Definition of "Multitool"

[Grant Lamontagne]

We had a discussion a while back about the definition of multitools and it seems like everyone had a different definition of the term.  Now, since it's been such a while for this discussion and we have many new members, I'd like to hear any new ideas folks might have had.

For the guys who participated the last time, have your opinions changed since we originally did this or do you feel the same way about it?

Is a SAK a multitool, or a knife with tools on it?  Is the new SureFire Delta (http://multitool.org/content/view/104/68/) a knife or a tool?  Is a knife just another tool or is it a separate thing entirely?

In the old thread we decided that depending on how broad you wanted to get, a pencil could be considered a multitool since it writes and erases- thus performing multiple functions.  So, where does everyone draw the line?

Def

[Fred]

i draw the line at you making these posts :grin: this is a hell of a serpents nest to open don't you remember what happened last time?

[Grant Lamontagne]

Yeah, I know, that's why I thought I'd bring it up again!  I am certain someone here has some kind of opinion they'd like to share!

Def

[Anthony]

I personally consider anything that has more than one different impliment a multi tool.  Like some knives that have three blades on them, that's a knife.  A knife that has a blade, a bottle opener, a saw...that's a multi tool.

[supratentorial]

Is a SAK a multitool, or a knife with tools on it?

This is how I know that a SAK is a "multi-tool":



The word "multi-tool" is actually a very old word and it isn't only used to describe tools with pliers.

[CQC-7]

I previously believed that a multitool is a tool based on a set of folding pliers with all the do-dads thrown in.  Now I am thinking that SAKs are multitools as well, just some of them do not have pliers.  I agree with Corrugated on this one. 

[17Chap]

I personally consider anything that has more than one different impliment a multi tool.  Like some knives that have three blades on them, that's a knife.  A knife that has a blade, a bottle opener, a saw...that's a multi tool.

I agree!  Different tools for different functions.   That is a multitool

17Chap

[David Bowen]

In short a multitool IMHO is anything that is a tool that has multiple functions, yes the surefire delta is "in a way" a multi but not a full fledged one. It's a knife foremost like the buck x-tract but a multitool none the less. A hammer with 3 screwdrivers in the end of the handle could be a multitool. This thing has been like like beating a dead horse, because we all have different views on the subject, and that is what makes this place so great.

David

[Viper]

A tool or knife that has more than one use, it may also have more than one implement.

This is without the mind set of "a single blade has a million uses".

[Grant Lamontagne]

US Patents notwithstanding (and remember, there are lots of people out there that US Patent law doesn't apply to!  ) I think that as the largest independant gathering of multitool enthusiasts in the world, we should define what makes a "Multitool" no matter how it's spelled.  At the very least, we should have a definition for our use to dispel confusion.

Like the Ontario SPAX discussion we had a little while ago- it has several built in multifunction features, despite being all one piece.  Is it a multitool? 



Or the box tool?

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=32016&cat=1,43456,43407

Or the Frog Tool?



Multiple functions, but not multiple components or implements.

Def

[NeitherExtreme]

I think that with the huge variety of multiple-purpose-tools, getting such a generic term as multi-tool to mean a specific thing isn't very likely. I would have to say (pragmatically speaking) that if you want to mean something specific, you'll have to say something specific. Examples would be "one-peice-multi-tool", "SAK-style-multi-tool", or "Plier-based-multi-tool" (or "Leatherman-style-multi-tool" if the SAK fans could stomach that one  ).

I wouldn't mind seeing "multi-tool" used to mean "pliar-based", but I don't think we'd ever have everyone on board with that...

[zackhugh]

Personally, I consider any tool/implement with multiple functions a multi-tool.  But normally I only collect/use multi-tools that have at least one cutting edge.  Kinda complements knife collecting somewhat too. 

[Grant Lamontagne]

Those are all interesting definitions- we have often used "Leatherman style" or "Butterfly opening" to describe the PST kind of traditional multitools, with various descriptions for individual types, like the above Frog tool being described as a "One Piece."

Cutting edges are an interesting slant- I know of a few members that insist on a cutting edge of some kind, but then that discounts certain things like the Frog Tool and maybe even the bladeless Fuse.  Unless you consider the wire cutters or scissors as acceptable for a cutting device?

You can define it quite broadly or limit it.  As a guy who owns a multitool site, I like to consider these things so I can decide how relevant things are to the membership here.  That Stanley PryBar thing is another good example. 

Where do we draw the line, or do we draw one?

Def

[joebw]

Hi Def,

I think drawing a line on the definition of "multitool" won't accomplish anything but angst.  Angst is liable to drive good contributors away.  I'd leave things as they are.

I have 400+ Vic Saks and consider most of them to be multitools.

Cheers - Joe

[Grant Lamontagne]

With more and more knife companies offering multifunction knives like the Leatherman knives, the Streamlight Delta and so on, the lines, if there were any to begin with, are blurring anyway.

I guess I was looking more for a blanket definition as a guideline rather than a "be all end all," not to mention finding out what everyone considers a "multitool."

At any rate, it seems to have promoted as good a discussion as "What do you want on your pizza?"   ;D

Def

[ringzero]

I personally consider anything that has more than one different impliment a multi tool.  Like some knives that have three blades on them, that's a knife.  A knife that has a blade, a bottle opener, a saw...that's a multi tool.

Dictionary lists two meanings for the prefix "multi."
-More than one
-More than two

I'd argue that the second definition should be applied to "multitool," otherwise a hand ax or a common clawhammer would have to be considered multitools.

Hand Ax: Edge and poll (sharp end of head for cutting and dull end of head for hammering.)  Designed for two specific functions.

Clawhammer: Hammer and claws (hammering and prying.)  Designed for two specific functions.

A common single-blade knife isn't a multitool, because its blade isn't designed to be used as a prybar or screwdriver, and the knife body isn't designed to be used for hammering.

Similarly a common two-blade knife isn't a multitool, because both its blades are designed for the same basic function, i.e. cutting.

So, I'd offer the following:  Multitool - a tool designed to accomplish three or more specific, independent functions.

.
   

[supratentorial]

US Patents notwithstanding (and remember, there are lots of people out there that US Patent law doesn't apply to!  ) I think that as the largest independant gathering of multitool enthusiasts in the world, we should define what makes a "Multitool" no matter how it's spelled.  At the very least, we should have a definition for our use to dispel confusion....

As a multi-tool enthusiast, I appreciate a good discussion of the meaning of the word "multi-tool" but I actually don't agree that we should define or redefine its meaning.  The people who invent them and the companies who manufacture them have largely defined the meaning of the word.  It would be a shame to disregard this history.  Although "multi-tool" is not defined in the Oxford English dictionary, the word has been used for over a hundred years.  As a multi-tool enthusiast, I think it is important that its meaning is studied objectively and preserved. 

Why would we want to draw a line between what is and what isn’t a multi-tool?  Without this line, there’s just more for us to talk about!     

Since you mention the spelling, to dispel some of the confusion I took a quick survey and wasn’t able to find a major multi-tool manufacturer that uses the word “multitool” (without a hyphen).  Bear, Kershaw, SOG, and Victorinox use the word “multi-tool”.  Gerber uses the word “multi-tool” as well as the word “tool” and their trademark term “multi-plier”.  Leatherman uses the word “multi-tool” but more often uses the word “tool”.  Leatherman actually claims to have “created the entire multi-tool category”.  Wenger is the oddball.  Wenger uses the word “knife” instead.  I associate the the spelling “multitool” with this website, not the spelling of the subject of this website.  It’s advisable to avoid hyphens in domain names so multitool.org is a logical choice for a website.  But I think the common spelling of the word is “multi-tool”.

[J-sews]

I think there is the literal definition of the word "multitool", which could be applied to any tool which has more than one purpose. Obviously this would be too broad of a usage, and does not reflect reality. It would be hardly more specific than the word "thing."

If I say to you, "I bought a new thing", you have no idea what I am referring to. However, if I were to say, "I bought a new multitool", then most people I know would have a pretty good idea what I was talking about. That is because in reality, the term multitool has a much more specific meaning than its literal interpretation. It's not a pencil. It's not a hammer. And it's not an all-in-one printer/copier/scanner.

The lines do indeed become blurry out on the edges, but the term "multitool" or "multi-tool" or "multi tool", which incidentally are all pronounced the same way, are understood by most people as referring to some sort of a hand tool that has multiple functions engineered into it. My opinion, but I also think that the term is best applied in cases where no better term is available. A tire iron for instance, which has a flat blade on one end for removing the hubcap and a hex socket on the other end for loosening lug nuts, is not a multitool. It is a tire iron.   

....Since you mention the spelling, to dispel some of the confusion I took a quick survey and wasn’t able to find a major multi-tool manufacturer that uses the word “multitool” (without a hyphen).  Bear, Kershaw, SOG, and Victorinox use the word “multi-tool”.  Gerber uses the word “multi-tool” as well as the word “tool” and their trademark term “multi-plier”.  Leatherman uses the word “multi-tool” but more often uses the word “tool”.  Leatherman actually claims to have “created the entire multi-tool category”.  Wenger is the oddball.  Wenger uses the word “knife” instead.  I associate the the spelling “multitool” with this website, not the spelling of the subject of this website.  It’s advisable to avoid hyphens in domain names so multitool.org is a logical choice for a website.  But I think the common spelling of the word is “multi-tool”.

As regards spelling, I personally prefer the unhyphenated version. I agree that "multi-tool" is encountered more often than "multitool," but the manufacturers themselves are most certainly not consistant on one spelling or the other:

[Spoonrobot]

A tire iron for instance, which has a flat blade on one end for removing the hubcap and a hex socket on the other end for loosening lug nuts, is not a multitool. It is a tire iron.   

What you are describing is actually called a Lug Wrench or Jack Handle. A tire iron is specifically designed to remove a tire from the wheel rim, most commonly seen today on bicycles since tubeless tires became the norm on automobiles in the 40s or 50s. Most people have never seen an automobile tire iron, and common usage has dictated that the term be applied to the items one usually finds in their spare tire kit, even if it is incorrect. It's just one of those phrases that never changed with the times.
 :grin:
Here are some pictures of tire irons in use.

[J-sews]

Thanks!

...so then is a Lug Wrench a multitool? Nope, it's a lug wrench.

[ringzero]

A tire iron for instance, which has a flat blade on one end for removing the hubcap and a hex socket on the other end for loosening lug nuts, is not a multitool. It is a tire iron.

By my definition (minimum of three design functions) the tire iron would not be a multitool, because it was designed to perform two functions.

There are lots of tools that fit my proposed definition of a multitool (they fall into the set of multitools as defined by me), but they would never be referred to as multitools simply because they are already known by more specific, descriptive names.

Example might be a roofing hatchet with nail puller groove in the head.  Has three design functions:  chopping, hammering, and pulling nails.  Technically by my proposed definition, it'd be classed as a multitool.  But, would anyone ever refer to it as a multitool?  I doubt it.

.
 

[supratentorial]

I agree that "multi-tool" is encountered more often than "multitool," but the manufacturers themselves are most certainly not consistant on one spelling or the other:

My favorite spelling of the word is "multi tookl"    That spelling got me a pretty good deal on a SwissTool Plus multi-tool! (see photo)