Best multitools
We reveal the pick of these pocket-sized all-rounders
Not all of us are good multi-taskers, but some are better than others – and it’s the same for this crop of multitool have-a-go heroes.
A multitool will probably never be the best thing for any job, but short of carrying a huge toolbox around everywhere, an all-rounder that slips into your glovebox could be a lifesaver if you find yourself in trouble at the side of the road, as well as doubling up as something to slice your lunchtime apple.
A pair of pliers, screwdriver or a sharp blade could get you back on the road, or come in handy when you’re working on your car.
The tools may be pocket-sized, but pocket-friendliness counts too, and our seven samples range from just over £10 to more than £180 in price.
How we tested them
We were looking for a multitool with the most suitable features for a motorist, so we came up with a series of tasks that might help fix a broken-down car. These were cutting a cable tie, stripping a wire, and tightening three sizes of screw. We then tried trimming two sizes of hose using the most appropriate blade or saw, and tightening a 13mm wiper arm retaining nut.
Nextool Flagship Pro Dark 7
- Price: around £50
- Tools: 16
- Locking: Yes
- Rating: 5 stars
- Contact: heinnie.com
Used - available now
The Nextool secured the Best Buy prize in our previous test and despite stiff competition from a couple of new rivals, it continues to hold the crown. It has a high-quality feel and lots of useful features. The pliers are spring-loaded, the wire cutters are strong, and the saw and knife blades are razor-sharp, while the 8.1cm blade is one of the biggest.
We also like the measuring tool on the casing. One of our favourite features is its pair of spring-assisted scissors, which made cutting the cable tie easy. The screwdriver isn’t great, but it should get you out of trouble if needed.
Bibury Multitools Pliers Pro
- Price: around £40
- Tools: 21
- Locking: Yes
- Rating: 4.5 stars
- Contact: amazon.co.uk
Bibury is an established US brand that’s fairly new to the UK and has its own shop on Amazon. This Multitools Pliers Pro is its flagship all-rounder, with a Tungsten body and feeling very chunky at over 300g. We also like its interchangeable screwdriver heads, pocket clip, belt clip and locking system.
The blades were sharp and handled our tasks easily, the only negative being the lack of spring in the pliers and scissors, making one-handed operation difficult.
Draper 14 Function Pocket Multi-Tool
- Price: around £5
- Tools: 12
- Locking: No
- Rating: 4 stars
- Contact: drapertools.com
For the money, the Draper 14 Function Multi-Tool is a great addition to your tool kit. It’s chunky and reassuringly weighty to hold, and while none of the blade functions was the winner in our tests, it still handled all of them well; the spring-loaded pliers were our favourites here.
It’s not as comprehensive as some rivals and there are no scissors or blade lock, but it feels better made and more durable than the other cheaper models on test, making it our budget choice.
Snap-on SMT97R
- Price: around £184
- Tools: 12
- Locking: Yes
- Rating: 4 stars
- Contact: snapon.com
With an RRP of £183.95, this Snap-on multitool is a pricey piece of kit, but it’s beautifully made and a pleasure to use.
We like how the pliers retract inside the body, and the knives seemed the sharpest on test; Snap-on says its ‘Remgrit’ blade will cut through hard materials and we got through firewood. The pliers retract to lock the body, in case it falls into little hands accidentally. It’s a brilliant tool, but the price is very steep.
Stanley Fatmax
- Price: around £19
- Tools: 16
- Locking: Yes
- Rating: 3.5 stars
- Contact: toolstation.com
The keenly priced Fatmax is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, and while the quality obviously isn’t on par with the more expensive tools here, it did a decent job in our tests.
The screwdriver was particularly good, but the tiny blade made hard work of cutting rubber hoses. The spring-loaded pliers felt good to use, but we found some of the tools stiff to get out.
Hilka large multi-tool 12-in-1
- Price: around £12
- Tools: 12
- Locking: No
- Rating: 3.5 stars
- Contact: toolstation.com
The Hilka is the cheapest tool on test, but it offers a fair amount for the money and even comes with its own pouch.
The quality feels good enough, but unlike most of its rivals, there is no scissor attachment. The pliers are spring-loaded, though, and the wire cutters did the job on the cable tie. As a cheap, get-you-out-of-trouble addition to the glovebox, it has a lot of merit.
Gerber Dime
- Price: around £27
- Tools: 10
- Locking: yes
- Rating: 3.5 stars
- Contact: gerber-store.co.uk
The Gerber Dime is the American company’s smallest multitool, designed to fit on your keyring. That means it can be handy in all sorts of situations – you don’t even need to open it to use the bottle opener, for example.
It passed all of our tests, but its diminutive size meant they were harder work in all cases. If you want something pocket-friendly, though, it’s perfect.
Verdict
It’s another win for the Nextool Flagship, which waltzed through our tests. Only the screwdriver lets it down.
If you need that feature often, then the changeable bits on the Bibury make it a brilliant tool, and the lower price may well make this newcomer very appealing indeed.
The Draper is well made, sturdy and a good budget choice, but it lacks the features of the winner.
Now read our list of the best pressure washers to buy...
