Multitools

A basic staple of survival kits or EDC is a multitool (MT). They come in a dizzying array of shapes, sizes, colors, features, and costs.

I bought a Leatherman PSTII back in the early 90s and carted it around a lot. Eventually it got relegated to my computer bag, as I rarely used it. After a while, I realized that the thing I used the most was the scissors, screwdrivers, and the pliers/wire cutters. Eventually it made it into my desk drawer at work after I put a real screwdriver and wire snips in my computer case. Then,last summer, I was rummaging through the desk drawer and came across my MT. It occurred to me that it might be handy to have it closer at hand so it went from the drawer into the pouch of my lunch bag. It seems to me that I used to have a Swiss Army Knife. Not sure what happened to it.

One thing about MTs is that while they can be handy to have around for occassional use, they are not really very good tools. The screwdriver blades are adequate for many tasks, but it is difficult to get much torque on them. The scissors and pliers on mine work OK, but the scissor blades are small and the pliers are a bit awkward, if servicable. I have used the wire cutters, and they work OK, but not great. The knife blade is pretty sharp but it is not locking, and I can't say I used it all that much. I might have used the file a couple of times, and I am pretty sure I have not used the can opener or bottle cap lifter.

So what is the attraction? Well, sometimes you need a tool, and a MT has a variety of useful, if not ideal tools to choose from. Better something not ideal then nothing. You cannot carry a tool box around, but you can carry a MT.

In fact, I have a number of the cheap generic MTs stashed in various places. I have found they are just about as useful for my purposes as the more expensive name brand units with one exception. None of the cheap units I have tried has a decent wire cutter. Another difference between name brand MTs like Gerber or Leatherman, and the cheaper units, is that the name brand units seem to be of consistantly high quality. I cannot say that about the cheap ones I have run across. Sometimes even "identical" units are substantially different in quality. The most noticable difference is play in the individual components. Sometimes they are pretty tight and other times not. Even on the same tool you can sometimes find components that are nice and tight and others that are not. And none of the cheap ones came with a knife blade that was well sharpened from the factory.

What MT is right for you? Like many things, it depends on you, your needs, and your situation. You probably will not go wrong with a Leatherman or Gerber, but there are others that you might want to look at such as Swiss Army or SOG. If you are unoffended by an "experienced" tool, there are a lot of MTs stolen by the TSA available on eBay. A used MT seems to go for about half what the same MT goes for if new.

What features does your MT need? Here are some of the more common in no particular order.

Knife blade - an obvious thing to have on a knife like tool. Some MTs have just one blade, while others have multiple blades.

File - a file can be handy for touching up a torn fingernail, or a scraped edge on a piece of wood. Some MTs come with files that work on metal as well, and can even be used as a metal saw of sorts, although it would appear to be really tedious to use it that way. But if you need a hacksaw and this is all you have, it is better than nothing.

Saw blade - a lot of people who use their MTs for outdoor activities like a saw blade on their tool. Its not going to be the greatest saw, but it gets the job done for cutting small limbs. Not a bad thing to have as a small pruning saw when out in the yard. Better than having to walk back to the garage to get your pruning saw.

Scissors - I used to use mine a fair amount.

Awl - Great tool if you need to punch a hole in a piece of leather, cloth, plastic, or light sheet metal. Some MTs have a small hole in the awl blade so it can be used as a sewing awl.

Screwdriver blades - MTs usually come with one or more straight blade and/or Phillips head screwdriver blades. Its kind of handy to have one close by sometimes.

Cork screw - never saw the sense of this, but it is pretty common.

Pliers - I have gotten the most use of mine as a pair of needle nose pliers.

Wire cutters - mine has a pretty hard wire cutter blade on it. The cheaper ones seem to have softer wire cutters that the wire can ding up. I have all but destroyed the wire cutters on a couple cheap units I have. I think I have seen some MTs with replaceable wire cutter blades.

Ruler - A lot of MTs have a ruler on the case. I never found this to be real useful, but its just some stamped numbers and lines on the side of the case, so it does not take up any extra space or weight.

Bottle cap lifter - pretty nice if you need to lift a bottle cap, but thats not a common problem these days.

Can opener - works about like a P38 can opener. Basically you work your way around the top of the can a bit at a time, until the lid can be swung out of the way.

Accessories - Swiss Army Knives often come with accessories such as small pens, toothpicks, tweezers, and straight pins. They can be pretty handy if you need that particular item. MTs often come with a sheath. I prefer nylon, and that seems to be the most common, but some come with leather. Some MTs come with accessory bits like screwdriver tips or nut drivers (sometimes at extra cost).

There are plenty of reviews of various MTs on the Internet if you want to know more about a specific MT. Some of the reviews are quite good, others less so. There are a lot of video MT reviews on Youtube. Many are pretty superficial. Some are more in depth and can be useful. Its pretty clear to me that some of the more prolific MT reviewers could not possibly have actually used them all that much, and are just reciting its features and adding their commentary. Thats OK, but I'd rather have the impressions of someone who has used that MT over a period of time. Unfortunately, the production value and watchability of the more useful videos are sometimes pretty low (occassionally painfully so), while the more prolific video producers have videos that are easier to watch, but sometimes less useful overall.