Gadget Gurus - A Safer Christmas with Zibra Open It

Home

Xtras/Accessories

A Safer Christmas with Zibra Open It

Written by Rich McComas

Every Christmas morning, I am horrified watching family members wrestle open those plastic security packages that virtually everything at Costco and Walmart are packaged in these days. Ducking every manner of sharp implement pointing and flinging in every direction, I am reminded of the famous Christmas Story movie warning, "You'll shoot your eye out, kid!"

The Zibra Open It is much more than just a cool looking pair of tin snips. In addition to the swiss-army-knife like features built into the handle, what really sets the Open It apart is the offset and angled cutting blade, which is perfectly designed for cutting around the edges of a plastic clamshell package without slicing your hands on the newly sharpened plastic edges.

Also included in the handle is an automatically retracting utility knife that can be used as a box cutter, or for cutting plastic wrap or stickers. We found this blade to be the perfect size for opening CD cases.

One of the features that we keep forgetting about is the philips head and slotted mini-screwdrivers also built into the handle, which is designed for opening battery and other compartments on toys.

The only problem we encountered with the Open It was that it felt like our hands were getting pinched sometimes when we used it. With all of the sharp edges, blades and such on this device, the occassional "pinches" were making us really nervous to use it at first. Upon closer examination, however, we found that the blade lock on one handle and the screwdriver tab on the other each extended out from the device about a quarter inch. Therefore, when we close the shears, the skin under the little finger would tend to get stuck in this small open space, and it could pinch fairly hard especially if we were wrestling with a particularly tough package. But, the parts being plastic and mostly round, we never drew blood with these pinches, and in the end, we considered the bodily risk to be minor compared to all known alternative methods of getting those darned plastic packages open on Christmas morning.

< Prev

[ Back ]

TECH2 LAKE HOUSE

UPDATE - The exterior of the Technology Lake House is complete and we are now working on interior finishing and electronics. Last year, San Francisco's Channel 7 ABC News ran a special video report on the construction progress of the Technology Lake House, and we expect them back for a follow-up soon. Click HERE for a DLINK Live Video Feed with pan and zoom features (userid=user, no password, daylight hours only).

Ron Rosberg's current project home, the Technology Lake House, is currently under construction on the shores of Clearlake in Northern California. Even though the house is a wireless demo house, we have installed more than seven miles of wires in the walls for dozens of flat panel TVs, speakers, control panels, and sophisticated lighting. So far, more than a dozen technology and fixture manufacturers have agreed to sponsor this project, which has been simmering in Ron's head since he attended the first CES show in New York in 1967. The 7,500 square foot project (plus three existing rustic cabin guest houses) is being built on a five-acre Honeymoon Cove resort with 500 feet of beach directly across from Konocti Harbor Resort. This summer retreat will host technology gatherings annually, inviting Western states home builders, contractors, and technology consultants for a live open house showcasing the latest in home technologies. There is room to park plenty of boats, so plan on coming up for some lake fun after the project is complete. For more info, send email to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , or call 707-995-2683. To see the latest photos, visit Ron's Flickr gallery.

We are currently looking for products to evaluate in these areas:

Home automation: lighting, security, and entertainment
A/V technology for the 500 SF home theater media demo room

Hot News on Cool New Features: The ENTIRE front of the home is made of 21 sliding NanaWall glass panels that fold into the walls, opening the entire home up to the lake during demo days.

Who are the Gadget Gurus?

Gadget Gurus technology reviews are heard and read by millions of people across the United States, including more than a dozen print publications, dozens of tier-one radio stations, on third-party websites, and more than ever, online at our own website.

NEWS: This year, you will see a number of exciting announcements from Gadget Gurus, including podcasts, our syndicated "Gadgets-in-a-Minute" broadcasts, and our ever-expanding "Best Of" lists. Also, you will be seeing our portfolio of magazine "gadget pages" growing into a number of vertical markets.