Home Depot (a current ToolGuyd sponsor) sent over a Husky 15-in-1 painting tool for review consideration.
I have shied away from x-in-1 painter’s tools in the past, only to then find myself needing one and not having one. I will usually improvise and make a mess of things, and then enough time passes that I start questioning whether I really need one of these tools. Guess what – I usually then once again find myself needing one.
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What’s special about this Husky tool is that it has extra features you might find useful. At the least, it still has all the main features you can expect, such as a paint roller cleaner and scraper blade, and so you can ignore the extra functions until you need them.
Here’s what you get:
1) Spreader – can be used for spreading spackle or other such materials.
2) Chisel/scraper – this is pretty much self-explanatory.
3) Roller cleaner – scrape extra paint off a paint roller.
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4) Crack opener – opening up a crack makes it easy to seal and patch.
5) Paint can opener – if you lose a paint can lid prying tool, this is the next best thing.
6) Convex scraper – use this edge on rounded surfaces.
7) Nail puller
8) “3/8″ nut driver” – 9/16″ wrench size
9) “1/4″ nut driver” – 7/16″ wrench size
10) Bottle opener
11) Hammer – who hasn’t used the end of their painting tool as a hammer?
12 – 15) Slotted screwdrivers, sizes: 3/16″, 1/4″, 5/16″, 3/8″.
If you have to loosen something to paint around it, this little 4-in-1 screwdriver might save you a trip to you tool box.
The handle is quite comfortable, and seems to be made from the same grip material as Husky’s screwdriver and plier handles.
As for the numbers that I wrote on the blade with marker, they wiped away quite easily. That’s because the tool comes with a slick pre-applied clearcoat finish, presumably for easier cleanup and to prevent rusting.
I have a few minor painting projects coming up, and this will definitely come in handy.
But so far, I have used this for all kinds of things except any painting projects. I used it to scrape wood glue on a small woodworking glue-up, to a sticker off a piece of machinery, and to pry open jar of wax. I also used one of the open end wrenches to lightly tighten a fastener because the Husky tool was closer than any wrenches.
Oh – and the hammer! The tool has a little heft to it (in a good way), and so I took advantage of the handle’s metal striking end to very gently tap stubborn parts that needed a little motivation to move. I imagine that it’s really meant for seating small nails flush into a wall or panel. Or, you could use it to close up a paint once you’re done and ready to start cleaning up.
Price: $7.47
How do you feel about multi-functional painting tools?
The beauty of partnering with Husky and Home Depot is that this is a tool I wouldn’t have purchased for myself, but once available, it has come in handy. It’s going in my tool box.
Are there any specific Husky tools you’d like ToolGuyd explore?
fred
The Husky one is made by Hangzhou Great Star (UPC starts 820909) . Its akin to several others in that it tries to cobine a lot of functionality . Performing tasks not as well as individual tools – but OK.
The Red Devil one adds on screwdriver bits – but you might lose some of the functionality of the end cap being useful for pounding in tacks.
https://www.amazon.com/Red-Devil-6295-Grip-Painters/dp/B01N0RDKWZ
Hyde goes two better – claiming theirs is a 17 in 1:
https://www.amazon.com/HYDE-TOOLS-209651-Painters-Multi/dp/B00RM0NSQO/
But the Clauss one includes “titanium” – but als has only 14 in 1 functions:
https://www.amazon.com/Clauss-Titanium-Non-Stick-Painters-Flat-Head/dp/B07NXB22M1
Ryan
“Made in China” Werner produces several AMERICAN made putty knives and can be purchased at most Lowes. We need to put Americans first and truly make it a point of buying American and hiring American.
Skilled labor isn’t cheap and cheap labor isn’t skilled. Dependency isn’t freedom and the only way get anywhere in life is hard work, determination and rejecting pessimism.
Mr. X
Painting is not something I look forward to. That being said, when I do need to paint, a tool like this certainly would be useful, and once finished, take up little space in my box of painting stuff. At $7.47, this should be an automatic add to any homeowner or contractor tool kit.
Kevin
Wasn’t sold at 14-in-1; but 15-in-1? Shut up and take my money!
MoogleMan3
I wish the blade was stainless steel like my purdy.
Jim Felt
That’s a great paint brush brand. And I certainly agree about the stainless steel being too often passed over for shiny if weak chrome on steel alternatives.
MoogleMan3
Yeah, I have some of their rollers and their 3″ angled trim brush; it’s my favorite brush to use for cutting in.
fred
Some Purdy (a Sherwin Williams subsidiary) items (like their wire brushes and scrapers) are now made in China. But I believe that they still make most of their paintbrushes in the USA
KevinB
I miss the old version with the bit holder at the base, the new slotted screwdriver disc is hard to removed and isnt as handy,
Tool Junkie
Yea, I had a couple of those, but the bits fell out and were lost.
KevinB
after losing mine,I put a little ranger band on mine to keep the bits in place
PG
This type of tool is surprisingly useful for the home, DIY user. Given the price point I’m never afraid to abuse this tool and it never quits going. It’s got a tight enough edge to scrape and clean but not sharp enough to be dangerous.
I have the Warner 3.25 inch version picked up at Lowe’s for $8. https://www.lowes.com/pd/Warner-Pro-Grip-8-in-1-3-25-in-Paint-Multi-tool/3364386
Every time I paint, the way the roller cleaner squeezes every drop of paint out is like magic. In fact, I find that part of painting almost therapeutic. It’s what the YouTube kids call “satisfying.”
I chose the Warner with focus on the Made in America aspect and the tool is robust enough to experiment with in a variety of use cases. The Warner comes with tools 1-7 and 11. I’ve never missed the driver and screwdriver. I’d use actual drivers and for such tasks. As for the bottle opener, why does every tool have a bottle opener add-on. If you need this many bottle openers, you probably shouldn’t be using these tools or operating heavy machinery.
Joatman
I have the Festool version. It was $5 or $10. Probably the only Festool tool I’ll ever own.
Mike (the other one)
Neat, but I don’t usually need a wrench when I’m painting, and I will read for a real screwdriver before I even think to use a tool like this to remove wall plates, etc.
I recommend the Allway 4-in-1 magnetic fiberglass screwdriver, since the weight is nearly nothing. The bits are junk, but easily replaced. Wal-Mart sells a red version under the Hyper-Tough name for pocket change.
As for multi-function scraper/spreaders, I prefer Warner. The blade seems to be a little tougher than others I’ve used, and they have taken a lot of abuse.
Peter Fox
I carried one of those Allway 4 in 1 screwdrivers for years in my back pocket next to my wallet. was a really good screwdriver for the $4 i sent on it. I loved that it was stupidly light weight. Really handy. Unfortunately newer fancier screwdriver have replaced it in my arsenal.
I think the old ones claimed to be non-conductive to 2000 volts. Not sure how they ever got that passed their legal team as there is no testing standard that I know of for insulated hand tools in the 2000 volt category. ASTM and VDE Ect. all top out at 1000 volt rated (tested at 10000 volt by the Mfr).
Mike (the other one)
Yeah, I never trusted the voltage markings. But for a long time, it (the black and orange version) was my go-to pocket screwdriver, with me on many service calls. I later bought a few of the yellow versions, but they were not quite as well made.
It’s been retired and replaced with a Klein 11-in-1, but I still use it from time to time.
Zev
I don’t understand the logic of having a gaping hole in the center of the handle just to store a cheap flathead. With it’s hard white plastic border it is likely to become a hotspot with extended use.
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Another vote for the USA Made Warner ProGrip 8-in-1:
$9.11 at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000I1RUVS/
$8.18 at https://www.lowes.com/pd/Warner-Pro-Grip-8-in-1-3-25-in-Paint-Multi-tool/3364386
Would like to see a ToolGuyd review of this.
Jim Felt
Love this model too.
But I’ve likely got a dozen various “putty” and multi use “knives”. Mostly American Made if I’ve any choice. We’ve got to make something here!
Stuart
Will add it to the list!
I figure it’ll come in handy with things like wall plates. Let’s say a painter removes or loosens all the switch plates, puts the screwdriver away, goes to a different floor, and oops – forgot one.
Tool Junkie
Stuart, you missed one! One hack I learned from “The Idaho Painter” some years ago: you put #4 into the bottom of the paint can rim channel and hit it a few times on #5. This puts a hole in the rim. Do this in a few places and the paint will drain out of the rim & back into the can. The lid reveals the can.
Stuart
Thanks! I’ll keep that tip in mind.
Scott K
I’ve never bought one, and I’ve regretted it with each room in our house that I painted. I think the roller cleaner would be my favorite feature, but I’ve made do with the concave part of wooden stirrers. Similarly, I also regret never buying a snap on spout for paint cans – next time.
Tim E.
I’ve seen this one in home depot, and passed over it. The only thing I can see better than a regular paint tool is the wrench “cutouts” for being a quick second wrench in tightening sprayer connections or similar. But I also am pretty diligent about keeping the appropriate wrenches on me, buying the specific sizes I need for sprayers makes it easy to have those as “painting only” wrenches and not have to remember to grab them from somewhere else.
For a regular “x-in-1” painting tool, I love the 2Edge / Zorr 5-in-1 tool that is a basic front blade, with a folding razor blade in the handle area. I won’t go back to “plain” x-in-1 tools anymore, because having a razor blade in the handle is just too darn handy, and saves having to carry a separate knife for things like helping remove old caulking during prep, or cutting tape/paper/plastic.
Zev
My quick thoughts of the HDX 6-in-1 Painters Tool (Now sold as Anvil at HD):
-Hard, small and boxy plastic handle not comfortable for extended use and slippery.
+Clean up easier than a rubber handle
-Lacks a secondary curved scraper edge
-Smaller main scraping edge
+Very compact and light
+Full tang with striking cap
Since it’s only about a dollar cheaper than the husky I don’t see much benefit for most.
Zev
Someone needs to due a proper comparison of these tools. More features are not always better. This one from 2015 is way out of date…
https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-painters-multi-tool/
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Blue-Hawk has a concave scraping portion which is quite nifty. (China sadly.)
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Blue-Hawk-Putty-knife-3-in-Paint-Multi-tool/50094752
Husky used to sell a similar model but now you only seem to be able to find it on Amazon for a big markup:
https://www.amazon.com/Husky-DSX-G14-14-in-1-Painters-Tool/dp/B00KXYKQDY
Some reviewers say that the nail hole is a weak point.
Adam
I have been through all of the box store house brands, the discount brands, and many of the better brands: none of them held up to regular use at home construction/renovation sites, where the painter’s tool is probably the most versatile and used general-purpose tool. It’s used for everything from protecting surfaces to light demolition to surface prep, scraping, and spreading, but very rarely for a paint-specific task (ironic, right?). They get ABUSED.
Functionally, only the crack opener, nail puller, and chisel edge are actually regularly used; the other functions are mostly ignored in the world where paint rollers are considered disposable and rarely washed, paint comes in 5-gallon buckets that don’t have lids to pry like cans, and everyone is wearing at least a small tool belt holding their general-purpose tools like screwdrivers, nail pullers, nut drivers, knives, and bottle openers.
Several years ago I purchased a couple Purdy 10-in-1 tools at my local Sherwin Williams on sale for something like $9 each. Hands-down, it is the most durable and best available in retail stores that I’ve seen. The protective end-cap is thick and heavy, the stainless steel blade has a full tang to the end cap, the handle is basic but comfortable to hold, and the blade is thick enough to withstand light demolition work without snapping or bending.
fred
Hyde makes one with a pail opener:
https://www.zoro.com/hyde-painters-tool-stiff-2-12-carbon-steel-02996/i/G4572723/
MattW.
I own 4 of these, one of the older model with the bit driver on the end and 3 of these. 4 you ask? well 3 are for scraping moss off roofs as its the most gentle way to not kill shingles. I get the husky brand for a reason the hook gets ground down to nothing and i warranty them out. This has saved me tons as each roof averages 1 scrapper. The one with the hex bit gets used as paint tool light chisel and all around abuse. It is also hand down better than the new one that’s why i haven’t warrantied it out yet. The key here is get the husky over other brands if you think your gonna abuse it because you get a new one in store any time.
MattW.
Something to note I sharpen the crap out of them on a bench grinder and make them sharp like you would a shovel for digging. Its works well for scrapping dried on anything and makes them much better. Another reason to get the husky once you sharpen it enough and its a nub you can get a new one.
Dominic S
I have at least 4 of these, they’re super handy! Would rather see “MADE IN USA” on it though.
KG
I can’t speak to this one but definitely DO NOT bother with the Husky 10-in-1 folding painters tool. I tossed one in the cart when picking up paint, thinking it could stay in the regular toolbox when my misplaced standard painters tool turned up.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-10-in-1-Painter-s-Tool-17PT0107/309976503
This folding one is just an amalgam of low quality, mis-appropriated off the shelf components. A perfect example is the drywall “jab saw” that is actually a cross cut toothed pull saw in the style of a swiss army knife – a perfect recipe for shredded paper. The knife wouldn’t cut more than butter out of the box but it seemed a waste of time sharpening it to see what kind of edge it could take or hold based on my overall poor impression.
It’s a damn shame because this could probably cover 99% of the needs of homeowners and other non-pro occasional painters while taking up a smaller and safer footprint in a toolbox. It has everything a homeowner would need for basic painting, drywall tweaks, and even outlet/switch covers but alas it’s just too poorly thought out and thrown together. Unforced errors
Nathan
I’d like to go back to a 5 or 7 in one. that’s about the sweet spot. I’ve never seen a painter use one of these to turn a screw. It might happen but I’ve never seen it. what do I see a paint covered flat and philps in a back or coverall pocket. most do a reasonable sweep of the room prior to even starting.
so scraper – putty knife stiff blade – 1
2 – roller scrapper – if you are going to clean a roller this is just good to have.
3) the point for opening the crack – great idea
4) paint can opener – why not – if you want to also call it a 7/16 flat OK
5) that drop for the nail puller would be nice.
6) hard butt for a hammer function.
I have a purdy something that I think was an 11 in 1 when I got it. so far so good.
bj
This tool was first brought to my attention by the Honest Carpenter:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IGDokUJebw
I shied away from the Husky version because I felt it was too busy, and all the features would snag on my tool belt. In addition, I didn’t like the bit holder compromised the ability to use the handle as a hammer.
This was my first purchase, but I thought it was a little too sharp for my taste:
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Warner-Pro-Grip-8-in-1-3-25-in-Paint-Multi-tool/3364386
I found this version the best for my needs. Love it.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Warner-5-in-1-2-25-in-Paint-Multi-tool/3364384
Zev
Did you find the lack of a striking cap to be a hindrance?
bj
Not really. I’m typically not striking nails, and the plastic on the butt of the handle is hard enough for my needs. FYI, I’m just a weekend warrior DIYer.
K. Smith
Selling our souls to the Chinese, $7 at a time.
It’s the “It’s cheap, why not?” attitude that has gotten us into this mess. Stop buying crap you don’t need just because it appears to be inexpensive.