Our choose
This mild and slim multi-tool focuses on well-executed necessities—reminiscent of exact, comfy pliers—and it has no fillers. It’s straightforward to hold day by day and constructed to final.
Of all of the multi-tools we tried, the Leatherman Skeletool CX is the one we saved reaching for lengthy after testing concluded. And it’s the one we nonetheless carry day by day, three years later. Its knife deploys and locks easily with one hand—with out your having to first open up the pliers. And its high-quality, 154CM blade metal holds an edge longer than most multi-tool blades. Different multi-tools are so cumbersome that they have to be carried in a belt sheath, however the lighter, slimmer Skeletool suits comfortably in a pocket. It may well additionally clip onto a belt or backpack with both a pocket clip or a carabiner (which doubles as an easy-access bottle opener). The CX’s pliers unfold simply, have the precision to tug a small splinter, and are comfy to carry, due to the uneven deal with. This multi-tool’s two Phillips and two flathead screwdrivers capably deal with the commonest screws. And the Skeletool is backed by a 25-year guarantee. However this mannequin is so sturdily constructed, we’d be shocked in case you wanted to make use of the guarantee; different Leathermans we’ve owned and used for over a decade have held up completely.
Closed dimensions: 4⅛ by 1¼ by ½ inches
Weight: 5.2 ounces
Blade size: 2⅝ inches
Instruments included: needle-nose pliers, wire cutter, bottle opener, Phillips screwdriver (2), flat screwdriver (2), carabiner clip
Additionally nice
The Free P2 has a bigger software choice—together with scissors and a bundle opener—than the Skeletool CX. However the largest distinction is that all the instruments, together with the pliers, could be deployed utilizing one hand.
If you’re looking for a bigger multi-tool, but one that’s extraordinarily straightforward to make use of, we advocate the Leatherman Free P2. The Free P2, launched in 2019, is a wholly new design for Leatherman. With its handles closed, all the instruments could be accessed with a single hand, a novel function on this planet of multi-tools. You possibly can even deploy the pliers one-handed, with only a flip of the wrist. After we examined the Free P2 for a number of weeks, different full-size multi-tools, such because the traditional Leatherman Wave+, began to really feel clunky and laborious to open. The Free P2 is over 2½ ounces heavier than the Skeletool CX, but it surely has a slender, streamlined design and comes with a pocket clip. Though it has extra weight to it, we by no means discovered it unwieldy or awkward to hold.
Closed dimensions: 4 by 1½ by ⅝ inches
Weight: 7½ ounces
Blade size: 2⅝ inches
Instruments included: needle-nose pliers, wire cutter, electrical crimper, wire stripper, knife, scissors, bundle opener, axe, can opener, bottle opener, wooden/metallic file, Phillips screwdriver, medium flat screwdriver, small flat screwdriver, extra-small flat screwdriver, pry software, ruler
Additionally nice
The high-priced Leatherman Arc provides a full set of instruments, and its knife’s high-end blade metal holds an edge many instances longer than the remainder.
For the full-on, deluxe multi-tool expertise, we just like the Leatherman Arc. In some ways, the Arc is a premium model of the Free P2 (which is already a premium software). It has the identical wonderful one-handed software deployment and magnetic balisong handles. But the focus of the Arc is the high-end metal used within the knife blade—in testing it has held an edge far longer than the metal used on different multi-tools, together with the 154CM blade on the Skeletool CX. The Arc has a wider software choice than the opposite fashions we advocate, with gadgets like an axe, a noticed, a file, and a precision screwdriver. Due to the dear blade metal, the Arc retails for roughly $230, making it an unlikely buy for many. To place the price in perspective, there are pocket knives that use comparable metal which promote for a whole lot extra. So in case you use the knife so much, and the more-complete software set appeals to you, the Arc is likely to be well worth the funding. It’s additionally coated by Leatherman’s 25-year guarantee.
Closed dimensions: 4¼ by 1 3/10 by 17/25 inches
Weight: 8⅗ ounces
Blade size: 2¾ inches
Instruments included: needle-nose pliers, wire cutter, electrical crimper, wire stripper, knife, scissors, axe, can opener, bottle opener, noticed, wooden/metallic file, Phillips and flat screwdriver, Phillips and flat precision screwdriver, pry software.
Additionally nice
The Sign has the Skeletool’s fundamental set of instruments, plus just a few extras geared towards the outside and emergency preparation, together with an efficient whistle and a hearth starter.
In case you’re somebody who spends plenty of time outdoors, or in case you merely need to up your emergency-preparedness sport, we additionally just like the Leatherman Sign. At its core, the Sign shares many traits with the Skeletool CX: a stripped-down software choice, the asymmetrical handles, and the carabiner-clip bottle-opener function. The place the Sign differs is within the added emphasis on outdoor-oriented instruments. Along with the knife, pliers, bottle opener, and screwdriver, there’s a whistle, fire-starter rod, knife sharpener, noticed, and axe. This multi-tool is bigger than the Skeletool CX, however the further instruments—particularly the whistle, fire-starter rod, and blade sharpener—are so properly built-in into the design that it’s stunning how little bulk they add. In addition they work properly! As a result of it’s extra geared towards tenting and survival, the Sign is extra sturdy than the Skeletool, with bigger pliers, replaceable wire cutter blades, and longer plier handles.
Closed dimensions: 4½ by 1⅝ by ¾ inches
Weight: 7½ ounces
Blade size: 2¾ inches
Instruments included: needle-nose pliers, wire cutters, knife, noticed, hammer, axe, can opener, bottle opener, Phillips screwdriver, flat screwdriver, quarter-inch field wrench, 3/16-inch field wrench, carabiner, ferro rod, whistle, sharpener
Additionally nice
For such a small mannequin, this software is surprisingly succesful. And the Dime’s pliers, bottle opener, and clamshell cutter are fairly satisfying to make use of.
The Gerber Gear Dime is smaller than a Bic lighter, but it’s succesful and satisfying to make use of. Designed to connect to a keyring, it accommodates an amazing collection of helpful instruments, together with scissors, pliers, a bottle opener, a knife, two screwdrivers, and a clamshell cutter (for safely slicing open retail packaging). The Dime has some good touches—there’s an externally mounted bottle opener (like on the Skeletool CX), exact plier jaws, and a cool number of colours (black, inexperienced, and pink). And it often prices below $30. However the knife blade doesn’t lock (typical of instruments its measurement), and its pliers make higher tweezers than the precise tweezers it consists of.
Closed dimensions: 2¾ by 13/16 by ½ inches
Weight: 2.3 ounces
Blade size: 1⅜ inches
Instruments included: needle-nose pliers, common pliers, wire cutters, tweezers, bottle opener, knife, clamshell opener, scissors, flat screwdriver, Phillips screwdriver, coarse and effective file, lanyard ring
Additionally nice
The Leatherman Free T4 lacks pliers, so it’s smaller than the opposite fashions right here, but it surely has a pleasant set of fundamental instruments and a powerful construct high quality.
Pliers add a variety of performance to a multi-tool, however in addition they add measurement. In case you’re on the lookout for one thing a bit of smaller, we just like the Leatherman Free T4. This plier-less mannequin has a well-rounded collection of instruments, together with scissors and tweezers. It additionally has options that many non-pliers fashions lack—all the instruments, together with the knife, lock within the open place, and it has a pocket clip. As with the Leatherman Free P2 and Arc, with the Free T4 you possibly can deploy all the instruments utilizing just one hand (though the knife is usually a little difficult). This mannequin is solidly constructed and is roofed below Leatherman’s 25-year guarantee.
Closed dimensions: 3⅝ by 1 by ⅞ inches
Weight: 4.3 ounces
Blade size: 2 1/16 inches
Instruments included: knife, scissors, pry software, bundle opener, axe, bottle opener, file, Phillips screwdriver, flat screwdriver (3), tweezers
Additionally nice
The Gerber Armbar Drive is much like the Free T4, but it surely’s not as refined. It’s additionally not as costly.
If you’re looking for a easy, budget-oriented multi-tool, we advocate the Gerber Gear Armbar Drive. Just like the Free T4, this one lacks the pliers, so it doesn’t have the performance of fashions just like the Skeletool CX. But it surely makes up for that with its small measurement and weight. The Armbar has a fundamental but well-rounded set of instruments: knife, screwdrivers, bundle opener, scissors, and a bottle opener. The design of the bottle opener is very ingenious and can be utilized rapidly with one hand. The downsides are that the screwdriver doesn’t lock within the open place (however the knife does), and it lacks a pocket clip. In any other case, we see this can be a nice entry-level multi-tool for somebody who doesn’t need the added bulk of the pliers.
Closed dimensions: 3½ by ¾ by ¾ inches
Weight: 3.1 ounces
Blade size: 2⅝ inches
Instruments included: knife, Phillips screwdriver, flat screwdriver, pry software, bottle opener, scissors, axe, hanging software
