Multitools: godsend or compromise? Are they really handy, versatile, go-anywhere tools? And do you get what you pay for?(Test: multitools)

Publication: Choice (Chippendale, Australia)

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COPYRIGHT 2004 Australian Consumers' Association

IN A NUTSHELL

* If you spend a lot of time outdoors adventuring or you're a compulsive handyman, you might want a pocket powerhouse tool--but they won't replace a regular toolbox for the home.

* Price makes a difference: all the cheap models on test were disappointing.

Plan to bag a fish or two on the weekend? Maybe you're off camping or bushwalking, or perhaps panning for gold by a peaceful river? You could be doing a thousand and one things when you realise that some sort of tool would come in mighty handy--to extract a hook from your prize catch or open that can of tuna atop the mountain you've just climbed. Perhaps even tighten a loose screw on a butterfly net ...

It's in situations like these that multitools potentially come into their own. Essentially, they're a folding pair of pliers with other tools stored inside the handles--mini screwdrivers, knives, scissors, maybe even a fish scaler or socket wrench to boot.

By combining many useful tools into one, multitools promise convenience and practicality. But do they deliver? To find out, we tested a range of branded models we found in stores that have at least five basic multitool features (pliers, wire cutter, knife blade, can opener and screwdriver for both ordinary and Philips heads).

TESTING

We rated the ability of the multitools to do a variety of common 'outdoorsy' tasks that you might expect them to be able to handle:

* Bending and cutting thick (2.5 mm) wire.

* Cutting a fish hook made from hardened steel.

* Cutting a thick piece of tope (8 mm).

* Opening cans.

* Driving in and out ordinary and Philips-head screws.

* Cutting cheese and tomato.

We also rated the ease of opening the pliers and other tools, factored in the comfort of the handle and put them through endurance and rust-resistance tests.

PAY MORE AND GET MORE

Overall, we found two types of multitool--good (expensive) and bad (cheap) ones.

While the good ones will cost you over $100, they're capable of doing a large range of jobs and on the whole they're also much easier to use and more durable.

Cheap ones, on the other hand, may be suitable for removing a hook from a fish, but that's about all. Most failed the wire-cutting test (the KINCROME was the only cheap model that passed), and all the cheapies failed...

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