Piranha by Pockettoolx.com

[David Bowen]

Sorry for the delay on this review folks, I have had this tool for a while but due to multiple issues that have arisen at home I had not gotten then typed up. Here it is, like always you critique it and let me know what you think.

The pocket tool category seems to have exploded in the last year or so.  I am continually finding more folks who either make custom pocket tools or companies who are just joining the market.  We thought since the release of the Artifact and Shard tools from Gerber; there would be no other big companies who would jump on the bandwagon.  Well seemingly out of nowhere a company called MK7 announces that they are going to start producing pocket tools that are going to be made of high quality materials similar to custom makers like Peter Atwood.  The first tool on their list to be released was the Piranha; this tool has started more of a stir in the knife/tool community than the Gerber tools ever thought of doing.  It’s really a mess and in this review I am not going to choose sides or dispute issues of who stole what intellectual properties.  I am going to lay out the facts like they are and you can draw your own conclusions.



The Piranha is a very robust pocket tool and is a good choice in my opinion for a first release from this company.  Most pocket tools are a little on the smaller side and are really more for keychain carry than for pocket duty.  I myself do pocket carry my tools more often because I like having them at the ready and not tethered to a key ring.  This tool is about four inches long and two inches in width, quite larger than other tools of this style.  Its extra size is good because it gives you a considerable amount of tool to get a purchase on when using the wrench or any one of the other features.  In spite of its size it doesn’t take up as much pocket room as you might think and is rather kind to our pockets due to the rounded edges.  Made out of 154CM stainless it also resist corrosion well.  I have bad luck with tools and stuff being tarnished.  The Piranha comes out strong though to its combination of steel and finish.



One thing that really grabbed my attention with the Piranha is that is has wrenches similar to other styles available on the pocket tool market   I am pleased to find  that they work rather well on most sizes of nuts you find available (those from ¼ to 3/16) and having the option of a box end or an open ended wrench certainly comes in handy.  There are numerous times when I needed the open end and a box end would have been totally useless.  Having both is a nice blend and offers more versatility to this tool than if you only had boxed ones.  My only gripe about the wrenches is the fact that there is a limited amount of sizes available. I feel that it would be nice to either have more sizes available similar to a Pocket Wrench II or offer SAE on one side and Metric on the other.  After hearing of an update from MK7, it is nice to learn of a future model of the Piranha called the “Piranha X” will feature both sizes and thus offer more versatility to this tool.



In the world of pocket tools one thing is more prevalent than all other features; the ability to pry stuff with them.  Due to the size of the Piranha the tool is quite good in this respect.  The thickness of the steel mixed with two different ends makes it a joy for opening paint cans, stuck windows and things of that nature.  The open end of the wrench has quite a steep angle and is good for really heavy duty prying while the other end is more subtly angled and features a nice broad surface which works real good as a scraper.  I have used this end more times than I can count for scraping gunk off the floors at work, removing tape from windows and other nasty things.  Most pocket tools have an angled pry end but not many feature two of them, let alone one that can multitask like this one.





A feature which most pocket tools don’t have and I feel should all have is the ability to drive Phillips and straight screws.  Most pocket tools make kind of a compromise and can turn both styles using their pry end.  This tool has a dedicated double ended bit that is held in the body of the tool by a piece of neoprene.  You would think that wet suit material would be an unlikely candidate for a pocket tool material but it works out pretty good.  At first the bit is held in so tight you really have to tug hard to get it out; but it loosens up with use.  Getting the bit out has a trick to it but I mastered it in a short amount of time.  To use the bit you place it in the hex opening on the end of the tool near the open end wrench.  I thought it would be a pain to use the screwdrivers because nothing would hold the bit in place while you were using it, but the bit is long enough that you can hold it in place with your thumb so it does not slide or push back on you.  The arrangement of a #2 Phillips and a #7 flat is a good pick for drivers since those seem to cover the basics and most folks don’t need more than that. The drivers work well and it’s good to see another pocket tool manufacturer include drivers as part of their overall package.



Two honorable mentions I can also tell you about are the nail puller and the bottle opener.  The bottle opener works rather well, with some pocket tools its more of just a thrown-in addition and sometimes opens bottles rather poorly.  The bottle opener works pretty well but is not as excellent as some of the others out there.  The nail puller is rather interesting.  It does indeed work well as it is intended but the circumstances have to be right.  The nail not only has to be thin enough to fit in the slot but also has to have enough of a head to facilitate pulling the nail out.  This feature does work but seems to be dropped from a future release of this tool due to it being somewhat ineffective.

In conclusion, it’s nice to see a company who is fresh on the scene be able to jump right in and offer us a great product.  The Piranha is not without its faults and I am sure as the company grows and produces more tools they will only get better.   It truly is nice to see a company make pocket tools equal material wise to those produced by custom makers and offer it to folks at an affordable price.  I look forward to what else MK7 has up their sleeves this year and you can check them out at pockettoolx.com.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Fine review that David

And I genuinely quite fancy one too

[AHB]

Good review David.. 

[David Bowen]

I wanted to do a comparison pic of the Piranha and the Wingnut which are so similar it's not even funny. I feel the Piranha is SERIOUSLY inspired but I can't start bashing in the review, I simply look at the tool for what it is. I was hard not to get into talking about Atwoods this and Atwood's that but I think it turned out to be a very good review. Plus since I don't have a WingNut it can't influence my thoughts, that may change if I snag one though....and may rewrite the review, who knows.

[AHB]

I don't think you should rewrite it if your opinion changes, just let the reader decide whether it's influenced or not.. 

[David Bowen]

True true, your right.  The tool is really well done and my most used part is the scraper/pry end. I have used it to scrape gunk and what not for lots of things. The screwdriver as much as it is nice to have, seems to be something (lately) that doesn't get used much, I just go reaching for a multitool. 

[ryan1835]

would be nice to see a pic or two of the nail puller in action 

nice write up

[David Bowen]

The pic won't be the best, these pics for this review were taken with our 7MP Sony but it's messed up at the moment and our other one has no macro lens or anything for taking good close ups. I can still try though.

[Styerman]

Cool little tool , what's the price point ?

Chris

[ryan1835]

$49 USD

[Styerman]

Funny , thats about what I paid for my first Atwood back in Jurrasic times .

Chris

[Smitty44]

Cool tool and looks very handy,thanks David. &

[farmerjohn]

Thanks for the review. I was thinking about ordering one until i realised one little thing, and perhaps you folks can shed a little light on it for me.
What are the box wrenches good for when you don't use the biggest size but the smaller ones? If you use the biggest size the box wrench acts like a
stand alone one would do, since the nut can't move in any direction. But when you use the smaller sizes the nut still could "escape" in the direction of the bigger end, just like it would when using the open side. What am I missing?

[David Bowen]

You just have to keep your tension in the direction of the smallest portion of the wrench. You right, if you slack up the nut will slip out. It took me a while to get use to it but I do it now without thinking. The wrenches are meant to be like a last ditch tool and something you use when nothing else is available. If you had a full socket set or a adjustable wrench (crescent) you wouldn't still pull out a box wrench would you? Since I don't carry a multitool with pliers alot of times I always carry something that has box/open wrenches on them to help offset that problem. I like them so much I have 5 pocket tools with the wrench on them. I know, I'm addicted right? 

[farmerjohn]

Yeah of course. But since these tools are about squeezing the most amount of tools in the smallest amount of space i'm just surprised that there's essentially wasted space since the 5 (or 4 for the metric version) smaller wrench sizes on the box side are redundant. The only real addition is the biggest size.

Wouldn't it make much more sense to incorporate alternate sizes on both sides? For example 6, 8, 10, 13 and 15 on one side, and 5, 7, 9, 12 and 14 on the other side. That would add a lot more flexibility to the tool than just one box wrench size.

[David Bowen]

I'm confused, are you talking about combining sizes into one wrench end like the Pocket Wrench tool does?

[farmerjohn]

No, sorry for my lack of linguistic skills. Let me give it a better try:
As i understand it both wrenches of the Piranha have the exact same sizes, the difference one being open and the other being boxed.
But since the box side only really works as intended with the biggest size, the other sizes are redundant.
So if you leave the open side as it is, but change the sizes on the box side so both complement each other, you gain "new tools".
For example 6, 8, 10, 13 and 15mm on the open side and 5, 7, 9, 12 and 14mm on the box side.
So you'd loose the 15mm box size, but in return gain 5 new sizes you didn't have before.

[David Bowen]

Well yes it would, when the first generation model came out (the one I reviewed) they stupidly made the tool with the same sizes on both sides. I didn't see the reasoning because I have a Atwood Funnybone that has SAE on one side and metric on the other, why couldn't they do this with the Piranha. Well after MUCH complaining from the public they have produced the Gen2 model that now has just that. The new one has...

Wrench Sizes:
Standard: 9/16, 1/2, 7/16, 3/8, 5/16, 1/4"
Metric: 6, 8, 10, 13, 15mm

Now I want a Gen2 to make up the difference. The Atwood WingNut has the same redundancy, both the box and the open are the same size. If MK7 did get the idea from Peter they should have made the logical choice the first time to pick both sizes (metric/SAE) and not the same on both ends. Who knows why they chose it, maybe they felt those were the most popular or common sizes and folks wouldn't need more. 

[farmerjohn]

Went to their website to order one, but you have to choose either "standard" (inch) or "metric" when putting it to the shopping cart.
And the product page also doesn't mention that there is one available with both SAE and metric on the same tool.
Now i'm confused.... 

[David Bowen]

E-mail them and ask them, as far as I know Gen2 has both US and metric on the same tool. Why it said reg or metric I don't know, unless they forgot to change that part of the website.

[farmerjohn]

I just got the anwer from pockettoolx regarding the Gen2:

[...]
Currently the Gen2 Piranha has metric-only version and a standard-only version.

You are correct in the fact that the box end only truly works as a box on the largest size but have since kept it in that configuration as the box allows for a user to apply more torque without the tool flexing as much.  This isn't readily apparent, and has been a discussion here since Day 1. 

With these things in mind, we will be introducing a new Piranha in the near future that has a standard open end and a metric closed end.  There will be some more features added as well with this new design. 

So Gen3 it is for me... 
At least no need for you to get a Gen2 after all

[Benner]

Seems the Gen3 could be the one to get.

[Mr. Whippy]

Seems the Gen3 could be the one to get.

Agreed, but then again, it will be a slightly more kitted out Funnybone (bit driver hex hole and pry end).

FWIW, I really like the utility of the Funnybone for a keychain tool.

[David Bowen]

The funnybone is really just a custom version of the Pocket Wrench II. Only the pocket wrench has both sizes in one wrench and also supports prying and a hex hole. The funnybone though is very pocketable/key chain freindly.

[Outback in Idaho]

  Leatherman sure ruined a good product, then discontinued it. It is still a much wanted and useful tool. Have one remaining. Trying to find a better way of carrying it so as not to get lost. S-biners are untrustworthy as tonight I lost a Leathernan Pump that I used for merchandising. Did buy a cheap Croc as if I lost it would only be out the $5 I paid for the dumb thing. Would rather carry the Piranha.

  Wished someone would being back the Piranha

  Do wished some manufacturer would make an adjustable bar/crescent multitool that is worth its weight to carry. Seen an in-like adjustable wrench small multitool from back in the 60's or later. Wished I saved the photo. Rather than adjust like a crescent wrench this one adjusted up/down a bar, perfect for a multitool design.
  Best pocket wrench idea I've seen that was similar is super expensive and is nothing more than a wrench.

[Grant Lamontagne]

How they justify that price is beyond me.   

Def

[David Bowen]

I still carry my piranha tools, keep one with the driver bit removed and keep it in my rebar pouch. Rebar stays in my vehicle for times when the tool I have on me needs backup. I agree with Leatherman dropping the ball on these, they were a great product and after Leatherman bought them they didn't do the product justice, I'm glad I've got the originals.

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