools as junk based solely on where they’re manufactured, and that’s a disservice to the majority of readers and visitors to whom quality, functions, and features weigh heavier than COO. Note that I said weigh heavier. Like a lot of readers, I too care about where tools are made, but that’s rarely – if ever – the most important aspect of a tool.
jesse
Why even make a post on this thing?
Stuart
Why even read the post and then comment about me making a post on this thing? Commercial was ridiculous to the point of humorous.
joe
“I’d rather find a sharp rock before I used a can opener function that creates ribbons of metal.”
I think the youtube video shows an illusion of metal ribbons. The ribbon effect may be due to the liquid that came out over the lid. These type of can openers are all over the place even the army gives you one that folds like a wallet.
Regarding the tool, not bad…make it foldable to use in my key ring and it’s even better lol. The price is just of a hamburger, fries, and a coke.
I would not really insert a credit card there as of being afraid to damage the carbon tape on it, but I can insert a paper business card with ease.
It can also be used as an actual ninja throwing start….lol, not really.
Stuart
You’re right. I watched the video numerous times and kept seeing what looked like metal ribbons from the can. Switched the video to full 1080P HD and full-screened it, and sure enough the ribbons cleared up into liquid pouring over the lid from inside the can. Thanks for the insight!
RX9
This tool is ridiculously overpriced. for what it is. You can buy a 2 -pack of similar card tools (made from stainless steel) on DealExtreme or a host of other similar sites for about $3 shipped. What’s more, those card tools have been on sale for at least a decade.
Sadly, TSA checkpoints won’t let card tools through, so it’s better to buy a tool cheap enough to not mind tossing in the trash should the need arise.
jkrl
To add to the fun, just next to this listing (or the main page) there is an add by Banggood featuring the Ninja Wallet (as one of a few EDC tools in the photo).
The price including shipping from China? $2.79
Ann
I did not see any WARNINGS about placing the WALLET NINJA near credit cards. I would suspect that since it is akin to a credit card, it would be normal
to think that it can be placed in a wallet’s credit card slot & think nothing of removing the credit cards. The WALLET NINJA is FERROUS which makes it susceptible to magnetic effects. I also noticed in one of their pix, it shows the NINJA being placed into wallet which does not have CREDIT CARDS.
So CAUTION…it could wipe out any credit cards that it is placed near!
Stuart
Did it wipe your credit card, or are you talking hypotheticals?