I was looking around at the local Canadian Tire, when I spoted a gift box. It sported a folding knife, a Swiss Army style knife, and a multi-tool. My eye went to the multi-tool straight away. I just had to have this odd duck.
I must admit. They tried to make this look more expensive than it actually is. That wooden box is only cleverly disguised plastic. Overall, not a bad box.
Here we have all 3 on top of the plastic fake wood lid.
Here is the set showing all the sharp and pointy bits.
And the flip side.
Now, this is most definitely a mixed back quality wise. The folder is actually not that bad. It comes very sharp, and at this price point, I wasn’t expecting that. The thumb knurl on the blade is a small metal disk that overlaps each side of the blade, making it rather ambidextrous. Not much else to tell about it. The liner lock is solid and secure. Another surprise that. The clip is also nice. The knife has a nice solid feel to it, and it would make a nice beater.
The SAK like knife is a total bust. It looks the part, but is large, heavy and very cheap. Interestingly enough, this tool configuration seems to be a very popular model out there. I have a Ruko that is of much higher quality, and another Carolina tools one that is about as cheap as this one .
The main issue with this tool, is that it punished your fingernails. Some of the folding tools are very hard to engage. The fish scale is the worst yet. To pull it out, you have to sort of get a fingernail into the v shaped tip, and somehow miraculously flick the tool open. The problem with the implementation on this one, the V notch goes into the body of the knife, meaning you can’t open it. For the above photos, I had to use a small pair of scissors to get it opened. Something that would be impossible in the field. The fit and finish is lacking on this one. The rubber gripping surface on one side is rather uneven, with a fairly wide gap between the rubber and the metal body that a palm can feel easily. This could cause some discomfort to the user.
The multi-tool is the main reason why I bought this gift set. I have never seen this type before other than fencing pliers. This one differs in that it has folding tools in the handle. A pliers/hammer combo is unique enough I would imagine. This is a fairly heavy and solid multi-tool. The pliers are of the fixed variant. The exception being that the jaws are also shaped to form a hammer. You have the head on one jaw, and the claw on the other. When the pliers are locked closed by a small metal clasp, you can hammer nails and remove them. With the jaws opened, you have a weird looking set of pliers. In keeping with the fence theme, there is also a very large set of wire cutters.
The handles contain a folding knife, a combo serrated blade/file/wire stripper/large flathead screwdriver, a large and fairly sharp can opener, a Phillips head screwdriver, and a small swing out flathead screwdriver/scrapper.
This tool naturally leads to a comparison of other strange tools that I have.
From left to right: Unknown adjustable wrench, Sheffield Camping Axe, and Unknown Fencing Pliers.
These 3 odd ducks showing off their folding arsenal.
Now, the interesting thing is that both the adjustable wrench and the Camping tool have almost the same set of tools, construction build, etc. One would think that they are both Sheffield tools, or they were made in China, one being made for Sheffield tools. I don’t know which is true. What I do know is that the similar tool configuration, construction, and quality tell me that they were made at the same plant.
The folding tools on all three do not lock. Mind you, these are all rather cheap multi-tools I can’t expect much for 20-25 dollars. With that said, you get your money’s worth with any of these. They are well built and sturdy.
The major downfall with the Camping tool and the fencing pliers, the handles aren’t long enough to give the user some good leverage to really get some work done. Consequently, you could hammer or shop for a very long time as each blow won’t have much force behind it.
Unknown Adjustable Wrench
Pros:
- Solid and fairly well built.
- Wrench works well.
- Smooth adjustable action.
- Good complement of folding tools.
- Price.
Cons:
- Folding tools do not lock.
- Handle is a bit thick to use the wrench comfortably.
Sheffield Camping Tool:
Pros:
- Solid and fairly well built.
- Axe is sharp on arrival.
- Good complement of folding tools.
- Price.
Cons:
- Folding tools do not lock.
- Due to the size and design, the axe head is of a size to make the tool almost useless.
- Short handle means you get no force behind a chop.
Unknown Fencing Pliers.
Pros:
- Solid and fairly well built.
- A very good assortment of folding tools.
- Lots of uses for a small hammer and claw other than for hammering nails home.
- No wobble when the folding tools are fully deployed.
Cons:
- Handle is too small to generate enough leverage to get a solid strong hit when using the hammer.
- Must open the can opener to access the small folding flathead/scrapper.
- Heavy.
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