You’ve really got to take your cap off to SOG. Of all the major multi-tool makers, they seem to be the least afraid of pushing the envelope of multi-tool design. Look at something like the SOG SwitchPlier or the PowerDuo or the Baton Q2 which are not your usual multi-tool designs.
And of course the SOG Sync II (and the Sync I).
These types of designs are different and they aren’t for everyone – like a Leatherman Wave is for example. What they are though are fantastic tools for some people who want exactly what they have to offer. For example, if you want to replace your dedicated pliers with the SwitchPlier and get the added benefit of a few other handy tools, then you can do it with the SwitchPlier.
If you want to replace your pathetic single purpose belt buckle – which is only good for one thing, well OK, it can also show your love of Harley Davidson’s – with a cool 11 tool multi-tool, then you can. The Sync II gives you another way to carry your multi-tool with you. If you still think the best way to carry a multi-tool is with a pocket clip, have a look at the article I wrote about 7 great multi-tools with a pocket clip.
SOG Sync II
The Sync II (some call it the Sync eye eye) is designed to be carried in two ways, either as a replacement for your belt buckle or clipped to the strap of a bag like your bug out backpack. Lil’ Mac likes to clip his on his backpack rather than weigh down his pants. The Sync II will fit belts up to 1-3/4 inches wide (43.8mm).
The Sync II is secured to a very solid metal base plate. To use it, you obviously have to release it from the base plate. I couldn’t see any instructions that came with it to tell me how to release it. Not a problem I thought as I pride myself on working stuff out without reading instructions.
How hard could it be? Except it was, at least for me. I spent at least 5 minutes trying to figure out how to release the Sync from the base plate. I looked for levers, squeezed and prodded things that looked like they could be squeezed and prodded but the Sync II stayed solidly attached to its base plate. Very embarrassing! I had to go to the video on the SOG site to see that you need to push a round bit in the middle of the Sync to release it. Actually, a good solution that works well once you know what you’re doing. You just need to slide it back onto the base plate to re-attach it. I thought I had a faulty stuck one for a few minutes there.
Now that I finally had it released from its base plate I could start exploring what it had to offer. Like most multi-tools, the main tool is the pliers. In this case, they are blunt nose pliers with a mid-section for bolt/nut gripping. They also have non-replaceable blade soft wire cutters. Beneath the plier head between the handles is a crimper for crimping things that need to be crimped. Very handy for that particular task.
You fold the plier handles out and they are actually a good length and feel sturdy enough to put some decent leverage into them. They don’t open particularly wide though neither is the plier head very large so don’t expect to get a hold of things that are very big. Still, having a pair of pliers instead of a belt buckle is surely better than not having any pliers.
Besides the plier functions, there is a straight blade knife. Like the other tools, it is by necessity not very large but it is very sharp. The other cutting tool you have is a pair of scissors, again they don’t open very wide but will tackle a number of smaller tasks and are sharp enough. Besides the sharp tools, there are screwing tools including a small and a medium sized flathead screwdriver and a Phillips screwdriver. Standard multi-tool fare. Then there’s a 3 sided file, which I used to file a rough fingernail so I know it can file something. Finally, there’s a ruler which measures things in the Imperial (US) standard of inches. I tested the ruler and it worked exceptionally well in a head-to-head comparison test against another ruler. Isn’t it funny how other reviews never talk about how the ruler performs? Just goes to show the lengths I go to for my fellow MacGyvers!
What’s it like to carry and use?
If you want to carry the SOG Sync II attached to your bag strap then there isn’t anything special you need to consider about its use. It’s actually very easy to access and release from its base plate (once you’ve worked it out). Also, because it’s not chunky, it carries easily on your strap and doesn’t get in the way.
But if you want to use it in the innovative way it been designed for, you will need a belt that’s the right width to attach it to. And the belt will also need to have a removable buckle or no buckle. If you’re not sure whether you’re up to rockin’ a multi-tool buckle, you could try it out by just cutting the buckle off an old belt and attaching the Sync.
I tried wearing my Sync II as a belt buckle for a few days and at first, it felt a bit weird. I did feel like a real MacGyver though, able to handle any situation I might encounter. Particularly if the situation required something to be urgently crimped or a flathead screw in badly in need of tightening! 5 ounces (140 grams) isn’t a lot of weight to carry in the middle of your belt but it is heavier than anything you would usually carry there so it took a bit of getting used to. It never felt like the Sync II would come off its base by accident so I didn’t worry about that but every once and a while I did have to readjust it on the belt to make sure it stayed in place. Not a big deal.
All the tools are outside accessible but then again there aren’t a whole of them. There aren’t many because it’s so slim which makes sense given how it can be used as a buckle. The knife is the easiest to deploy and locks into position. Like the scissors on the other side, to release them, you need to deploy, at least partially, one of the other tools. It’s fiddly and I wonder whether there could have been a better release solution. The tools feel sturdy enough, especially given that each of them is thin. They aren’t designed for heavy-duty tasks but I don’t think SOG ever intended the Sync to be anything but a handy go-anywhere multi-tool. The undisputed star of the show is the pliers.
That’s the SOG Sync II, an innovative multi-tool and fairly unique in the world of multi-tools. It doesn’t really have any competition except for it’s older, lighter and cheaper brother, the SOG Sync I (Sync eye).
Sync II vs Sync I
The Sync I was the first belt buckle multi-tool from SOG.I don’t own the Sync I but from the specifications and images, it is the same design concept. The differences between the I and the II are that it:
- is half the weight (2.4 ounces vs 5.0 ounces)
- is about 15% cheaper ($67 vs $80)
- is smaller – 2.4 inches (60mm) vs 3.1 inches (77mm)
- is suited for smaller width belts up to 1-3/8 inches (34.4mm) vs 1-3/4 inches wide (43.8mm)
- has an awl, bottle opener, and jewelry driver
- doesn’t have a pair of scissors, medium flathead or Phillips screwdrivers
So being smaller and lighter, the SOG Sync I has got to be easier as an everyday-carry, as a belt buckle or attached to the strap of your bag. The major tool difference between the eye and the eye eye is the scissors on the II vs the awl on the I. Either way, if you like what the Sync has to offer, take your pick.
Pocket It or Pawn It?
As I said at the start, caps off to SOG for offering us multi-tools in different form factors. Both Sync’s are very cool tools that because of their low profile and relatively lightweight, are very easy to carry. There are not a lot of tools but the main tools you expect from a multi-tool are there and they work well, especially considering the size of the Sync.
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They aren’t so easy to carry as a belt buckle though. You do need to fiddle around to get it to work well on your belt. And if you want to change your belt, you, of course, have to fiddle around with that belt too. But the effort to set it up as a buckle could be worthwhile for you to be able to carry a multi-tool attached to your clothing. Even if the belt buckle idea doesn’t work for you, the SOG Sync works very well clipped to a bag strap. So
MacGyver says “Pocket It” – if you want to carry a multi-tool as a belt buckle!
A word of warning
As both these multi-tools have a knife as part of their toolsets, you won’t be able to get on a plane if you’re using them as a belt buckle or attached to your carry-on luggage. Especially if you’re using the Sync as a belt buckle, it will be very easy to forget you have it on you. You won’t get it past airport security though and they will definitely confiscate it from you. If you arrive at the airport with it by accident, put it in your check-in luggage and then you’ll get to play with it again at the other end.
Check out the current price of the SOG Sync II on Amazon
Do you own the SOG Sync I or Sync II or maybe you own both? I’d be interested in your experience of how useful these tools are to carry around. Let me know in the comments below.
Multi-tools – don’t leave home without one