Multi-Tools are used in several fields these days, however, you’d be surprised how impactful they can be for the military as well as survivalists. That makes a good tactical multi-tool a must-have for several people all around the world. The toughest part is finding where to buy the best. We thought about the best tactical multi-tool brands and researched into it.
You’d be surprised how many tactical multi-tool brands are out there, seriously. One of the key things we knew going in was that we had covered a large number of multi-tools at Men’s Gear over the years. We love things like credit card multi-tools that have become really popular in recent years alone. However, these multi-tools won’t be going over cards.
Rather, this is all about the Swiss Army Knife of tools itself. Yet due to its tactical nature, it is built for all things possible in that world. In fact, many of them include stuff like tactical flashlights, knives, and much more.
We judged the best brands based on a number of factors. We looked at their prices, quality, depth, and so much more. All of this combined to give a proper amount of information to make our list perfect. We first looked into tactical brands that make stuff like tactical tomahawks, flashlights, pens, you name it.
Meanwhile, we also looked into set multi-tool or tool brands. All multi-tools have their own way of working. However, “tactical multi-tools” are their own special breed. They have to involve these key items to even be considered as tactical:
- Knife (serrated and/or straight-edge)
- Some version of scissors
- Some version of wire cutters (not the same thing as scissors)
- Pliers (needle-nose & regular)
- Measuring tool/Ruler
- Some version of a screwdriver
We call them the six essentials, and they’re very important. As no tactical multi-tool worth your time will not have these six essentials.
That said, you can rest assured that we’ve got you covered on the best tactical multi-tool brands. They all involve multi-tools with these essentials. With all the information we gathered, you may or may not be surprised who made the list.
However, we’re certain you’ll agree that they belong there.
Columbia River Knife & Tool
The Columbia River Knife & Tool company, also known as CRKT, is one of the better tactical gear/equipment companies you’ll come across. We particularly loved the vast selection of tactical material we could find here.
It’s not always easy to find the best tactical multi-tool brands when several multi-tools do the same things. This meant we had to search through various multi-tools on the CRKT roster and see if most or all included the six essentials in some version.
We’re happy to say that not only did they have several that fit this, but they also went above and beyond with it.
The Guppie® Multi-Tool Shows Off CRKT’s Creativity
We are huge fans of the Guppie® Multi-Tool at Men’s Gear. It is very different compared to the normal types of multi-tools that we’re used to seeing. It does not try to be flashy, just effective.
This is all we can ask from a true multi-tool anyway, so we’re happy the Guppie® went this direction.
The Guppie® was designed by Launce Barber and Tom Stokes. It was made as part of CRKT’s I.D. Works® line of tools. This particular line allows people from all walks of life to send in their concept or finished piece and the CRKT brand gets back to them and makes the tool if they find it useful.
It’s quite innovative if you ask us. This multi-tool comes with an adjustable wrench, bit drivers, bottle opener, knife, adjustable Straight-head & Phillips-head screwdriver tools, a clip for money, and much more. However, we love the additional LED light for use in the dark.
This is even a critically acclaimed multi-tool, having won the “Best Buy of the Year” Award at the Blade Show. It also currently retails for a reasonable $40.
Price Range
The price range of the multi-tools by CRKT is pretty reasonable all the way around. We feel like they’ve truly captured what it takes to be a top multi-tool brand by the way their innovative tools have been formed.
They have a ton of different types to make their depth quite large. The average price range is between $10 and $90. However, only one tool really has the $90 price tag on it. The rest are much much cheaper than this.
Columbia River also has a warranty on their multi-tools. All respectable tactical multi-tool brands have a good warranty, and they do not disappoint here.
The company offers a Limited Lifetime Warranty. They merely hold themselves accountable with this warranty to the one that owns the multi-tool first. So if you sell it or give it away, the warranty is no longer valid for them.
If you want to read more details on their warranty, you can do so right here.
Victorinox
When you think Victorinox, you obviously are going to think about Swiss Army Knives. It makes sense, as they literally tout how Swiss the company is. They’re amazing at making these knives, no doubt. However, they have taken that same experience to new levels with other gear.
This is especially true of tactical gear. They have some of the best EDC cards you’ll ever see, but they also have some of the best multi-tools in the world. It makes sense for them to, as they’re just bigger versions of a Swiss Army Knife, right?
When you buy from Victorinox, you know you’re going to be getting amazing quality. Since you have this knowledge going in, it’s pretty much just a case of picking your favorite item. We have our favorites for sure.
The Swiss Multi-Tool That Went Above And Beyond
It’s pretty fair to assume that the Victorinox brand should be among the best in the multi-tool department. Swiss Army Knives are a specialty, and they seem to contain some of the most incredible stuff in one little, pocket-sized item.
It was obvious that Victorinox could make a good multi-tool, but could they go above and beyond that many of us expected them to? That was going to be tough to ask for some brands, but not of them.
This is what gave us the brilliant Swiss Tool Spirit XC Plus Ratchet.
This is a multi-tool with 29 attachments and up to 36 different functions. Of course, they had time and knew they could make something incredible. Then they went out there and did just that.
This item includes those essentials we mentioned earlier, which was crucial to making a proper tactical multi-tool. It also includes things such as a corkscrew, can opener, crate opener, bottle opener, scraper, wire bender, wire scraper & stripper, metal & wood saw, metal file, chisel, and more.
This is not including all the smaller bit attachments for the screwdriver and other material. When we say they put a lot into this multi-tool, we aren’t lying.
This item retails from Victorinox at around $150.
Price Range
The average price range for most tactical multi-tool brands is a pretty reasonable rate of $50-$200. However, some of the bigger and better brands may be able to go over this here and there.
When it comes to multi-tools, it is kind of tough to get mad at a company’s price off and on. Of course, a good reason for a price being higher is likely due to how many things it includes.
This also has to do with the quality of the material, how difficult the design was to make, and even where the item is made.
Since we know it’s mostly Switzerland and other European territories for Victorinox, we can rest assured it’s made well and usually at a reasonable price. Their average is pretty much industry standard. Somewhere between $100-$200.
They also have a pretty good warranty. The company has this to say about their warranty:
“Victorinox AG guarantees all knives and tools to be of first class stainless steel and also guarantees a lifetime against any defects in material and workmanship (save for electronic components 2 years). Damage caused by normal wear and tear, misuse or abuse is not covered by this guarantee.”
They also offer free shipping for their items.
Other Interesting Information
If you feel you can contribute to the company with a great product in the knife or multi-tool categories, Victorinox wants to hear from you. You can find out more about that here.
Leatherman
Leatherman is one of the top knife and multi-tool companies in the world. When you think about the multi-tool world, they seem to dominate it and constantly see their tools top lists. It is not shocking to see, as they make really good multi-tools across all price points.
Some multi-tools have more tools involved with them than others, but this is how Leatherman is able to bring prices down. They, of course, use the essentials that we brought up earlier to be among proper tactical multi-tool brands.
However, they like to go beyond your expectations in their multi-tools by including things in them that you may not consider needing. Yet at the same time, if you just want the bare bones multi-tool that we’d call “the classic version,” they offer that too.
Overall, you’ll be happy to take them up on their more open designs.
Leatherman SIGNAL’s The Start Of Something New
The Leatherman SIGNAL® is one of the best multi-tools we’ve ever seen. It includes everything one needs in a proper tactical multi-tool by giving you a bit more than you need. While it is not going to include 30+ tools, it does have quite a large amount of them.
They included proper pliers of various types as well as cutters, a saw, 420HC combo knife, small hammer, can opener, bottle opener, diamond-coated sharpener, and much more. The multi-tool also includes a Ferrocerium Rod for starting fires easier.
It’s a perfect multi-tool for tactical needs. Clearly, it’s involving a lot of great stainless steel and other high-quality material. The overall multi-tool is impressively made, and something we feel makes it worth every penny.
It currently retails for around $120.
Price Range
Leatherman offers an industry standard price range, despite having some of the top multi-tools in the industry. Due to this, you won’t be paying much over $150. However, most of their items tend to range from $120-$250.
They have only a few items over $170, so it’s clear you can buy a lot from them in a very reasonable price range. The company has nearly 50 multi-tools, so it is pretty apparent that you’ll find something that fits your specific needs.
They offer a good warranty as well. It is only in play for 25 Years, but this is a pretty long time to offer a warranty for. It’s clear that you’ll get a lot of use out of your multi-tool in that time. If you want to learn specifics of the warranty, you can look it over here.
Sadly, they do not have a free shipping option. As it costs nearly $6 to ship items. However, if you want to get it quicker, you’ll have to pay near $15 for an expedited order.
Gerber
We love the Gerber brand at Men’s Gear. They’re masters of the tactical world, so it’s not shocking at all to know that they have amazing tactical multi-tools. To be among the best tactical multi-tool brands, you have to present proper items that give the essentials.
However, if you can find unique products to add to your multi-tool or find more interesting styles to put multiple tools in, that can be amazing too. Gerber does a bit a both, which makes them a favorite here and for a number of other websites.
A lot of people focus on the Gerber knives, and while they do have a lot of great knives, we think Gerber may be best at making multi-tools. This is on full display with our favorite multi-tool that the brand makes.
The Gerber Center-Drive
We’re huge fans of the Gerber Center-Drive because it does not do too much, nor too little. It offers around 19 different multi-tool combinations with even more possible due to the attachments.
Since Gerber knows how to make impressive knives among other things, we know that we’re guaranteed to get anything with a blade at a high-quality. They’re also great with comes to anything that can cut.
This is going to need to be made for tactical purposes, so it must have all things one would need in those situations.
With it, Gerber offers the essentials we all know they need. Along with this is a Magnetic 3.25″ Center-axis bit driver, tool lock, bottle opener, pry bar & nail puller, awl, file, and the standard serrated blade. This, of course, includes essential things like proper pliers.
They also include a second blade, a 3.25″ 420HC Fine edge blade to be exact.
This product is proudly made in the United States of America, as well. It currently sells for the low price of $109.
Price Range
For Gerber, you’re often going to get quality-made products that you can trust. This makes them worth the investment you make. They also make a lot of their products in America, and each one that is will be marked by them. If it’s not, you can assume it’s imported.
Due to the work in the States, you’re going to be getting quality but you may pay a higher price on some items. For multi-tools, however, they’re all industry-standard in the price range.
They offer their multi-tools for $40-$200. This is also not taking into account the type of multi-tool you want. Unlike other tactical multi-tool brands, Gerber tends to organize their multi-tools in types.
This could result in some being higher or lower depending on the type they are.
Gerber products also have a great warranty. For everyone in North America, their products have a lifetime guarantee. However, if you live anywhere outside of the continent, they have a warranty that goes up to 25 years. This is pretty reasonable and relatively industry-standard.
If you want to know more about the warranty, you can click here.
SOG
We all know by now that SOG is one of the best tactical brands in the world. That being known, it should not shock anyone to see them on a list of tactical multi-tool brands. Since we all know they belong here, let’s just get to those tools, eh?
SOG makes some impressive multi-tools for all types of people in several walks of life. They don’t try to do too much, which is great to see. When it comes to tactical multi-tools, brands assume they have to pack everything they can into a multi-tool.
However, there is something to be said about simplicity too.
It is clear that you’ll want a lot of stuff in a multi-tool here and there. However, you may not need this all the time. As a result, you need to have options and SOG has provided multi-tools that reach this for you.
That Is On Full Display In The Reactor
The SOG Reactor multi-tool is so simple that some may find it insulting. Well, that is until they see how SOG utilized the multi-tool and all the space it had. For tactical purposes, you only need what you need. It may be weird to think about but do it.
What you need are certain tools, you don’t “need” others. Hence, you need only what you need at the end of the day.
For the Reactor, that is an assisted open straight-edge blade, bolt/nut gripper, bottle opener, flathead driver bit, hex bit driver(magnetic 1/4″), needle nose pliers, phillips driver bit, wire crimper, and wire cutter.
By having the room to play with, SOG was able to add an amazing blade to the Reactor. They were also able to add proper drivers, pliers, and cutters. This all comes in amazing quality, that won’t break the bank.
This multi-tool costs only $69.
Price Range
The price range for SOG multi-tools varies compared to other tactical multi-tool brands. From low to high, you won’t spend much lower than $50 but won’t spend much higher than $200. This is industry-standard, of course.
While we won’t claim that SOG is perfect, those prices are excellent for such a top-notch brand in our book.
SOG also offers a lifetime warranty on all of their products. This includes everything up to sharpening the tools that need it, which is incredible. To learn more about their warranty, you can click here.
SOG also does engraving for most of its products, which costs $12 per engraved item. If you want to learn more about their engraving policy and information, click here.
Overall Impression Of The Best Tactical Multi-Tool Brands
We’re huge fans of all of these brands. They do so much that we love that it’s hard to ever choose between them. That is why we couldn’t and just added them all to this list. What you should keep in mind going forward is that all of these multi-tools are top-notch and made by the best in the industry.
Tactical multi-tool brands become great when they listen to the wants and needs of the average consumer. Some are willing to give the customer more than they asked for while others give too little. Meanwhile, some like to give them everything they might need and no more, or less.
Regardless of the type of company you are, there is a recognition that each and every multi-tool you make must be made for a reason. You could add a ton of tools or very few, but there has to be a market there for them to be used in. They also must contain the essentials every multi-tool has.
As long as the essentials are there and we’re given a proper multi-tool, all of these top tactical multi-tool brands will remain on top. Then continue to remain there, making more of the best tactical multi-tools money can buy.
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