What is a good multi tool

Just like the Surge, though, the Wingman will prove invaluable in both home projects and for everyday troubleshooting. Though it features fewer tools than the Leatherman Surge model above, the Wingman is still an excellent multi-tool made to handle whatever life throws your way.

Some consumers may prefer the more stripped-down approach of the Wingman since it weighs half as much and still makes finding and deploying the right tools for the job a lot easier. Made for rugged use, the Gerber Suspension multi-tool stands out for its construction quality and user-friendly design. When putting together our multi-tool reviews, we knew we had to have at least one keychain model. Our top choice in the category of Best Keychain multi-tool is the Gerber Dime, a very compact multi-tool with 10 tools included that can easily hang from your keychain.

While this is one of the smallest Gerber multi-tools, it is made with quality and precision and can be expected to give you years of excellent service. With a smaller size and lower weight, this model is also ideal for keeping in your pocket at all times. With Leatherman quality, a decent tool selection, and low weight, this multi-tool is sure to please just about anyone. Like Leatherman, SOG is a brand heavily associated with quality, heavy-duty multi-tools. SOG got its start over 40 years ago, during the Vietnam era, and the SOG Powerlock is considered by many as one of the best tactical multi-tools to own.

SOG lives up to its reputation as one of the best Multi-Tool brands on the market, and a SOG multi-tool with a saw that will stand up to just about anything you can dish out. Thanks to its robust construction and a good selection of tools, and trimmers. This model also offers a feature called compound leverage. With this unique SOG feature, compound leverage increases the pressure you put on the pliers or cutters, allowing you to get a stronger grip and make cleaner twists or cuts.

Because of its tool selection choices and rugged quality, the SOG also gets our vote for the best military multi-tool. However, if you are someone who typically a pen daily, such as first responders, military, or for another profession or type of business, the TF Takeflight multi-tool includes some of the best basic tool options you could need. Ok, we get it — Some people would rather be out riding a bike than sitting on a lawnmower. For this reason, check out the best bike multi-tool from Crankbrothers.

Far and away, this is the best EDC tool for cyclists. While there are many knives like the Swiss Army, the original multi-tool manufacturer still performs actively in the market it more or less founded.

The Ratchet wrench makes it much easier to remove bolts in a pinch and work on mechanical parts, helping expand the capabilities of this tool dramatically. Having a ratchet wrench like the Swiss Army takes multi-tools to an entirely new level of functionality. This useful feature almost automatically propelled the CS Plus to a spot on our multi-tool review list. In fact, the Bravedge Axe may be the best multi-tool for camping in terms of overall functionality.

Whether you need to cut down a tree or open canned food, this tool has the features you need. For camping excursions, this multi-tool is a great thing to have on hand. Another strong contender as the best camping multi-tool is the Leatherman Signal. Every product is independently selected by obsessive editors. Things you buy through our links may earn us a commission. While multi-tools make our lives easier, however, finding the right one for you can be hard. There are myriad configurations of blades, snips, and other bits and bobs.

To help you find your next multi-tool, we asked Wiese and 16 other outdoor experts about the favorite multi-tools they take with them on every adventure. With its central pair of pliers, the design is classic, and reminds Anderson of the Leatherman tools he and his family grew up using.

In addition to a 7. The pocket-size Signal has staples like pliers, a knife, and a bit driver, but it also includes a couple of key survival items: a fire-starting rod and a safety whistle.

On a climbing expedition in Pakistan over the summer, Barkman and his climbing partner relied on this multi-tool for potentially life-saving gear repairs to their tents and ice axes.

To make quick work of trimming lines and handling hooks, angler Kayla Lockhart keeps the Skeletool clipped to her waders. The Wingman includes features virtually none of the other models do. The package opener is quirky but invaluable, the return spring in the pliers reduces hand strain and increases efficiency in certain types of extended use, and the integrated pocket clip keeps the device handy for those that wish to carry it this way.

At this price point, however, there are some compromises. The straight portion is easily reconditioned, but sharpening serrations requires special techniques.

Further, that blade is significantly shorter than it needs to be. There is almost a half inch of extra space in the handle that Leatherman does not use for the blade. Overall, you get far more than you pay for with the Leatherman Wingman.

If you use a multi-tool for basic tasks but are prone to losing it, the Wingman won't hurt quite as much to replace. Read review: Leatherman Wingman. The Plus takes all we liked about the original Center Drive and adds scissors and a larger blade, which we deem significant and worthy upgrades. The Center Drive screwdriver configuration has a long extension and a handle ready for more torque.

This award-winning Gerber centers the bit along the handle's long axis, vastly improving ergonomics and making it feel like a true, single-purpose screwdriver. The 12 bits that come with this model fit inside the included leather sheath along with the tool.

If your multi-tool use includes a lot of driving screws, choose the Center Drive Plus. It is the best tool we know of for that purpose. Otherwise, it's more average as a general multi-tool.

The rattly construction holds up well but doesn't instill high confidence. The pliers are more prone to pinching than more sophisticated options, and accessing tools other than the blade, pliers, and bit driver requires multiple steps.

Read review: Gerber Center Drive Plus. When testing these tools, we consider what appeals to people on the fringes of the group of devoted consumers. Most multi-tools are purchased for "everyday carry" for use on tasks that come up in day-to-day life where versatility and portability are paramount. Blue-collar users require that each function is very efficient, and they can justify fewer features. For those users, the Leatherman Crunch is a clear choice. A definite improvement over the other non-locking pliers in our review, the locking ones of the Crunch are this product's undisputed highlight.

The trade-off is the selection and readiness of other attributes, such as easy blade access and more driver and tool options. There is an integrated bit driver, but to use it will require the time-consuming removal of the locking mechanism screw.

However, if you use your multi-tool as pliers in a mechanical or construction-oriented fashion, the Crunch is a great choice. Its locking pliers are nearly as useful as stand-alone versions. Read review: Leatherman Crunch. The Gerber Dime virtually disappears on all but the most minimalist keychains and is smaller than your typical modern car key "fob.

We are confident that you will find a use for one or more of these functions nearly every day. Having it as handy as your keys will mean that you have it and will use it.

We describe it as a keychain tool, but it could also be considered a keychain bottle opener that does other things. The bottle opener protrusion is always available and might be all you need to justify a Dime purchase. It is the ready bottle opener that sets the Dime apart from other tiny tools. Other options have similar feature sets but don't have the bottle opener so handy. You won't turn large bolts or do extensive whittling with the Dime, but for light-duty house and travel tasks, it is just right.

Read review: Gerber Dime. The Leatherman Signal earns mention here for its truly unique set of functions. This is the most specialized tool we review here. Its feature set is, initially, familiar. It has a blade, a saw, and some openers and drivers. On top of those "normal" things, it has a hammer surface, fire starter striker, signal whistle, and blade sharpener.

It is sold with a belt sheath and also includes the option of pocket clip or carabiner carry. We wish the main blade were not serrated. Yes, a serrated edge cuts a few things a little better than a straight edge.

But that serrated edge suffers or completely fails to cut other things, especially when it is dulled. Once dull, a serrated edge is more difficult to sharpen. The included sharpener on the Signal could be used to resurface an entirely straight-edged blade.

The inclusion of a serrated portion on the blade seems like a marketing move more than a practical one. The Signal is unique and functional. It isn't too huge or too clumsy to use. With it, Leatherman comes another step closer to abandoning their proprietary bit driver interface.

We like this. 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.