The Best Multitools of 2024

You never realize how much you need a multitool until you start carrying one. Anyone who does can tell you they find themselves using theirs all the time. Sure, there’s a little bit of eagerness when you have one in your pocket or pack. You may even find yourself seeking out things to fix or tinker with just to justify carrying a multitool around. But with so many multitools on the market today, where do you begin?

For starters, there are only a handful of brands that have consistently put out tools over the years that are easy to use, durable, and dependable. Those are Leatherman, Gerber, SOG, and Victorinox. These brands have become synonymous with the word “multitool” over the years and have been adopted by civilians, military, first responders, and anyone in between looking to be prepared for anything.

Now that we’ve got that part of the process out of the way, it’s time to figure out just what you need. And, seeing that we don’t know all of you, we’ve taken the time to test and recommend what we think would suit your needs the best. To reach our conclusions we took into account the overall build of the tool, its tool assortment, and materials, and we balanced that against ease of use and price.

In the end, we had a ton of fun. But we’re also confident in making the following recommendations because these tools got us out of a few jams that we may or may not have gotten ourselves into on purpose.

Check out the links to our favorite picks below. At the end of the list, be sure to check out our comprehensive buyer’s guide along with our helpful comparison chart.

Editor’s Note: We’ve freshened up this guide as of August 9, 2024, covering two solid choices from Gerber; The Gerber Multi-Plier 800 Legend and the Gerber Dual-Force.

The Best Multitools of 2024

• Best Overall Multitool: Leatherman Wave+
• Best Budget Multitool: Leatherman Sidekick
• Best Fullsized Multitool: Gerber Multi-Plier 800 Legend
• Best Single-Piece Multitool: Gerber Armbar Drive
• Best Minimalist Multitool: SOG Flash MT
• Best Survival Multitool: Leatherman Signal
• Best Keychain Multitool: Victorinox Rambler

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Best of the Rest

Multitools Comparison Chart

Multitool	Price	Number of tools	Weight	Closed length	Open length	Width
Leatherman Wave+	$120	18	8.5 oz.	4″	6.25″	1.2″
Leatherman Sidekick	$70	14	7 oz	3.8″	6″	1.27″
Gerber Armbar Drive	$45	8	3.1 oz.	N/A	6.5″	.7″
Gerber Multi-Plier 800 Legend	$182	11	9.8 oz.	4.33”	6.58”	1.58”
Gerber Dual-Force	$110	12	12 oz.	4.65”	7.65”	1.75”
Leatherman Arc	$230	20	8.6 oz.	4.25″	6.5″	1.3″
SOG Flash MT	$70	7	4.7 oz.	3.75″	5.38″	1.3″
Leatherman Signal	$140	19	7.5 oz.	4.5”	4.5”	6.75”
Victorinox Rambler	$38	10	1.1 oz.	2.3″	N/A	0.4″

How We Tested the Best Multitools

Multitools are one of those necessary things that should be part of your kit from day one. They’re so critical to your life and time in the outdoors that it would make sense for the stork to stuff one in your bassinet when they deliver you to your parents.

That said, when it comes down to multitools, it’s a lifestyle thing that you end up experiencing naturally. One day, they’re in your pocket, and the next day you’re lining up all the screws on the wall plates at your parent’s house. Then you’re fixing your ski bindings, repairing your camp stove, and even performing something as simple as cutting up sausage and cheese for a trailside snack. Multitools are ubiquitous with the outdoor crowd.

This year we tapped Nick LeFort to pick out what multitools should go on this list. LeFort, who has become something of a multitool himself here at GearJunkie, was given his first Swiss Army Knife when he was a kid, and the idea of having a tool in his pocket stuck. He’s been carrying one multitool or another for 30 years since.

Before becoming an engineer and knifemaker himself, LeFort spent years working in a local camping store, outfitting people for their adventures. There, he familiarized himself with the variety of knives and tools people needed and drew his own conclusions as to what a multitool needed to be. He’s been updating that internal notepad ever since. He wasn’t kidding when he said he was still carrying that original Leatherman Signal 9 years after initially reviewing it. But he’s carried and tested many more in the time between.

So, How Were the Tools Tested?

With a keen sense of what works and what doesn’t on a multitool, as well as the materials and build that should be expected, we just went to work one day. Seriously. Knives and tools are those types of things best tested when being used in a real-life situation.

Speaking specifically to multitools, when you find yourself using them to dig around under your dashboard when your auxiliary lights stop working or putting together IKEA furniture with them — that’s the true test. That’s true blue authenticity.

Beyond that, our approach to testing is to make sure a product and its parts perform as expected. With marketing’s intent to sell one widget above all others, it’s easy to buy into the hype. In this case, we look at that hype and see if it’s all just talk or the real deal.

Buyer’s Guide: How to Choose a Multitool

The last thing you need is a bloated multitool that has a bunch of tools you don’t need. Do you spend a lot of time prying and pinching? Get the tool with the best pair of pliers. Are you more focused on snipping and cutting? Leatherman offers several models with replaceable wire cutters and multiple blades.

But sometimes, things you didn’t anticipate become the most valuable. Take the eyeglass screwdriver on the Wave+. This precision instrument has seen a ton of use, serving as the perfect complement to the rest of the kit. Or how about a pocket clip? Who knew how much that could benefit you?

You want to pick the multitool with the highest number of features that you can see yourself using while considering the fact that there may be a couple of tools on there that you might not think you’ll need. It’s a balance, and it’ll never be perfect unless you go into business for yourself and start making multitool.

Take the Leatherman Arc ($230), for example. Yes, it has everything you need. But do you need 38 tools? Maybe you’re better off with a Sidekick ($70). In the world of multitools, more isn’t always better.

Materials

When shopping for a multitool, your objective should be to get the best components possible within your given budget. This is one of the places where Leatherman shines.

Though they do offer budget models with semi-questionable steels, the big names (Wave+, Sidekick, Wingman, Signal, etc.) all feature 420HC steel or better on their blades and components. With the introduction of the Arc, they’ve set the bar for other brands to meet or exceed.

That said, Victorinox doesn’t go out of the way to put a label on its metal. Over the years and through experience, we’ve come to trust in the provenance and performance of the Swiss Army’s INOX-branded steel. 

If you can help it, don’t settle for no-name “stainless steel,” especially on cheaper multitools hailing from Amazon or the big-box stores. These start with poor materials and end with slipshod construction.

By skimping with one of these purchases, you’re asking to be let down when the need for the multitool arises. Named steels and trusted brands are your friends. The bargain bin and deal-of-the-day offerings are not.

Carry

The whole idea behind a multitool is accessibility. Whether you carry it in your pocket or on your belt is a personal preference. So is if you carry it in your pack or leave it in your glove box. However you carry your pocket tool, it shouldn’t be a chore to get your hands on it and get to work.

The benefit of carrying a multitool in a belt pouch is that you’ve got a place to carry the tool itself, as well as a variety of accessories. A variety of Leatherman’s top-tier tools come with a sheath that has a slot for the Bit Kit Set as well as room for the Bit Driver Extender and even a pen. This whole kit can be taken off your belt and transferred to your pack.

In the instances where you don’t need all those extra bells and whistles, or you’re confident that the tool assortment on the multitool you’ve chosen is sufficient for your needs, nothing beats a good pocket clip or carabiner.

Looking at the list above, each one of those tools, except the Victorinox Rambler and the Gerber Armbar Drive has either a pocket clip or carabiner. In the case of the Leatherman Signal, you get both. The Rambler and Armbar Drive are small enough to swim around in your pocket without weighing you down.

Warranty

This is a vital consideration for anyone putting their multitool to its intended purpose. If you’re going to be cutting, prying, driving, and pinching with it long enough, even the best-made product can wear out. That’s where guarantees like Leatherman’s 25-year warranty come into play.

People are forever ruining the wire strippers on their Leatherman tools. And whether they’re replaceable or part of the pliers, Leatherman will take care of their customers, generally without question.

Their warranty program has inspired Gerber to extend its warranty out to 25 years as well. 

We’re unsure just how long Victorinox will warranty its knives and tools, but it says that they’re good for a lifetime. I guess it all depends on how long you plan on hanging around.

Overall, as great as all of these warranties may seem — that doesn’t mean you should rely on them if you plan on using or abusing your tools outside of the realm of usual use. All three aforementioned companies have been in business for a long time. They can tell if you misused their tools and will deny a claim without even so much as a handshake.

The Leatherman Factor

You may have noticed that five of the eight multitools we’ve deemed the best are Leatherman tools. That’s because the genesis of the multitool was in 1983 when Tim Leatherman released the first Leatherman, the PST. 

Since then, the brand has continued to produce new, innovative tools that are durable and dependable. What’s more, is that it’s hard to argue with the allure of a 25-year warranty. Which, if we’re being open and honest, is generally hassle-free with minimal questions asked.

Leatherman’s impact has been so profound that “Leatherman” and “multitool” are synonymous. In fact, you’re more likely to hear someone ask what kind of Leatherman someone carries instead of what kind of multitool they carry.

By no means is Leatherman’s success and popularity a knock on any of the other brands on this list. SOG, Gerber, and Victorinox are major players in the multitool game. If they weren’t, their tools wouldn’t be on this list.

Price

The multitools we’ve chosen range from $38 to $230. Though you can find lower prices shopping around the internet, that’s still a considerable gap caused by a variety of things.

Higher Cost Multitools

In the world of multitools, materials, ease of use, and adaptability are three of the biggest factors that need to be considered when justifying the cost.

When the Leatherman Arc was released in 2023, people were up in arms about the $230 price tag. However, when you consider that the tool is built on Leatherman’s one-hand-operable Free platform and is the first multitool on the planet to feature a MagnaCut knife blade, the retail price starts to make sense. Additional features like an included but separate set of bits also play into the overall price of this premium tool because they allow the tool to be adapted to myriad scenarios.

In regards to the Gerber Multi-Plier 800 Legend, the same can be said about its $182 price tag. The Legend uses a stainless steel frame and advanced ergonomics for ease of use, and its replaceable RemGrit saw makes it easy to use and adaptable. It is important to note that with this particular multitool, the sheath is made in the United States, which also increases its retail price.

Mid-Range Cost Multitools

Mid-range multitools are no less effective than higher-cost variants, but they may not be made from premium materials, aren’t as focused on ergonomics, or could even be so successful that they’ve been on the market long enough to keep their overall price down.

That last point is the case with the Leatherman Wave+. That tool has been on the market for two decades and has been lauded for being the bestselling multitool, year after year. When a brand sells that many of one tool, it can keep the cost down or lower it over time.

When it comes to both the Gerber Dual Force and the Leatherman Signal, both of those tools earned their spot on this list, but they are made from common materials that require you to maintain them a little more closely. Additionally, both are purpose-built tools aimed at a particular set of tasks and, therefore, particular consumers. 

The Dual Force is meant for big jobs and is more industrial by nature. The Signal tucks away tools that are less EDC-oriented and more for survivalists and Scouts. Being that they’re not being marketed to be as universal as some of the other multitools on this list could be keeping their prices down.

Sub-$100 Multitools

Both the Victorinox Rambler and Gerber Armbar Drive are plier-less tools that could really be considered knives with accessories. However, by definition, they’re multitools. By being simple tools aimed at a smaller amount of tasks, there’s no need for them to be expensive to be effective.

The SOG Flash MT is minimal by nature. It’s meant to be an EDC tool with pliers and an abridged assortment of other onboard tools. It actually uses a D2 steel blade, which will outperform the 420HC blades common on more expensive multitools. But its simple form and function factor help keep it under a hundo.

Rounding out the pack is the Leatherman Sidekick, which is actually an anomaly. Leatherman designed this tool to be a value-based multitool, but then they gave it spring-loaded pliers and a full assortment of on-board tools that make it one of the most universal multitools on the list.

In our opinion, it gives the Wave+ a run for its money, it’s just not as ergonomic and lacks a bit driver. However, if you’re looking for a pocket tool that can perform a lot of different tasks without breaking the bank — the Sidekick might be the tool for you.

Frequently Asked Questions