The 9 Best Multitools for Fixing Things in a Pinch, Tested

Fresh out of the box, the SwissTool Spirit X impressed us with its fit and finish. The tools are packed into the frame very closely, like scientific instrumentation. All the tools—save one—deploy from the outside of the frame, so you can access them all without much hassle. The company claims 24 tools in this multitool, but we counted 23, including one that’s simply a hook for a lanyard.

While the needle-nose pliers, wire cutters, scissors, three standard screwdrivers, and can opener work well, it was the less common tools that really impressed us. This is the first multi we’ve seen with a metal saw, which is on the edge of the file. It cut through mild steel hardware surprisingly well and the file did a nice job cleaning up the edges when we were done.

The Phillips screwdriver shank flares out at the end so that all four points on the head are the same size, making for very solid engagement. The Spirit X’s bottle opener is made from wide stainless steel stock, which keeps it flat on the bottle cap so it doesn’t slip or cut into the cap. The combination reamer-punch efficiently opens up holes in wood, leather, and soft metals, and it can drill holes through 3/4-inch pine board.

An all-around great pick, this multitool will get the job done, no matter what that job happens to be.

RoverTac’s 12-in-1 initially caught our eye because it has a solid number of useful tools and it’s affordable, too. While it might be a little bulky and heavy, we have to admit it’s a decent value. We don’t expect it to hold up to heavy use, but in a “save your butt” kind of capacity, most of the tools functioned acceptably well.

The long-nosed pliers, wire cutter, and wire stripper all worked reasonably well, as did the can and bottle openers and various screwdrivers. RoverTac claims the tool includes a saw blade, but it’s more like a serrated knife, which worked—just not very well.

The plain knife blade is sharper than it looks and easily cut through rope and twine during our tests. The RoverTac multi-tool comes with a sewn nylon sheath to attach to your belt. Don’t expect this to be the pride of your tool collection, but when you need it most, the RoverTac is more than ready to tackle the job.

The Wave+ is a capable tool with 18 functions. One of the best is the needle-nose pliers, which tapers to a fairly fine point to get a grip in tight spaces. It also features replaceable edges on the wire cutters and has smooth, rounded edges on the handles. The cutters are effective on fine telephone wire or 12-gauge copper wire, as well as harder steel baling wire.

If cutting through wood is important to you, the saw blade is up to the task. As for maple branches and scrap 2- by 3-inch lumber, it hewed cleanly through both. The plain and serrated knife blades were quite sharp—there wasn’t a task they couldn’t handle. While the standard file was adequate, we found the diamond-coated one specifically worked very well for fine jobs, like smoothing burrs on metal edges.

The Wave+ has two screwdrivers, one large and one small. The bits on both are reversible, with standard and Phillips tips on opposite ends. The smaller bits are perfect for emergency eyeglass repair; the larger will work for many average screws. We found the scissors worked well, although they need to be opened completely to store, rather than closed.

With its svelte minimalist frame featuring three main tools, this Gerber multitool cuts down on the unnecessary crap and keeps its tools simple and effective.

As a pocket knife-based multitool, it features a full 3-inch, locking plain blade. Although it isn’t the sharpest right out of the box, it was keen enough to cut cleanly through paper, plastic, rope, twine, and steak, and was adequate for some light whittling. The side opposite the blade features a hex bit driver and scissors. The driver features a reversible bit in a magnetic holder—we love this because you get legit flat and Phillips screwdrivers that just plain work.

The scissors are a bit larger than those found on other models, and were easy to control cutting out intricate shapes from paper to medium cardboard. Between the scissors and the driver is a sharp, narrow awl. We were able to use this to drill holes in wood and plastic, but it works well, as intended, to poke holes through leather and canvas.

Rounding out the eight functions are a nice bottle opener that pivots off the end of the tool frame, a pry bar using the bottle opener flipped over, and a hammer using the wide base of the bottle opener. In the traditional sense, the hammer isn’t what you’d expect, but who among us hasn’t hit something using a tool as a makeshift hammer?

This PowerLitre exhibited a buttery-smooth action that was so pleasing, we could barely stop playing with it. Its main pivot is a geared compound leverage mechanism that opens in perfect symmetry. Squeezing the tool frame closed, a latch on the opening end maintains pressure on the jaws holding the bit securely in place—which works amazingly well, although you do need to supply your own hex bits.

SOG calls this a mini multitool, and the PowerLitre is about two thirds to three quarters the size of most tools of this type. The narrow pliers worked very well in testing, and we found the ridged surfaces of the jaws gripped things firmly. The bypass wire cutters did a great job cutting and stripping 14-gauge copper wires, and the crimper on the opposite side of the pivot—although small—was effective.

One side of the frame features five tools, including a narrow knife blade, a hook cutter, a flat jewelry-sized screwdriver, an awl, and a cork-screw. All of these performed better than average, and though we like the tiny screwdriver, it wasn’t quite small enough for some eyeglass screws.

The opposing frame includes scissors, a bottle opener, a small Phillips screwdriver, a can opener, and the latch that holds the tool frame closed. These all worked as expected, although we had trouble at times engaging the outer lip on certain cans with the can opener.

This multitool from Gerber Gear is compact enough to fit comfortably on a keychain. Despite its size, the miniature multitool proved itself quite capable with the pliers, wire cutter, package-opening blade, and bottle opener, which were all quite effective in everyday use.

The pliers are the focal point of the entire construction. Because they’re spring-loaded, they stay open on their own, which makes life five percent easier because you don’t have to open them back up every time you need to use them on a new nut or bolt. Alongside the foldout tools— a file, screwdriver, and scissors—there’s also a removable set of stainless-steel tweezers.

The biggest reason to get this multitool is its condensed, portable size. Beyond tools fitting back into the handles, the overall length of the multitool decreases by nearly two full inches when folded down.

We don’t expect this to fully replace a tool kit or even a larger multitool, but this one is small enough to fit on a key ring. In moments when you have nothing else on you besides what you carry in your pockets every day, this keychain multitool is the go-to option to fix whatever lies ahead.

With its wide frame and large plier jaws, the Dual-Force is a beast of a multitool. You can open the pliers and slip the pivot to spread the dual-position jaws extra wide to grab large fasteners or objects. The jaws feature three separate gripping areas: two for large or small round objects and one for gripping flat things. We appreciated their versatility for holding well in a variety of situations.

One of our favorite things about the Dual-Force is that all the other tools are accessible when the pliers are closed. This multitool also features a bit holder with two Phillips and one plain screwdriver bits. We regard these among the most useful multi-tool screw drivers available, although they are sometimes difficult to use in tight spaces.

The Dual-Force is rounded out with a large knife, a saw blade, and a three-sided file. The knife blade is reasonably sharp right out of the box, and we easily cut through thick rope with it. We used the saw blade to cut both green and dried-out sticks and branches with relative ease. We were able to use the file on both wood and metal, although it was more suited for the metal.

The Gerber Truss is a burly multitool, thicker and wider than many others. Security comes from the very strong magnets that keep the Truss closed, which is useful if you prefer to hang it on a lanyard through the dedicated hole on one end. And we liked the two-sided lock release and quickly became adept at pulling it down with our thumb and index fingers.

As with several other models here, all of the tools—except the pliers—are accessible from the outside of the tool frame, which we always appreciate. In use, the handles open, snap securely into place, and make for very sturdy-feeling pliers with spring-loaded jaws that open easily on their own. In testing, we liked how the grip facilitated manipulating wires as we were making electrical connections.

The Truss has an anvil-style wire cutter, rather than a bypass, so the cutting surfaces meet at the point when the pliers close. This forces the wire apart, rather than shearing through it, which doesn’t cut as cleanly but is stronger and works better on hard wire.

The three sizes of flat screwdrivers worked well, covering the range of screws we encountered while taking apart the carburetor. Both the serrated knife blade and the saw were very sharp, and between the two easily cut the string, twine, rope, saplings, and wood. The scissors—despite their small size—we were able to cut out intricate shapes from paper and light cardboard.

The SOG Powerlock features a clean, smooth design with rounded edges and tool frame covers. We were able to open it with one hand and found it very comfortable to hold. The 18 tools to choose from include five for fasteners: three sizes of flat screwdrivers, one Phillips screw driver, and a 1/4-inch square drive to accept sockets (not included). The 1/4-inch driver can be oriented 90 degrees from the tool body for more leverage, but the frame cover has to be popped off to use it this way.

The Powerlock has true needle-nose pliers machined down to a nice point, the jaws of which meet very tightly and accurately, making it easy to grip small things. The wire cutter and stripper also work very well.

Most of the other tools performed up to snuff, with the bottle opener, can opener, awl, scissors, and ruler all doing their jobs with ease. The partially serrated knife was very sharp and cut through several materials easily.

The saw blade was a surprise—its aggressive teeth made quick work of maple tree branches. We liked the simple-to-operate locking system, although fishing the tools out from under the frame cover was occasionally awkward.