{
  "category": {
    "slug": "multitools",
    "name": "Multitools",
    "description": "Folding multitools with pliers or scissors and keychain multitools; pocket knives belong to Pocket Knives, and bike multitools and full tool sets are separate."
  },
  "url": "https://stierproducts.com/categories/multitools",
  "markdown": "https://stierproducts.com/categories/multitools.md",
  "updated": "2026-09-23T17:30:25.503Z",
  "productsRanked": 16,
  "citedSources": 94,
  "citedSourceKinds": {
    "editorial": 51,
    "video": 39,
    "community": 4
  },
  "summary": "On the stierproducts multitools board, Leatherman Wave+ ranks #1 in S tier, ahead of Victorinox Swiss Tool Spirit X (#2, S tier) and Leatherman Skeletool CX (#3, S tier). The board ranks 16 multitools from S (best) to F (avoid), last researched 23 Sept 2026, drawing on 94 cited reviews, videos and discussions. Placed in the bottom tiers as ones to avoid: WORKPRO 18-in-1 Multitool, Gerber Center-Drive, Gerber Dime, and 4 others.",
  "method": {
    "summary": "Each category is researched in four independent runs, one per lens (expert consensus, value, reliability, community pulse). Every run ranks a board of candidates that deliberately includes products buyers cross-shop but should avoid. Placements score on a ranked ladder (LP), and tiers are derived from LP, so no tier is ever assigned by hand.",
    "url": "https://stierproducts.com/methodology"
  },
  "limitations": [
    "We do not test products ourselves. Every placement is consolidated from published reviews, owner reports and community discussion, so a board is only as good as the sources behind it.",
    "LP is points on this category ladder. It is comparable within a category and never across categories.",
    "A board is a snapshot with a research date. Anything released or changed after that date is not in it yet.",
    "Evidence is uneven across this board: products carry between 1 and 19 cited sources. The count for each is in the table above."
  ],
  "dataset": {
    "doi": "10.5281/zenodo.22062813",
    "url": "https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22062813",
    "scope": "every board at once, one dated snapshot per release",
    "excludes": [
      "price",
      "currency",
      "image"
    ]
  },
  "license": {
    "name": "CC BY 4.0",
    "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
    "terms": "https://stierproducts.com/license",
    "covers": [
      "text",
      "rankings",
      "tiers",
      "lp",
      "verdicts",
      "pros",
      "cons"
    ],
    "excludes": [
      "images"
    ],
    "imageRights": "Product photographs are not covered: they belong to their respective owners and are reproduced to illustrate the product being reviewed. Do not redistribute them under this licence."
  },
  "tierMeanings": {
    "S": "Exceptional. Finishes top run after run; capped at 3 slots per category.",
    "A": "Excellent. Strongly recommended, beaten only by the very best.",
    "B": "Good. A solid choice with real caveats worth knowing.",
    "C": "Fair. Acceptable in the right situation, outclassed at its price.",
    "D": "Weak. Hard to recommend when better options cost similar money.",
    "F": "Avoid. The evidence points you elsewhere."
  },
  "products": [
    {
      "rank": 1,
      "tier": "S",
      "lp": 1044,
      "name": "Leatherman Wave+",
      "brand": "Leatherman",
      "slug": "leatherman-wave",
      "url": "https://stierproducts.com/products/leatherman-wave",
      "verdict": "Two decades of proven ownership, a huge parts-and-repair history and the 25-year warranty make it the safest Leatherman to own for years, and it is still the top performer in recent independent testing.",
      "pros": [
        "Two decades of proven service",
        "Huge parts-and-repair history",
        "Backed by a 25-year warranty",
        "Named the best-performing multitool overall in CleverHiker's testing",
        "The most recommended full-size multitool anywhere, per multiple outlets and r/BuyItForLife"
      ],
      "cons": [
        "Recent quality-control complaints reported",
        "Mid-tier price reduces value perception",
        "Costs a premium over tools with the same core capability"
      ],
      "citations": 3,
      "distinctOutlets": 3,
      "thinlySourced": false,
      "image": "https://stspimgdevmfyk46r5vwkay.blob.core.windows.net/images/products/leatherman-wave.webp"
    },
    {
      "rank": 2,
      "tier": "S",
      "lp": 1040,
      "name": "Victorinox Swiss Tool Spirit X",
      "brand": "Victorinox",
      "slug": "victorinox-swiss-tool-spirit-x",
      "url": "https://stierproducts.com/products/victorinox-swiss-tool-spirit-x",
      "verdict": "The clear number one under a longevity lens: Victorinox's lifetime warranty, tight tolerances and a decades-long failure-free reputation, plus the user-community consensus pick as Leatherman's quality control slipped.",
      "pros": [
        "Slim, portable build against bulkier rivals",
        "Light and ergonomic",
        "Tight manufacturing tolerances",
        "Backed by a lifetime warranty",
        "Decades-long failure-free reputation among owners"
      ],
      "cons": [
        "Costs more than a Leatherman mid-ranger",
        "Higher price than some budget options"
      ],
      "citations": 10,
      "distinctOutlets": 7,
      "thinlySourced": false,
      "image": "https://stspimgdevmfyk46r5vwkay.blob.core.windows.net/images/products/victorinox-swiss-tool-spirit-x.webp"
    },
    {
      "rank": 3,
      "tier": "S",
      "lp": 980,
      "name": "Leatherman Skeletool CX",
      "brand": "Leatherman",
      "slug": "leatherman-skeletool-cx",
      "url": "https://stierproducts.com/products/leatherman-skeletool-cx",
      "verdict": "Wirecutter's long-running champion after years of testing roughly three dozen multi-tools. Its simplicity is a durability feature, since fewer tools means fewer things to loosen, snap or wear out.",
      "pros": [
        "Stripped-down, simple design with fewer parts to fail",
        "Backed by a 25-year warranty",
        "Wirecutter's clear best after years of testing",
        "Carries only the tools most people actually use: pliers, blade and bit driver",
        "Light, one-hand-open package"
      ],
      "cons": [
        "Trades tool count for reduced weight"
      ],
      "citations": 8,
      "distinctOutlets": 8,
      "thinlySourced": false,
      "image": "https://stspimgdevmfyk46r5vwkay.blob.core.windows.net/images/products/leatherman-skeletool-cx.webp"
    },
    {
      "rank": 4,
      "tier": "A",
      "lp": 704,
      "name": "Leatherman Arc",
      "brand": "Leatherman",
      "slug": "leatherman-arc",
      "url": "https://stierproducts.com/products/leatherman-arc",
      "verdict": "The highest build ceiling in the category with a 25-year warranty, held back from first place only by its short real-world track record as a newer platform and mild quality-control chatter on r/multitools.",
      "pros": [
        "The best steel Leatherman has used",
        "Backed by a 25-year warranty",
        "Named Best Overall in Popular Mechanics' roundup",
        "Newest steel with Free-style one-hand action",
        "Named the deluxe upgrade by Wirecutter"
      ],
      "cons": [
        "A newer platform with a shorter real-world track record than older Leatherman models",
        "Sits in the top price bracket of everything Art of Manliness handled",
        "Its gains over cheaper Leatherman tools are mostly irrelevant in practice",
        "Least long-proven flagship, shorter track record",
        "Shares recent quality-control wobbles"
      ],
      "citations": 17,
      "distinctOutlets": 15,
      "thinlySourced": false,
      "flaggedToAvoid": {
        "runs": 2,
        "ofRuns": 12
      },
      "image": "https://stspimgdevmfyk46r5vwkay.blob.core.windows.net/images/products/leatherman-arc.webp"
    },
    {
      "rank": 5,
      "tier": "A",
      "lp": 702,
      "name": "Leatherman Rebar",
      "brand": "Leatherman",
      "slug": "leatherman-rebar",
      "url": "https://stierproducts.com/products/leatherman-rebar",
      "verdict": "Overbuilt, mechanism-light and warrantied for 25 years. The toughness-per-dollar pick and the durable alternative to budget tools.",
      "pros": [
        "Old-school, overbuilt locking platform",
        "No exotic mechanisms to fail",
        "Backed by a 25-year warranty",
        "The durability-per-dollar champion",
        "Old-school boxy construction with all the core tools"
      ],
      "cons": [
        "Limited feature set compared to flagship models"
      ],
      "citations": 6,
      "distinctOutlets": 6,
      "thinlySourced": false,
      "image": "https://stspimgdevmfyk46r5vwkay.blob.core.windows.net/images/products/leatherman-rebar.webp"
    },
    {
      "rank": 6,
      "tier": "B",
      "lp": 521,
      "name": "Victorinox SwissTool X",
      "brand": "Victorinox",
      "slug": "victorinox-swisstool-x",
      "url": "https://stierproducts.com/products/victorinox-swisstool-x",
      "verdict": "Superb build, wrong package: heavier, bulkier and more expensive than the Spirit X that does the same job better for carry. Get the Spirit X.",
      "pros": [
        "Unquestionably excellent build quality",
        "The tool r/multitools swears by, calling it by far the best",
        "Overbuilt construction built to survive decades",
        "Heavy-duty design offers maximum durability",
        "High-quality fit and finish"
      ],
      "cons": [
        "Heavy and bulky in the pocket",
        "Costs more than the Spirit X for nearly the same function set",
        "Bulkier and heavier, less convenient for everyday carry",
        "Heaviest and most expensive Swiss option, reducing value efficiency",
        "Heavier and bulkier than the newer Spirit X"
      ],
      "citations": 4,
      "distinctOutlets": 3,
      "thinlySourced": false,
      "flaggedToAvoid": {
        "runs": 2,
        "ofRuns": 9
      },
      "image": "https://stspimgdevmfyk46r5vwkay.blob.core.windows.net/images/products/victorinox-swisstool-x.webp"
    },
    {
      "rank": 7,
      "tier": "C",
      "lp": 442,
      "name": "Nextool F12",
      "brand": "Nextool",
      "slug": "nextool-f12",
      "url": "https://stierproducts.com/products/nextool-f12",
      "verdict": "The budget community's standing recommendation, with scissors that rival far pricier tools. A modern, well-finished package whose price makes the big brands look silly.",
      "pros": [
        "Standing recommendation in r/multitools' budget thread",
        "Scissors hold their own against Victorinox, per users",
        "Modern, well-finished 12-function tool",
        "Recommended by r/multitools community",
        "Strong fit and finish for a budget import"
      ],
      "citations": 19,
      "distinctOutlets": 15,
      "thinlySourced": false,
      "image": "https://stspimgdevmfyk46r5vwkay.blob.core.windows.net/images/products/nextool-f12.webp"
    },
    {
      "rank": 8,
      "tier": "C",
      "lp": 419,
      "name": "SOG Power Access Deluxe",
      "brand": "SOG",
      "slug": "sog-power-access-deluxe",
      "url": "https://stierproducts.com/products/sog-power-access-deluxe",
      "verdict": "Well made and compact with SOG's compound leverage, but SOG's warranty downgrade and mixed long-term support reputation make it the riskiest of the picks for long-term ownership.",
      "pros": [
        "Compact, well-made tool",
        "SOG's compound leverage",
        "Pew Pew Tactical's Best Bit Driver",
        "Hides a full-size, hex-driven bit wrench inside a pocketable body",
        "More genuine capability per cubic centimeter than anything else here"
      ],
      "cons": [
        "SOG's downgraded warranty terms",
        "Mixed long-term support reputation",
        "Niche design limits its all-round value",
        "Brand consistency trails top two brands",
        "Fit-and-finish reputation not as strong as competitors"
      ],
      "citations": 1,
      "distinctOutlets": 1,
      "thinlySourced": true,
      "image": "https://stspimgdevmfyk46r5vwkay.blob.core.windows.net/images/products/sog-power-access-deluxe.webp"
    },
    {
      "rank": 9,
      "tier": "C",
      "lp": 405,
      "name": "Leatherman Micra",
      "brand": "Leatherman",
      "slug": "leatherman-micra",
      "url": "https://stierproducts.com/products/leatherman-micra",
      "verdict": "Decades of flawless keychain service under a Victorinox lifetime warranty, with almost nothing on it that can fail - exactly what a longevity lens wants.",
      "pros": [
        "Decades-proven keychain scissors tool",
        "Almost nothing on it that can fail",
        "Covered by a lifetime warranty",
        "Decades-long unchanged production proves reliability",
        "Scissor-based tool with proven durability"
      ],
      "citations": 12,
      "distinctOutlets": 10,
      "thinlySourced": false,
      "image": "https://stspimgdevmfyk46r5vwkay.blob.core.windows.net/images/products/leatherman-micra.webp"
    },
    {
      "rank": 10,
      "tier": "D",
      "lp": 294,
      "name": "WORKPRO 18-in-1 Multitool",
      "brand": "WORKPRO",
      "slug": "workpro-18-in-1-multitool",
      "url": "https://stierproducts.com/products/workpro-18-in-1-multitool",
      "verdict": "Ranks fourteenth as a trap. With no expert coverage or documented durability data, it remains an unknown quantity lacking support.",
      "pros": [
        "Large tool loadout for low price",
        "Scissors and saw outperform expectations",
        "Considered one of the most compelling budget multitools",
        "Full-size pliers tool with a thoughtfully chosen toolset",
        "Scissors and saw better than expected for the class"
      ],
      "cons": [
        "Absent from expert roundups, no failure data",
        "Support reputation unknown",
        "No expert support despite high Amazon visibility",
        "Heat-treated budget steel and loose tolerances",
        "No support channel"
      ],
      "citations": 4,
      "distinctOutlets": 3,
      "thinlySourced": false,
      "flaggedToAvoid": {
        "runs": 3,
        "ofRuns": 5
      },
      "image": "https://stspimgdevmfyk46r5vwkay.blob.core.windows.net/images/products/workpro-18-in-1-multitool.webp"
    },
    {
      "rank": 11,
      "tier": "D",
      "lp": 287,
      "name": "Gerber Center-Drive",
      "brand": "Gerber",
      "slug": "gerber-center-drive",
      "url": "https://stierproducts.com/products/gerber-center-drive",
      "verdict": "The best of the traps and heavily cross-shopped because Men's Journal lists it among the best multitools, but documented Gerber durability deficits against Leatherman mean the Wave+ or Arc is the better long-term buy.",
      "pros": [
        "Clever bit-driver design",
        "Listed by Men's Journal among the best multitools",
        "Center-rotating bit driver swings out flush like a real screwdriver",
        "Solves the classic multitool driver awkwardness",
        "Named in Men's Journal's best-of-2026 lineup"
      ],
      "cons": [
        "Gerber is widely considered less durable in long-term use than Leatherman, with looser tolerances and lower-quality steel",
        "Priced above where a value buyer would ideally like",
        "Weaker long-term reputation",
        "Lower durability compared to Leatherman",
        "Bulkier than many value-focused picks"
      ],
      "citations": 2,
      "distinctOutlets": 2,
      "thinlySourced": false,
      "flaggedToAvoid": {
        "runs": 3,
        "ofRuns": 12
      },
      "image": "https://stspimgdevmfyk46r5vwkay.blob.core.windows.net/images/products/gerber-center-drive.webp"
    },
    {
      "rank": 12,
      "tier": "D",
      "lp": 228,
      "name": "Gerber Dime",
      "brand": "Gerber",
      "slug": "gerber-dime",
      "url": "https://stierproducts.com/products/gerber-dime",
      "verdict": "A realistic cross-shop in the keychain class, but it is outclassed in its own class by the Micra, with the same Gerber longevity question hanging over it.",
      "pros": [
        "Pew Pew Tactical's Best Compact Option",
        "True keychain multitool with pliers and scissors that actually works",
        "Keychain-size convenience",
        "Lifetime warranty from established brand",
        "Keychain-scale size for convenient small-carry"
      ],
      "cons": [
        "Outclassed as a keychain tool by the Victorinox Micra, which carries a stronger warranty",
        "Carries the documented Gerber long-term durability deficit",
        "Does not do everything; small capability ceiling",
        "Light-duty construction not suited for hard use over years",
        "Implements are too small to do real work"
      ],
      "citations": 1,
      "distinctOutlets": 1,
      "thinlySourced": true,
      "flaggedToAvoid": {
        "runs": 2,
        "ofRuns": 11
      },
      "image": "https://stspimgdevmfyk46r5vwkay.blob.core.windows.net/images/products/gerber-dime.webp"
    },
    {
      "rank": 13,
      "tier": "F",
      "lp": 185,
      "name": "Leatherman Wave Alpha",
      "brand": "Leatherman",
      "slug": "leatherman-wave-alpha",
      "url": "https://stierproducts.com/products/leatherman-wave-alpha",
      "verdict": "Genuinely excellent out of the box per Popular Mechanics, but the newest tool on the board with only months of ownership history, so it cannot sit above the proven Wave+ yet.",
      "pros": [
        "Named Best Scissors in Popular Mechanics' roundup",
        "Genuinely excellent performance out of the box",
        "Successor to the Wave+ with an improved scissors function",
        "Newest evolution of the Wave platform",
        "Best-in-class scissors in its category"
      ],
      "cons": [
        "Only months of ownership history behind it",
        "Only one improved function over the Wave+ it replaced",
        "Pushed hardest by Leatherman's marketing right now",
        "Narrower endorsement compared to other top picks",
        "Newer model lacking long-term ownership data"
      ],
      "citations": 1,
      "distinctOutlets": 1,
      "thinlySourced": true,
      "flaggedToAvoid": {
        "runs": 4,
        "ofRuns": 11
      },
      "image": "https://stspimgdevmfyk46r5vwkay.blob.core.windows.net/images/products/leatherman-wave-alpha.webp"
    },
    {
      "rank": 14,
      "tier": "F",
      "lp": 180,
      "name": "SOG Tellus MT",
      "brand": "SOG",
      "slug": "sog-tellus-mt",
      "url": "https://stierproducts.com/products/sog-tellus-mt",
      "verdict": "A genuinely good recent tool that is well built and feature-rich, but SOG's weaker warranty and support reputation compared to Leatherman and Victorinox caps it in the middle of the board.",
      "pros": [
        "Well built",
        "Feature-rich",
        "Named among the best multitools of 2026 by Men's Journal",
        "SOG compound leverage in a modern feature set",
        "Positioned well below the Leatherman flagships"
      ],
      "cons": [
        "SOG's warranty and support reputation trails Leatherman and Victorinox",
        "Newer and less proven than the tools above it",
        "Only one major board includes it",
        "Newest and least proven entrant, limiting value perception",
        "Only a few months old, no long-term ownership data"
      ],
      "citations": 1,
      "distinctOutlets": 1,
      "thinlySourced": true,
      "flaggedToAvoid": {
        "runs": 1,
        "ofRuns": 7
      },
      "image": "https://stspimgdevmfyk46r5vwkay.blob.core.windows.net/images/products/sog-tellus-mt.webp"
    },
    {
      "rank": 15,
      "tier": "F",
      "lp": 164,
      "name": "Leatherman Free P2",
      "brand": "Leatherman",
      "slug": "leatherman-free-p2",
      "url": "https://stierproducts.com/products/leatherman-free-p2",
      "verdict": "Solid and fully warrantied, with the Free platform's one-piece build having held up well, but the Arc has effectively superseded it and it is no longer the Leatherman to buy first.",
      "pros": [
        "One-piece Free platform build has held up well",
        "Covered by Leatherman's 25-year warranty",
        "Magnetic one-hand opening mechanism",
        "Constantly cross-shopped in flagship-tier comparisons",
        "Magnetic handling feature noted"
      ],
      "cons": [
        "Superseded by the Arc and no longer the Leatherman to buy first",
        "The Free mechanism adds cost and bulk without adding capability",
        "Less useful than a Skeletool CX, which costs far less",
        "Heavy for its function count",
        "Near flagship pricing while offering fewer usable tools"
      ],
      "citations": 1,
      "distinctOutlets": 1,
      "thinlySourced": true,
      "flaggedToAvoid": {
        "runs": 2,
        "ofRuns": 3
      },
      "image": "https://stspimgdevmfyk46r5vwkay.blob.core.windows.net/images/products/leatherman-free-p2.webp"
    },
    {
      "rank": 16,
      "tier": "F",
      "lp": 0,
      "name": "RoverTac 12-in-1 Multitool",
      "brand": "RoverTac",
      "slug": "rovertac-12-in-1-multitool",
      "url": "https://stierproducts.com/products/rovertac-12-in-1-multitool",
      "verdict": "A value award is not a durability award: Popular Mechanics named it Best Value, which is exactly how it gets bought, but it has no warranty infrastructure and no track record behind it.",
      "pros": [
        "Popular Mechanics' official Best Value of 2026",
        "A startling amount of tool for very little money",
        "Crowned by a mainstream testing outlet over tools costing several times as much"
      ],
      "cons": [
        "No meaningful warranty infrastructure",
        "No multi-year track record of long-term durability",
        "Fit and finish do not match Leatherman",
        "Overbuilt with mediocre implements",
        "Absent from specialist expert boards"
      ],
      "citations": 4,
      "distinctOutlets": 4,
      "thinlySourced": false,
      "flaggedToAvoid": {
        "runs": 8,
        "ofRuns": 11
      },
      "image": "https://stspimgdevmfyk46r5vwkay.blob.core.windows.net/images/products/rovertac-12-in-1-multitool.webp"
    }
  ]
}