Carolina Cheapo

[Grant Lamontagne]

This one is from Carolina Knife & Tool, a small company that I'd pretty certain is run out of someone's basement- where else would you buy container loads of awful tools and drop ship them to Wal Marts, Home Depots, Canadian Tires and other big box stores so they can put them on end caps in the vain hope that someone will spend $6 on them? 



It is a pretty blue color, and the matte black is striking.  Of course, pretty is as pretty does, and this one simply doesn't.



It does have a surprisingly well made Phillips driver for a cheapo though, and if you have big enough paws to wrap around the oversized handles, this one actually isn't too bad. 



It's not going to overthrow any Leatherman tools in your collections, but for $6 this is one of those tools that would be better to have with you than none at all- and trust me, I have more than a few that you'd be better off without!



I bought this one as a set with an equally awful pocket knife- a cheap one handed tactical type folder with matching pretty blue and black handle and a blade that looks like it was designed by the same 5 year old as the one found on the Buck X Tract- which is one of the reasons I could never take the X Tract seriously.  If I find the thing I'll take photos of it.  If not, well, you can thank me later for not subjecting you to it!

Def

[Nikos]

Never trust a multitool with a fish scaler (old Chinese proverb)...

[Grant Lamontagne]

Even a Victorinox SwissChamp? 

Def

[jerseydevil]

It was my understanding that at one point Carolina Knife and Tool was a "value" brand for Fiskars.  I have an old pinchy Multiplier by them, the packaging did say Fiskars on it.  I gave one away here a while back as well.  Wonder if it's the same company or if the name was sold a la Schrade....... 

[Grant Lamontagne]

I don't know if they were ever any good or not, but none of the ones I have seen were.

Def

[Landrew]

I found one exactly like this among my old junk when I was cleaning house. It's fairly beat up, with most of the blue paint scratched off, but all the tools are sound, so it seems to have survived some fairly hard use.

[Grant Lamontagne]

Yeah, drawers really pound on these things...

Def

[Gareth]

It was my understanding that at one point Carolina Knife and Tool was a "value" brand for Fiskars.  I have an old pinchy Multiplier by them, the packaging did say Fiskars on it.  I gave one away here a while back as well.  Wonder if it's the same company or if the name was sold a la Schrade....... 

You did indeed.   The quality is nothing like as good as on a real Multiplier but a lot better than nothing.  I do wonder if it is still a Fiskar's brand though.

[Grant Lamontagne]

Fiskars had another cheap brand a while back- I dunno if it was Remington or Winchester, but it was one of the two, and it was horrid.  I think it was Winchester now that I think on it a little.  I have a Winchester nail clipper doodad that is positively awful.

I seem to recall the Remington tools not being a whole heck of a lot better.

Def

[Gareth]

I do remember hearing years ago that Winchester was a cheaper alternative to Gerber.  Now I know that's not quite right, but it does make sense if they were/are another Fiskar brand.

[Grant Lamontagne]

Yup, if you want to be convinced of the high quality and reliability of the Suspension, check out a Winchester...

Def

[Lynn LeFey]

Kinda makes it all relative, doesn't it?

[Nhoj]

Never trust a multitool with a fish scaler (old Chinese proverb)...

Hey! My first plier based multi tool when I was a little kid had a fish scaler on it! (But it was a pst clone for $5 at target) Well, that explains a lot!

Edit: sorry if that quote came through weird used the quote feature on tapatalk

fixed quote- Def

[Landrew]

On close inspection, this isn't such a bad tool.  The tools are on the outside, and don't all come out together as on other cheapies. I think it shall be my first serious modding project.  First thing to go will be the blue finish - not too fond of that.

[Landrew]

Please forgive the double pic. -No idea why.

[tosh]

  First thing to go will be the blue finish - not too fond of that.

An' second thing to go will be your temper, as it's launched in the general direction of the trash bin 

[Landrew]

  First thing to go will be the blue finish - not too fond of that.

An' second thing to go will be your temper, as it's launched in the general direction of the trash bin 

I assumed that at first, but after the reading the OP, I went to the junk drawer and started examining it with renewed fascination.  The tools seem quite good.


I think it may have earned a place in my MT tool collection instead the ol' junk drawer.

[Lynn LeFey]

I think it may have earned a place in my MT tool collection instead the ol' junk drawer.

See, here's the funny thing. I never segregated my junk MTs from the rest. I just have them sorted, like Leatherman, Vic, etc., and then junk. But they're all in one handy location.

[Landrew]

I think it may have earned a place in my MT tool collection instead the ol' junk drawer.

See, here's the funny thing. I never segregated my junk MTs from the rest. I just have them sorted, like Leatherman, Vic, etc., and then junk. But they're all in one handy location.

I'm thinking of getting a Pelican case with special cutouts for each tool.  Now that just seems crazy, doesn't it?

[Lynn LeFey]

I'm not sure if you're collecting, or trying tools out. if you're collecting, a pelican case would be fine. For me, I tend to go through tools (get them, try them out, trade them away). So a case with slots for specific tools wouldn't work for me.

[tosh]

I'm thinking of getting a Pelican case with special cutouts for each tool.  Now that just seems crazy, doesn't it?

There are somethings that one should never admit too.............NOT EVER!

I think you may have just overstepped the mark   

[Landrew]

I'm thinking of getting a Pelican case with special cutouts for each tool.  Now that just seems crazy, doesn't it?

There are somethings that one should never admit too.............NOT EVER!

I think you may have just overstepped the mark   

Good thing I caught myself in time.

[tosh]

I'm thinking of getting a Pelican case with special cutouts for each tool.  Now that just seems crazy, doesn't it?

There are somethings that one should never admit too.............NOT EVER!

I think you may have just overstepped the mark   

Good thing I caught myself in time.

Each to his own is what I say

Please go ahead.

In times of austerity we could all do with a laugh. 

[scrappy]

Carolina knife and tool is a division of fiskars and gerber. Many of the winchesters tools I have boughten say produced by Carolina knife and tool on the box and the address is the same as gerber.

[Landrew]

Can anyone recommend the right sandpaper to get rid of that awful blue paint?

[Grant Lamontagne]

I'd probably just use steel wool or a wire wheel on a Dremel Tool.

Def

[tosh]

Can anyone recommend the right sandpaper to get rid of that awful blue paint?

It ain't the paint that's awful