TiRuler

At its core, TiRuler is a folding straightedge. The design team built it around a broader brief, though: a single carry tool that moves between drafting, measuring and light cutting jobs. The maker says it is CNC-machined from Gr5 titanium and weighs 40g, and it closes with magnets so it stays shut in a pocket or bag.

Measuring, rethought

The straightedge measures up to 100mm. According to the maker, its graduations are CNC-engraved rather than laser-etched, which the team says gives sharper, higher-contrast markings that resist fading over time. Metric millimetres come as standard, and the campaign lists imperial inches as an add-on. That choice has to be made during the campaign, because the maker says no further upgrade will be offered in the post-campaign survey. The maker also describes a bevel set at a 30° viewing angle, which it says came out of thousands of simulated user interactions and is meant to reduce neck and back strain while reading.

Open the hinge and the ruler becomes a protractor that swings to 180°, with 10° graduations on the inside and 5° boundary marks on the outside. A built-in caliper uses a 103mm main scale with a 100mm effective range. The jaw moves in 2mm detents set by ceramic beads and springs, and the maker plays up the tactile clicking as a fidget feature. A limit stop at the end is meant to keep the jaw from coming loose. The caliper can also measure height and depth, with a specific calculation rule that accounts for the 3mm jaw thickness.

Cutting and utility tools

The back of the ruler holds what the maker calls an integrated cutting system. A detachable craft knife takes standard #11 blades and is held by two magnets and a T-shaped groove. The campaign says the T-slot also lets the knife mount upside down. A rope cutter and a hidden bottle opener sit in the same section. Elsewhere on the body are a bubble level, a tungsten steel-tipped window breaker and a keychain hole.

• Titanium magnetic pen, 65mm long and 6mm in diameter, with an M5 alloy tip that the maker says leaves a pencil-like mark
• Four tritium slots; tritium tubes in green, purple, yellow, blue or red, plus glow-in-the-dark vials, are listed as add-ons
• Optional custom engraving in a choice of three fonts, sold separately

According to the maker, Gr5 titanium was chosen for its corrosion resistance against humidity, salt spray, acids and alkalis, and for its strength-to-weight ratio across a wide temperature range.