Kelvin 36 vs 23 vs 17: which one belongs in your drawer

Diagram of the tools built into the Kelvin 36
Kelvin Tools

The three folding Kelvins share one design: a screwdriver arm that snaps out of a palm-sized body, bits stored inside, a magnet, a hammering surface, a tape, a level and a light. What changes is how much of each you get.

Kelvin 17: the apartment tool

Seventeen functions, the size and weight of a phone. Thirteen bits (four Phillips, three Torx, three flathead, three Allen), a 3 ft tape, a liquid level, an LED flashlight and a carbon steel hammering surface. It is the one to keep in a desk drawer, a dorm room or a first apartment, where the jobs are picture frames, flat-pack desks and loose hinges. It carries a 90-day warranty.

Kelvin 23: the workbench tool

Twenty-three functions. The screwdriver arm locks at both 90 and 180 degrees, so it works as a T-handle for torque or straight-on for reach. Sixteen bits, a 6 ft tape, a level, a flashlight and a carbon steel hammering surface in a cast aluminium body. This is the middle of the range and the one that tends to end up on the workbench, in the trailer or in the truck. Ten-year limited warranty.

Kelvin 36: the whole drawer

Thirty-six functions in a cast aluminium body with a rubberised handle. Twenty-six double-sided CR-V bits, including Torx and a knife or box-cutter bit, the SnapAction arm that locks at 90 degrees, a cast zinc hammering surface, a 6 ft tape, a level, an LED flashlight, a corkscrew and a bottle opener. If you only want one tool in the house, this is it. Ten-year limited warranty.

Kelvin 36 SL: the same 36, slimmer

Every tool of the 36 in a slimmer, lighter body: 8 oz, 5.5 inches closed, fibre-infused ABS with an ergonomic handle, and it ships with a case and a colour-matched pouch. Built for smaller hands and lighter carry. Ten-year limited warranty.

The short version

The full table, with prices, is on the compare page.

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