How to choose a multitool – the short answer
A multitool is only useful when it's on you. So the first criterion is not the number of tools, it's weight and size – because 250 grams in a pocket is something you notice every single day, and after a week that tool lives in a drawer at home.
The second criterion is whether you need pliers. That's the one thing a knife cannot replace. If you don't need pliers, what you actually want is a good folding knife, and it will weigh about half as much.
Weight: the number that decides everything
The gap between the lightest and the heaviest model in the catalogue is more than double, and that changes where you carry it.
- M-Tac Type 6 Multi-Tool – 7.8 cm, 107 g. The lightest. Needle-nose pliers, pliers, wire cutter, knife, carabiner, opener and screwdriver. Comes with a pouch with a strap. This is pocket or keyring size.
- M-Tac Type-3 Folding EDC Knife – 11 cm, 122.5 g. Knife, scissors, Phillips and flat screwdrivers, bottle opener. Has a pocket clip and a glass breaker. No pliers.
- M-Tac Type-8 Multi-Tool – 11.5 cm, 226.5 g. Eleven tools: pliers, wire cutters, knife, scissors, Phillips and two flat screwdrivers, can opener, metal file, bottle opener and a ruler. Includes a carabiner for a pack or belt.
- M-Tac Type-7 Multi-Tool – 10.5 cm, 248 g. Ten tools, including a hook knife and an awl. The heaviest in the catalogue.
The practical threshold: up to about 120 g a tool gets carried in a pocket daily. Over 200 g it gets carried on a belt, in a pack or in the car – which is fine, it just means it won't be there when something happens suddenly.
Pliers: the line between a multitool and a knife
Pliers are the only reason to carry the heavier object. You need them where you have to grip, twist or cut – wire, fasteners, a hot container, a jammed part. No knife does that.
If your jobs are cutting, opening and driving screws, pliers only add grams. Then the better answer is the Type-3 Folding EDC Knife: five tools, 122.5 g, pocket clip and glass breaker – half the weight of the Type-7 and no bulk in a pocket.
The Type 6 sits in between: it has both standard and needle-nose pliers but weighs only 107 g. Needle-nose pliers beat regular ones anywhere you have to reach into a tight space – electronics, fishing, small repairs.
Steel: what the grade actually tells you
The M-Tac Multitool with Pouch body is made from 440C steel – a stainless steel with a high carbon content, so it holds an edge longer and is harder, but is also harder to sharpen in the field. The Type-7, Type-8 and 9-in-1 descriptions simply say "stainless steel" with no grade.
More important than the grade is something else: whether the elements lock firmly both open and folded. The catalogue states this for the Type-7, Type-8, 9-in-1 and Type-3. A screwdriver that folds under load is the classic failing of cheap tools, and the classic way to injure a hand.
Which of the ten tools you'll actually use
Nearly every multitool listing counts 9 to 11 functions. In practice most people use three or four:
- Pliers – the most used element, and the reason the tool was bought.
- Knife – opening packaging, cutting cord, trimming.
- Flat screwdriver – used as a lever more often than as a screwdriver.
- Scissors – the thing you miss most when it isn't there. Present on the Type-7, Type-8, 9-in-1 and Type-3.
The rest – file, ruler, hook knife, can opener – get used rarely. That doesn't make them useless; it means there's no point paying or carrying extra for a longer list. Choose on the four you'll use, and treat the rest as a bonus.
Carry: pouch, clip or carabiner
- Nylon pouch (Multitool with Pouch, Type-7, Type-8, 9-in-1) – the most secure method, but it takes two movements to get the tool out.
- Pouch with a strap (Type 6) – attaches to gear, quicker than a closed pouch.
- Pocket clip (Type-3 Folding Knife) – on the edge of a pocket, fastest access, but more likely to be dropped than a pouch.
- Carabiner (Type-8) – for a pack or belt, when the tool isn't needed urgently.
The rule is the same as for any gear: the item has to sit in the same place every time. A tool you have to search a backpack for effectively doesn't exist.
See the full range in the multitools category.
Care: two things that extend its life
First, dry it. Stainless steel isn't rustproof, it just rusts more slowly. A damp tool folded shut holds water in the joints for longer than you'd think.
Second, oil the joints. A thin film on the pivots once a season is the difference between a tool that opens one-handed and one you have to pry apart. The catalogue lists this under care for the Multitool with Pouch and the Type 6.
Frequently asked questions
Multitool or knife?
If you need pliers, multitool. If you don't, a knife – it's lighter, cuts better and opens faster. A multitool's blade is almost always shorter and less comfortable than a dedicated knife.
Is a model with more tools worth it?
Only if it doesn't weigh more. The Type-8 has eleven tools at 226.5 g and the Type-7 has ten at 248 g – there, the extra functions came without a weight penalty. But the Type 6 has seven tools at 107 g, and for most people that's enough.
What is the glass breaker for?
It's a hardened point for breaking a car window in an emergency. In the catalogue the Type-3 Folding EDC Knife has one. If the tool mostly lives in a vehicle, that detail has real value.
Can I carry it in public?
Carrying such items in public is governed by national law, and it depends on the specific model and the circumstances. Check the rules that apply where you are before carrying – we sell tools, we don't give legal advice.
If you're torn between a light model and a full one, take the lighter. A tool you actually carry is always more useful than one with more functions that stays at home.