- You’ll be ready for anything. A multi tool can be used to do basic home repairs or it can be used to help you survive in difficult circumstances. If you find yourself stranded somewhere, a multi tool will become a literal lifesaver. Even if the emergency is as simple as needing to open a beer, your multi tool will be there to save the day.
- You can adapt it to many purposes. It’s not just for survival or repairs. A multi tool can have thousands of uses. And with it, you can find creative solutions to problems. As soon as you have one in your bag or pocket, you might be surprised at just how much you end up using it.
- It is super convenient. A multi tool is so compact and portable that you can easily carry it everywhere. And once you have it with you everywhere, you will realize there are so many little annoying problems that are easily resolved by using your multi tool. Trying to open a stubborn food wrapper? Break out the scissors on your multi tool! A screw in your glasses has come loose? Break out the small screwdriver! Is there a loose thread on your hem? Snip it with your multi tool!
- It is really efficient. If you find yourself in a situation where you need some little tool like a blade, screwdriver, or even ruler, you would normally have to go hunt the necessary tool down. But if you’ve just always got a multi tool with you, you’ll already have what you need right there on the spot.
Types Of Multi-Functional Tools
Keychain Multitools: These tend to be smaller, but you take your keys with you absolutely everywhere, right? The idea is to sacrifice some outright ability in the name of easy, universal portability.
Pocket Multitools: Bigger and heavier, but still easily pocketable, these tools are designed to ride in a pants pocket or in your backpack/messenger bag/purse/briefcase. By going larger, you gain capability in the form of heavier duty tools (especially the pliers) and pocket multitools also tend to come with larger tool sets. The idea here is to package a lot of capability into a manageable size with good overall tool strength.
Belt Multitools: The big daddies. Full size pliers, replaceable wire cutters and real tools, all in a transportable package. These can sometimes fit in your pocket, but are big enough that wearing them in a sheath on your hip works better. Full-size multitools are designed to be a rugged go-to even for big jobs and may not carry more tools that their smaller, pocket-friendly equivalents, but make up for it with strength and longevity.
One-Piece Multitools: First made by cottage craftsman like Peter Atwood and later popularized by Piranha, that company has now been acquired by Leatherman, which is making one-pieces in more types, for more applications. Slim, flat and made from a single piece of steel, these can be clipped onto keys, a belt loop, a bag, a bike or virtually anything else. But, as a static lump of metal, their capability doesn’t go much further than providing a convenient box wrench in a few common sizes and maybe a flat driver-cum-scraper.
