Used 'Craftsman 45521' Bear and Sons (Lynn's $15 MT Challenge)

Lynn LeFey · **on:** April 13, 2018, 05:54:34 PM

This tool review is part of a challenge, to find the best tool I could for $15, tax and shipping included. The main thread of the competition is linked below.
https://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,76694.0.html

I purchased this tool used at a local pawn shop for $15 even. I have discussed before the benefits of going into pawn shops with cash, and this was an example of that, in my opinion.

This tool is 4" long, made of all stainless steel, and held together with T-10 Torx screws. It weighs 195g (6.86oz). The tool came with a nylon belt sheath. I would call the condition 'very good'. Minus some crud on the plier head, and a very light patina from age, the tool is in like-new condition. All tools are free from marring and the blade has no nicks. This tool is made by Bear and Sons, with Craftsman branding.

All tools are outside accessible and locking.

A fairly unusual feature of the tool is that it has levers used to unlock tools in the locked-open position. These protrude slightly when the tool is closed.

A review of its functions will follow.

ReamerPunch · **Reply #1 on:** April 13, 2018, 06:01:36 PM

I like where this is going.

Lynn LeFey · **Reply #2 on:** April 13, 2018, 06:23:53 PM

The pliers.

These are needlenose pliers with no spring. The wire cutter has no hard wire notch. There is just a tiny amount of play in the pivot. The jaws are well formed and come to a very precise tip. Handle splay is middle of the pack, slightly more than a Leatherman Wave, as a point of comparison. They should be fine for large and medium hands, and for smaller hands if you're not gripping objects that are very large.

These worked well grabbing the self tapping screws in my basement ductwork, both from the side and nose-on.

They also worked well grabbing the 3/8" bolts holding my storage racks together.

And even against the half inch nuts on my basement staircase, they did pretty well.

However, this did seem to be pushing what I could grip with them. I have medium hands for reference.

What became obvious with the larger bolts though was that the ergonomics of this tool under force are very good. The piece of metal that forms the locking tabs at the back of the tool acts as a comfortable platform for palm and fingers when gripping the pliers, and the rounded edges of the tool are very comfortable under high force.

I then tested the wire cutters.

It cut hard wire extremely well. However, it was not able to cut fine stranded wire from headphones. I had a bit of an issue trying to cut the 12-gauge solid copper wire while the sheathing was still on it. Without a hard wire notch, the wire kept trying to squeeze out of the front of the wire cutters, which aren't very long. Not a major issue.

I rebent the tip of the coathanger after cutting it, and there was no apparent flex in the tips from torsion. These are VERY sturdy pliers. I then put a tight loop in a piece of 12-gauge solid copper wire, and the needlenose tips were very good at this task.

I also used the tip of the pliers to pick a needle off of a flat surface, which it did with ease.

So far, I think of all the tools I've tested, these have been the best combination of robust and fine point pliers. If the wire cutters could cut stranded wire, and had a hard wire notch, I'd say they were perfect.

Both in ergonomics and function, these are great: PASS with distinction.

Lynn LeFey · **Reply #3 on:** April 13, 2018, 06:50:23 PM

The tool has a single, plain edge, clip point blade. The cutting area is about 2 1/2" (64mm). It has no side to side play, and just a bit of front-back play in the locked position.

As received, it would just cut regular paper. I gave it 20 strokes per side on ceramic rods, after which it would cleanly cut phonebook paper.

Then, it got 10 passed through corrugated cardboard across the corrugations.

And this is the point at which i discovered that the ergonomics of using this blade are REALLY bad. First, the locking levers are in the way, or digging into your hand, depending on grip. Second, the base of my pinky was digging into the tool on the plier head end, against the fairly thin edges of the side of the tool.

However, it cut the material.

I then took it back to paper to test edge retention.

And it showed a little hesitation at cutting phonebook paper, but not much.

Looking at that nice, narrow clip point made me want to give it the same thrust into an old trashcan I did with the previous contender, the Rucksack.

This thing is an amazing piercer, but I couldn't get it to cut through the can after the piercing. It acted exactly opposite of the Rucksack. Great at penetration, terrible at the cut afterward.

I never had a second thought about the sturdiness of the lockup on this blade, it, as with every other tool, seem solidly locked in while open.

So, this blade was middle of the road for performance, except when used hard, where the bad ergonomics became an issue.

Lynn LeFey · **Reply #4 on:** April 13, 2018, 07:23:44 PM

Let's move on to the drivers. The tool has a full 3-d phillips and two flathead drivers.

The smaller flathead is good for general light duty work, lightswitch faceplates and such.

The larger flathead worked well on my larger door hinge screws.

I knew it would handle the 'crusty paint can pry test', so moved right on to a flex test. I wedged it between two 2x10 boards in my basement that are screwed together, and gave it about a 15 degree flex.

The driver sprang back into shape after the test. This is an extremely sturdy pry tool.

And finally, the single most ridiculously heavy duty phillips driver I've ever seen on a multitool...

It's difficult to really appreciate the mass of the phillips from that picture, but it is solid stock, with the head milled from it. The shaft is like a quarter inch square solid hunk of metal. I tested it on the woodscrews on the bench on my porch. This is my 'hard' test for phillips. This tool did it effortlessly. I actually went around on the bench until I found one that was kind of stuck. It made that weird 'popping' sound when it first started turning, and still the tool didn't have any issues. Only under the heaviest force did it feel like there was any possible camming, but I just leaned in harder on the tool.

Ergonomics with all drivers was fine.Apparently the specific forces applied matter greatly with how comfortable this tool is to use.

Flathead Drivers: PASS
Large flathead as pry tool: PASS
Phillips: PASS with distinction

Lynn LeFey · **Reply #5 on:** April 13, 2018, 07:35:01 PM

Now, to answer the burning question...

Does the can opener open cans?

It does, very well, and without marring the can.

Here's a bit of bonus function for you. Can openers of this style will also open bottle caps.

And for whatever reason, this can opener was actually a fantastic bottle opener.

edit to add. The only can I had in the house that had something in it I could consume for lunch was a can of cheap speghetti O knockoff. My husband eats them occasionally, because he has the palate of a 5-year-old, I guess. I had to eat a can of this crap just so you guys could see a can opener work. I HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY!!!!

Lynn LeFey · **Reply #6 on:** April 13, 2018, 07:53:01 PM

Two more functions.

The awl is maybe a bit shorter than some, but is sharp and looks sturdy. I used it to drill through a half inch piece of aged ash with no problem.

The file on this thing is very nicely formed. The double cut side is fairly aggressive. The single cut side seems good for a finer surface, and the third side works pretty well as a metal saw. I used each on the large nail pictured. The leftmost mark was the double cut side, the center is the single cut side, and the third side cut about halfway through the nail before i decided I'd proved my point (and the nail was too hot to hold from friction)

Lynn LeFey · **Reply #7 on:** April 13, 2018, 07:59:46 PM

Okay...

Now I need to discuss a non-tool specific function of this tool that is... not great.

The tools lock up VERY well, and the locking mechanism is VERY strong. That's the GOOD part. The BAD part is unlocking them. You have two options. First is to use the lever provided. This is really kind of difficult, requiring a significant amount of downward force on a small area, and if you don't do it right, the levers are thin enough that they'll start flexing off to the sides. Okay... The SECOND option is to lift another tool up far enough to force the tool lock to disengage, then close BOTH tools. That's GREAT... unless it doesn't disengage. I would be sorely tempted to cut the unlocking levers off this tool altogether, because they ruin the tool's lines, and get in the way of ergonomics while the tool is in use... except without them you run the risk of getting all the tools on one side locked open with no (good) way of unlocking them.

I think this goes way beyond 'minor annoyance', but not anywhere near 'design ruining'. Just... really annoying that they figured out how to solve the bad ergonomics of the Leatherman PST's pliers, and create locking, outside opening tools... but didn't quite stick the unlocking mechanism design.

Lynn LeFey · **Reply #8 on:** April 13, 2018, 08:12:58 PM

Okay, final functions are carry options.

It comes equiped with a fold out lanyard ring if you want a lanyard. The tool is compact enough to be a reasonable contender for pocket carry.

Finally, it comes with a nylon sheath. The sheath has hook and loop tabs holding it closed. It's not a big area, and seems like it might wear out fairly easily. The sheath is designed for both vertical and horizontal belt carry, but the horizontal carry loops are fairly narrow. One note on using sheath carry. When you put the tool into the sheath, if it doesn't go in plier-end first, the unlocking levers can act as barbs, catching on the inside of the sheath, and making removing it from the sheath difficult. One more reason the unlocking levers are an annoyance.

The tool is not extremely heavy, and even for its weight, it is very compact. Pressed tight against the body in sheath carry, it is extremely comfortable. It's too heavy for my taste for pocket carry, in either front or back pocket.

Lynn LeFey · **Reply #9 on:** April 13, 2018, 08:51:47 PM

Okay, so my final thoughts.

First, this thing feels like a tank. It is EXTREMELY solid. I'm actually often shocked the Bear and Sons doesn't have a bigger reputation. However, than lack of reputation is, I think, the EXACT reason I got this tool so cheap. Or maybe that 'Craftsman' isn't well known for quality multitools. In any case, that lack of big brand name made this great tool fly under the radar. And so you all know, this was purchased at that same pawn shop that the PST from the $10 challenge came from. That guy tries to scalp you for everything, and only wanted $15 for this (I didn't even haggle).

Back to the tool itself. Very solid. Solid lockup on the tools. The only sort of weak point with the tools is bad ergonomics when using the knife under heavy force. That's pretty minor, considering how great everything else is.

Yes, unlocking the tools is finicky, but stacked against the function of the tool, it's minor.

Any discussion of how it compares to the other tools reviewed in this challenge should probably be done in the main challenge thread.

So, to directly answer the question, is it worth $15. Yes. Easily. This is a REALLY fantastic tool for that price point. Another serious contender for the win, I think.

ReamerPunch · **Reply #10 on:** April 14, 2018, 03:34:42 AM

Certainly a contender, with good chances of winning. Great review Lynn.

gerleatherberman · **Reply #11 on:** April 14, 2018, 04:02:02 AM

Unlike some of your challenge tools, you could sell that one for more than you paid easily. Very nice write-up, Lynn! Thank you for that.

The tools was also completely made in my home state of Alabama, so that is kind of cool too. Most USA MTs and knives are made in the Northwest, so we take pride in Bear around my home state.

I haven't had much luck with their MTs myself, because most of then you find around here are "factory seconds". But, with Craftsman on there, it is the real deal.

Glad it tested well and those levers can be changed to washers with minor disassembly.