What Multi-Tool?
Introduction
In another article, I discussed what the best belt knife would be for survival and bush craft. The type of knife I described was a 4” - 6” bladed sheath knife. Whist still my tool of choice in a survival situation, they do have one major draw back for carrying on a day-to-day basis. This draw back is, unless you have a very good reason for needing such a knife about your person on a day to day basis, you are extremely likely to be arrested and prosecuted for carrying an offensive weapon.!
If you are unaware of the law, you could choose to summarise it like this – any fixed blade (including lockable or “lock knife” blade) may not be carried in a public place without good reason. A folding (and non-fixable) blade under 3” in length is exempt. No spring loaded or gravity actuated (flick, switch or gravity) knife is legal in the UK (or any use in a survival situation).
Okay. Please undertake an exercise for me. I don’t care where you are – in the office, at home wherever. Empty your pockets and any belt pouches, handbags etc that you might have onto the desk, table, wherever you are (its okay, I’ll play too)
Here’s my inventory:
Right Pocket:
· Bunch of keys with my own type of “key fob”
· Tiger lighter
· £5 note
Left Pocket
· Alarm deactivator
· £3.37 in coins
Shirt Pocket
· 5 pieces on Nicotine Gum (I quit the smokes 6 months ago – can’t quit the gum though)
Hip pocket
· Wallet with normal card, cash, licences etc.
Belt
· Mobile phone in case
· Swiss Army Knife in case
· ID/Proximity card on retractable key clip (just got in from work).
Thanks. What have you got? What part of it will be useful in a survival situation? This is the primary use for a multi-tool – it’s the useful thing that you carry with you lost, stranded etc. My multi-tools are like clothes. I have a variety of them for situations – formal wear, every day wear etc.
If the rule of survival is “Its better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it”, then it should be followed by “and you’d better have it with you when you need it or you might as well not have it”. There is only one situation in which I don’t have a multi tool and a lighter, and that’s on a plane when I place them in my hold luggage. With a tool and a lighter, I can make the rest up as I go if I have to!
So – what multi-tool? They come in all shapes and sizes! To help a bit, I have tried to include a well known box of matches in all the pictures to give an idea of scale!
Multi-tools break into four main classifications in my mind. These are:
1. “Pliers” multi tools
2. Micro tools
3. Multi bladed knives
4. Specialist tools
Pliers based tools
Lets examine each of these in turn. First the “Leatherman” type pliers based multi tool. There are loads of these around these days. The cheapest ones can be found for about £3 in hardware stores. Generally all of these centre around a set of pliers that incorporate wire cutters. They are about the size of a mobile phone and weight about 8oz. Not an insubstantial bit of kit, but I have worn one on my belt for many years and you don’t notice it there. In a trouser pocket, they are a bit too bulky for my taste. The cheap entry level model is shown at the bottom left of picture 1. Here’s a look how it opens out.
As you can see, this model has straight and serrated knife blades, a small saw. It also has a three straight and one cross head screwdrivers, an awl, a pretty good file, and a fair can opener built in – a pretty standard assortment. For the price (£2.50) it’s a lot of tool! It does have a few features I don’t like though – you have to open up the pliers to get at the other tools mainly! However, at this price, buy a couple. Leave one in your pack and one in your car! Lets step up to something a little pricier….
This is Gerber Carolina. A different mechanism to deploy on this – press in the buttons on each side of the handle and the pliers slide in and out. Sliding out the pliers unlocks the handles that can then pivot out to about 70 degrees. Tools on this include three flat and one crosshead screwdriver, a wire stripper, can opener, crown bottle cap remover and knife blade. This was my first multi-tool – it’s a bit lighter than the cheap one and the tools are easier to deploy. However, the knife blade is poor and it lacks a saw.
Okay – lets go up to top end models
1. All the tools are built into the outside of the handles and are accessible without opening the pliers
2. The knife and scissors have one handed opening thumb studs.
3. All the tools lock in the open position and the retaining catch has to be pulled back to allow them to fold up
4. The saw blade is a standard jigsaw blade and replaceable with Remgrit, wood or metal blades
5. The cutter blades on the pliers are triangular and can be rotated to give a new sharp edge. When all three blades are blunt, they can be replaced.
Right, that covers the big stuff – lets go “little”
Micro tools
Essentially, these things are the baby brothers of the pliers based tools. They are often broadly similar. The market leader is probably the Leatherman Micra. Imagine tiny pliers based multi tool where scissors replace the pliers. Tools include a small knife, couple of screwdrivers, nail file, tweezers, and crown bottle opener. Puny? Yup! So why have one – cos it’s the length of a Yale key and not much heavier. Make it your key fob – you will always have it! This is my “backup” tool, if I have a main multi tool that’s a bit more “butch”, this adds tweezers and scissors and other very useful features. If by any remote chance I forgot my main tool, if I have my keys, I have this. You will also see a variation in the picture which is a “Talon”. Same size, but substitute a pair of needle nosed pliers for the scissors and can opener for tweezers. This lives in my survival belt pouch instead of the striker for my firesteel – same weight –more features! Both weigh less than 2oz. And can be had for under a tenner.
Multi Bladed Knives
Hmm the “multi bladed knife”. It’s a bit like saying “vacuum cleaner” (instead of Hoover) or Vacuum flask instead of Thermos. In fact, those have both been improved on. No one has ever beaten the Victorinox Swiss army knife. If you want a multi bladed pocket knife, accept no substitutes. So why would you want one? Its smaller than a pliers based multi tool, it has more features than a multi tool and no-one will ever question you carrying one. I have lent mine to three main board directors and two CEOs of FTSE 250 companies. One said “oh – a good boy scout”, one said” I really must get one of these” no-one said – “You are a survivalist freak!”.
What features do they have? Whatever you want! There are more models than you can shake a stick at. My only advice, think what matters to you and don’t buy one of the huge models. They are too damn big to be useful! Buy a middle-sized model with the features that you want. The model pictured is the “Huntsman Lite”. I picked it because the features suited me (and I got it cheap on E-bay).
Specialist Tools
I do like someone who takes a fresh new view at things. I stumbled across this device recently, and as I was down to my last few multi tools – well I had to get one. Have a look – see what you think….
This little tool has a knife, saw, scissors, can opener, screwdrivers, corkscrew etc. What distinguishes it, is a very good compass, awesome whistle, signal mirror, reasonable (red) LED torch and a stash hole designed for a bic lighter. This has actually been thought through and designed as an outdoors survival tool. Its more bulky than the rest. It weighs about 9oz – as much as the chunkiest pliers based set and I wouldn’t swap any of the gear for specialist items (like a good Silva compass). However, given it cost me £15 – bargain! I believe in backup devices – any of the tools built in are good enough to get you home. I doubt you will need your pliers when out in the woods, but a spare compass, lighter, whistle? Keep in your main camping pack or better yet your bug out bag!
Conclusion
So – the acid test! Which do I use? You know don’t you? All of them! Multi tools are like clothes – wear the one that suits the occasion and your style – but always wear them! In my case:
· Gerber 800 (casual) or Victorinox Hunter (formal) on my belt
· Cheap Multi tool – glove box
· Schrade Tough – bug out bag