Shown here is an Amazon Basics 10-in-1 multi-tool, priced at $13.88, and they also have “8-in-1”, “11-in-1”, and “15-in-1″ styles.
This Amazon Basics multi-tool is said to measure 4.1″ x 0.9″ x 1.5”, meaning it’s a full-size tool that’s supposed to be comparable to the most popular models by Leatherman, Gerber, and others.
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The product page has marketing banners for Amazon Basics, describing the line as having highly rated products at low prices.
Functions include:
- needle nose pliers
- standard pliers
- wire cutter
- knife
- saw
- slotted screwdriver
- Phillips screwdriver
- can opener
- bottle opener
- carabiner
The Amazon Basics multi-tool is said to be made of durable stainless steel with an aluminum frame.
It might make me sound like a tool snob or EDC snob, but I’d never touch a multi-tool like this. What’s the knife blade length? What’s it made out of? Does it lock into position when open? How?
The Gerber Suspension and newer Suspension NXT are both just under $30, and represent a good balance between affordability and usability. I still have my Suspension, my first “real” multi-tool. I kept it at my lab desk and it still came in handy long after I upgraded my daily carry to a Leatherman.
I haven’t seen the Amazon Basics tool in person, but I know its type and am inclined to think the Gerbers are worth twice the price. But, that’s just me.
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Cheaper multi-tools can be frustrating to open, difficult to use, and highly compromised when it comes to strength, quality, or functionality. Tools like this aren’t anything like other hand tools where you can spend less and still get a perfectly usable hammer, screwdriver, or pliers.
This multi-tool, and others in the sub-$20 price range, still seem to be highly popular. What am I missing? All of the entry-priced multi-tools I’ve ever tried have been of abysmal quality. Is that not true for this one?
At least it’s not advertised like others in Amazon’s bestseller’s list, where many of those tools are simply “multi-tool camping accessories stocking stuffer for men dad gifts, cool gadgets for him husband grandpa birthday valentines outdoor, hunting hiking emergency escape car, fathers day survival tool.”
A lot of those tools tend to have two types of user reviews. “I bought this for my [husband, brother, father, other person]” and “it broke on the first use.”
So – am I being snobby here? Does any multi-tool user see merit in a tool like this? Have you tried this one or Amazon Basics’ other models?
And if you’re not a multi-tool user, I’d still direct you to the Gerber Suspension models as being the least expensive entry point. That’s a good entry-level tool for one-time users or those who will eventually upgrade to other brands or pricier models.
There are also plenty of keychain-sized tools to choose from. Smaller tools aren’t as functional, but I’d still rather a good mini multi-tool than a cheapest-construction-possible full-size model.
Robin
I might use it if I were going camping or something along those lines.
This way if it breaks or I lose it I’m only out $14.
Matt
What would you recommend with a carabiner loop as an alternative
Jared
Leatherman Skeletool!
Franco
For sure a Skeletool, but at 4-5 times the price, it is not exactly an alternative on the same level to a $14 multitool.
Franco
OK, I just realized this was a 2 year old thread….
Stuart
I need to update my older reviews, but definitely the Leatherman Skeletool.
https://toolguyd.com/leatherman-skeletool-cx-review/
https://toolguyd.com/leatherman-skeletool-multi-tool-review/
The price is higher than previous years, but it’s still a fantastic minimalist tool.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=leatherman+skeletool&i=tools&tag=toolguyd-20
There’s also the potential to attach a split ring and small clip to other types of tools if you need more or different functionality.
EZRA VAN DORT
I would probably never use it (maybe twice, just to be sure) but I might buy one for the collection. I like to be able to demonstrate what not buy when people ask for advice. I have several fairly crappy examples – rusty”stainless steel”, poorly formed tools, silly gadget designs. They make a good contrast to viable options from Gerber, basic Leatherman, up to the LM Charge TTI (never actually recommend that to anyone, but it’s nice).
Wayne R.
You know when you get cheap AF swag from some company? And it helps you realize just how cheesy they are? That’s this.
Jared
Nope. I would never buy this. Multi tools have inherent compromises. Good multi tools are still handy, bad multi tools are just frustrating.
I highly doubt this is worth $15. Grab a Gerber dime or something tiny and cheap like that from a reputable company first.
Yadda
As a multi tool collector, I might buy it, but only because it represents a clone hybridization of the Skeletool and the Sidekick.
OldDominionDIYer
Even the best multi-tools can be very limited and somewhat frustrating to use regularly. All mine are relegated to being stashed away “in case of emergency” I carry a pocket knife all the time and that seems to be all I need. I have multitools in my glovebox, kitchen, daypack and a few other places but they are strictly for use when I have no other better choices.
MM
That’s exactly how I treat them. I keep one in every vehicle, my suitcase, office desk, and kitchen junk drawer but they’re only there for emergency use.
But given that I expect to count on them to deliver when needed I would not buy a super cheapo one. I learned my lesson with cheapo pocket knives many years ago. Leatherman and Gerber multi-tools have worked fine for me and remain inexpensive enough for me to not even bother looking at lesser brands. Same with Victorinox swiss army knives.
Arlan Crane
Yes, This!! Just like headlamps, a multi tool is only helpful if you have it available when you need it. Any multi tool is better than No multitool (unless you injure yourself).
I don’t EDC tools and lights in my pockets / body, etc. Too much stuff already. But I like to have them (lights, multi tool, first aid, snack, etc) in every backpack, camera bags, glovebox, etc.
This Amazon Basics tool MIGHT be perfect for that. It’s worth a single tool purchase to determine if I want to buy 10 (lol) of them.
Daniel
This is the kind of thing I put into toolboxes if I think there is a risk that it will grow legs and walk away. I had a track toolbox with nothing but Harbor Freight tools. If it got stolen, I’d be out a hundred bucks.
MtnRanch
Plus, when something steals this kind of junk, they inherit the curse of low quality tools.
Yes, there are reasons to have disposable tools as long as you realize that’s what they are. I consider tools like this as something I’m using a few times on its short trip from factory to landfill. One concern is safety – will that cheap blade break or fold shut at an inopportune time?
PETE
Looking at the multi tool section. only 11 reviews since the first one in 2011?
This is my fav small multi tool- Gerber Crucial Multi-Tool
Tim B.
Wow… apparently, I haven’t looked at multi-tools lately; never seen that Gerber Crucial! Looks like a handy one I’d consider carrying around! Thanks for the tip…
PETE
Main advantage- you can pop the knife out with one hand exactly like a regular knife.
PETE
They used to be quite cheaper lol. like $25-30. At $50 it’s a bit pricey for my taste. But it’s VERY useful.
Stuart
Shall I take this as a request for more? I have quite a few tools in various stages of long-term testing.
Arlan Crane
Pete, I’m not sure which tool you’re seeing with only 11 reviews. The Amazon Basics which is the subject of the story has 2,152 reviews with a 4.5 star average.
Stuart
https://toolguyd.com/tag/multi-tool-reviews/
George
Multi tools are like Swiss Army knives. You want the real deal for a number of durability and quality reasons.
But to my mind, the biggest argument for the genuine article is smoothness of operation or machined tolerance or whatever you want to call it. I suppose it’s “quality” too. When I’m trying to pluck that one sharp tool I want from the nest of other sharp things, I want smooth and precise without half-pulling a steel porcupine of other stuff out I then have to fold back (with the needed tool exposed) before use.
Maybe this has that. Maybe not. But I know the good ones do.
Jared
That raises a good point actually – a Swiss army knife is actually a good multitool and the small ones are inexpensive. No pliers, but good otherwise (I realize there are SAKs with pliers, but not full size and those models aren’t cheap).
unmesh
According to one popular reviewer on Youtube, cheap multitools aren’t necessarily all that bad
Don
Not a chance. It’s a knockoff . Not gonna help support a country that continues to steal others hard work when they get patents to protect their ideas and China just doesn’t respect it.
I’ll pay for leatherman and the quality that goes with that name. Not to mention made in America jobs.
Tim B.
If it was a choice of this vs. a MUCH more expensive tool, then perhaps I might keep something like this around (in a car glove box, or something.. where I wouldn’t really be able to justify a $100+ EDC type multi-tool).
But when you can get something with significantly better quality for what really isn’t much more money (ex: This vs a Gerber at $15 vs $30), NOPE. That’d be a hard-pass. Unless it was, quite literally, trade-show freebie giveaway swag or something.
Matt the Hoople
Your statement: “ This multi-tool, and others in the sub-$20 price range, still seem to be highly popular. What am I missing?”
The people buying these are the same people buying all of those “flea market” $15 tool sets from Big Lots that have like 80 tools in them. It is not people that are mechanically inclined or diyers.
I’m not a tool snob but even the Gerber stuff is questionable. Most of the gerber stuff is made from “mystery metal”. I was turned off of gerber 25 years ago when every one that I knew who owned their neat multi tool, the one where you push the buttons and the plier jaws slide out the front, had a broken set of ploer jaws cause the tips of the cast pot metal would snap off. To me the multi tool is for the situation where it’s the only tool on hand so it needs to at least be reliable and easy to operate. If I know I’m gonna need a tool going in, I bring the right tool. If I don’t know I will need a tool but want to be prepared just in case, I bring one of the several leatherman tools that I have. If I were on a budget, I would consider some of the modern gerbers but just understand any limitations.
For me a multi tool is used to tighten loose nuts on a tree stand at a buddy’s hunting lease, snug up a loose screw backing out on outboard motor of the skiff while fishing, tightening the set screw for the damper knob on the in-law’s fire place, fashioning a make-shift throttle cable to replace the broken one on an 88 Buick Regal on the side of the highway in the middle of nowhere at 11 o’clock at night, and so on. All situations where I didn’t have reasonably quick access to proper tools but was able to get the job done anyway. I don’t carry one with me all the time (buying a Swiss Army knife which I do) but normally have them stashed away in the tackle box, the glove compartment, the hunting pack, etc…. No need for it to be an el-cheap that will rust, be difficult to open, with easily deformed weak tools.
Rob L.
You’re not wrong, but gawd i loved that stupid sliding plier trick.
Matt the Hoople
Yeah. They were really slick and quick into action with the flick of the wrist. Every time I watched a co-worker do that I wanted to go buy one. Too bad you couldn’t actually grab anything with the pliers without a tip breaking:(
Stuart
The newer ones seem to be better.
If you’re turned off by Gerber, I still really like my Leatherman OHT: https://toolguyd.com/leatherman-oht-review/ It’s a bit pricier than Gerber’s one-handed pliers.
Tim B.
I loved that, too — until getting one too many blood blisters, because it didn’t make it usable with enough gap when deployed! =) Never wrapped my head around it enough to become habit.
So despite the cool party trick, that one got relegated to one of my “junk” drawers, and still gets used from time to time…
Jim Felt
Isn’t this the kind of house branded knockoff crap that someone like Eddie Bauer has near their checkout areas for the unsuspecting “gift” buyer?
Skfarmer
No, no and no.
I have used and handled crappy multitools. Not worth the time or effort. To be honest most Gerber stuff is barely above that category. As others have said, Swiss Army and Leatherman are the go to in those categories.
The blades, tools, fit, fnish and funtion of them are just so much better. It isn’t worth having anything less.
Fyi…..what do I carry now. When I am working I usually don’t carry anything as the tools I need are usually nearby. Nights, weekends and when I head to town a skeletool and swiss at knife with blade, file and nail clippers can almost always be found in my pocket
Steve L
Folks buying this maybe don’t use tools and get it “in case of emergency”, or for a gift. If you use tools you learn pretty quickly “low price” is different from “good value.”
Eddie the Hook
I’m far from a tool snob. I ❤ American made tools , but on occasion i do buy from Horror Freight. As for multi tools (& i do have a few), they have to be the good high quality type. I don’t even have any of the cheaper Leathermans (Leathermen for plural 😊 ?)
Eddie the Hook
I’m trying to think of a situation when a disposable one like this would come in handy. Maybe if i was on vacation for 2 weeks & i’m hopping a flight back home with only a carry on bag. I could give it away to someone before i leave.
They are priced right to take apart & make an interesting sculpture .
Koko The Talking Ape
I’m a little surprised they chose to release an Amazon Basics multi-tool. These are complex tools, where a lot depends on the precision of the stamping and finishing, and even the okay ones (like that Gerber Suspension NXT) aren’t that great. I’d feel okay about the usual Amazon Basic extension cords and such, because what can you get wrong? But a multitool is a completely different beast. So I’d be skeptical.
So I imagine the Amazon people, being aware of buyer skepticism, went to some trouble to make a decent tool. It might lack some features, like a lock, but I bet it isn’t garbage. Amazon Basics has a decent reputation for what it is, and I’d bet they don’t want to throw that away.
(But lacking a lock is a deal-killer for me. I can hurt myself just fine without a tool helping me.)
MT
Their extension cords are one of the last things I would buy because they could go very wrong.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/10/business/amazonbasics-electronics-fire-safety-invs/index.html
Koko The Talking Ape
The article says, “The reviews identified represent a small fraction of the overall purchases of the products, and fires caused by consumer electronics are not unique to Amazon branded items.”
So without more data, or any reason to think they’re more dangerous than any other brand, I’ll keep using them.
Not Who You Think
To me, multitools are anything but tools, so I wouldn’t waste my money on this one, either. Before I get flamed for saying this, I don’t care. I just don’t think they do anything well, even in a pinch. Moreover, they’re a pain in the patoot to open the useless components they have tucked away inside.
Hon Cho
: rant mode ON
I appreciate that Stuart is mostly a one man outfit but articles like this are just filler when they are so many good and interesting tools to explore. Yes, it generates views but, to me, it comes across as little better than a clickbait listicle. A bit harsh perhaps but Stuart’s ability and time deserve to be put to better use for his audience. Then again, maybe it generates the affiliate commissions that pay the bills. Not to mention that one person’s trash is another’s treasure. Plus, I can just avoid it and wait for something meatier.
:Rant mode OFF
Stuart
[Explanation Mode On]
When looking for something on Amazon, they weren’t so subtly trying to steer me to this tool. And then again. And again.
So, there’s a question – does anybody here care about cheap multi-tools? Have I become too snobby when it comes to multi-tools?
Is it worth it for me to explore more lower-cost options?
I’ve been working with lower cost folding knives for review, as there needs to be different options at lower price points. It’s also important for me to know and understand how different tools and designs might be compromised, and how they compare at different price points, so as to better relate cost to quality and usability.
Should I dip my toes into “too cheap for me” waters when it comes to multi-tools, similar to how I have been assessing entry-priced knives?
Why spend time wondering when I could ask?
I find clickbait cringeworthy, and unfortunately it’s something I might eventually have to do if I produce more videos, as it’s a proven strategy on YouTube and Google search. But in this case the title is as plain-speak as possible.
I generally also don’t treat affiliate commissions as a goal. I do have some Amazon text links to the appropriate models, but there’s not even a “Buy Now” button anywhere in the post.
With some product types, I can infer the popular ToolGuyd audience opinion. With others, I have to outright ask.
This is also one of those times where I am vehemently disinterested in buying any more cheap basic “giftable” multi-tools. If the low-end of multi-tools are of no one’s interest here, I can safely shut the door for now.
[Explanation Mode Off]
Steve
No
Stacey Jones
This is a beater knife. Abuse it or lose it with little remorse.
Hammer1963
Exactly!
Frank D
I like the carabiner part but have been burned by several of these holiday type products from Husky & Kobalt … where it is just a crappy cheap Chinese copy of a quality product like a Leatherman … selling for more than it is functionally worth.
Gerald
Slow day in the tool world I guess. I would come closer to spending my $13 on a couple bottles of Ten High than a multitool
MT
Aside from their rechargeable batteries—which they must have sourced from a pretty solid supplier—I’ve never gotten an Amazon Basics product that didn’t end up being junk. Plus, they have a history of directly targeting the most successful products sold by successful sellers on the platform.
On top of that, they used to be the go-to for the best prices, but that’s often no longer the case. And since opening up the platform, the site has been overrun with counterfeits and Chinese duplicates. It’s eBay with a streaming service.
Don’t get me started on their labor practices.
I just don’t buy anything from Amazon anymore.
IronWood
Looks like it should be for sale with the lighters and glass pipes next to the gas station cash register. No, I would never buy this, unless stranded at said gas station with no tools and I desperately needed some pliers. And then I’d throw it away when I was done with it (if it lasted that long).
Seems like a marginal item to spend an article on here. There are about a million examples of this type of no-name knock off. They’re all crap and we know it.
JoeM
As far as I’m concerned, Amazon Basics should be used for one thing, and one thing only: You need X product to test out the viability of using that class of product long-term, but you need to test it out now on as low a budget as possible.
A lot of key examples of this are basic cables for data transfer, and power charging. You have a damaged cable, or a cheap cable, or whatever… You need to rewire a new one, and you need to source the right end for it… In the mean time, a mission-critical device needs power and data access… Amazon Basics… When you’re done with proper repairs, and the cable is all fresh and newly repaired… Amazon Basics comes off, proper one goes back in… Problem solved… Different cable goes wrong, same Amazon Basics cable can be a placeholder? Fine… Swap them out for repair or proper replacement when you can afford the cable quality you need for long-term use… If the Amazon Basics fails? So what? It served its purpose.
These cheap multi-tools? No. They’re trying to sell you a forever tool, or a beater tool, and a tool you don’t care about. Multi-Tools are a bigger item than that. They’re deeply personal, and I admit I am massively biased on this front. I wouldn’t say I’m a collector, but I certainly know what ones I want, to cover most use cases while on the move. I could spend a thousand dollars on Leatherman Multi-Tools, and still not be quite satisfied I got the full range of what I wanted. If I’m that picky about the #1 brand in the market for these tools… What is the obvious reaction to be about an Amazon Basics knock-off?
Mikedt
It strikes me as one of those tools non-tool people buy as a present for the tool lover they know.
AlexK
My first post, after daily reading for 6+ years. I bought a victorinox Swiss tool for my 47th birthday for $125. I’m 59 and it sits left side on my belt every day and it works like new. Many times I’ve helped someone because I have a good phillips /flathead screwdriver on my person. I’ve used the diamond file to flatten points on screws that I’ve gotten scratched on. I do not admit publicly that I’ve gotten my money’s worth trimming my nostril hairs over the years, but it is a fantastic, sharp and pointy (ouch) scissors. The amazon one would be okay to sit in a kitchen drawer, but really, if you want a multi tool to have for emergencies, get the best you can afford, and with locking blades for safety. Thanks Stuart, Fred, JoeM and other regulars for sharing info and being a community.
Stuart
Thanks for sharing your SwissTool experience and for the kind words!
JoeM
Oh geez… I’m flattered, AlexK, but don’t thank Me of all people… I’m a bit of a menace, and a thorn in Stuart’s side… Sure, we are really friendly with eachother, but he has the not-enviable task of dealing with my rants, and seeing if he has to delete them.
I’m glad you got informed from me on something… but… still… You’re welcome here… Stuart has always made it that way, because he has always encouraged those of us with something to share, to help inform those who are lacking in those aspects.
Unprecedented among us is fred… I never got to meet my Maternal Grandfather, he died when my Mother was young… But fred has a mind, and a skill, and such a broad range of knowledge resources, that it feels like the spirit of my Grandfather has found a way to talk to me, and pass on the skills, and the key tips to everything I do. And I don’t think fred is even the same generation as my Grandfather was… I think fred is somewhere closer to my Parents’ age, and I can’t imagine him having been born any earlier than the 1950’s. But the amount of wisdom he has… You’d think he had been working since the 1850’s. He is, by far, the biggest inspirational contributor to my own experience on ToolGuyd… And Stuart has always acted like a big-brother type in the process… giving me a quick smack every time I forget my civility.
Just… Welcome… Soak it in and let it make you better at everything you do… it’s the best advice I have, in any field.
Andy Ringsmuth
I’m definitely a fan of Leatherman tools, and always have two of them with me (SuperTool 300 and a Squirt Es4.
However, don’t discount the cheapie ones.
Years ago, when I was engaged, I went on an extended family trip with my future wife and her family for a wedding. We were flying out of Kansas City. The evening before, several of us went to a huge Cabelas store. I saw a cheapie $5.99 pocket multitool that I bought on a whim, as I didn’t have my Leatherman ones yet. I ended using it to fix a zipper on her son’s suitcase the next day.
She later told me it was that and other little things that made her more convinced I was the right man for her, because I could and would fix things.
A couple years later, I was with a group from church volunteering with tornado cleanup in Joplin, Missouri. One evening, we were moving a family back into their home, so I didn’t bring any tools with me. They were back at our base camp. But I had that little cheapie pocket tool with me, and ended up using it to install a window AC for this family on a hot muggy evening as others were carrying dressers and beds into the home.
The moral of my story? If it’s all you have, take every advantage of it. Yes, a nicer one is always better, but this little $6 one I bought on a whim served me well for a long time.
AlexK
Matt the hoople, your description of uses of the multi tool are similar to the reason I got the best (for me) I could. For me it is my most necessary item that I put on, before clipping my car keys (and second carbiner with spare key) and reading glasses.
Jim Felt
“priced at $13.88…”. I imagine nearly anyone over 10 would see the value proposition here. Near zero for the intended needful on occasion use.
AKA absurd. And so a very hard no.
Nice CGI image though. Almost familiar looking? ;-)~
Reno
You would think with the sources amazon has they would stop copying other company items and turning them into junk
you get what you pay for !!
Rcward
I stay far away from anything that says “ Amazon Basic” .
Ren
Located it on alibaba, appears to be made by Yangjiang Precision Industries Co., Ltd.
Priced at $3 for 600 min order.
Mike B
No, that is all.
bobad
Nope. Nor would I use any multitool except a painter’s tool. They’re just too awkward.