SOG Micro Toolclip. New version vs old version vs Ka-Bar model 1307 (knockoff)

[ChopperCharles]

I have in my possession two Micro Toolclips and a Ka-bar knockoff of the same tool.

All three are interesting tools, and I like them all.  So lets compare!

Jaws

The jaws on the modern toolclip are the largest in terms of metal beefiness... but they're not actually any longer than the jaws in either of the other tools. There is however more jaw available for gripping things, at the expense of available cutter size. Both the modern Toolclip and the Ka-bar have smoothly operating jaws with a nice spring action that opens the jaws all the way (toolclip) or almost all the way (Ka-bar). The Japanese has no spring action at all, and the jaws drag and are heavy and tight. This makes the Japanese toolclip difficult to use, as when it's completely closed it's difficult to open again one-handed. The jaws on the modern toolclip and the kabar are machined and finished nicely, where the Japanese toolclip has casting marks easily visible and tips that aren't level with one another, with a small side offset. Only the Japanese toolcip has two piece jaws, the other two have the weaker scissor jaw design. Of these three tools, I feel I have the best grip strength with the modern toolclip. Of the three, the Ka-Bar jaws open the largest, by a significant margin. The modern ToolClip opens the next largest, with the Japanese toolclip a distant third.

Winner: Modern ToolClip

Cutter

Working cutters are essential for a small tool like this. How do they rank? Well the modern ToolClip struggles to cleanly cut stranded copper wire. It cuts 12ga fine, but it cannot manage 24ga, it can't cut 18ga cleanly  (there are stragglers uncut), and 16ga with thick insulation is bent instead of cut. It can cut small zip ties, but leaves stragglers with normal zip ties, because of the notch in the cutters for stripping wire. The cutters are smaller and take up significantly less space than do the cutters in the other tools.

The Japanese ToolClip does much better. It can cut 24ga, 18ga, 16ga with thick insulation, and 12ga with ease. All zip ties are cut with a snap that sends the end across the room.

The Ka-bar only cuts the 18 gauge speaker wire well. Everything else cannot be cut in one go. Small zip ties are cut, but normal zip ties are only mostly cut, with some stragglers that keep the cut from being clean. This tool cut far more, far more cleanly when it was brand new and fresh out of the box. But that was only two months ago. As the tool has broken in and been used, the cutters have become less effective.

Winner: Japanese ToolClip

Peening

All three of these are peened together well. The modern toolclip has Torx screws at the two pivot points, and rivets for the rest. The Kabar and Japanese ToolClip are peened throughout. The Japanese toolclip has the biggest peened heads, followed by the Ka-Bar, and then finally the modern toolclip. This one is really tough. I prefer the torx screws on the modern toolclip, but the rivets are not peened nearly as well as the other two tools. The Ka-Bar's peens aren't as big, neat and clean as the Japanese toolclip, but they're functionally better than the modern ToolClip's three rivets.

Winner: Tie between the two ToolClips, with the Ka-bar a very close second.

Tools

The Japanese ToolClip and the Ka-Bar share the same toolset: Plain blade, serrated blade, and file with flat screwdriver and unsharpened wire stripping notch. The Japanese Toolclip adds a sharpened wire stripping notch as well. The modern ToolClip has a plain blade, a bottle opener with screwdriver, and a large file with large screwdriver. The modern ToolClip also has a phillips driver on the handle.  I'm not a huge fan of serrated blades. I don't think they're very necessary, and are a redundant second cutting tool. However, the modern ToolClip doesn't get off either, as pliers can be used as a bottle opener, and one-handed at that, so the addition of a bottle opener on the modern ToolClip is also unnecessary. The modern toolclip has two flat and one phillips drivers, though the phillips is only marginally useful for very weird screw locations. Maybe a quarter as useful as the other drivers. That means the modern ToolClip has 2.25 drivers, whereas the other two tools only have one driver each.  The file on the Japanese toolclip is VERY aggressive, and works very well on metal. The Ka-bar file is not as aggressive, and the metal is not as hard. It can file metal, but after a few passes I can see marks on the file teeth which are not present on the Japanese ToolClip. The modern toolclip has a very large double-sided file, properly heat-treated and very hard. This would be a stand-out tool, except that it was cut incorrectly. It's properly hard, but it's not aggressive. In fact, it was cut so badly that most of the double-cut file fades into flat, unblemished tool. This is a manufacturing defect and documented problem with the new ToolClips. Finding one with a good file is difficult. The plain blades are all very similar, and all have half-stops to prevent finger mangling.

This is a tough choice. If the file on the modern ToolClip actually worked as a file, that would be the clear winner. The small flat driver on the Japanese and Ka-Bar tools is much more robust than the small driver on the spindly bottle opener of the modern ToolClip though. And the Japanese model has a wire stripping notch and a very sharp serrated sheepsfoot blade.  I'm afraid that unless the modern ToolClip gets a decent file, the old ToolClip is going to be the winner, because the file is a completely useless tool on the modern ToolClip, and the handle screwdriver is partially useless. There are no useless tools on the Japanese toolclip, even though there are fewer tools. The Ka-Bar tools are pretty decent, but side-by-side with an actual ToolClip, the quality in the name-brand SOG is rather apparent.

The Japanese ToolClip has the best backsprings, followed by the Ka-Bar and then the modern toolclip. The tools in the modern toolclip close a little too easily, and don't snap with as much force as the other two tools.

Winner: Japanese ToolClip.  Caveat: The modern ToolClip would win this if the file tool was not defective.

Sharpening

All three have plain blades that can easily cut paper. The Japanese Toolclip however is beyond sharp. It's sharp enough to shave with. It cuts receipt paper like butter.  The Japanese toolclip has a serrated blade that also cleanly cuts paper, and is equally wicked sharp. The Ka-bar on the other hand has a much steeper bevel to the serrated blade, and is not as sharp. The Japanese tool has a wire stripper notch on the serrated blade, which is also sharpened. The Ka-Bar and modern ToolClip plain blades seem about the same level of sharpness.

Winner: Japanese ToolClip (by a large margin)

Comfort:

The Ka-Bar is frankly painful to put any force on. This is because the blade tools stick up at the back of the tool, and dig into my palm when I'm putting pressure on the pliers. This design is shared by the Japanese ToolClip, but the blades stick up less and the handle scales round over the edges of the side plates and close even more of that gap. The Japanese toolclip has a rounded plier handle which is more comfortable than the Ka-Bar as well. The Japanese ToolClip feels the best in my hand, when just holding it. The modern ToolClip has exposed retention button, screws and a lanyard loop that stick out. However, when putting force on the tool, the modern ToolClip wins handily. All the tools fold up to be completely flat, with no edges sticking up. The handle is the most rounded, and feels good. And the design of the modern ToolClip means I can put more force on the tool, more force on the jaws, and it still feels good in my hand. The Japanese Toolclip also falls by the wayside compared to the modern ToolClip, because of the lack of jaw spring action. The spring action actually makes a huge difference in the comfort of using the tool. It's far more pleasant to use one of the spring-loaded plier tools.

Winner: Modern ToolClip

Handle Retention

The Ka-Bar handle retention is tried and true. Friction from the peening keeps the metal loop from sliding off the handle. If it becomes loose, a whack or two with a ball-peen hammer tightens it back up again. The Japanese ToolClip has a little plastic arm that keeps the handle from opening. I cannot tell if it is purely friction or if there is a small retention system that keeps the arm up. There is no  way to tighten it should it get loose, but I also don't know if it could potentially become loose. At any rate, the jaws are so stiff and there is no spring, so a handle retention is actually unnecessary. The modern ToolClip has a great design. Easy one-handed opening of the jaws by sliding a little slider rearward. This would be the clear winner, except for one thing: The slider is on both sides of the tool, and very close to the clip. The act of clipping the tool in my pocket unlocks the jaws 95% of the time if I'm not careful. At least 70% of the time if I *am* careful. I think filing off the slider tab on the clip side of the tool would make the modern ToolClip opener ideal.. but sadly as it comes, it's far from ideal.

Winner: Tie. Ka-Bar is metal, works, and is adjustable. Japanese is plastic, and may not survive a drop. Modern toolclip is ingenious and wonderful, but also annoying when clipping to my pocket.

Clip

The modern ToolClip has a metal clip which allows for jaw-down carry, with almost all of the tool inside the pocket. The Japanese ToolClip has a plastic clip, and the jaws extend far above the pocket. The Ka-Bar has a very nice metal clip, but is also jaws-up like the Japanese ToolClip. If you pocket-carry these tools in the change pocket of your jeans (5th pocket), only the modern ToolClip will be comfortable. The other two stick up enough that the jaws have to either sit to the outside of my belt, or be tucked in underneath the belt. Either way, sitting down can often stab me in the love-handles. The Japanese ToolClip has a plastic clip which can easily break. So then clearly:

Winner: Modern ToolClip

Overall

Which is best? Well, it depends. If cutting and stripping stranded copper wire is your primary focus, then the Japanese ToolClip is the clear winner. If you're wanting more grip strength and can find one with a properly manufactured file, then the modern ToolClip is the one I'd choose. The Ka-bar comes in third, but it's actually not a very distant third. I like the Ka-Bar a lot. In a lot of ways, it is better quality than the Japanese ToolClip. The handle and jaws are machined and have a nice finish, the clip is metal and strong, and the spring-loaded action is very nice. But the cutters are the worst of the bunch: Fine for romex, acceptable for zip ties, and pretty bad for stranded wire. If you just cannot handle the annoyance of the modern ToolClip popping open, and don't like the jaw stiffness and delicacy of the Japanese ToolClip's plastic clip and retention, or you really want spring-loaded pliers like I do, then it's a viable option. I've been carrying it quite a bit lately, and it's a good all-around tool.


Charles.

[Poncho65]

Very nice review CC I have the modern one but great to know that even the knock off is pretty well on par with it

[ChopperCharles]

I've not tried other knock-offs. The Ka-Bar Model 1307 was the only one I could find that actually has a clip, so it's the one I chose to purchase and live with for a couple months. There are other 4" versions of this tool out there which do not have a clip. You can buy a Ruko version on Amazon and eBay right now, but it doesn't have a clip and it has a completely different tool load. No idea if it's the same quality as the Ka-Bar. There are others that look identical to the Ka-Bar, except they don't have a clip. I'm already reviewing a slew of the 6" ubiquitous chinese plier tools, I'm not going to start with collecting the 4" tools too!

Also, you might have a hard time finding the Ka-Bar, as it was made from 1999 to 2006 (according to Ka-Bar) and is currently discontinued. I don't see them on eBay often. A quick google search turns this up: https://awardcreations.com/kabar-you-know-what-they-are-c-14/kabar-1307-multitool-p-135.html   But I've never heard of this website before, so if you get scammed don't blame me

Charles.

[Grant Lamontagne]

Great comparison!

I have actually performed the slide-lock-ectomy on a new ToolClip because I had exactly the same issue as you did, with it popping open in my pocket.  It is a very simple change to make, but has a huge result on the final use of the tool.  Why SOG hasn't changed this is beyond me....   

You will need to add a second generation Micro Tool Clip to your collection and comparison though:



Mind you they are harder to find than First Generation models, and are virtually identical to the Third Generation model you have above, except for a different handle molding.

Def

[ChopperCharles]

Very interesting. I'll keep an eye out, but I'm kinda happy with my mini micro plier tool selection at the moment. I am going to send my new ToolClip in to SOG and see if they'll replace it with one with a file, but that's it.

Charles.

[ChopperCharles]

So, I've since accumulated a few more mini toolclip style clones.

The first one is a Barlow. Barlow worked closely with Coast back in the day, and Barlow took the basic design of the Coast Pocket Mechanic (early type 1 model) and then micro-sized it and gave it the LED scales from a later Type 2 Pro Pocket Mechanic. The result is a neat little plier tool. You can still find them relatively easily by searching eBay for "Barlow multitool". There's one right here: https://www.ebay.com/itm/352686763363

He must have a ton of these, because I ordered one ages ago and he's still got them for sale today. The promo logo is just a sticker and peels right off, and the spot that's left is actually perfect for a Nite Eyze adhesive pocket clip.

The tools are identical in size and shape to the original ToolClip. The finish is different, but they could be from the same blanks as the shapes are perfect. The file is good, the blade is sharp, and the serrated blade is also sharp, but it does have a bit of material on the serrated edge from the sharpening process that I need to knock off with a diamond rod.

Overall, I like this little thing. The extra thickness is not that great, but the LED light is actually pretty nice to have, so that's a wash. It matches a Pocket Mechanic, so is nice for display if that's your thing, but I think I'm the only one into vintage Coast fixed-plier multi tools on this forum. So maybe not

Charles.

[Poncho65]

Vrey cool with the light I do wonder why more mainstream MTs don't add LEDs like that into their design Perhaps they see it as too gimicky and steer away from electronics in tools Either way thanks for sharing the pics

[Poncho65]

Very interesting. I'll keep an eye out, but I'm kinda happy with my mini micro plier tool selection at the moment. I am going to send my new ToolClip in to SOG and see if they'll replace it with one with a file, but that's it.

Charles.

Did you ever send this to SOG or email them about the file

[ChopperCharles]

I emailed them, but it was basically send the tool in and we'll evaluate it... and by that time the newness wore off and I stopped carrying it regularly, so I didn't pursue it.

Charles.

[Poncho65]

Thanks for the update