Electrician Multitool by Hyper Tough Review

Hvac budget · **on:** May 29, 2021, 05:15:12 AM

Recently I took the plunge and spent $18 on the Walmart Hyper Tough Electrician Multitool.

THE BAD

From the start I realized the toolset was very cheap quality. None of the tools lock. The flat screwdriver buckles forward under pressure making it almost useless at times. The knife can buckle as well though I was using it like a large awl at the time. The tools are very shiny and the knife blades come rather dull out of the package. On the left side of the handle there are the combo knife blade, the straight screwdriver, the smaller screwdriver and the electrician style knife blade. On the right there is the saw, philips screwdriver, the file, and the wire pull through hook.

The Good

The most valuable part of this tool is the wire stripper head. Very few multitools have wire stripper heads and far fewer work well. Performance Tool has a wire stripper multitool that unfortunately works well until the jaws become misaligned causing them to bind. The hyper tough has no lock like the performance tool does and perhaps because of this I have never had the jaws bind on me so far. I have been carrying this tool to work several weeks now. I use the tool hard and it has worked well, (wire stripping). Wire Strips from 10 to 20 gauge.

This Wire stripper head is noticeable smaller than the King Innovation L Tool Head, and one of the consequences is the wire cutting surface is smaller. I find it still has plenty of cutting surface for what jobs I am working on. I believe the Hyper Tough is similar if not identical to the electrician multitool sold by, Fastnal, Westward, and perhaps Mastercraft.

More details here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vksohbhuyl8

I am interested in using the wire stripper head on the Bibury 21-in-1 tool which I love. If anyone has any tips it would be much appreciated

Adam5 · **Reply #1 on:** May 29, 2021, 03:47:18 PM

Nice video review!

Along with the HyperTough in the photo are Southwire, PowerPhase (Fastenal), Klutch, Westward, and RS Pro. Other brands I know of that have been sold are Sheffield (2 models), MasterCraft, Commercial Electric, WorkPro, Urrea, and an Australian company whose name escapes me at the moment. I would not be surprised if there are or have been others.

The HyperTough has the same tool set as the other brands. However, they are more polished and the large straight driver has a different grind (the Westward has the same grind).

There is one big difference as compared to the other brands. The wire stripper head is different. The other brands have the typical wire stripper tip. The HyperTough's tip is shaped more like needle nose.

Quote

I am interested in using the wire stripper head on the Bibury 21-in-1 tool which I love. If anyone has any tips it would be much appreciated

Interesting idea! I took some measurements and it looks doable. The screw pivot will need about 0.075" removed from each side, and the Bibury may not close completely without removing a little material from the lower part of the wire stripper head. There may be a difference in the diameter of the pivot holes where the heads attach. But the heads are approximately the same length, and the handle pivots are about the same distance apart. I may try this out myself.

Adam5 · **Reply #2 on:** May 29, 2021, 08:24:41 PM

Proof of concept:

I still need to install proper sized washers to center the head and to keep it from wiggling. I also need to do a little more grinding to smooth out some rough spots. It does not open and close smoothly enough at the moment.

Notes:
The pivot holes for the wire stripper head are 1/64" (0.4 mm) too small.
The pivot screw does have to be ground down approximately 0.05" (1.25 mm) to fit into the Bibury handles.
The wire stripper head has to be ground down on the pivot ends to match the Bibury plier head so that it will fit and be stable in use.
If I finish this mod off properly, this will be a very good electrical MT.

Now I have to buy another HyperTough for my collection

mikekoz · **Reply #3 on:** May 30, 2021, 12:24:18 AM

I cannot take a pic of it right now, but I have two of the electricians multitool made by Klein. It is a top quality tool!

https://www.kleintools.com/catalog/combination-cutting-tools/electricians-hybrid-plier-multi-tool

Hvac budget · **Reply #4 on:** May 30, 2021, 07:34:51 AM

Love the Bibury Electrician you just made! Thanks for the info on the mod. I was worried I might strip the pivot screws but it looks like you removed them easily enough. I look forward to making my own Bibury Electrician. One last thing, do you know if a leatherman large bit holder could fit instead of the serrated blade and combo bottle opener tool? I would love replaceable bit options on both handles without removing the toolset I like.

Adam5 · **Reply #5 on:** May 30, 2021, 12:57:04 PM

You just have to heat the pivot screws up a bit to soften the thread lock (I use a torch). In case you didn't know, the pivot screws require t9 torx bits.

In regards to the LM bit holder, I don't know. From what I see in the forum, the pivot hole diameter is 4.8 mm. That is smaller than the pivot hole diameter for the Bibury plier head (5.5 mm if I remember correctly). If the Bibury matches Leatherman by having smaller pivot diameters for the tools, then the bit holder may drop right in. If not, some drilling will be required. I have no idea if the locking notch will match up with the Bibury locking mechanism.