My new favourite desk gadget: the Play Tray

My Play Tray is a short-term parking space for my screws, so they don’t get lost. It’s something cheap plastic boxes do really well, too. But instead, I shelled out 75 euros for this new aluminium favourite of mine. Not because I’m made of money – on the contrary – but because I fell in love with its design and I’m into fidget toys.

As the name suggests, the Play Tray is more than just a temporary storage space for screws. It looks a bit like a cat toy, which was the designer’s intention. I give the metal ball in the outer «lane» a push and watch it go round in circles. Anyone who got the fidget spinner fever six years ago will understand. Whenever I feel a bit stuck at work, I watch the ball do its laps and organise my thoughts.

The Play Tray is made of anodised aluminium and weighs around 200 grammes. Not only does it cater for my playful side, it’s also easy on the eye. I think both the colour and the lines are absolutely perfect – even if it does remind me of a food bowl as well as a cat toy. It seamlessly fits into my desk setup yet still manages to be eye-catching. The cute cat winking at me always puts a smile on my face.

Of course, it also does its job as a place to park screws. There’s a strong neodymium magnet underneath the tray to keep them in place. Sure, space in the Play Tray is limited. But it’s enough for my keyboards and even a PC. I’m not bothered by the fact that all the screws are kept in the same place either. After all, I’ve screwed enough boxes together to know where each screw belongs. For more complex jobs such as assembling a graphics card, I always draw a diagram first anyway and lay out the screws accordingly.

By the way, I got the Play Tray from a one-time crowdfunding project. Unfortunately, this means it’s no longer available for purchase.