Core77

Bizarre Product Design: These Snowflake-Shaped Charging Port Cleaning Tools

By Rain Noe - August 29

in Tools & Craft

This strange-looking object, by a company whose name has four consonants in a row, is a tool for cleaning out charging ports on smartphones and tablets.

It features a variety of picks, brushes and scrapers, as well as a kind of scrubber port that you load with (included) "detergent" to clean the male connector. It can also be used to clean wireless earbuds and their cases.

The tool has the same challenge as countless EDC multi-bit tools, but rather than going with a cylindrical form factor, they've opted for a snowflake shape. I can't fathom why. The only other tool I've seen that uses this shape is a spark plug gap gauge, but it was coin-sized; this thing here is 3.5" across.

They also offer this more organic-looking variant.

I don't deny that there's a need for this tool, particularly if you do a lot of outdoor stuff. (I actually have to keep a little plug in my phone's charging port, otherwise it becomes so clogged I can't charge it.) I'm just taken aback at the form, and the tool's overall popularity; it's got 2,000 reviews and 4.5 stars on Amazon.

These run $20.

o

Favorite This
Q
4

Comment

Comments

Yardley Yardley

2 months ago

Z

3Z

Reply

Share your thoughts

!Report as spam
- Jason Scala
  
  Yardley Yardley
  
  2 months ago
  
  Z
  
  Z
  
  Reply
  
  Brilliant!
  
  !Report as spam
Dee An

2 months ago

Z

1Z

Reply

It's odd to compare this to "Every Day Carry" kit when it is intended to kept in a desk drawer.

!Report as spam
Toby B

2 months ago

Z

Z

Reply

Belkin has made star-shaped headphone splitters that look quite similar to the white version.

!Report as spam