The choice us up to you, but a nice beginner tool for any Atwood collector or user is the Keyton. The Keyton is Peter’s adaptation of a rock climber’s tool called a piton. A piton is a tool that has a spike at one end that is driven into a rock surface so the climber can attach ropes or carabineers to an anchor point. The piton also has a ring or a hole in the end in which those attachments can be hooked into. The Keyton is Peter’s loose interpretation of the piton and is defiantly not used for climbing. The Keyton is flat on the bottom like most Atwood tools and is a single piece that does not have any fancy cutouts or extra tools. It’s probably one of the more basic designs and even though simple in design, it’s quite good at doing what it’s made to do.
Due to its small size the Keyton rides exceptionally well on a key ring. It’s not bulky but it is rather thick for such a small tool. Peter focused on its single purpose and made sure that for its size it could be up to the task. The main job of the Keyton is prying, it can pry with the best of them and it also can be used as a flat screwdriver in a pinch. Using it as a driver though is probably limited due to the tool being thick and not able to fit most screw sizes.
Artistic in design and simple in function the Keyton is a real nice basic tool for beginners. When they are available from Peter’s blog the Keytons can be had for under $40 and are just enough to wet your appetite and have you come back for more. The Keyton is mostly overlooked by folks simply because it doesn’t have a lot of functions. I urge folks who don’t have any Atwood tools to look into getting a Keyton for their collection. It won’t exactly break the bank and they are much easier to find that most other Atwood models. If you willing to take the plunge then check out the Keyton, you will surely be hooked.