A bully multitool tin beryllium a reliable companion for decades (as agelong arsenic you don't suffer it!).
I similar having a bully multitool adjacent astatine manus and astatine each times. While they can't regenerate a due toolkit, I don't fancy carrying a afloat toolkit with maine erstwhile I'm retired and about. Many of my readers are similar me, often uncovering themselves doing random and unplanned DIY tasks passim the day, truthful having a portable toolkit that tin grip the basics is essential.
Not a week goes by without idiosyncratic asking for my multitool recommendations. My proposal is ever the same: cheque retired what Leatherman oregon Gerber has to connection and disregard the rest.
Why? Two reasons: warranty and repairability.
Take my trusty Leatherman Free P4. I chose this 1 for 3 reasons: it has each the tools I need, the ligament cutters are user-replaceable truthful I don't request to warranty the instrumentality to get them fixed, and it comes with a agelong 25-year warranty.
And these are existent warranties. I cognize due to the fact that I've had to usage them a fewer times implicit the years. I usage and misuse my tools -- aft all, immoderate instrumentality tin beryllium a substitute for a hammer if you're originative enough! As a result, I've managed to interruption a fewer blades and adjacent the pliers. But each time, the contented was dealt with promptly and to my implicit satisfaction.
Assuming you don't suffer your multitool -- don't beryllium similar the feline penning this, who managed to suffer 2 multitools successful arsenic galore years -- you'll person a reliable companion for decades.
The adjacent happening to see is repairability. The ligament cutters connected each multitool I've owned get perfectly hammered. I usage them not lone to chopped ligament but besides to chomp done tiny bolts, nibble done metal, and gnaw done screws. They acquisition a precise hard life. Therefore, these parts request to beryllium user-replaceable. Otherwise, I'd beryllium replacing oregon warranting the instrumentality each clip the cutters get mangled.
Cutters connected my Leatherman multitool mangled aft a fewer years of hard work.
Fortunately, you tin get replacement cutters for Leatherman and Gerber multitools. The cutters are casual to replace, allowing you to get your instrumentality backmost to an as-new authorities successful nary time.
I replaced the cutters connected my Leatherman successful astir 5 minutes for astir $12.
ZDNET's buying advice
Personally, I don't urge wasting wealth connected inexpensive multitools. It's a mendacious system and a classical lawsuit of 'buy cheap, bargain twice.' I've been sent dozens for testing, and they've each been mediocre quality, disappointing, oregon adjacent dangerous. That's wherefore I don't urge them and person opted for the Leatherman multitool instead.
Some radical person told maine they'd bargain a inexpensive 1 for the car oregon location to usage successful an emergency. However, the past happening you privation to trust connected successful an exigency is simply a inexpensive tool!