Multi-tool

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: – · · · scholar · JSTOR (October 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Bicycle multi-tool

Victorinox SwissTool

A multi-tool (or multitool) is a hand tool that combines several individual functions in a single unit. The smallest are credit-card or key sized units designed for carrying in a wallet or on a keyring, but others are designed to be carried in a trouser pocket or belt-mounted pouch.

Historical[]

The idea of incorporating several tools in one unit is very old, dating back at least as far as Middle Roman times.^[1] Many of these were used for eating.

Pocket knives[]

Among the earliest contemporary examples is the Swiss Army knife as supplied by makers Victorinox and Wenger. The actual version supplied to the Swiss army includes a knife blade, a reamer, a bottle-opener–screwdriver–wire stripper, and a can-opener–screwdriver. Besides Victorinox and Wenger, many other manufacturers now make similar knives.

Other versions may include items like a nail file, tweezers, folding scissors, a tooth pick, a magnifying glass, screwdriver bits and others. There are also versions that have special tools for specific sports or outdoor activities like golf, horseback riding, hunting or fishing. Versions intended for cyclists may have a selection of allen (hex) keys, a selection of wrenches, screwdrivers, a spoke key, and a chain-breaker.

Folding multi-tools[]

Leatherman Pocket Survival Tool

In 1983 Tim Leatherman sold his first "Pocket Survival Tool",^[2] larger and more robust than a pocket-knife-based tool, and incorporating a set of needle-nosed pliers in a butterfly knife-style mechanism. Too large for most pockets, it came with a belt pouch.

Other multi-tools[]

Survival Card

Other multi-tool functions include a hammer,^[3] LED light, lighter,^[4] tape measure and an assortment of screwdriver bits.

Multifunction tools may be specialized for use in certain activities. Cyclists may carry a folding tool with multiple screwdriver bits or wrenches to allow adjustment of bicycle fasteners during a ride, or for repairing a broken chain. For sport fishermen, a specialized multitool may combine common functions such as cutting fishing line, crimping weights, removing hooks or opening split rings. A specialized multitool may be used for adjustment, cleaning or minor repair of a firearm in field use. The advantage of a multitool is saving weight and space over a set of individual tools to perform the same functions.

References[]

^ "Roman multi-tool". Archived from the original on 2017-05-11. Retrieved 2016-03-21.
^ "The Leatherman Story". www.leatherman.com.
^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-07-15. Retrieved 2014-06-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
^ "LighterBro Turns Your Bic Lighter into a Multitool". Lifehacker.

v t Hand tools
Sawhorse Toolbox Workbench
Adjustable spanner Antique tools Basin wrench Block plane Brace Bradawl Breaker bar Card scraper Cat's paw Caulking gun Clamp Crowbar Fish tape Gimlet Glass breaker Grease gun Hammer Hammer tacker Hawk Hex key Hole punch Impact driver Jack Locking pliers Lug wrench Mallet Mitre box Monkey wrench Multi-tool Nut driver Paint roller Paintbrush Pencil sharpener Pincers Pipe wrench Pliers Plumber wrench Plumber's snake Plunger Podger spanner Punch Punch down tool Putty knife Scratch awl Screwdriver Sledgehammer Slide hammer Socket wrench Spike maul Staple gun Stitching awl Strap wrench Tactical light Tire iron Tongue-and-groove pliers Torque wrench Tweezers Upholstery hammer Wrench
Types of tools Cleaning Cutting and abrasive Forestry Garden Hand Kitchen Machine and metalworking Measuring and alignment Power Woodworking

v t Knives and daggers
List of daggers List of blade materials
Kitchen and table knives	Boning Bread knife Butcher knife Butter knife Cheese knife Chef's knife Cleaver Electric knife Fillet knife Grapefruit knife Lame Mezzaluna Parmesan knife Pizza cutter Splayd Steak knife Tomato knife Japanese kitchen knives Deba bōchō Maguro bōchō Nakiri bōchō Santoku Sashimi bōchō Udon kiri Unagisaki hōchō Usuba bōchō Yanagi ba
Other knives	Aircrew Survival Egress Knife Athame Balisong/Butterfly Ballistic Ballpoint pen knife Bayonet Boline Bolo Boot knife Bowie Cane knife Ceramic knife Clip point Combat knife Commander Corvo CQC-6 Deba bōchō Diving knife Drop point Fairbairn–Sykes fighting knife Gerber Mark II Ginsu Golok Gravity knife Guna Hacking knife Higonokami Hunting knife Jacob's ladder Karambit Kard Kirpan Kitchen knife Kukri Laguiole knife Machete Mandau Marking knife Misericorde Mora knife Multi-tool Navaja Neck knife Nontron knife Opinel knife Palette knife Pantographic knife Parang Penknife Penny knife Pirah Pocketknife Phurba Putty knife Puukko Rampuri Resolza Sabatier Sami knife SARK Scalpel Seax Sgian dubh Sharpfinger Sheath knife Shiv Sliding knife Smatchet SOG Knife Straight razor Strider SMF Survival knife Swiss Army knife Switchblade Taping knife Throwing knife Trench knife Tumi Ulu Utility knife Warrior knife Wedung X-Acto Yatagan
Daggers	Anelace Applegate–Fairbairn fighting knife Arkansas toothpick BC-41 Bagh nakh Balarao Baselard Bichuwa Bollock dagger Cinquedea Dirk Ear dagger Emeici Facón French Nail Gunong Hunting dagger Janbiya Jile Kabutowari Kaiken Kalis Katar Khanjali Khanjar Kris Kunai Marine Raider Mark I trench knife Parrying dagger Poignard Push dagger Rondel dagger Seme Shobo Sica Stiletto Tantō V-42 Yarará Parachute Knife Yoroi-dōshi
Manufacturers	Aitor Knife Company Al Mar Knives American Tomahawk Company Aritsugu Benchmade Böker Buck Knives Camillus Cutlery Company Cattaraugus Cutlery Company Chris Reeve Knives CHROMA Cnife Clauss Cutlery Company Cold Steel Columbia River Knife & Tool Cuisinart Cutco Dalian Hanwei Metal Dexter-Russell DOVO Solingen Due Ancore Ek Commando Knife Co. EKA Emerson Knives F. Dick Fällkniven FAMAE Fiskars Gerber Legendary Blades Füritechnics Glock Ges.m.b.H. Imperial Schrade Ka-Bar Kershaw Knives KitchenAid Korin Japanese Trading Company Kyocera Leatherman Mad Dog Knives Marble Arms Medford Knife and Tool Microtech Knives Morseth Muela Murphy Knives Olfa Ontario Knife Company Opinel Randall Made Knives Rösle Sabatier Shun Cutlery Slice, Inc. SOG Specialty Knives Spyderco STI Knives Strider Knives Thiers Issard TOPS Knives Tramontina Victorinox W. R. Case & Sons Cutlery Co. Carl Walther GmbH Wenger Western Knife Company Wilkinson Sword Wüsthof Yoshida Metal Industry Global Zero Tolerance Knives Zwilling J. A. Henckels
Knifemakers	Rex Applegate James Black Blackie Collins John Nelson Cooper Ernest Emerson Jerry Fisk Bill Harsey Jr. Phill Hartsfield Gil Hibben Jimmy Lile Bob Loveless William F. Moran Ken Onion Ralph Osterhout Bo Randall Chris Reeve A. G. Russell Jody Samson William Scagel Mike Snody Robert Terzuola Michael Walker Buster Warenski Daniel Winkler
Associations	American Bladesmith Society Cutlery and Allied Trades Research Association Knifemakers' Guild
Category:Knives / Daggers