Every now and then I see a cheapo tool, and think “that might actually be worth trying”. Sometimes it’s a huge waste of money, and other times you end up with a very useful tool for very little cost. Several months ago, I saw some details of one of these little tempters, but was unable to actually track one down ..... till about two weeks ago. As soon as I saw it, I ordered it. It arrived only a day or two ago, and figured it would be rude not to review it.

Tools are often based on a particular function, be it pliers, scissors, or sometimes even a flashlight. This particular multitool is based on the humble utility knife, known generically here as a Stanley knife. The fact that this is actually a Stanley FatMax model did give me some confidence, as it is a brand I have had good products from in the past.

Lost in a sea of better known competition, the T10 Multitool by IDL Tools is a lesser known, but not lesser quality, contender.

The tool is all stainless steel construction, and held together with peened pins. The tool is 2" (51mm) long, 1 1/8" (29mm) wide, and an incredibly thin 5/16" (including pins. Without them, it's only 1/4" (6.5mm) thick. Weight is 1.7 oz (49g).

Here is the tool folded up.

Husky is the store brand available at Home Depot. While they have seasonal offerings, the 14-in-1 multitool is currently in stock year round. It comes with a reasonable quality nylon sheath with a belt loop. As of this writing, the cost on this tool is about $10 US.

When one thinks of multifunction tools one tends to think of folding plier devices and when one thinks of multifunction knives one tends to conjure up the typical Swiss Army type knife. The Select Fire from Kershaw actually manages to take features from both without losing it’s tactical knife-y-ness as well. On the surface it’s a one handed opening, partially serrated liner lock with a partially serrated blade, injection molded handle scales and a pocket clip. Not only that, the pocket clip can quickly and easily be swapped to the opposite scale for left handed users and the large, ambidextrous thumbstud won’t be leaving Southpaws out in the cold either.

I received a little prompt to do a review of the Mini Bear Jaws recently, and it only seemed natural to compare it to the tool which most people would pick up and carry instead ... a Leatherman Squirt. I have taken a real shine to the Mini Bear Jaws, and though they don’t make much of an appearance in the world of multi-tools these days, they are a nice little item to have around.