Or you have to take a key off your keyring
this post was submitted on 03 Aug 2026
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me_irl
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all can be solved with just one tool.
That’s a different design than what we had when I was growing up:
Is the new design more useful? Because the gray one was fucking useless for anything that couldn’t easily be done with fingers.
the the back "knife" is the most used part.
Much more useful. The space under where it connects to the brick is much bigger, giving more leverage. Also the pry tool is considerably thinner
A little bit, but not nearly as much as I'd like. About 60% of the time, it works every time.
They weren't useless at all, you just needed (and still need) two of them to work together.
They work ok, if you have one.
If you don't, there are contraptions you can build (out of legos) which can help you unstuck them
Am I the only one who always just uses my keys to open and break down boxes? I always have my keys on me. No need to carry extra things on me like a knife. Bonus that you can use them to open the can tab too!
Squeeze the edges of the box so the tape releases in the middle, then peel it away. Better for recycling too.
This is the way.
I don’t have any keys, so yeah, I need to find other implements. Usually it’s not much of an issue though.
Do you not have to lock or unlock the door to where you live?
electronic lock with a code. so much better than needing to bother with keys
the only keys I need to deal with in my life are car, mail box, and heavy duty bike locks. it's great.
What happens if the power goes out and you're locked outside?
They usually are battery powered, and warn you well in advance when it has to be changed.
yeah mine gets super slow to actuate when the batteries are low. I change it before each winter.
if there is a battery failure, you can use a 9V battery to provide temporary power to the lock. so I keep a couple in the garage behind another electronic lock. and if that fails, I'll borrow a 9V battery from a neighbour
Mine has a secret charge port so you can just plug in any battery or even your phone.
Correct. I have a digital deadbolt lock on my unit door I can activate with my phone or a code, and my building has a code to enter. I live in a city so don’t have a car, plus I use tap to pay on my phone, so pretty much all I ever have on me is my phone. No bag, sometimes no pockets.
Edit: Also I work from home, so no work badges, keys, etc.
I have the same question as the person who you've responded to. Do you have all digital locks on everything? Even your residence?
Yep, see my reply above. Pretty much the only key in my life is for my mailbox. There are backup keys for power outages, but they would only be needed if the battery backup also fails. They’re stashed in a lockbox with a code somewhere secure.
Keys work, kind of. If I only have one or two to do at home, they work ok. If I have dozens to do at work, it's possible, but slow and painful.
They're difficult for me to grip comfortably. About half the time, the tape gets caught in the teeth of the keys, then starts to rip the tape, then the top layer of cardboard off. I usually have to stop and pick tape, gunk, and debris out of the teeth every 2-3 boxes. Once, some tape stuck on the side of my key and I didn't notice until I put the key in the lock and the tape got bound inside the mechanism.
A knife isn't ideal either. I sharpen my own knives so I hate using them for paper and cardboard. It's very tough on the edge and usually not worth it. So I split the difference by using the back of the blade on boxes. If I know ahead of time, I'll bring a utility knife with a disposable blade to use.
Probably the most common thing I do with my edc knife is slice up fruit for myself or my dog (yes, I make sure it's clean first). I haven't found a set of keys that will do that yet.
Lol yes I would agree that my keys aren't particularly useful for cutting fruit. I guess I've just never been in a position where I'm not at home and I need to cut up a fruit or vegetable. At home I use a kitchen knife + cutting board.
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Cut my nail in two pieces
Trimmed them way too short
Frustration
No unboxing
Don’t give a damn, but this tape won’t start peeling
Please, use a Lego brick separator instead of nails.
Why? That just seem wasteful, especially if you don't play with legos so often that you have to do that often
Feels wasteful not to play with Legos so often
Well, usually people build stuff, assemble it and that's it, i don't see many people buying legos outside of sets and if they do, they actually play with legos enough to buy something like that
A lot of new sets come with one. No reason not to try it once or twice first before moving on to something that will require more effort
Not particularly helpful in this example. The brick separators rely on leverage that you won't get with these two flat square pieces
Fingers?
Yeah but then you don't cut your nails and within 5 minutes you break a nail and you have to care for it for 2 weeks to make sure it doesn't split.
Sounds like either your clippers are dull, you have a nutrient deficiency giving you brittle nails, or you might need to file them a little after cutting. Those are the only times that happens to me.
Some people just have less tough nails, or do a bit more rough stuff where long nails are an issue. Anybody doing any kind of construction will tell you to keep your nails short. I take good care of my nails and my equipment is top notch.
Even if I have a little length on my nails, how the hell are you opening boxes? Y'all got coke nails?
The other day I had to use a screwdriver to open a can of Arizona tea because the tab refused to bend to finger strength alone. Not even because my nails are short. It was weird.
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Pocket knife gang, check in
TBF lots of places completely forbid knives nowadays, especially in the places that you'd need to access for public transport. I don't think I'd even be allowed to carry a screwdriver in my city's main station.
That's fucked man. Even the overbearing bastards in Chicago let you have up to 2.5" on public transit. I would tell you, "If you're carrying it with good intent and for legitimate purposes, they'll never know, if you're doing it correctly," but that would be me condoning breaking the law. Which is wrong.
As the great 80s poet Cinderella said, "Don't know what you've got till it's gone."
Scratching an itch is so much easier with freshly cut nails, though. You just tilt it at a slight angle and the freshly cut edge is sharp and will give a good scratch.
Box tape? Even with my "dangerous to wipe with" length nails I couldn't open boxes with them
A cardboard box?
Why not use a key for that?
Having to fold endless boxes with tabs at an old job is why I now leave my thumbnails slightly long. I trim my other nails flush, but leave a bit of thumbnail just for when I need to poke or pry stuff apart.
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