Doctor Who Sonic Screwdriver Review

The Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver

With seasons going back to 1963, Doctor Who is one of the longest running science fiction shows in television history.  It's getting to be more well known outside the United Kingdom thanks to the first four seasons of the series' revival being broadcast on the Sci Fi Channel (now known as SyFy for some strange reason).  The show is about a Time Lord who goes by the mysterious name of 'The Doctor' from the planet Gallifrey.  He's an alien who looks human on the outside, but has a different anatomy on the inside.  He travels through space and time at the same time, often with one or more companions.  The Doctor is a complex character who does not neatly fit into any of the categories we put fictional characters in.  There are many iconic aspects to the show that fans the world over recognize instantly.  Among them is the Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver.  It's an immensly versatile tool that the Doctor has been using ever since his second regeneration (one of the strokes of genius in the show is that they can replace any actor, even the star of the show, and the show goes on since Timelords never die, they just generate a new body if their current one is too serverly damaged).  It's changed in appearance and in it's features over the years (see photos), but it's essence remains the same: a (mostly) non-lethal multitool that the Doctor can use to help get him out of difficult situations.  Among it's many, many uses are: reprograming robots, cracking codes, checking for life signs, etc. etc.  Oh and it can work screws in and out of things like a regular screwdriver, only it does so using sound waves instead of a metal bit.

The toy versions are highly detailed reproductions of the Sonic Screwdrivers currently used in the TV show.  In fact, in many of the scenes showing the device, the Doctor is actually using one of the toys themselves as the prop department has trouble keeping the authentic props themselves from breaking.

I got the toy Sonic Screwdriver I am reviewing from a company called Character Options.  I found it a Hastings, an entertainment store found mostly in the Midwest of the U.S., but you can buy one online at several retailers.  I own many prop replicas from different movies and TV shows, but this is one of my favorites.

It is 'life sized' and is about the size of one of those big permanent marker pens.  It's made of plastic but is very durable.  I've had mine for over a year now and mess around with it quite a bit.  It has yet to break or need new batteries or a new LED bulb (knock on wood).  The barrel of it looks like cracked grey stone. Both ends look like chrome metal.  One end is removable and you can switch between an 'invisible ink' tip and a regular black ink tip.  The other tip houses an LED that emits UV light.  If you write something with the invisible ink tip, you can reveal what it says with the LED.  Neat huh?  It also emits authentic sound effects when you press the buttons on the side of the barrel.  You can move a slide on the barrel to extend the LED tip a bit like they do on the show sometimes (to change to certain functions) too.

I have a home-based computer repair business and I usually carry my Sonic Screwdriver in my tool bag when I got to visit clients.  It's fun to get it out to 'test' and 'fix' computer parts.  Sometimes when I've figured out a computer part can't be fixed (despite my best efforts using my real-world tools), I'll try one more time with the Sonic Screwdriver and say something like "Well, this'll certainly need replaced.  Even the sonic screwdriver can't fix it."  Clients who know about the TV show get a kick out of it.  It makes a great conversation piece whether the client knows about the show or not.  It's durable enough that a kid who is at least a little careful with his/her toys could have hours and hours of fun with it.

The other Sonic Screwdriver in the picture is an LED flashlight version.  It's smaller and doesn't make any sound.  I have one of those too and I really like it.  It's a bit easier to carry in your pocket and the non-UV light is bright enough to use for an actual flashlight.  More fun than carrying around a mini-maglite.