note: first appeared in July 2016

Son of gun! So I was in Walmart the other day and passed by the sporting goods counter. Low and behold what did I see? A multitool that looked pretty decent. But, that isn’t what grabbed me…the price pulled my eyeballs out of my head.

I thought the price applied to something else, but I had to ask, “Are those multitools actually priced $3.97?”

“Yes sir they are,” was the associate’s reply.

I bought 10. Yeah, 10…right there, right then…on the spot.

I got home and buyer’s remorse started kicking in. I kept wondering are they worth it, should I have waited, will they be a cheap piece of crap? All of those questions were floating around in my head. I couldn’t wait to get home and get some testing done.

Well, I could go on and on about this mutlitool, but there’s no point. Here is my summary –

• Is this a cheap piece of crap? Nope.
• Is this going to last my lifetime? Nope.
• Is this going to get work done? Yup.
• Is the knife blade sharp? Yup.
• Is the saw blade sharp? Not really, but it does cut.
• Do the screwdriver blades work and fit screws correctly? Yup.
• Does the file work and appear to be decent? Yup.
• Does the bottle opener work? Yup. (But who uses a bottle opener anymore?)
• Does the can opener work? Yup.
• Are the tools easy to get open from the handle compartment? Not real easy but they open.
• Do the tools snap and lock into place? Nope. But neither do my higher end multitools either.
• Does the wire cutter actually cut wire? Yup. Just don’t try to go too big. I did 12ga with no problems. And it cur zip ties just fine as well.
• Do the pliers pieces line up correctly and their faces flush? Yup. Surprisingly so actually.
• Is this equal in quality to a Leatherman, SOG, or Gerber? Nope.

Bottom line – Buy this freaking multitool !

Here’s why I did…I needed ten of them. I am responsible for a 10-person response team for our church’s emergency preparedness. I’ve put together kits for each person. So when they show-up I can hand them a kit and they have some basics; knife, radio, flashlight, writing tablet, pen, etc. Now I have added a multitool to the kit. And I spent less than $40 doing so. Yup!!!

So, is a SOG, Leatherman, or Geber better? I think so. But they also cost a whole heck of a lot more money too. So, is the Ozark Trail worth the $35 Gerber? Maybe, probably not. But the Gerber is not 8 times better than the Ozark Trail but it costs 8 times more. So use the Ozark Trail until it breaks…throw it away and get another one out of storage. Repeat 6 more times as needed.

If you want to get a multitool in the hands of each family member, each group member, or just have a supply on-hand this is the way to go. I have no problem recommending this to you…especially at this price…$3.97!!  So go to the sporting good’s counter at your local Walmart and look for it. The picture at the beginning of this article and it will show you exactly what to look for.

2019 Copyright © AHTrimble.com ~ All rights reserved
No reproduction or other use of this content 
without expressed written permission from AHTrimble.com
See Content Use Policy for more information.