www.businessinsider.com: Multi-tools aren't just for backcountry adventurers or over-prepared disaster theorists. Practically anyone can benefit from having a knife blade, screwdriver, and pliers within easy reach. Instead of using your housekeys to stab open delivery packages, setting a "mental reminder" to fix that loose doorknob every day for a week straight, or convincing yourself you can yank off a stray thread without ruining your sweater, a multi-tool can solve these issues right away.
8 comments:
I wish I had seen this article before coming to college because this multi-tool article is really informative. I have a Leatherman so I'm very familiar with their tools but I didn't know that some of them need both hands to open which is very interesting to me obviously I know they're expensive and that's a caveat but some don't even have a saw tool which shocked me. I think I was very impressed by the Premium Swiss Army kit because it has 38 whole tools on it and even though the author said it was a little heavier to carry, all multitools will be semi so to me that's not like the end of the world. I think if I were to recommend a tool I would recommend my Leatherman Wave Plus but after reading this article I think I would choose the premium Swiss Army kit especially if I was going to be a carpenter or TD cause I think that this tool is the most bang for your buck.
This article made me start thinking about the uses of multitools and an interesting thought arose from it. I somewhat started to question the premise of the article. People use multitools for such different uses, can you really decide on an overall “best”? My uses for a multitool are likely very different from someone who is using it mainly for small home maintenance tasks. They might find a tool absolutely essential that I might find rather superfluous, and vice versa. That said, however, I did find the Leatherman Skeletool very intriguing. The belt clip is a great feature that not many multitools have and sounds like it would be super helpful. The size and weight of this multitool seems perfect for lightweight and easy use. The design feature of having different sized bits sounds great as well, especially as just one size bit is not always what you need for various jobs.
Leatherman Wave not being on this list is wild to me. It's such a workhorse of a multi-tool. I've had mine for 11 years, use it daily, and it has never let me down. I'd recommend it to anyone as their first multi-tool over anything on this list, and perhaps assess what their needs are based on how the Wave works for them before considering an upgrade. Leatherman Wave is definitely not the cheapest option but again, very reliable and Leatherman customer support is top-notch.
I was really excited to see the Leatherman skeletool not only on this list, but recommended as the “best overall” of the multitools on this list. I definitely agree with this rating. The Leatherman Skeletool is the multitool that I use, and it has been a truly perfect multitool for all of my needs. I really like that it doesn’t have a ton of extra stuff that just adds weight that I don’t need and takes up space. I actually hear that a lot from people, who comment on the fact that I surely cannot do what I need with that tool, and that it cannot be big enough to make a good multitool. I’ve always found that crazy, because I have never had that issue. The knife is awesome, the pliers are awesome, the wirecutters are awesome, the screwdriver is awesome, and the bottle opener is awesome, and fundamentally, I believe that those are really the only tools absolutely needed on a multitool, especially one that also acts as a daily carry not-at-crew tool.
This actually came at the perfect time because I've been looking into getting a new multitool. I love my current multitool, it has a wrench on it that I use often for lighting stuff, and it’s relatively small. But it is getting old and I wish it had some more stuff on it. That Gerber Armbar one looks really cool. I find that I use the screwdriver part of my knife a lot, but it is a little awkward to hold and it’s short. But the armbar looks decently sized but also not bulky. There’s a bunch of different types. Multitools are incredibly useful as a technician but also in day-to-day life. There have been a lot of times where I have needed scissors or a screwdriver in a pinch. Bonus points for looking cool with it and people going to you when they need help with something and need a tool.
I think one of the best choices I made was to start carrying around a multitool, it always comes in so handy. I think the biggest feature of most of these multitools that I would want to have on my current multitool that I don't have is that clip. It would make bringing it up into high up locations much easier and safer than without it. I don’t think I would buy a whole other multitool just to have one with a clip but I definitely think it’s something I’ll look for the next time I’m looking to purchase one. I will say I do think the best part about owning a multitool is being able to just randomly pull a knife out of your pocket when someone asks if anyone has one. A moment of silence for every technician that has had their multitool taken by TSA when they forgot they had it with them going to the airport.
It’s always been really interesting to experience the reliance on multitools around me. I think that this is definitely in part to my bias as to what I do as a stage manager, but I always feel like a multitool would be helpful, but logically speaking, I think the only tool on the multitool that I would end up using would be the scissors, and I can get a pair of good enough scissors that can fit in my bag for a lot cheaper than most multitools worth buying. I’m also curious about the breadth in difference between a bad or cheap multitool and a good or expensive multitool. They always seem to not be worth buying a super expensive one, but I don’t think I’d want to waste my money on a multitool that I wouldn’t end up using because it ended up being something that did not work well.
Over the years, I’ve spent time with Leatherman, Gerber, and Swiss Army multi-tools. One issue I’ve consistently run into is that unless a multi-tool is well-used and broken in, accessing the tools can be a struggle. Many two-handed-opening Leathermans often result in broken nails or just an annoying fight to get the tool out. This problem led to the creation of the Leatherman Free series I absolutely love. They come in various styles and configurations, but the game-changer is that every tool is one-handed opening. This was a revolutionary improvement in ease of use. However, the Free series relies on magnets, which introduces a minor drawback: metal shavings, staples, and other small debris tend to stick to the tool over time. Because of how compact and stacked the tools are, removing these tiny metal bits can be frustrating. That said, this hasn’t impacted functionality; just a small inconvenience. I was surprised not to see the Free series listed as an option in the discussion. Given how much they improve accessibility, they definitely deserve a mention, despite the minor tradeoff with magnets.
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