Everyday Carry: Multitools are a great addition to any EDC for the sheer amount of utility they can bring to your kit. The problem is, sometimes the tool itself takes up even more space and weighs more than the entire carry combined. It's hard to put one to good use when the added bulk is a hindrance rather than a benefit for everyday tasks. In this guide, we list five of our favorite pocket-friendly multitools, excellent not only for their repertoire of functions but also for their form factor, bringing you all the benefits without the added bloat.
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Multitools have been around and carried for years. There are a number of brands, styles, sizes and costs out there. There are as many opinions about them as there are multitools. There most important distinction, I think, is between Swiss-army style and plier (Leatherman) style tools. For Swiss-army knives, I am a firm beliver in Victorinox. I have had one for years and it has never let me down. For Leatherman style multitools, as the nomenclature goes – Leatherman is the most well known and we call most of them Leatherman, despite the brand. The only other brand I would buy is Gerber. When it comes down to choosing tools like these, function, size, and cost are some of the contributing factors. While one might be tempted to look at less expensive alternatives because of budget constraints, I have found that spending a bit more on a quality tool that you want will cost less in the end as it will last longer.
I love multitools to such an extreme degree that I normally carry around more than one at all times. The only issue I have is that I KEEP LOSING THEM IN PURNELL! Every load in, I lose my damned multitool somewhere in the Chosky. They just fall off of my belts all the time. Either my belts suck (which I somehow doubt) or the belt clips on multitools are lacking in their long term grip strength. I went from having four different multitools last year to now having one. If they weren’t so damn expensive then I would replace them, but unfortunately I am a college student with a tight budget. Although I am very upset by my lack of multitools, I still love the concept of the machine and love leatherman products. I swear by the ideology that every person in the technical theater career path should have a multitool on them at all times because they are the most useful thing in the world.
I recently lost my Leatherman Wingman so seeing this article is probably going to empty my wallet. I just keep using them and I’m really careful about always checking to see if they’re in my pocket, but it only takes one time to check too late before someone has taken it from wherever I left it. Maybe if I get one of these smaller ones that attaches to a keychain will I have better luck keeping track of it. Looking through the list can I just say that the Midnite Manager HAS A PEN ATTACHMENT AND A FLASHLIGHT. No Leatherman I’ve ever had has had that. The Gerber Dime also looks really nice array of tools in an impressively small shell. In terms of theatre use, I have to say that any multitool really needs pliers and a philips head screwdriver tip at the very least (because all of these have knives so that’s not an issue).
I’m I the market for one of these. So many people in my class have different multi tools though so I didn’t really know where to start. To be honest in pre college I thought it was more of an aesthetical thing, like the mindset of I’m so and so concentration, look at my 3 multitools, and like this article says having 3 big things in your pocket defeats the purpose of having one of these. But to be honest, as I spend more time in different stagecrafts, I see the legitimacy in having one of these. I bought one from the school store, the one with the hammer on it but it is so heavy it pulls down my pants and I can’t get the blades to even come out, like I have to break a nail to pry out each tool. I don’t know if that means I bought a cheap multi tool or if I just didn’t use that one enough, but I’m going to upgrade to the Gerber Dime. It looks sleek and surprisingly enough has a lot of things I’ve found myself needing in my CMU life. However I always ned a pen on my crew calls, and when I have to wear a hard hat they wont fit in my hair. So I will also look into the Midnite Manager.
I too am a fan of every day carry items, and for me, often times, these tools just aren’t big enough. It might just be me, but I definitely don’t mind carrying around something a bit bigger in order to have a tool that I feel more comfortable using. Usually, on me every day are: a pen, a pencil, a sharpie (with a fine point), keys, pocket sized note pad, and a Leatherman MUT (purchased for the carabineer, I usually keep it with my keys). Recently, I’ve dropped the Leatherman, and picked up a folding utility knife, but I’ve missed the other features that the Leatherman has.
All of these tools might be great, but I just don’t see them fitting in my hand well. They’re less cumbersome yes, but I find that they are too small to grip well. Of course, the argument against that is that if you need to do something right, you should be using the right tools…
I LOVE the Gerber Shard. I (the company) bought one for every one of my carpenters this summer. It’s the perfect tool. No multitool does anything better than the single version of the tool. It just doesn’t work that way. But for some things, a multitool works just as well as the real thing for what you’re doing.
The Shard is a good example. I use it most often as a bottle opener. The worst function of the tool is the Phillips head screwdriver. But if you need to open a panel or do a quick unscrew of a machine screw, it’s just the thing to do the job.
What I really like about the shard is that it had a solid hole for your keychain, and it doesn’t get in the way or take up too much room. It’s the perfect tool for someone who wants a little bit of utility out of something you usually have to carry anyway.
I have a shard on every one of my keyrings, and so should you.
If Gerber did shards with promotional printing, I’d order at least 500 with my logo and phone number. It would be the perfect thing.
As I have discussed before, a best of list will always make people mad. It is obviously subjective and everyone has different criteria. It is pretty obvious that some of the criteria for this list were about size and shape. I would label this as the 5 smallest multi-tools that are worth having/are functional. I would argue that the Leatherman Surge is more functional and stronger than the Leatherman on this list and there are some mega Swiss army knives that have far more use on a daily basis than the ones on this list but they are all bigger and heavier. This list shows the smallest ones you can get while still making it worthwhile. With that in mind I agree with this list. There are some great tools on this list (I have the Victorinox Manager). I love compact tools that still pack a punch and this list showed me some that I want (especially the Gerber Shard). There are tons of things I want to collect (because I love stuff) and I think multi-tools is one of my most desired things to collect (as well as hammers, planes, chisels, root beer bottles and saws (pretty much any tool plus root beer bottles).
A lot of these tools look fantastic. I had not previously heard of the Gerber Shard before reading this, but it seems like a good tool. Unfortunately, it lacks several features that I look for in a tool. Personally, I don't imagine myself as a fan of the shard because of this. Every individual has different preferences for multi-tools. I like smaller tools that look sleek. In my limited experience, I have found pliers, a Phillips head screwdriver, and scissors. The shard only matches up to three of my five requirements (note: these requirements are just the non-negotiable ones, I have another list for features I like but don't need). I'm not saying that the shard isn't a great tool. It obviously works quite well for Frank. I imagine that being able to attach it to a key ring would save Sasha a lot of trouble. The design and compactness is excellent. It's just not for me. I don't need to open bottles, and I am perfectly happy with my current multi-tool of choice.
I have to say, I absolutely love multitools. When I first looked into buying one, however, there were so many considerations that I had to make: will it fit in my pocket? Will it have all the tools I need, and no extra stuff that just takes up space? At the same time, will it's tools still be functional if they have been customized to fit into a tool? I ended up with the Leatherman Wingman, which I have to say is my favorite tool that I own. It is large enough to have functioning pliers, scissors, and a knife, all of which I use on an daily basis. It also has a belt clip, which for someone who wears women's pants (in which the pockets are all but completely useless...ANNOYING) is incredibly useful as it allows it to sit on my belt without falling off or needing a case threaded on in the morning. Like Drew said, the top 5 list will always bother someone, but it gives me a chance to think about why I really love my multitool and what I consider important to have on me all the time.
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