SOG PowerAccess Review

The SOG PowerAccess has built quite a following amongst Multi-Tool MacGyvers due to its interesting toolset and good looks. Just check out that funky laser cut pocket clip and the stone-wash finish. And how many multi-tools do you have with a protractor or a jewelry driver? Doesn’t matter how many times you’re going to use your protractor – just use it to impress your friends!

But is this made in China multi-tool all good looks and no substance? To find out, let’s start with the numbers.

Carry-ability

At 5.9 ounces (165 gms) and a closed length of 4.1 inches (10.4 cms), the SOG PowerAccess won’t drag your pants down to your ankles or take up too much room in your jeans pocket.  Anyway, you don’t have to just have the PowerAccess rattling around free in your pocket, because it comes with a pocket clip as standard. It doesn’t come with a sheath though so you can clip it onto your belt but it’s going to be exposed and not as secure as carrying it in a sheath.

As far as numbers go, the closest comparison to the PowerAccess is the Leatherman Rev which weighs in at the same 5.9 ounces and a closed length of 3.8 inches. 

Multi-Tool-set

The first of the main tools are the needle nose pliers that feature Gerber’s well-known compound leverage system. The plier head also has a hollowed out section to grip nuts and bolts. At the base of the plier head is a hard wire cutter as well as a soft wire cutter. 

The second main tool is the knife. It’s a straight blade knife deployed by a nail nick. Surprisingly it’s short of length and narrow of girth for a multi-tool as large as the PowerAccess. That’s it for the main tools as there are no scissors on this multi-tool.

The secondary toolset has the obligatory tool to open beer bottles (works on other bottle caps as well!) and the equally obligatory can opener. Then it has the full range of flat head screwdrivers. A separate large, medium and small screwdriver. What SOG are calling a jewelry driver I would describe as an extra small flat screwdriver. The Phillips screwdriver tool is a 3D version and beefier looking than some Phillips screwdrivers found on other multi-tools. Rounding out the PowerAccess toolset is an awl, that protractor and finally by ruler markings along the handles.

Use-ability

I was surprised the first time I deployed the pliers on the PowerAcess. I actually thought they were faulty. If you have any experience with Leatherman pliers or for that matter, Victorinox or Gerber’s pliers, you will also be surprised at how easily these SOG pliers fold open and fold closed. Leatherman pliers for example always take a bit of pressure to open and even more pressure to close, especially one of the arms. It seems to be one of their design features which I haven’t been able to figure out why it is actually a feature.

Anyway, the PowerAccess is very easy to deploy and once you get used to it after a couple of days, you start to question why the other multi-tool brands make their pliers so stiff to open and close. They don’t just fall open either but have enough resistance to kept them closed unless you give them a good wrist flick to open. 

SOG’s compound leverage system magnifies any effort you put into the pliers. It’s a clever solution, especially for multi-tool pliers, which usually aren’t as big as dedicated pliers and don’t have the arm length to create a lot of leverage. Very helpful for young or trainee MacGyvers who are still building up their hand strength!

If you look at the plier arms where your palms grip, the ‘scales’ (the arm casing) are very thin. You would swear that if you had to really squeeze the pliers, the arms would dig into your hands. That didn’t happen for me. It wasn’t as comfortable as some of my other multi-tool handles but it’s wasn’t terrible either. What I did get was some flex in the handles when I put some real pressure through them. So I don’t see these as heavy-duty pliers but they should be up for most of the tasks you would reasonably expect to throw at them.

The blade is one of the smallest I’ve seen on a multi-tool of this size but at least it’s got a sharp point and a sharp blade. The blade steel is 5CR15MOV which is comparable to other blade steels at this price point. The blade is easy enough to deploy and locks into position. A release tab for the blade and all the other tools sit at the end of each of the handles. I haven’t seen this style of release tab before and didn’t find it easy to use at first. I wondered why SOG didn’t use a more traditional release tab but surprised myself by liking the tab a lot after a few days of use. It became very intuitive and easy to use.

I’ve seen one report of the knife ‘over-extending’ when moderate downward force was applied to it. Over-extending means the locking mechanism didn’t hold the blade and so it went past the fully open position. Couldn’t find other reports of this issue and many users tested their PowerAccess blades but didn’t have the same problem. I didn’t have any problem with mine either so it’s probably an isolated fault covered under the warranty.

Besides the compound leverage pliers, the other innovative feature is the magnetic hex driver. When the multi-tool is in the closed position, one end of the tool creates a 1/4″ hex bit driver hole. Clever! It uses a magnet to hold the hex bit in place and the holder is in the center of the tool so, in theory, it should be well balanced to use. And I found that it is. The other advantage is that because it’s at the end of the handles, you have a lot of handle to get a good grip on. You do need to keep a very slight pressure on the handles while the hex bit is in the holder because the magnet doesn’t hold the bit strongly. Two magnets would have been better than one but it’s not a big deal. Unfortunately, SOG doesn’t seem to make a big deal of this feature. If you don’t have a set of Gerber hex bits (or any brand of 1/4″ hex bits), it’s worthwhile getting a set to take advantage of the functionality this offers.

The PowerAccess has the most extensive set of screwdrivers I’ve seen on a multi-tool with small, medium and large flathead screwdrivers. The screwdrivers are all chamfered only on one side. I don’t know why that is but I assume it’s to do with how the tools sit together in the handles. Or maybe it’s the most efficient way to keep tip strength in the smallest space. I don’t know, I’m not an engineer. The design doesn’t affect their performance in use but I thought I would mention it anyway.

There’s a jewelry driver which as I say is just an extra small flat screwdriver. Not many multi-tools have this tool and I think it’s very useful the way SOG have designed this. Of course, it’s good to have a very small screwdriver for tightening the screw on your sunglasses or whatever but it’s just useful to have what is effectively a spike to get into gaps. You can do the sort of things you might do with the tip of your awl but this is better for some jobs. By the way, there is an awl with thread loop which works like an awl with a thread loop! If like me you’re not sure what to use an awl for, I decided to write an article about what to do with an awl and so I went and learned something about them.

The Phillips screwdriver has a more substantial head than most multi-tool Phillips. I found it worked well because of that substantial head and because it’s on a long shaft so it gets to screws you can’t with a short shaft Phillips. One user reported they had twisted the Phillips arm. That you can put enough force into the Phillips head tells you it seats strongly with screws and I say there’s always someone who can break a tool.

The 3 sided file sounds good but it’s not as aggressive as other multi-tool files I’ve used. Good enough in an emergency The third side, which is one edge of the double sided file, would take you a while to get the job done. But like all these files, they will do the job in an emergency.

I think it’s illegal to sell a multi-tool without these last two opening tools. The bottle opener and the can opener are present and correct. Well, I can’t actually vouch they are correct because I haven’t tested them but I’m sure they do work. Tell me in the comments below if you find they don’t.

So the PowerAccess has 8 tools that are outside accessible, 4 on each side. There isn’t a cover over the tools like other SOG models which makes them easier to get to. They are lined up inside the handles and deployed by a nail nick. The tools can tend to clump together and you’re more likely to grab out a couple of tools or all the tools at once. I’ve seen this happen with other multi-tools as well.

Due to the limited space inside the handles and the size of human fingertips, it’s always going to be a difficult design challenge. Victorinox’s range of Swisstools is the best at resolving this problem. They seem to be able to put a nail nick in just the right place so you can individually deploy every single tool.

I didn’t find it a big issue on this SOG though for a couple of reasons. Firstly I didn’t use the nail nicks because there’s one tool on each side that’s really easy to get out with your fingertip without using the nail nick. Once one is out, it’s easy to get the others. The second reason is that all the tools open and close with such little resistance. And they all lock into position.

Like the deployment of the pliers, all the tools move uncommonly freely. If you’ve had other multi-tools, how easily these move will probably feel unusual. They feel like they are loose and the screws that hold them need tightening. They don’t and I haven’t had any issues with them in the regular use I’ve put my PowerAccess through. If your experience is different, I’d love to hear in the comments.

Pocket it or Pawn it?

So that’s it for the SOG PowerAccess. I’ve never met a multi-tool I wouldn’t want to change something about it. That’s because the best multi-tool is the RIGHT multi-tool for you. How you use it is how you use it and that’s your choice. I would like the PowerAccess to have a longer more substantial knife and while you’re there SOG, can you make it one hand deployable? But that’s about the end of it. The rest is pretty good.

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I’ve really surprised myself with how much I like this multi-tool. When you first start using it, you are surprised by how it feels and works. Like how easily the pliers fold open and closed, how the lock release tab works and how loosely the tools open. But other than the adequate knife, for an everyday carry for light to medium MacGyver situations, the PowerAccess is great. It’s got the right combination of commonly used tools, the tools are easy to deploy and use, it’s lightweight with a pocket clip and to top it all off, its stonewashed design gives it a bit of welcome style.

If you’re looking for a medium sized EDC, have a good look at the SOG PowerAccess. Or look at the multi-tools that I rate highly on my Recommended Multi-Tools page.

MacGyver says POCKET IT!

Check out the current price on Amazon.

Had any experience with the PowerAccess? What do you think of it? Let me know in the comments below.

Multi-tools – never leave home without one