Every multitool listing leads with a number: 14-in-1, 18-in-1, 21-in-1. That number is close to meaningless. It is inflated by counting each screwdriver bit and each ruler marking separately, and it tells you nothing about whether the pliers will round off the first tight bolt you meet.
Three things actually differ between multitools. First, plier quality: jaw hardness, whether the wire cutters are replaceable, and how much leverage the handle geometry gives you. Second, tool access: whether the knife and saw can be opened without unfolding the pliers, which sounds trivial and turns out to be the single biggest daily-use difference. Third, weight, because a twelve-ounce tool lives on a belt or it lives in a drawer.
Everything below is ranked on those three plus value. The tool counts are listed because you will look for them, not because they mean much.
The short answer
Quick picks
#ad · Live prices from the Amazon Creators API, as of Sep 4, 2026. Where we have no verified live price we show none — a gap beats a number that has rotted.
In detail
The picks, in full
Best overall
Leatherman Wave+
18 toolsOutside-accessible bladesStainless steel25-year warranty
The default answer in this category for twenty years, and the outside-accessible blades are the reason.
- Plier quality
- 9
- Tool access
- 10
- Build quality
- 9
- Carry weight
- 5
- Value
- 7
What's good
- +Knife and saw open without unfolding the pliers, which is the single biggest usability difference in multitools
- +All-locking tools, so nothing folds on your fingers under load
- +25-year warranty that Leatherman actually honors
- +Replaceable wire cutters rather than a worn-out tool
What's not
- −Heavy enough that most people belt-carry it rather than pocket it
- −Roughly three times the price of a competent budget multitool
- −Scissors are the weakest tool in the set
Skip it if…
…it will live in a glovebox. A tool you use twice a year does not justify this over the Gerber.
Best value
Gerber Suspension NXT
15 toolsSpring-loaded pliersStainless steelPocket clip
About a third of the Leatherman's price for most of the Leatherman's usefulness, and the honest recommendation for most people.
- Plier quality
- 7
- Tool access
- 6
- Build quality
- 7
- Carry weight
- 7
- Value
- 10
What's good
- +Spring-loaded pliers open themselves, which matters more in daily use than the tool count
- +Genuinely inexpensive for a name-brand tool with a warranty
- +Butterfly opening is fast and one-handed
What's not
- −Not all tools lock, so some can fold under pressure
- −Blades are inside-accessible — the pliers have to be opened first
- −Wire cutters are not replaceable
Skip it if…
…you cut a lot of wire. Non-replaceable cutters wear out and then the tool is permanently worse.
Best heavy duty
Leatherman Surge
21 toolsOutside-accessible bladesReplaceable saw25-year warranty
The Wave's bigger sibling: more leverage, a real saw, and twelve ounces on your belt to pay for it.
- Plier quality
- 10
- Tool access
- 9
- Build quality
- 10
- Carry weight
- 3
- Value
- 6
What's good
- +Noticeably more plier leverage than the Wave — it is a genuinely different tool, not a marketing tier
- +The saw blade is replaceable and actually cuts wood
- +Largest, strongest tool set Leatherman makes in a folding format
What's not
- −Twelve ounces is a belt-carry tool, full stop
- −Overkill for household tasks
- −The most expensive option here
Skip it if…
…you plan to pocket it. This is a tool-belt item and pretending otherwise ends with it in a drawer.
Best keychain multitool
Gerber Dime
12 toolsKeychain sizeSpring-loaded pliersPackage opener
Twelve tools on a keyring, and the only one on this list you will genuinely always have with you.
- Plier quality
- 5
- Tool access
- 7
- Build quality
- 7
- Carry weight
- 10
- Value
- 8
What's good
- +Small enough to live on keys permanently, which makes its effective availability 100 percent
- +The retail package opener is a strange inclusion that turns out to be the most-used tool
- +Spring-loaded needle-nose pliers work better than the size suggests
What's not
- −Plier jaws are too small for real fastener work
- −The blade is short enough to be a last resort
- −Non-locking tools throughout
Skip it if…
…you need to actually turn a bolt. This is a convenience tool, not a substitute for one.
Best for the backcountry
Leatherman Signal
19 toolsFerro rodDiamond sharpenerEmergency whistle
A Leatherman with a ferro rod, a sharpener and an emergency whistle built in — the outdoor-specific configuration.
- Plier quality
- 8
- Tool access
- 7
- Build quality
- 9
- Carry weight
- 5
- Value
- 6
What's good
- +The ferro rod and sharpener are stowed in the tool, so they cannot be the thing you left at home
- +Hammer face on the handle is genuinely useful for tent stakes
- +25-year Leatherman warranty
What's not
- −Fewer conventional tools than the Wave at a similar price
- −The built-in sharpener is a field touch-up, not a real sharpening system
- −Bulky for pocket carry
Skip it if…
…your use is around the house or the truck. The outdoor features are the entire premium and you would not use them.
Skip this one
Generic 14-in-1 Multitool
14 toolsUnspecified stainlessNylon sheathSafety lock
Ten dollars, fourteen tools, no manufacturer and no warranty — the arithmetic on that only works one way.
- Plier quality
- 3
- Tool access
- 4
- Build quality
- 3
- Carry weight
- 7
- Value
- 4
What's good
- +Very cheap
- +The nylon sheath is included
What's not
- −No named manufacturer means no warranty and no recourse
- −Plier jaws in unspecified steel round off on the first tight fastener
- −Tool count is inflated by counting each screwdriver bit separately
- −Reports of tools folding under load are the norm at this price
Skip it if…
…you will put load on the pliers. The Gerber Dime costs a little more and comes from a company that will replace it.
Reading a multitool spec sheet honestly
Outside-accessible blades change how you use the tool
On a Leatherman Wave or Surge, the knife and the saw fold into the outside of the handle and open with the tool closed, one-handed. On most cheaper designs, including the Gerber Suspension, you unfold the pliers first and then pick the blade out of the handle. In a workshop that difference is nothing. Standing on a ladder holding a cable with one hand, it is the whole product.
Locking tools are a safety feature, not a luxury
A non-locking implement can fold on your fingers when you push hard in the wrong direction. Full-locking tool sets are standard on the Leatherman range and are not universal below it. If you will use the screwdrivers under real torque, buy locking.
Replaceable wire cutters are the sleeper spec
Wire cutters are the first thing to wear out on a multitool that gets used. On the Leatherman range they are replaceable inserts; on most cheaper tools they are machined into the jaws, so when they dull the whole tool is permanently worse. If you cut wire regularly this is the specification to buy on.
Match the size to where it will live
A Surge belongs on a tool belt. A Wave is a belt-sheath tool most people will not pocket. A Dime lives on a keyring and therefore is the one you will genuinely always have. Its tools are worse and its availability is perfect, and availability usually wins.
How these were picked
I haven't handled these. Here's what I did instead.
Everyone in this category says they tested twenty of these. I haven't tested any, and I say so. What I do instead: read the manufacturer's manual and published specification, compile the numbers that decide the purchase, do the arithmetic in the open, check the live price, and name one product to skip. The scores above are judgments from that research against a published rubric — they are not measurements I took, because I do not have a lab and I am not going to pretend otherwise.
Questions
Frequently asked
Is a Leatherman worth three times the price of a Gerber?+
If you use it weekly, yes — the 25-year warranty, the locking tools and the replaceable cutters all pay off over that horizon. If it lives in a glovebox for emergencies, the Gerber Suspension NXT does the same job for a third of the money and the difference is not recoverable.
What is the best multitool for camping?+
The Leatherman Signal, because the ferro rod, sharpener and whistle are integrated rather than being three more things to lose. For general camp use where you already carry a fire source, the Wave+ is the better tool.
Can I fly with a multitool?+
Not in carry-on if it has a blade — TSA prohibits knives of any length in the cabin. Bladeless multitools are permitted in carry-on, and full multitools are fine in checked luggage. Confirm current TSA rules before you travel; they change.
Do I need a multitool if I already carry a pocket knife?+
Only if you regularly need pliers. That is the honest test. Everything else on a multitool is a worse version of a dedicated tool, but a pair of pliers in your pocket has no substitute at all.
Receipts
Sources
We do not run a testing lab and we do not pretend to. Where a measured number came from a manufacturer's published specification or someone else's lab, we name them and link them. Where we could not verify something, we say so on the page rather than quietly leaving it out. Read the full method.
