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Enable All Save Settings. Craftsman Nextec Multi-Tool. Milwaukee M12 Multi-tool. Fein MultiMaster. The minimalist designs are generally excellent. And the company backs them up with a year warranty, as well as a reliably decent customer service experience. We also tested the non-CX Leatherman Skeletool.
We also found that the pivot points are tighter, so this model is harder to open and close. This one costs less than the CX, but over time we think the benefits of the better tool will be worth it. It has geared pliers that double the force of the pliers and wire cutters, and that make opening and closing the tool easier. The tool selection resembles that of the Free P2 but with a second blade and a saw.
This model is really a large pocket knife with a nice selection of tools on the back of the handle. For the non-pliers models, we prefer to go with the smaller size. We tested it and found it to be a high-quality tool with an easily accessible knife. It looks nice, if a bit generic, and it is also covered by the year warranty.
But instead of general use tools, the Armbar Cork is devoted to the art and science of wine drinking—namely, tools that can help you crack open a bottle of wine. We repeatedly tested it and found that it opened a bottle quite well. So if picnics with wine are a regular thing for you, this would be a nice tool to keep on hand. The Leatherman Free T2 is a smaller version of the T4.
They have similar designs, and their tool selections are fairly stripped-down, but we would always recommend the Skeletool CX as an easier-to-use option. But the tools deploy with small fingernail notches, which can be tricky to maneuver.
Overall, this is an excellent tool, but the blade cannot be deployed with one hand, a feature of both the Skeletool and the Free P2 that we found essential. The same can be said about the Gerber Gear Truss.
Both are sold for roughly half the price of the Skeletool CX. Since this is such a long-term purchase, our preference is with those models with more-refined tools. We like the one-handed deployment of the pliers, but both tools are very large, and there is a lot of play in the handles when they are in the closed position. They were also heavier than the other tools we tested.
The Squirt has really nice scissors but no clamshell opener, which we thought was a useful addition to the Dime. Oddly, the keychain ring is right where the knife folds into the body, and we often closed the knife onto the ring.
It usually costs about twice as much as the Dime, which was just as functional. It looks like a half-scale model of a full-size SOG. The Ganzo GB has a nice feel to it, and the blades easily open with one hand, but the handle is especially bulky.
We dismissed a large number of tools prior to testing. Many of them had blades on the inside of the pliers. All weight listings in this guide are based on our own measurements, which often varied from the manufacturer specs by a fraction of an ounce.
Doug Mahoney is a senior staff writer at Wirecutter covering home improvement. He spent 10 years in high-end construction as a carpenter, foreman, and supervisor. He lives in a very demanding year-old farmhouse and spent four years gutting and rebuilding his previous home. He also raises sheep and has a dairy cow that he milks every morning. Here are the essential—and nonessential—items to carry in your car during winter driving to ensure you get to your destination. O multi-tool, what art thou?
No fillers. Our pick. Leatherman Skeletool CX The best multi-tool This light and slim multi-tool focuses on well-executed essentials—such as precise, comfortable pliers—and it has no fillers. Also great. Buying Options Buy from Amazon. Gerber Gear Dime The best keychain tool For such a small model, this tool is surprisingly capable. Buy from REI May be out of stock. Everything we recommend. The competition Footnotes Why you should trust us. Who this is for. How we picked. How we tested. Our pick: Leatherman Skeletool CX.
Flaws but not dealbreakers. Also great: Leatherman Free P2. Also great: Leatherman Signal. Also great: Gerber Gear Dime. Also great: Leatherman Free T4. Also great: Gerber Gear Armbar Drive. What about a Swiss Army Knife? The competition. Jump back. About your guide. Doug Mahoney. Further reading. The standard bit holder isn't oriented in an ideal fashion, but it is better than nothing.
For survivalists looking for a multi-tool designed with bushcraft in mind, while also functional around the home, the Signal is a great piece of gear to add to the kit. We employed him initially for his mountain experience, but his "side hustles" qualify him for this category.
Since we've known him, Jed has dabbled in or, dived into vacation rental management, completely renovating a "Four Wheel Camper", bicycle building, kitchen installation, apartment renovation, and roadside Korean car repair.
He uses a multi-tool almost every day, much to his own chagrin. He'd much rather be out skiing huge peaks and slicing cheddar for charcuterie back in the tent. We're happy to have grown with Jed. With each multi-tool, Jed solicits the input and opinion of other guides, professional contractors, hunters, motorcyclists, fishing enthusiasts, and tradespeople. Recently, Jed enlisted the advice of foodie, hunter, welder, and all-around handy guru Ryan Weidenbach, who happens to be his cousin.
Ryan is trained as a welder and manages a campground, a catering business , lakeside resort, and rental properties. As we do with all GearLab reviews, we started by scouring the market and looking back at the list of dozens of tools we have assessed over the years.
We purchase the best, and each tool gets weeks at least. Or months or years of day-to-day use that feature a battery of exercises. With each blade, we cut things such as tomatoes, rope, and wood. We turn screws and bolts, cut and bend wire clothes hangers. We use the other functions in their intended situations and press them to be used in an improvised fashion. As with all the testing we do, the most informative results are those gleaned in "real world" use.
Recent remote car repairs, for example, highlighted some genuine observations of multi-tool functionality. The "multi-tool" market is immense. Any single product that combines more than one tool is a "multi-tool. We further refine our focus on tools that are targeted to either daily all-around use or outdoor pursuits. We have a long list of day-to-day multi-tools and a couple built for hunting and survival in our test suite.
We score each model across the same rubric to assess them equally and share our findings below. Related: Buying Advice for Multi-tool Knives.
Value in multi-tools is a function of the purchase price and how it relates to functions, materials, construction, and ergonomics. We find that the materials and construction are the primary compromises. A multi-tool inherently has multiple tools.
Whether cheap or expensive, your multi-tool will do various things. Similarly, multi-tools naturally compromise on ergonomics. A stand-alone screwdriver will be better than one built into the handle of a pair of pliers regardless of how much you pay. The upgrade in price will get you a longer-lasting design, flashier materials, and tighter tolerances.
Ergonomics don't increase appreciably with higher prices. We give out awards for specific applications and niche uses. There is the everyday carry, incredible value of the Leatherman Wingman , which provides enough functionality to satisfy the majority of small tool needs in your day-to-day life.
Similarly, you can find lower-budget versions of the award-winning Leatherman Skeletool CX. In assessing a product's functions, we count the components, compare those to what most consumers find most useful, and evaluate each feature's size and utility.
Besides the sheer number of tools built into a given product, the design and usability of each count for a lot. A product that has ten well-designed parts is more valuable than one with 20 mediocre functions crammed in. Particular functions are especially critical in day-to-day use. Most valuable are a nice blade, tight-and-pointy pliers with wire cutters, scissors, and integrated bit drivers. Additionally, there are those out there who will surely appreciate the innovative package opener on the Leatherman Wingman and the Gerber Dime.
Note that each company counts its functions and features differently. The Spirit has scissors, and the SOG does not, but otherwise, the actual feature set is very similar.
Victorinox merely counts its features more generously. With its Suspension device, Gerber provides adequate feature sets at a low price. The Leatherman Skeletool , Gerber Center Drive , and Gerber Crucial also have relatively few features, but they are ergonomically optimized. Among the most feature-deprived products we tested are products built around locking pliers, but each of those tools is fully functioning, and the pliers lead the entire field. The Crunch has a few more options than the Irwin, but the Irwin is a little larger, and its blade is accessible from the outside although we still don't love the blade location when deployed.
Out of the two, we like the Crunch better. At first glance, the Crunch and SOG Baton Q4 products seem to have similar feature sets, although the tools function significantly differently.
The pliers on the Crunch are way better than those of the Baton, while the Baton bit driver is way better than that on the Crunch. Better still is the bit driver of the Gerber Center Drive Plus , which has the best screwdriver function of all. With the smallest products in our test, the feature set is remarkably similar. Besides that, they are virtually the same. However, the Gerber Dime edges ahead with a bottle opener that is more readily accessible than that on the Leatherman.
Leatherman recently added a line of multi-tools they call "Free. Instead of friction as on most other products , magnets and springs hold the hinges in place. Of these, we reviewed the top-of-the-line "Free" product. The Leatherman Free P4 is a helpful tool, but its function selection lags behind the manufacturer's other class-leading tools. Notably, the Free P4 does not have a bit driver.
For now, the Free P4 is an interesting development — but before it holds our attention, it will need a few more functions. Let us look more closely at the feature set of the Leatherman Skeletool CX. This is a full-sized minimalist tool, meaning that each function of the Skeletool is likely as large as you need it to be, and each is almost perfectly optimized for function. Our initial hesitations are related to the bit driver.
The only model in our entire review that features a user-replaceable main blade is the Havalon Evolve. Havalon's proprietary scalpel-style blade interchange is unique and welcome to specific applications. The interchangeable blade is thin, which allows it to be exceptionally sharp but also flexible and flimsy.
We wish the Havalon also included a more traditional blade on the Evolve for more substantial use. Aside from the blade, the Havalon Evolve feature set and layout are pretty similar to the Skeletool CX.
Notably, it doesn't have scissors. It does have a clever if redundant suite of the screw, bit, and socket driving options. The feature-set of the Leatherman Signal also deserves mention. The Signal is optimized for outdoor and survival use. It has numerous attributes that appear on no other tools in our test. There is a signal whistle, fire starter, hammer surface, and blade sharpener. The quality of manufacturing varied in the products we tested.
Hinges and locking mechanisms reveal the attention paid to detail. Sturdy materials, tight manufacturing tolerances, and intelligent construction stand out in a tool the end-user could handle every day for years. High-quality construction stood out virtually right away in our testing and only increased in value as time and usage wore on.
Our evaluation of their construction quality was initially subjective. Does it "feel" sturdy and confidence-inspiring? It inevitably followed that some aspects of the tool's mechanical function would act finicky when this almost-aesthetic assessment came up short for a given contender.
To miniaturize tools like these, manufacturers must downsize all the individual components, generally resulting in a weakened structure. A bit too big in this niche for the liking of our testers, the SOG is just large enough that it doesn't readily hang well on most keychains. Plier hinges are the most vulnerable to poor construction quality. Virtually all of our tested products held up very well in this respect.
The Gerber Suspension is a little more tightly assembled, but the pliers flex, and the components are small and get dinged up in use. We do this not only so we can have some fun, but also make you a better consumer before you make your new purchase.
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