Multitools have been around long before the Swiss Army or even Leatherman started making them a household name. The Swiss Variant is among the most popular and copied design in the world today. There are a lot of newcomers to the multitool world; some are making waves and trying to get noticed. Ruike Knives (pronounced Rake) is one of those companies out there making a name for themselves. Producing amazing knives and tools with quality that will turn heads.

 

SOG Specialty tools and knives has been a multitool industry leader for decades. They may not have come up with the original multitool; but they have pushed the limits in temps of design and originality. 2017 was a good year for the company with several tools hitting the market. SOG went with some highly original designs like the Baton and Sync series but stayed true to their heritage with the Power Grab.

The Power Grab is what I could call an evolutionary design of the Power Lock series of tools. The Power Lock has such a following and it's clear why it's one of the companies best selling tools. The Power Grab is a full size multitool that is designed to handle tasks that most of the smaller guys cannot handle. With the Power Grab they went back to the drawing board and size is about all this tool and it's brethren have in common. Let's take a look and see what they got right, sets it apart from the pack and needs work.

While some manufacturers chose to either not release new tools for 2017 or simply chose to release some mediocre offerings, one company has single handedly delivered a host of new offerings. At SHOT Show in Las Vegas SOG introduced a host of new tools that were both innovative and forward thinking. The tool we will be looking at today is the SOG Poweraccess.

Case knives have been a name synonymous with family, tradition and quality since 1889. They built their reputation on quality craftsmanship and are proudly made in their Bradford factory here in the USA. Living here in the southeastern United States the company has representation on almost every corner of these small towns and is the preferred carry by many a man worth his salt.

Case pretty much has the traditional knife market cornered but they hadn't ventured into anything moden and frankly didn't seem to care. Something changed and Case surprised us all with new offerings in 2021. The Kinzua is Case's take on a modern EDC folder and they didn't spare the high quality treatment either.

Multitools have been a part of our lives for several decades and have been engineered to be a do it all tool box. Manufacturers include everything but the kitchen sink to ensure that we have the tools we need for any occasion and to keep us prepared. The downside to this is the tool is not specialized for a specific task and this general design makes the tool heavy. It also can be a deciding factor in which tool you purchase or edc if you have a collection like me. Several tool companies are designing tools that are specific to a job title, recreational activity or task and the Leatherman Signal is one of those tools. The Signal is patterned after the Leatherman MUT design and scaled down so it’s not such a massive beast. Weighing in at only at only 7.5oz the Signal is enough tool for the task and light on the tools so it's easy to carry where ever your headed. 

Multitools comes in a vast variety of shapes and sizes and certainly have had a lot of changes to them since the first Leatherman was issued. In spite of all those changes the general look and functionality hasn't deviated much. Tools are usually clumped into two categories; Swiss Army style or plier based which is what most people associate with.

Back in the golden age of multitools; we'll say late 90s early 2000s there was a lot of manufacturers getting in on the game. Everyone from Buck to Kershaw was producing a multitool and some of the designs were very forward thinking.  Schrade cutlery was one of those companies and they produced what they called the Tough tools. Both the Tough Tool and the Tough Chip did well for the company and we're proudly made in the USA. 

Schrade had some financial struggles and was purchased by Taylor Brands LLC back in 2004. Taylor kept a lot of the lines alive that Schrade had such as Old Timer and Uncle Henry. Manufacturing was moved overseas and we saw quality control take a dip. Schrade continued to manufacture the Tough Tools but they don't have the durability of the once famed brand.

In the first quarter of 2016 Schrade brought some new products to the market which included some multitools. One of those new tools was the Schrade ST11. The ST11 or Schrade Tough Tool Multitool; is an interesting new take on an old design.

The pocket tool phenomenon extends far beyond the reaches of my boarders and I've been searching far and wide for pocket tools that are worthy of our readers attention. I stumbled upon a knife and tool maker in Italy who doesn't crank stuff out via water jet like some folks but these are handmade tools.

The P Tool XL is 2.9 mm long and made from n690co stainless steel. N690co is a steel similar in composition to VG10 stainless; has good strength and corrosion resistance. With so many pocket tools being comprised of titanium it's nice to see someone using a different material. The weight of the tool has a good feeling to it and inspires confience.

Multitools have been around for a long time and even before Tim Leatherman came out with original PST the multitool had a purpose; it was a pocket tool box. For years companies have made multitools a jack of all trades and cram as much as they could into a tool so someone didn't have to go back to the tool box unless they really needed too. That's the reason we love multitools, they are our constant companion that can tackle any task.

Things have changed over the past few years and there is a trend developing to meet a niche or demand in the tool market. Companies are releasing minimalist style tools that feature a basic set of tools and leaving out stuff that they feel a person would not use on a daily basis. I'm not sure if the design changes are because of culture or city/urban life but they they seem to be a hit with people concerned with needing a multitool no matter what their profession.

Pry tools and one piece tools have been all the rage for years now and not only is the market flooded with them but one can find multiple on Kickstarter alone that are awaiting funding. Guess you find a cash cow and jump on the bandwagon. Schrade who was bought by Taylor Brands back in 2004 hadn't had a pocket tool in its lineup. Since the acquisition TB has re-released classic items from the Schrade past as well and produce items for the current market.

Schrade released its first version of the titanium pry tool back in 2013; it sold pretty well but not to the tune Schrade was looking for. Schrade made several changes to the design and released an updated version to their pry tool.