Choosing a multi-tool can seem complicated, but, at its most basic, it is a simple concept. You need multiple tools in any given time or space. Smash them together in a single product, and you save some steps, time, space, and weight. A “multi-tool” is really anything that has “multiple tools” in one piece. Within that admittedly broad definition are many products. For most, though, a multi-tool is a set of pliers with other features built into the handles in one way or another. Handy-people throughout human history have combined their tools for ease and convenience. A multi-tool isn't a new concept.
However, it was in 1984 that a guy named Tim Leatherman essentially invented the category of commercially-made, general-purpose pocket tools with his original “Pocket Survival Tool.” This first model was a pair of pliers that closed up like a balisong knife. This type of closure served to make the pliers more compact while at the same time protecting the owner's pants pocket from the abrasion of plier points and teeth.
Into the handles of the folding pliers, Leatherman added knife blades and screwdrivers and other useful tools. Designs have evolved and become more streamlined, but the bulk of multi-tools trace their lineage to the original 1984 Pocket Survival Tool. In testimony to Leatherman's original vision, several award winners in our Best Multi-Tool Review are manufactured by the company he started, and that still carries his last name. Other companies have largely come up to speed and offer useful tools, each with its unique attributes. Leatherman inc, as demonstrated by our award section, still dominates multi-tool production, design, and branding. In some ways, the term “Leatherman” has become synonymous with “multi-tool.”
Types of Multi-Tools
Our testing team of experts lumps these do-it-all tools into three distinct categories.
Keychain-Style Tools
These are significantly downsized to fit unnoticed on a set of keys. Unnoticed, that is, until the user needs one of the features included. When faced with one of many daily tasks, the user will have a ready tool just as handy as his or her keys. Being smaller tools, these are best fitted for smaller tasks that occur on a daily level. In assembling and equipping our test team, we regularly surprise people with the utility of having a multi-tool attached to our keys. Many take one reluctantly “as a favor” to an insistent test editor. They carry the tool for a week, and the reluctance returns, this time when it comes time to return the tool to OutdoorGearLab. Everyone is a “multi-tool person” when that multi-tool is on their keys.
General-Purpose, Full-Size Tools
This is the bulk of the category. Most multi-tools on the market fall under this umbrella. Tools are differentiated by construction quality, cost, features, and carry method. These tools can handle a wider variety of and larger tasks than the keychain models, as their larger build allows them to stand up to more intense use.
Specialized Purpose Multi-Tools
This is a bit confusing to explain. Essentially, some tools offer the typical features (pliers, blades, drivers) and then add in tools that will appeal to a specific user group. Offerings in this category are targeted variously to gun owners, explosive technicians, electricians, and others. Some tools are just a little burlier and handier than the general-purpose tools. For example, more niche tools may have locking pliers or dedicated screwdriving in mind. There are the ruggedized general-purpose tools and various “trade specific” tools.
How to Choose a Multi-Tool
To narrow down the field of options for your selection, allow us to walk through some considerations with you. First of all, if you are someone for whom a trade-specific tool is appropriate, we will assume that you have a network from which to draw important information. Our advice below will be best for those that are not using a multi-tool in a professional-level application.
How “handy” would you characterize yourself? Do you run to the repair shop for every blown light bulb on your car? Or do you face a broken clothes dryer and dig around a little bit to see if the damage is clear? If you fall into the latter category, you'll first consider a full-size multi-tool. Any of the tools in this category will tackle many auto and household improvised repairs. Larger tasks, no matter how handy you are, will require dedicated tools. Similarly, extended tool use is better done with the proper, single-purpose version of that tool. Multi-tools are inherently limited by their “jack of all trades” status. It is a very rare multi-tool that does any job as well as a dedicated, non-multi-tool. That being said, for the quick repairs and “exploratory dismantling” of a broken or poorly functioning piece of equipment, a multi-tool is just the ticket.
If you are comfortable and glad to seek outside assistance for life's inevitable mechanical failures, we still recommend considering a multi-tool. A tiny tool on your keychain will find almost daily use for even the most clumsy handy-person. If you choose a full-size tool, consider how often and where you will carry it. Our lead test author would argue that everyone who can carry it on their person will find daily use for a full-size multi-tool. However, for many reasons, this is not desirable to all. Many will choose to leave theirs in a car or backpack or even at home.
Portability and Carry Options
If you will carry a full-size multitool every day, consider how you will carry it. Many folks in the “trades” can carry a tool on their belt. This is by far the most efficient, accessible, clean, and comfortable way to transport one. However, contemporary fashion and social convention frown on this style of carry in most circles. In this case, you will carry the tool in your pants pocket or purse. In the purse, specialized carry features are a moot point. Perhaps having a lanyard ring to attach it in such a way that it can be easily retrieved is worthwhile. In the pants pocket, however, consider a pocket-clipped carry. A tool floating around low in a pocket flops while walking. It also gets plugged with spare change and can displace other pocket contents while pulling it out. Nothing negates the self-sufficiency of carrying a multi-tool like losing a $10 bill every time you pull it out. A pocket clip, again, keeps the tool up off the bottom of the pocket. It keeps it in a secure and convenient position where it swings and bounces far less.
For pocket carry, whether clipped or loose, consider the external “roughness” of the tool you choose. A smooth external profile of the closed multi-tool will chafe your pockets less. A full-size multi-tool with a rough exterior can readily wear a hole in your pants pocket over just a few weeks. Smooth external profiles are easier on your pants and on your working hands. The above are the big questions. How often will you use it? How will you carry it?
Tailor Your Tool to Your Expected Uses
Everything else is even more a matter of personal preference. Certain features, in extended use, prove more valuable. A large blade will be used in food preparation far more than you can imagine. Even in the kitchen of many of our testers, having one in the pocket has proven more handy than a kitchen knife for quickly cutting open a bag of pasta or slicing off a chunk of cheese.
Scissors, same consideration. You'll use these more than you think. Screwdrivers come on most every tool, but it's ok if they're hidden further away. Our testing team used pliers, blade, and scissors each perhaps ten times more than screwdrivers. Those with certain consumptive habits -you know who you are- will use a bottle opener more than any other tool. Thankfully most multitools have one. Not all of them have the bottle opener handy.
With screwdrivers, consider the pros and cons of built-in drivers vs. accessory bit holders. Built-in drivers never get lost, but the advantages stop there. For maximum versatility and durability, a driver for interchangeable bits is an excellent addition to your multi-tool. Interchangeable bits are almost infinitely customizable and can be replaced very readily if one is damaged. There are two primary bit driver interfaces available in multi-tools. First, a few tools on the market come ready to receive standardized and widely available 1/4 inch drive bits. Next, certain Leatherman brand tools come with their proprietary “flattened” bits and bit drivers. The Leatherman system is more compact, but the bits and driver-bit connection are less strong, and the options are more limited.
Again, if your vocation or trade requires specialized tools, we choose to assume that you are in tune with what those are and will seek out a tool that serves you from day-to-day and through the workday, to the home shop, and to your vacation.
The Dream Multi-Tool
With decades of experience using multi-tools and years now of reviewing the best on the market, we have yet to see the perfect multi-tool. Consider extraneous features when you shop for your multi-tool. A v-shaped cord cutter is a good example of this. Except in specific circumstances, the dedicated v-shaped cord cutter is totally redundant with the standard blade. Unless you are opening many string-wrapped packages (and who does that anymore?), the knife blade works just as well. Similarly, the so-called “package hook” of old-fashioned Swiss Army style multi-tools is now outdated and extraneous. The many tools that have both bit drivers and built-in screwdriver bits seem a little silly.
Lastly, you will always be considering the purchase price. Part of that includes considering durability and replacement cost. If you are organized and rarely lose small personal belongings, you can justify a more expensive tool and count on it, realizing its value over a long time. If you are prone to losing things, you are less likely to want to invest in a more expensive, more durable tool. Losing a tool negates any warranty or long-term function advantages of a more expensive product. Multi-tools and pocket knives are especially prone to misplacement.
