Best Everyday Carry Gifts

The small keychain Swiss Army knife: blade, scissors, nail file, screwdriver and tweezers in a 58mm body.

The scissors are the whole argument. Everyone who carries one of these uses the scissors weekly for tags, threads, packaging and nails, and almost nobody buys one for themselves. It is small enough to live on keys permanently, which is the only tool that ever actually gets used. Blade is small and not a working knife, and it cannot go through airport security.

A rechargeable pocket flashlight with a tail switch and a built-in USB-C charging port.

The flashlight most likely to be kept, because charging it means using the same USB-C cable as a phone rather than hunting for batteries or a proprietary dock. The tail switch works by feel in the dark or with gloves on, which is the difference between fumbling and just switching it on. Bright enough for a power cut. The built-in battery cannot be swapped on a long trip.

A tiny single-AAA keychain flashlight, bright enough to be genuinely useful, with a twist-on tail.

Small enough that it genuinely stays on a keyring, which is the only flashlight that gets used when it is needed. It runs on a AAA battery buyable anywhere in the world, so there is nothing to explain and nothing to charge. Cheap enough to buy two and put one in a glovebox, which is what most people end up doing.

A stainless multi-tool with pliers, wire cutters, a locking knife blade, screwdrivers and a file, backed by Leatherman's 25-year warranty.

The entry point into Leatherman, and the warranty is the reason to choose it over an unbranded multi-tool: twenty-five years, and they honor it. Pliers, wire cutters, a locking blade and screwdrivers cover most household and car jobs. Too heavy for a trouser pocket, so it lives on a belt, in a bag or in a glovebox, and it cannot fly in hand luggage.

A tiny sealed brass pen that writes upside down, in the cold and in the wet, and fits in a coin pocket when closed.

A sealed brass pen that closes down to the size of a lipstick and works in conditions that kill a normal pen — upside down, in the rain, in the cold. It is solid metal, so it feels like an object rather than stationery, and refills are cheap and sold everywhere. Short and thick, so it is not comfortable for writing at length.

A leather sleeve that holds two to four keys flat and silent, with a loop for a car fob.

A leather sleeve that holds two to four keys flat, which stops them jingling and stops them shredding a pocket lining. It is a small problem that everybody has and almost nobody solves. Leather that ages well. Only fits a few keys, so it is wrong for anyone carrying a large bunch, and the keys have to be fitted onto an internal post, which takes five minutes.

The refillable metal lighter, made in Pennsylvania, with a lifetime mechanical guarantee.

For anyone who lights candles, campfires, a barbecue or cigars, a refillable metal lighter is a keepsake rather than a disposable, and Zippo's lifetime mechanism guarantee is real. It also engraves beautifully, which makes it one of the easiest personalized gifts here. Fuel evaporates over a few weeks if unused, so it is the wrong gift for someone who lights nothing.

Leatherman's best-known multi-tool: 18 tools including two knife blades, a saw, replaceable wire cutters and outside-accessible blades.

The full-size version, and the right choice only if they already carry a smaller multi-tool and use it constantly. Blades that open from the outside work without unfolding the pliers, the wire cutters are replaceable so the part that wears can be swapped, and the warranty runs for decades. Heavy and bulky, and it cannot travel in hand luggage.