7 of the Best Multitools for Everyday Carry

You wouldn’t carry a metal Snickers bar in your pocket, so why carry multitool that has less than one distinct purpose?

For the past 6 years, I have carried around a number of different multitools and used them for every purpose under the sun. I personally carry around a Gerber Center Drive whenever I leave the house. It’s super useful, has a bunch of tools, and feels awesome in the hand.

But, it’s kind of heavy so that may not be the ideal tool for everyone – so let’s dive into the specific reasons you’d buy one multitool over the other and figure out which is the best multitool for EDC.

After 6 years of real-world experience (and a bunch of used test wood for screwing in screws) I put together a list of what I feel are the 7 best multitools for everyday carry. These products take into account build quality, price, form factor, reliability but most importantly, my personal opinions and experience with each of them.

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The Top Multi-tools for EDC in 2021

Best Every Day Carry Multitool – Leatherman Wingman
Best All-Around Multitool – Leatherman Wave
Best Multitool Under $50 – Gerber Suspension
Best Leatherman Multitool – Leatherman Skeletool
Best Gerber Multitool – Gerber Center Drive
Best Tactical Multitool – Leatherman MUT
Best Swiss Army Knife – Victorinox Swiss Champ

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Leatherman Wingman

The Leatherman Wingman is a great all around multitool for those who dont want to shell out $100+ for some of the others on this list. The build quality of this tool is amazing and can stand up to more expensive tools no problem.

It features the following 14 different tools: spring-action needlenose pliers, spring action regular pliers, spring action wire cutters, wire stripper, 420HC combo knife, spring-action scissors, package opener, ruler (1.5″), can opener, bottle opener, wood/metal file, philips screwdriver, medium screwdriver, and small screwdriver.

While it’s not quite up to par with some of the more expensive models, it’s absolutely a solid choice for an EDC multitool for someone who doesn’t want to spend a lot of money, but wants the comfort of knowing they have the right tool with them at all times.

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Leatherman Wave

The Leatherman Wave is one of the most popular multitools on the planet. It has been out for over 20 years and you will feel like a magic tool box when you carry this thing around in your pocket. It is not hard to find a reason to pull it out and use one of the included tools.

The Wave features 17 tools including: needlenose pliers, regular pliers, hard-wire cutters, wire cutters, wire stripper, 420HC knife, 420HC serrated knife, saw, spring-action scissors, ruler (8in), can opener, bottle opener, wood/metal file, diamond coated file, large bit driver, small bit driver, and a medium screwdriver.

The pliers are great and I have used them for all of the regular reasons and some of the less regular reasons like getting at stripped screws, picking out splinters, or holding the end of a joint.

If you’re looking for a beast of a tool that embodies what a multitool is, the Leatherman Wave is your perfect pick.

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Gerber Suspension

If there was an underdog on the list – its the Gerber Suspension.

It comes in at around $30, leaving you with a bunch of extra money to spend on beer and video games. It’s also super lightweight and the finish on the handles makes it feel glued to your hand while using.

The Suspension features 12 tools, which is slightly less than the Leatherman Wingman, but it’s still an amazing choice. It features a spring-loaded needle-nose plier, so don’t have to be the Hulk to open it when stuck shut. It also has regular pliers, a wire cutter, a fine edge blade, a large flathead screwdriver, cross driver, saw, can opener, small flathead screwdriver, scissor, serrated blade, and a bottle opener. Damn.

This is an amazing package and will be able to handle anything you throw at it. You definitely won’t be disappointed if you go this route.

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Leatherman Skeletool

This thing is the cat’s pajamas. I love it and it is in my standard multi-tool rotation.

Slightly more expensive than the Suspension, the Skeletool comes in at around $50-70 and has 7 different tools. This tool is designed for hard use and lightweight carrying and is one of the most popular multitools in the world.

The Skeletool includes the following seven features: Needle nose pliers, regular pliers, hard-wire cutters, wire cutters, 420HC combo knife, carabiner/bottle opener, and a large bit driver. All of these tools combined and this bad boy only weighs in at a minuscule 5 ounces. To put that in comparison, the Leatherman MUT weighs in at 11.2 ounces.

If you’re not looking for all of the tools, but you want the necessary ones to get you through your normal day, then the Skeletool is a great choice. This is the tool my brother carried the most during our backpacking trip to Jackson Hole a few years back and he still carries it to this day.

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Gerber Center-Drive

Talk about being impressed with something, the Gerber Center-Drive multitool is hands down my favorite multitool on the market.

The fact that there are real, full-sized, tools packed into this thing is amazing. For one, the knife blade alone on the Center-Drive is 3.25″, which is almost 30% larger than the competition and is the size of a normal pocket knife. Not just that but the bit driver is 3.2″ long, making it so that you don’t have to jam your hand in weird angles to get that awkward screw.

When you compare what Gerber is doing with the tools included in the Center-Drive, you begin to wonder how you ever used anything else.

The Gerber Center-Drive includes 12 different tools: spring-loaded needle nose pliers w/ x-channel rail system, standard pliers, rotatable carbide wire cutters, 3.25″ 420HC fine edge blade, magnetic 3.25″ center-axis bit driver, extra bit holder, ruler, bottle opener, pry bar/nail puller, awl, fine & coarse sided file, and a serrated blade. You can also get it with the optional bit set.

Out of all of the multitools on this list, none of them come close to this one in terms of getting the feel of having actual tools in your hands. The fact that the knife blade and bit driver are so long and sturdy makes this feel amazing when you go to use it. The build quality of the rest of the product is no slouch either.

This one is it. If you’re serious about getting a real multitool, look no farther than the Gerber Center Drive.

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Leatherman MUT

This thing is a brick shithouse and can handle whatever and i mean whatever you throw at it. Built for the military (MUT = Military Utility Tool) The MUT has a crazy amount of unique tools making you feel like you’ve got a Snapon truck in your back pocket.

At $160, the MUT features helpful tools for the EDC enthusiast as well as the outdoor enthusiast. This tool focuses more on the tactical EDC needs with the ability to use cleaning rods and brushes, as well as the screwdriver bits sized for standard military and civilian sighting adjustments.

The MUT multitool features 16 different tools: needle nose pliers, regular pliers, premium replaceable wire cutters, premium replaceable hard-wire cutters, stranded-wire cutters, electrical crimper, 420HC combo knife, saw, replaceable cutting hook, hammer, bolt override tool, replaceable bronze carbon scraper, #8-32 cleaning rod/brush adapter, replaceable firearm disassembly punch, carabiner/bottle opener, and a large bit driver, and it weighs in at 11.2 ounces.

This tool is definitely a bit beefier than the other tools on the list, and also focuses heavily on the military functions of the tools. We know that a lot of you guys are shooters and this is the perfect multitool to ensure that you never have issues when you’re shooting.

The ability to make adjustments on the fly are a no brainer when you have the Leatherman MUT in your bag. Lock and load.

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Gerber Truss

The Gerber Truss, is another great multitool if you’re looking for an affordable, reliable, tool to have in your EDC bag.

For about $40 bucks you get a rugged 440 stainless steel construction and a lifetime guarantee ensure that your purchase will stand the test of time. Like the Leatherman MUT, this tool has some bulk to it. It weighs in at 11.2 ounces and measures in at 2.75″ x 5″ x 1.88″. One of our favorite features of this model is the safety lock so that the tools can’t accidentally open on their own.

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Victorinox Swiss Champ Swiss Army Knife

The most well known pocket tool company on the planet deserves a spot on this list. The Swiss Champ from Victorinox is also one of my regular carry tools and is always there when I need it most.

It is 3.5in long and has 33, yes 33, tools. That’s way more than any other item listed on this page. Each and every one of the tools are assembled by hand in Switzerland. The quality is second to none.

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Conclusion

So there you have it, our 7 best multitools for EDC. I would feel comfortable replacing one of my fingers with any of the tools listed here.

Of course, there are plenty of other options out there, but in terms of price, quality, reliability, and general usefulness, we find that any of these 7 multitools would be a great addition for any EDC enthusiast.

As I said above, the Gerber Center-Drive is the one I carry around the most.

Here’s some more information on Leatherman vs. Gerber if you’re looking for something other than what’s mentioned in this post and want to better understand the differences of each.