Almost lost in the hubbub surrounding the new Leatherman MUT was another niche specific AR15/M16 tool, the AR Multitasker. Like its more famous competitor, the Multitasker is designed for military and civilian shooters who need a top quality tool for servicing/maintaining their rifles in the field.
Now here's the shocking part: between the two of them, I'm yet undecided as to which one is better.
You heard me right; between the latest greatest multitool from the biggest maker in the business, and a relatively unknown tool imported from China by an upstart company, its hard to say which one gets the title of "Best"
It all depends on the criteria used I suppose.
For instance, if the
Best Multitool was the one with the best components, the AR Multitasker would win hands down. A perfect example of this is its plier head. Whereas most multitools have a plier head made from relatively soft cast stainless steel, the Multitasker plier head is made from GS-2510, a high carbon oil-hardening tool steel similar to O-1.
And rather than being cast, the plier head is cut from solid billet. The outside profile is wire-EDM cut out of the plate (a process which gives ultra precise control over the serrations and cutting surfaces) then the pivot area is cut on a precision CNC milling machine. Check out those perfect seams between the jaws in the photo above.
Finally, the plier head halves are quenched and tempered to Rc57-58, which means they don't need any silly "hard wire notches" or the like. In my opinion, nothing beats tools made of tool steel.
Note the cut-from-billet plier jaw in the photo below:
Another example of Best quality components on the Multitasker are its G10 handle scales, which combine strength with excellent gripping qualities, just like many of the top folding and fixed blade knives have.
Blades on the Multitasker are intended specifically for M16/AR15 rifles, but due to the modular design of the tool, the load out could be tailored to a number of different specific niche markets in the future. (More on that later) For now, suffice to say that the designer of the Multitasker feels that the tools included are better suited to the task of maintaining a rifle in the field than the Leatherman MUT. He should know, being a competition shooter and enthusiast himself.
Notice how each of the blades in the photo above are CUT out of plate steel and then finished, as opposed to being STAMPED out? This means that no expensive stamping dies have to be produced, and the quality of each blade can be more closely controlled. It also allows for greater flexibility, as the company can make minor changes to the current blades or come up with entirely new blades at a moments notice. Again, more on that later.
The other handle contains interesting tools as well:
The brass dental pick is removable for getting into tight areas on your rifle, and the threaded stud underneath fits standard pull-through cleaning kits.
The middle blade is a carbon scraper with a sharpened tip.
The hex bit driver on the bottom has a threaded end; not shown in the photo below is the removable 4-prong sight adjustment tool that screws on.
But back to the knife blade for a moment...at the time of Show it had not yet been decided whether to go with 440C stainless, premium Daido DC53 blade steel, or super premium DC53 steel. The concern with DC53 is that it hardens to about Rc62-63, which might present difficulties for soldiers trying to sharpen their knives out in the field!
One thing is for certain though, the blade is one-hand opening via a thumb stud, and is secured via a liner lock. (note that the barrel wrench is liner locking as well)
And while we've got the Multitasker up on edge here, notice the use of bronze washer to reduce friction between EVERY blade:
Plier head pivots at the other end get a bronze washer treatment too:
Multitasker accessories include a sturdy molle-compatible pouch with snap closure;
And a set of ten AR-specific hex bits contained in this clever two piece carrier;
But do the sum of the best parts add up to the Best Multitool? Only additional testing can answer that. One thing I can say for sure though is that this is one top notch product. I'd been aware of the Multitasker prior to handling these at the Shot Show, and am guilty of having already written it off as just another Made In China junk tool with some special blades in it.
Happily, nothing could be further from the truth. And according to the inventor, this level of quality did not come without considerable effort. From the start, the Chinese manufacturers assured him that they could meet his stringent requirements, but were hung up on the high costs of doing so.
"Nobody had ever asked them to put quality first and costs second, so they had a hard time grasping the concept," the inventor said of his Chinese manufacturing contacts, "They had the expertise to do precision work, but no one had ever specified high quality before." But eventually the efforts paid off, leaving us with the original AR Multitasker, and this year's improved Series 2 version.
And for folks who aren't into shooting? Look forward to other Best Quality niche-specific multitools from this company in the future.
