There’s going to come a time when you want to go to your local basketball game or your kid’s play center or even your workplace and you want to carry a multi-tool – because that’s what you do. You always carry a multi-tool. But there’s a “No Blade” policy so your multi-tool has to stay at home or in your vehicle. Or does it? And what if you’re off to the airport to go on vacation? Does your multi-tool have to stay at home?
No, it doesn’t. There are a few full-sized multi-tools you can choose from that DON’T have a knife as part of their toolset.
The best of these, in my opinion, is Gerber’s MP600 Multi-Plier Bladeless. There’s a lot about the Gerber MP600 that makes it a great bladeless multi-tool. The one-hand opening pliers top the list of the 14 tool functions. The wire cutters are replaceable and have 3 cutting sides to ruin before you have to replace them. And if you can’t carry a knife, a good spring-loaded pair of scissors is the next best thing. MacGyver’s recommendation is “Buy It!”
A pretty good flick of the wrist deploys the needlenose pliers with the tungsten carbide cutters. Takes a little practice to get the movement right to deploy but once you do you’ll find yourself doing it even when you don’t need to. It’s a cool trick to get quick access to a commonly used tool.
The cutting blades are triangular and each of the 3 sides is a cutting blade. Damage one side, unscrew the one screw and spin it to give yourself a new edge. And you can damage them as some users have found so best to keep these cutters for soft wires only. The plier head gives you wire crimpers and bolt grippers as well.
If you don’t have a knife blade on your multi-tool then I reckon the most important tool is probably a pair of scissors. The ones on the MP600 bladeless are spring-loaded and small but sharp enough to do some reasonable cutting jobs. The mouth of the scissors isn’t huge though, you just learn to take smaller ‘bites’ at whatever you’re cutting. If you want slightly larger scissors in a bladeless multi-tool you could check out the Leatherman Knifeless Rebar.
The other tool you can cut stuff with is the RemGrit saw. It’s replaceable if you damage or lose it and easy to detach which makes it more versatile for trimming and sawing jobs. The 3 sided file will also come in useful for smoothing off wood and metal or doing your fingernails if that’s your thing.
Your screwdriver needs are well catered for with one Phillips head and 3 different sizes of flathead. No bit driver for Hex or Torx bits which would have been nice. Of course, there’s the obligatory bottle opener and a can opener as well.
The MP600 Bladeless comes in stainless steel and black oxide. The black looks cool and stealthy. Just give it a good clean when you first get it otherwise you’ll find black oxide on your hands after you use it. Black oxide isn’t just for decoration, it helps to resist corrosion as well.
I haven’t come across a multi-tool that’s perfect yet and that goes for the Bladeless. It still gets my Bladeless crown but I usually prefer to be able to get access to a few more tools without opening the pliers. With the MP600, the only one hand opening tool you can get at is the pliers. One hand opening pliers mean the other tools have to be on the inside of the handles. To get to the other tools you have to deploy the pliers so the arms spring open and the tools are exposed. Not a deal breaker by any means but a compromise design that suits a bladeless multi-tool.
If you need to carry some tools but you don’t need or can’t carry a knife, the Gerber MP600 Bladeless is the best full-sized multi-tool around. You can usually pick one up for under $40 but check out the current price on Amazon.
Alternative to the Gerber MP600 Multi-Plier
I’ve never seen a multi-tool that has an age rating on it but that’s exactly what the Leatherman Leap has. It’s suitable for kids 9 years and over. If that’s you, this could be a bladeless alternative for you. The great trick up the Leap’s sleeve is that it has a detachable knife blade. So you can take out the knife blade when you need to go “bladeless” and re-attach it when you need something sharp. Comes in red, blue and green and you can check it out at Amazon.