I Feel Naked Without This $70 Multi-Tool

The Free T4 contains 12 tools—including a knife with a 2.06-inch blade, a bottle opener, four screwdrivers, a file, scissors, and a package opener—packed into the ‎4.3-ounce stainless steel unit that is smaller than a candy bar (it measures 3.63 by 1 by 0.88 inches closed).

All of the tools open and close one-handed, which is a convenience I miss when using larger tools like the Leatherman Skeletool CX, the top-pick from our multi-tool guide. Sure, the Free T4 lacks a pair of pliers, which I don’t need to use every day, but if the task at hand takes more than a few seconds, I’m pulling out a proper set of tools.

Due to its compactness and the included pocket clip (rare in a multi-tool) I can attach it to my jeans pocket, ready to tackle whatever life brings me that day. And yep, it has a pair of tweezers like my old Swiss Army Knife (but no toothpick, which everyone loses anyway).

Multiple times a day, I open a tool for a three-second task:

• Removing a tag from clothing: swing out the scissors
• Tearing the plastic shrink-wrapped collar that’s keeping me from sampling a new bottle of hot sauce: ditto, or use the knife blade
• Tightening a light switch faceplate that’s coming loose: turn to the flathead or Phillips screwdriver
• Opening a cocoa can lid: use the package opener/pry bar
• Unboxing a new tech item: use the package opener again
• Tightening a loose hinge on your eyeglasses: take advantage of the small screwdriver on the end of the awl tool

Any day I don’t open my Free T4 is a dull day.

Every tool firmly locks in place while in use. A locking knife blade is the most important and most common feature on pocket knives and multi-tools, because you wouldn’t want the knife blade to inadvertently close on the hand that’s gripping the tool.

Although many of the Free T4’s competitors have locking blades, it’s unusual to see locking mechanisms on auxiliary implements. For example, the tools on the Gerber Gear Armbar Drive Multi-Tool don’t lock, a design that keeps the multi-tool more compact (locking mechanisms on every utensil can add bulk). You might not think about it when buying the tool, but you’ll definitely appreciate the lock when you use the Free T4 to tighten a loose screw at an awkward angle. One slip with another multi-tool, and you’ll end up with bloody knuckles.

Plastic blister packaging is the bane of my existence, exacerbated by the fact that I’m a tech reviewer and have to open multiple packages every day. Plastic wraps and clamshells are built to flex and retain their shapes, so simply pulling them to open just results in a round of grunting and frustration.

I had originally been attracted to the Free T4 because of its one-handed opening knife blade, but the tool I tend to use the most is the package opener. It cuts through packing tape on a box like you’re unzipping it and quickly pops plastic clamshell packaging open with a little more pressure. But even so, the opener is dull enough that I’d readily hand it to a (supervised) child to use without worry. One bonus is that the package opener lets me use the knife blade less, so I don’t have to sharpen it as often.

Doug Mahoney, the multi-tool guide author, and I both don’t like the plastic spacers Leatherman uses to separate each tool. Doug said in his guide to multi-tools, “The only downside to the tool is that there are large plastic spacers in the body.”

I get that Leatherman put spacers in to allow each tool to lock in place and to keep the folding mechanisms from interfering with each other. But even though I understand why they’re there, I wish the designers had made them less bulky-looking and out of more-attractive metal, like the sculpted handles on the Leatherman Skeletool CX and on the Gerber Gear Armbar Drive Multi-Tool, another great multi-tool I’ve been long-term testing alongside the Free T4.

Thanks to the package opener taking most of the box-opening duties, I don’t have to sharpen the Free T4’s knife blade too often. I’m planning on getting a whetstone, but an occasional swipe or four through a sharpener like the Work Sharp Culinary E2 is enough to keep the steel sharp. Like the Skeletool CX, the Free T4 comes with Leatherman’s 25-year warranty, one of the longest for any model we’ve tested. I had received a warranty replacement for my Leatherman PST 15 years ago, so I know the company stands behind its gear.

This article was edited by Annemarie Conte and Grant Clauser.