Multitool.org Forum
Tool Talk => Cheap and Cheerful (or otherwise!) => Topic started by: gerleatherberman on September 29, 2017, 05:56:33 AM
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Well. We all have the MT bug, but some of us were buying them before we knew what good was like myself. I bought $5-$10 tools several times a week for a while and they accumulated. These days I buy only name brands and really nice looking cheap tools. In this list and pic are the ones I still have, as I have given away, traded and sold a lot of my cheap tools. But, as I write this, many remain!
A few are not "cheap", but I think most of us will know most of these aren't truly great MTs.
Starting top left going down:
H.B. Smith Large MT - No locks.
WorkPro Heavy Duty MT - All outside locking tools; a Fantastic $40 tool.
Ozark Trail Large MT - No locks.
Mossy Oak Heavy Duty MT - All locking outside tools; Fantastic $9 tool.
Sheffield Camp MT - Three locking tools.
Smith & Wesson MT - No lock, but has sliding pliars & bit driver.
Craftsman Work MT - No locks, but has sliding pliars & bit driver; gorgeous fit and finish!
Top middle column:
Camillus Captor MT - No locks and is the same tool as the Les Straud MT(crapola).
Kobalt MT - Three locking tools.
Sports Field Fishing MT - No locking tools.
Stanley MT - No locking Tools.
Magnelex HD MT - No locking tools, but has bit driver and bit kit with great scissors.
Snap-On MT - No locking tools.
Kobalt old style MT - No locking tools; fantastic quality.
Third Column:
Big Lots MT - No locks pure garbage.
Unknown LM copy - No locks, but has bit driver.
American Camper MT - No locks.
Ozark Trail MT - No locks pure garbage.
Winchester MT - No locks pure garbage.
Ms. Fixit grocery store MT - No locks pure garbage.
Goodwrench MT - No locks pure garbage.
Dewalt MT - Locking main blade; looks great and pliars are very nice.
Top right group:
3 generic fingernail type scissor MTs. One Angler mini Wally World tool and a SwissTech(not Swiss. Obviously) flashlight type pliar tool.
Below is a KVD Pro series fisherman's MT and for $15 is really good!
Below the KVD is a Goodwrench adjustable wrench MT, a Sheffield hammer/pliar head MT and a stanley folding pliar thing that is kinda crappy.
Sorry for any typos! A lot of these were given to me as gifts, so I didn't have to buy them. :) Enjoy my collection of cheapo shame and please share your collections of cheap shame as well with me if you can! :)
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well, that's a huge collection and nothing to be ashamed of my gosh!
I myselñf bought and received many cehap MTs during my years before the "addiciton" kicked in, and even now I often get some cheapos to try out. I don't want to discredit any of them, but I'll post some pics of them and categorize them by
"Very good",
"Good",
"Meh" and "Not good" (considering their cheap price point and low cost)
"Very Good": Those were the OUTU Pliers-Scissors, also the Paul Chen Multitaskers and Piranha Tool, in both big and medium size models
(https://i.imgur.com/LBPoO2D.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/maQuAI6.jpg)
"Good": The clone of the LM Wave, the unbranded black-rubber handle MT and Ganzo G202B and the Skil clone of the SOG Toolclip, also but not pictured the EGO tools SAK-Alikes
(https://i.imgur.com/poTKVeX.jpg)
"Meh " these were the Flip-Grip tool, also the Gerber DET Clone and the much copied LM SuperTool clone I had, with unbranded "stainless steel" markings and hex driver
(https://i.imgur.com/ZJbYgao.jpg)
and the "Not good" were: most cheap unbranded MTs through the years with excessively soft steel and useless fish scalers, the LIDL Orange-Blue MT (also branded as Dexter), the cheap mini Chinese MTs with flashlights and a Hammer multitool I broke many moons ago, as well as this LIDL Pruners-gardening MT
(https://i.imgur.com/CvumrRF.jpg)
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Thank ya for sharing, sir!
Some seriously neat looking tools in those pics! I like the cheapos when you can tell they were really trying hard to design something good, but the execution was poor. 8)
I like those sliding tools with the folding pliars in the handles. Never saw one of those before!
Somewhere I've got an old guppie(no pliars) like that adjustable wrench tool, but with less functions. They aren't terrible for some tasks!
The fake DETs are eveywhere it seems like. I have one in my glove box, but the tools have a half inch of lockup play making it dangerous to use.
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It can happen to anyone. I bought a couple CnC ( cheap and cheerful ) tools. One was cheap but decently made. I cannot recall the brand its been a while. .
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I do not descriminate between the name brands and the non name branded stuff as far as collecting. A lot of cheap stuff is very interesting design wise.
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I like that Dewalt one! :like:
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Indeed Chako! The cheapies have some cool designs!
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I like that Dewalt one! :like:
It and the craftsman are two of the cooler lookings cheapie MTs! I have actually carried the Dewalt a few times. Good plairs!
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That's an impressive collection regardless. I own an American Camper. My father gave it to me as a boy, it's sentimental value to me is beyond price as he is no longer alive. I carried it as a Boy Scout and an Army Cadet. I'd say it served me pretty well, the handles are somewhat loose nowadays and swing open with literally no resistance. I have tried tightening them but as it held together with rivets it's not really possible. I'll hand it down to my son one day as it was once handed down to me. But as a first multitool for a youngling i don't think I could fault it as it does exactly what it needs to do. It's worth having in the collection.
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That's an impressive collection regardless. I own an American Camper. My father gave it to me as a boy, it's sentimental value to me is beyond price as he is no longer alive. I carried it as a Boy Scout and an Army Cadet. I'd say it served me pretty well, the handles are somewhat loose nowadays and swing open with literally no resistance. I have tried tightening them but as it held together with rivets it's not really possible. I'll hand it down to my son one day as it was once handed down to me. But as a first multitool for a youngling i don't think I could fault it as it does exactly what it needs to do. It's worth having in the collection.
Thank you for the kind words and sharing your MT story, Captain Sabretache! :)
That is awesome you still have the Camper tool your late father gifted you, and intend to pass it down. :cheers:
I've adjusted my views on cheap & cheerful tools a bit since this thread was posted, because I have seen many people get by adequately with less expensive tools. Basically it boils down to the idea that, "if the tool someone has is the only tool they have to use, it is a good tool."
And, because of the ideological adjustment, I have acquired quite a few more examples of Cheap & Cheerful tools. Some of which still blow my mind in their build quality, thought of design, uniqueness, and engineering. The idea I implied, of C&C tools bringing shame, is somewhat shameful in hindsight. :cheers:
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Thank you for the kind words and sharing your MT story, Captain Sabretache! :)
That is awesome you still have the Camper tool your late father gifted you, and intend to pass it down. :cheers:
I've adjusted my views on cheap & cheerful tools a bit since this thread was posted, because I have seen many people get by adequately with less expensive tools. Basically it boils down to the idea that, "if the tool someone has is the only tool they have to use, it is a good tool."
And, because of the ideological adjustment, I have acquired quite a few more examples of Cheap & Cheerful tools. Some of which still blow my mind in their build quality, thought of design, uniqueness, and engineering. The idea I implied, of C&C tools bringing shame, is somewhat shameful in hindsight. :cheers:
Your most Welcome Gerleatherberman. That's the beauty of forums like this not only do you learn a hell of a lot but it also changes the way you think about certain things.
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Your most Welcome Gerleatherberman. That's the beauty of forums like this not only do you learn a hell of a lot but it also changes the way you think about certain things.
So very true, Captain SabreTache! :cheers:
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Part of the journey. We buy what we can afford till we can buy a more quality version. Some of the early tools we acquire are tossed if they failed or simply put away as nicer tools are purchased. Whats neat is looking back over the journey. Seeing what you've accumulated and why. I no longer have the tools I had. I gave them to fellas who needed a MT. The tools I had served me well so I cannot complain. I do have some less expensive knives, mostly Kershaw. I have given several away but kept a few just because.