The $10 Multi-Tool – Junk or Gem?

If you’re mad about multi-tools like I am, you’re always on the interwebs researching, planning and saving for your next multi-tool. It’s usually when I’m in that savings phase and I know there isn’t a multi-tool coming to my mailbox anytime soon that I get a hankering for “something multi-tool”. But I don’t want to blow out my savings plan.

On my wanderings, I’ve seen a lot of small around $10 multi-tools and I’m not sure if they are junk or gems. But they look interesting enough. Some of them are from name brands like Gerber or SOG but most of them are from obscure brands that I’ve not heard of before. Most likely they are manufactured in Asia.

And some of these little multi-tools are worth a more detailed viewing and can pack a lot into a compact size. They usually fit on your key-chain, belt loop or backpack. Heck, they can be hooked onto almost anything and carried with you everywhere. You’re not going to be able to use any of them to fend off a determined gang of zombies or swap out your truck engine on the side of an Arctic road but they should be some sort of useful.

So what can they do? Are they even worth carrying with you at all or are they not worth the steel they’re stamped from?

Gerber Curve

What’s it got?

The Gerber Curve comes in a range of colors and at $8 it’s cheap enough to buy a color for each day of the week or to match your wardrobe (if that’s your thing). The main tool is a knife and with a closed length of only 2 ¼ inches long, the straight blade isn’t very long but it’s sharp enough. And it locks with a release slider on both sides – no liner locks or frame locks here. There’s also a small flat screwdriver, large flat and Phillips head screwdriver which also lock. It’s not a multi-tool unless it can open a cold bottle of beer and the Gerber Curve has that task covered. The last function – the carabiner – means you can hook this 0.6 ounce multi-tool to your keychain.

Junk or Gem?

Using the Curve isn’t too bad considering the size. With all these small multi-tools, their size means they can be easily carried but also logically means they are more fiddly to use – especially if you have larger hands. But you can get to all these tools without much trouble, they have commonly used tools and they work well enough. Stylish and useful, the Gerber Curve MacGyver verdict is – Jewel.

Ezyoutdoor Carabiner Para-biner

What’s it got?

This is the longest multi-tool here and costs about $7. It’s 3 ½ inches long and weighs 2.5 ounces. It also wins the longest most ridiculous product name. It’s called the Ezyoutdoor High Carbon Steel Survival Para-biner Carabiner Multi-tool Winch – try saying that 10 times quickly!

This multi-tool has a carabiner which is not uncommon on multi-tools but this is the first time I’ve seen a parabiner. The parabiner is that thing that looks like a roller. I’m not sure I know how to use it but according to the product description, the parabiner can be used with some a length of paracord for “engineering/handling/emergency/disaster relief heavy river swimming etc”. If you find yourself wanting to do some heavy swimming, this small multi-tool could be perfect for you. It will also be useful if you have a range of different size nuts to tighten (or untighten, it works in both directions!) because the Ezyoutdoor can handle 5 different sizes.

Gem or Junk?

This multi-tool is based on its ability to handle a range of nut/bolt sizes. If this is what you need then carrying around this $7 multi-tool could be you. The other ‘highlight’ tool is the parabiner. I don’t know how many times you’re going to need one. But maybe you’re a mountain climber and want to winch your sleeping bag up a cliff-face. It doesn’t have a blade of any description so the upside is that means you could probably take this with you onto a plane but the downside is you can’t cut anything.

Looks are individual I know but I find the surface finish on the Ezyoutdoor unattractive. Apparently, it’s supposed to look like it does but I think it just looks poorly finished. Especially if you compare to the great polished finish on the Swiss+Tech tool below. Not a finish that encourages me to carry it on my keychain. Besides the cheap looking finish and lack of useful tools, MacGyver’s verdict is – Junk.

Gerber Vise

What’s it got?

The Gerber Vise at 2.3 inches closed and 2.4 ounces is the closest of these 5 small multi-tools to being a shrunken full-sized multi-tool. It has butterfly opening handles to access the pliers. It has tools in the handles like a straight blade and another blade with a serrated edge. It also has a flat screwdriver and a Phillips head screwdriver and the essential bottle opener. None of the tools can be locked in position but they are held in place by a strong spring which should stop them closing while you’re in the middle of using them. To carry it, there’s a small ring that you can add a carabiner or lanyard.

Gem or Junk?

The Gerber Vise is actually a well-designed multi-tool for its size. It has those pliers and 2 knives plus 3 other commonly useful tools except – it has one major fault that completely ruins this for me. All the moving parts on the Vise are too stiffly sprung. The butterfly arms are OK to open but watch your fingers when you’re closing them. I pinched my fingers painfully multiple times as the arms snapped closed.

Worse than that are the knife blades and the screwdrivers. Using the nail nicks for the blades is very hard. And the screwdrivers are small and difficult to access on top of being stiff to deploy. Being difficult to use discourages me from using it. I felt like I would need to carry a second multi-tool to use to just open the tools on the Vise. What’s the point of that? I have to assume my Vise is representative of the product quality so MacGyver’s verdict – unfortunately, Junk.

Swiss+Tech 19-in-1

What’s it got?

$14 buys you this shiny multi-tool from Swiss+Tech. Weighing in at 2 ounces and only 1.9 x 1.3 inches it’s something handy to hang off your keyring. It attaches by swiveling the screwdrivers (3 different sizes of flat and Phillips head) on each side and opening the small pliers. Close the pliers over what you want to attach it to and swivel the screwdrivers back into place to lock the pliers. Great solution and impressive that you get a small pair of pliers in a package this size. The pliers incorporate a wire cutter, stripper, and crimper as well as a bolt/nut gripper. Unusually there’s also a tiny hand drill and not unusually, there’s a bottle opener.

Junk or Gem?

It’s not clear where this multi-tool is made but the consensus is China. It feels very sturdy for its size and well made. I did note that some customers have had a screwdriver arm come loose and because it’s riveted into place required a little more complicated fix than just tightening a screw. The polished finish on it is different to what we usually see and it gives it a classy look hanging off your keychain. For your $14 you don’t get a knife of any description but you do get pliers and quite a few other useful tools all in a good looking well-designed multi-tool. MacGyver’s verdict – Gem

SOG MacV

What’s it got?

The last small multi-tool for review is from the well-known brand – SOG. By the way, if you want to know where SOG multi-tools are made and more about SOG the brand, I’ve written a great article you might like. The MacV is a 2 ½ inch long 0.6 ounce $10 multi-tool. It’s at a ‘usefulness’ disadvantage here against the other 4 because it has no moving parts. That, of course, means there are no pliers or retractable knife. What it does have is a total of 12 tools with a few nut wrenches, pry bar, wire cutter, blade sharpener and a flat and Phillips screwdrivers. Of course, it also has a bottle opener.

Gem or Junk?

For me, the coolest thing about the MacV is how cool it looks. The commando look makes it a good looking trinket hanging off my keychain. What wasn’t so cool was that my MacV arrived with a couple of inch long deep scratches on the front of it. I couldn’t be bothered returning it so I’m just living with it. It’s also lightweight and somewhat useful but not particularly so for my needs. I’m a bit on the fence about the MacV but if I have to choose, MacGyver’s verdict is Gem, just.

So, are $10 Multi-tools junk or gems?

Let’s face it, some $10 multi-tools really are junk or at the very least a bit gimmicky. They may look good but the amount of time you will actually put them to use will be almost never. But if you like the way they look, you like carrying them with you and the cost isn’t going to bankrupt you, what’s the harm? Go for it.

On the other hand, there are multi-tools that cost very little but actually have a use. The Gerber Curve for example and if the Gerber Vise was easier to deploy would be another example of genuinely useful cheap multi-tools. I also like the Swiss+Tech 19-in-1 because it’s well made, looks good and has useful tools. It’s also the pick of the bunch if you want to carry it places that wouldn’t like you to have a blade on you.

So like I always say, the best multi-tool is the RIGHT multi-tool for you. Check out what looks good to you and do the deal. If you get it wrong, at least it’s not a huge deal.

If your budget can stretch a bit further than a $10 multi-tool, have a look at the multi-tools I rate the highest in their category on my Recommended Multi-Tools page.