Cheap black handled multitool with springloaded pliers review

[stiffman]

This is a quick review of this multitool, often found on your favorite online place to buy cheap stuff.
I thought I would do a quick writeup
This tool is sold as "Outdoor Pocket Clip Camping Tools Multifunction Knife With LED Multi-tool Pliers"
It cost me $16 AUD from ebay. (I guess around $10 or so USD)
First impressions are actually pretty good. Some knives and multitools in this range are barely serviceable. This one though could be put to use right away – Well, some uses anyway.
The scales appear to be basic injection moulded. It does not surprise me on tools of this price point. Plus, it would be hard to put the little built in LED light into a G10 handle.

The Blade.

The blade is about 8cm long, with a liner lock. It is an interesting shape, with a slight recurve to the edge. The steel is an unknown stainless steel. At a guess, it might be 440c or similar, but I doubt it being anything better.
Out of the box, the blade’s edge is toothy, but sharp enough cut slices off post it notes. With a hone, it should be a fair bit sharper.


The Pliers.

The pliers are small. The design makes it hard to put a decent set of pliers in the handle, but the pliers they do give you are usable for many tasks.
One thing I did notice, was that the cutters on the pliers were ground quite rough. They still had burs on them, and they don’t meet up so well. I chomped though a paper clip OK, but you aren’t going to be cutting anything much finer. Thin electrical wires are just going to bend between the cutters.
The automatic deployment is novel, but the release button is a little on the rough side. To me, it looks like the ran out of the correct part, and improvised. It just doesn’t look like it’s the right size or shape for the handle moulding. As such, it looks a bit awkward.

Once deployed, the pliers lock into position, but they are still a little loose in the handle. I don’t think it would impact on usability though.
I think for most of the tasks I’d see regularly, I’d get by with these pliers, but they don’t provide much leverage for gripping stronger nuts & bolts and the likes.

Flat head driver / Bottle opener.

One of the first things I noticed on this tool, and the Philips driver, is that they too are liner locking tools. This would be the first tool that I have that has a liner lock for the screwdrivers!
There isn’t anything particularly fancy about this tool beyond the lock though. It’s reminiscent of the combination driver / bottle opener on a swiss army knife. I didn’t have any bottles to try and open on me at the time of writing, but I can’t see why it wouldn’t work.

Philips Head Driver.

Now, I think this is one of the areas I was most impressed with on this tool.
You get a 4cm long, locking Philips head driver. It is sharply ground, well formed, and it is long enough to get down to many recessed screws. I guess, depending on the recess, it might be a little bit thick still, but you’ve got a much better chance at getting down there than the bit driver on most multitools these days.
As previously mentioned, the Philips driver is held into position by a liner lock, which means it’s not going to collapse on you if you need to put some effort behind you to undo a stubborn screw.

LED Torch.
The scales of this multitool hold a small single led flashlight.
It’s the type common on cheap tools and keyring, that is, it’s a single led, and the switch simply pushes the leads of the LED onto the wires of a coin cell battery. This would be OK, if they were reliable, but even brand new, the led light flickers like mad, or sometimes simply doesn’t turn on when you slide the switch into the on position.
You are unlikely to be using this torch a lot, which is a disappointment.

Pocket clip.

Well, this isn’t really a tool, but it’s a feature that I’ll put on here, as it might interest some of you.
The pocket clip is a bare metal clip, mirror polished and sporting nicely rounded edges. It is in the tip down position, with no ability to move it to any other position.
I feel this tool is bulky for pocket clip carry, but others may have a different opinion.

Overall.
Well, in conclusion of this review, what do I think of this multitool overall?
It is reasonably well made, though it does have some flaws, mostly in the finishing work, with a few burs present.
One major downside is that it’s bulky. Compared to my Leatherman Wave, this tool is bigger in almost every way, yet it’s tools are generally fewer and smaller. (the knife is slightly larger than a wave though). I feel this is the biggest issue with this tool. Having said that, I find it still pocketable, although I usually carry a Leatherman Surge around, so opinions may vary on how big is too big.
The pliers are small, and fairly weak, so if that it something you find important, this multitool isn’t for you. But if you only need them occasionally, or find you need them to grab small things, like the securing nuts on VGA or DVI cables, then these could be of use to you.
Would I carry it? If I had nothing else, I might. The knife seems good. The Philips driver seems great, and the pliers are usable. I’m blessed with a selection of high quality leatherman’s here, so I probably won’t carry this myself.

[smiller43147]

Are those pliers similar to the Buck Extract?

[stiffman]

Are those pliers similar to the Buck Extract?

I haven't seen the Buck X-Tract in person, but it seems like a similar idea.
Now I kinda want one to compare. Lol

[smiller43147]

Are those pliers similar to the Buck Extract?

I haven't seen the Buck X-Tract in person, but it seems like a similar idea.
Now I kinda want one to compare. Lol

Here's a couple of shots of mine.

[gerleatherberman]

Excellent review, stiffman! Thank you very much for writing it!

[ChopperCharles]

I bought a first generation version of this, with the "OUTU" branding. The first gen tool is the exact same tool without the LED flashlight. I also have one with the flashlight on the way. Yes, I liked it so much, I bought a second. The pliers in mine have only a very slight wiggle when deployed. The tips can be pushed about 1mm to the right, and less than half a mm to the left. And that's using some force. So they're not the strongest pliers. I use them all the time in the garage. I do clip carry, and I love how the pliers deploy and retract one-handed. In fact, everything except the phillips screwdriver deploy and retract one-handed. The cutter manages 24ga in two cuts. ALMOST no other shear type cutter I've used can manage to cut the 24ga. It cuts 16 gauge and 18gauge with extra thick insulation, but sometimes needs a second cut for the extra thick insulation wire. It handles 12ga as well, but that's getting to the leverage limit of the pliers. It cuts small zip ties easily, but doesn't always manage normal zip ties. This is because a normal zip tie is exactly the width of the cutter, and at the very most inside part of the cutter there's a notch for stripping wire. Every now and then it will just bend a zip tie over. I attibute this to the slight looseness in the pliers. It can be prevented by side-loading the pliers a little bit when cutting big zip ties. It's really not that big an issue, but it's slightly annoying.

I love to use these when I'm welding small items. Finish welding, off come the right glove and the helmet, I whip these bad boys out, extend the pliers, grab the workpiece, and walk it to the vice where I'll clamp it and grind it. Retract the pliers and clip it back in my pocket. I never take the left welding glove off. It's a really convenient setup.

Now, while I do love this tool, I find the pliers to be small. They work for basic wire cutting duties and manipulating small objects. They're better than Victorinox pliers in a 91mm SAK, but they're not the cat's banana for most things.  Keepining in the cheap and cheerful trend, I recently picked up a Newpow chinese knife. Amazon link here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0756WJ5VF  There are a great many of these on Amazon, under different names. RAVPower, GETUHAND (lol!), TUXWANG, XUCOO (coocoo?), Synerky, Blizetec, etc. I chose the cheapest one at the time, with a name that I wouldn't mind brandishing. Tuxwang was a buck cheaper, but I figured for an extra dollar I'd rather not have a wang on my knife.  Some of them have no branding on the knife. I paid $12.99. The prices fluctuate on Amazon, so there are others cheaper now.

At any rate, I like my newpow a LOT. The combo blade is ridiculously sharp. Paper and receipt paper are no problem. The blade is one hand opening, and liner locked. A standard Torx screw can adjust the tension and side play (like the Outu above). The pliers are great. They're a lot larger than the Outu, and the cutters cut everything. EVERYTHING. 24ga wire? No problem. 12 ga wire? Equally no problem. The difficult 16ga with extra thick insulation that has been giving many of my multitools fits? Owned it. Zip ties? Not even remotely a problem. And then they did something no other multi tool with shear-type cutters has ever done in my testing before. Cut bare stranded wire. No stragglers either. These pliers cut bare stranded wire forcefully and with gusto. Thin stuff too, 18 gauge and it cut as good as any lineman's pliers or side cutters could.

Now, the pliers are thin, but they're large. They're good for turning a bolt, but not good for something like pulling a nail out of a board. They will bend to the side pretty easily. Use the right tool for the job, and this isn't the tool for that kind of abuse. In addition to the blade and pliers, there's a bottle opener w/flat head, can opener w/scraper, and a stubby bit driver. None of these are liner locked, unfortunately.  The bit driver is really neat though. The tool comes with a big heavy-duty semi-rigid nylon case, with space for the knife and a selection of bits. You pull the bit driver out, attach the adapter, and then any bits you want. It's got a lot of reach and it's really useful and comfortable. There's not a lot of wobbling, and I can put decent force on screws. It's really convenient to have a large selection of bits instead of just phillips and flat head at my disposal. Yes it takes longer to build my screwdriver, but damn if it's not the tool I'm using most. The selection of bits and the pliers really make it for me.

I love carrying both of these knives, it's actually pretty hard to decide which I dig more.


Both of these tools are cool, but neither have really heavy duty pliers. The CRKT Bivy does, and they're switchblade pliers like the OUTU.  That said, the Buck has pliers the size of the Outu, (but without the switchblade feature), and adds scissors for an overall more useful toolset. Both of those knives are more than double the price of my $13 OUTU and $13 Newpow though. Still, they're valid, cool options. I kinda want all four...

Charles.

[ThePeacent]

I've had three OUTU tools (now only 2) and have been very satisfied for them -for the price, that is- 

They are not made with very good steel  nor can they take great torque or heavy action on the pliers  but for light use and original or different from the norm designs they are cool and fun to own and use!  This one is my favorite

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That NEWPOW one is sold here in pain under the brand RUI (a sort of MTech, United Cutlery, TacForce or Frosts local to our stores  )

[ChopperCharles]

I will say the OUTU blade keeps an edge FAR better than the Newpow. Cut some cardboard or whittle some wood and very quickly the newpow needs to see some sharpening. The OUTU still has the original edge, and it's still sharp enough to slice soft tomatoes.

Charles.

[ChopperCharles]

Also of note, I've had a 1st generation Outu for a while, and I just got my 2nd generation in. The 1st gen doesn't have a flashlight. It has thinner, glossy plastic scales with a different pattern on them. The 2nd generation scales are matte plastic, and slightly thicker to accommodate the LED flashlight.  The flashlight on mine works flawlessly, with no flickering or problems at all. It's a very blue tinted LED, but it works well enough for minimal lighting duty. The 1st gen scales feel a lot better in my hands. The 2nd gen scales have a grip pattern that is sharp and pointy.

The blade is the same shape, but the grinding is slightly different between the first and 2nd generation. The first generation has a very light spring in the plier release switch, and there's a lot of play in the switch before it actuates the pliers. Because of the loose spring, I can usually retract the pliers in the 1st gen tool without depressing the switch. (They won't retract when the pliers are open, but when they're fully closed they will usually retract). In comparison, the spring in the 2nd generation is much stiffer, with absolutely no play. I must depress the release switch to retract the pliers. Once, my first gen pliers have opened when pulling the tool out of my pocket (tool was clipped to pocket). I don't see this ever happening with the 2nd generation pliers. The spring is stiffer and the release requires a solid, dedicated push now.

Overall... well, I like the spring in the 2nd gen and the scales of the 1st gen. The LED is nice, and useful, but it would be more useful to me if it was at the pliers end of the tool, instead of the blade end. As it stands, it's of minimal usefulness, and I prefer the feel of the 1st gen in my hands, and the appearance of the glossy scales over the matte scales as well.

Charles.

[ThePeacent]

I think you missed this one on your search of this kind of tool 

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spring loaded FTW! 

[ChopperCharles]

Update: Upon further inspection the first generation Outu has aluminum scales. The second generation has plastic scales. The 1st gen feels sturdier and better in the hand because of this. I've attached some comparison shots.


Charles.

[ChopperCharles]

Stiffman, after a few months of use my 2nd gen Outu developed the LED flickering problem that yours has. The problem isn't the battery, the mechanism, or anything else. It's a cheap LED that has gone kaput.  I got a set of small torx drivers and removed the screw near the battery compartment. It is locktited in place, so it will be very difficult to remove. Make sure you have high precision torx bits. You can try a bit of heat with a soldering iron, but I fear that may damage the scales before making an appreciable dent in the locktite. Note that the 1st gen is not locktited, and the screws come off easily. Not so with the 2nd gen tool.

You will not get the smaller screws out even with precision bits. The locktite is too strong, the heads will just strip right out. So, open the bottle opener so the thumb tab is not in the way, and slide the scale off to the side. With a very small jewlers screwdriver remove the plastic piece that holds the LED in place, noting how it is bent and held in place. Install a new LED. Clip the leads short. Reassemble. Super easy repair job after the locktite broke loose. I debated a high-intensity turquoise LED that was mad brighter than the white LEDs I have, but I opted to go with the white instead. I may find a high intensity white and replace it again at a later date.

At any rate, I'm quite pleased with myself and the results.

Charles.

[stiffman]

Stiffman, after a few months of use my 2nd gen Outu developed the LED flickering problem that yours has. The problem isn't the battery, the mechanism, or anything else. It's a cheap LED that has gone kaput.  I got a set of small torx drivers and removed the screw near the battery compartment. It is locktited in place, so it will be very difficult to remove. Make sure you have high precision torx bits. You can try a bit of heat with a soldering iron, but I fear that may damage the scales before making an appreciable dent in the locktite. Note that the 1st gen is not locktited, and the screws come off easily. Not so with the 2nd gen tool.

You will not get the smaller screws out even with precision bits. The locktite is too strong, the heads will just strip right out. So, open the bottle opener so the thumb tab is not in the way, and slide the scale off to the side. With a very small jewlers screwdriver remove the plastic piece that holds the LED in place, noting how it is bent and held in place. Install a new LED. Clip the leads short. Reassemble. Super easy repair job after the locktite broke loose. I debated a high-intensity turquoise LED that was mad brighter than the white LEDs I have, but I opted to go with the white instead. I may find a high intensity white and replace it again at a later date.

At any rate, I'm quite pleased with myself and the results.

Charles.

Cool, thanks for the info. At some point I might try to do a swap of the led.
I bought the tool more as a curiosity than a user, so it's not the end of the world that it doesn't work. More lights are always useful though.

[ChopperCharles]

I hear you. I've actually been using mine as an EDC, and I'm really enjoying it. Especially that blade.

Charles.