This gadget has been on the market for a bit, and we recently managed to get our hands on it. At first, it was quite odd to use, to be quite honest. It took me a while to get used to it, and to organize my essentials to fit inside it. Once I did that, the testing was much smoother. In this article, we’ll talk about the Orbitkey Nest, and whether it delivers enough utility to justify its price tag. So, if you’re interested in a wireless charger that doubles as an EDC storage box… read on.
The Orbitkey Nest looks odd… at first, but that’s not a bad thing
The Orbitkey Nest sure is an interesting contraption. Chances are you’ll find nothing similar to it in the market. I can describe it as a box, with customizable dividers on the inside, and a multi-functional lid that includes a wireless charger. When the lid is closed, you can pull an elastic band over it, and hook it up to the side of the device. That way it’ll stay closed while it’s in your bag.
The moment you set it at a table, and are ready to use it, you can unhook that elastic wrap, and open the lid. At that stage, the lid will stay attached to the base of the Orbitkey Nest, as if you’d opened up the hood of your car. You can completely remove the lid, though, if that’s what you want. It’s really simple to do as well. There’s also an elastic hole for your pen on the back of the Orbitkey Nest.
The inside of this thing is where the magic lies
Now, the most interesting part of this device is the interior. It’s foam-padded, and it comes with a bunch of dividers you can use to organize your gear. You can place cables here, your keys maybe, a smaller battery bank, or whatever you like… as long as it fits. Once you set everything up the way you want, you can use the aforementioned dividers to fix your gear in place. You can easily remove it, but it won’t jump around while you’re moving (most of the time), thanks to those dividers. You can, of course, realign dividers as you see fit at any time, as they attach much like velcro does. It’s a fir attachment also, so don’t be afraid they’ll get loose or something.
Really small items can be stored under the lid
Now, the lid is a completely different story. Let’s start with its bottom portion. There you’ll find some storage opportunity as well, but for thinner items. You can utilize those for your cards, a key maybe, or an SD card. There’s also a mesh pocket on the left where you can store random items as well. Be careful not to put anything thick here, as it will decrease the storage of the main compartment when closed.
There’s a wireless charging mat at the top
The top side of the lid is also quite interesting. That’s where the wireless charging coil is located. You’ll need to hook up the Orbitkey Nest to a wall outlet first, though. This thing does wirelessly charge your gear, but it’s not a power bank, in other words, it doesn’t have a battery on the inside. The lid is also indented, so you can easily place some of your gear on it while you’re working or something, for easy access. It’s a very interesting design, to say the least. The build quality is also really good, at least that was my impression while using it. I wonder if the elastic band will get loose in time, though.
What’s it like using it?
So… what’s it like using the Orbitkey Nest? Well, this accessory takes some getting used to. There’s not that much room in there, so you’ll need to be smart about what you put inside this box. Also, make sure to align whatever you’ll carry first, and then insert the dividers. I did it the other way around and had to redo it. I changed several setups until I finally landed on the one you see in the pictures. Truth be said, I do change it up from one day to the next, depending on what I’m doing and where.
It’s great for storing smaller items you’ll need during your workday
The Orbitkey Nest is great for storing USB drives, SD cards, various small accessories, cables, wireless earbuds, maybe even smaller power banks. If you do choose your gear right, this thing can be really useful. Thanks to its hard shell, you can place it in your backpack without worrying something will get smooshed. Also, if you place the dividers correctly, your gear won’t fly around inside the Orbitkey Nest. Well, most of the time, it’s not a perfect solution after all.
I found out that the Orbitkey Nest is also useful while I’m working at my desk, which is the vast majority of my workday. I simply pull it out of my bag, and place it on the table in my office. At that point, I open it up and place whatever I’ll need that day at the top. Also, if I need to charge something, I can quickly plug in the Orbitkey Nest. That wireless charger at the top can be quite useful. Its charging is not that fast (we’ll talk more about it in the next section), but it’s convenient for charging accessories, such as truly wireless earbuds, for example.
It supports wireless charging, thought it’s not particularly fast
If you take a look at the Orbitkey Nest’s lid, you’ll notice that the vast majority of it is indented. The left portion is not, however. Well, that portion marks where a wireless charging coil is. You can place any Qi charger-compatible device there, once you plug in Orbitkey Nest, and this gadget will wirelessly charge it. This way you have not only an EDC storage box with you, but a wireless charger as well.
It supports 10W wireless charging
The Orbitkey Nest can charge your devices at 10W, which is not particularly fast. Still, it’s plenty for wireless earbuds, perhaps even some smartwatches, etc. There are plenty of smaller gadgets that will do well with 10W charging. You can technically charge your phones as well, though that will take a bit of extra time. The point is, the option is there, and it’s quite convenient as well.
Is it worth it?
So, is the Orbitkey Nest worth the money? Well, this thing isn’t particularly cheap, not at all. For most people, it’s probably not worth it. If you work a job like mine, or something similar, where you need to carry a lot of smaller gadgets with you. If you also spend a lot of time at your desk, then it may be worth the money. It’s really convenient, as you can carry quite a few gadgets with you. On top of that, you have a wireless charger at hand as well. You don’t even need to carry it around, you can simply keep it at your desk, and it can provide you with some utility that way. You can keep smaller things out of the way, and simply get them when you need to. The Orbitkey Nest definitely looks nice when it sits on the table, just make sure to get the color that suits your setup.
