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Leatherman Free T4 pocket multi-tool review

REVIEW – How many times have you needed something – a screwdriver, knife, something to pry with?  One solution is to carry the well-known Swiss army knife, but those tend to be bulky and heavy. That need led to the creation of multitools – small, pocketable tools and Leatherman is at the forefront of that market. Always innovating, Leatherman has a new tool in the game – the Leatherman Free T4.

What is it?

The Leatherman Free T4 is a small and lightweight multitool that comes with a cool dozen tools.

What’s in the box?

  • Leatherman Free T4 tool
  • A really basic “how to use” card

Hardware specs

  • Closed length: 3.6 in / 9.3 cm L x 0.62 in / 1.51 cm W
  • Blade length: 2.2 in / 5.6 cm
  • Weight: 4.3 oz / 121.9 g

Design and features

Each side has a lock-release thumb switch to release opened tools.  The back has a removable pocket clip with a lanyard loop included on the clip.

The T4 feels great in the hand. It’s super-solid and at the same time, very lightweight.  In fact, my wife, the engineer, couldn’t believe how light it was. But, a tool’s value isn’t in how it feels or how light it is.  It has to function, and the T4 brings a dozen tools to the party.  Let’s see what’s included in this beauty.

  • Item #1 is a 420 high-carbon stainless steel knife
  • Item #2 pulls triple duty as a pry tool, package opener and, a medium screwdriver
  • Item #3 is is a twofer with a wood/metal file and a small screwdriver
  • Item #4 is a spring-action pair of scissors
  • Item #5 is both an awl and an extra-small screwdriver
  • Item #6 is a Phillips screwdriver as well as a bottle opener
  • Item #7 is a pair of tweezers in the top of the unit and pictured below

When a tool is opened, it locks in place.  There are two releases – one for each set of tools.  A push of the thumb releases the lock so the tool can swing back to its stored position.

A cool feature of this locking mechanism is that it uses magnets and makes for a very smooth open/close.

Speaking of opening – historically, that was one of the pains with multitools.  To get at specific tools, it took industrial-strength fingernails to pry the tool out from its stored position.  The Free T4 changes that with a thumb-driven opening mechanism that simply pivots the desired tool up so it can be easily accessed.

This design allows for one-handed opening operation – a very nice feature.

What I like

  • It’s solid
  • It’s light
  • It has most everything I need

What I’d change

  • It is a tad thick in my pocket, making it a challenge to get my wallet out (perhaps that’s a bonus…), but I don’t know how I would include all these features in anything smaller
  • Including a reusable toothpick would have been nice

Final thoughts

I tend to travel light.  I have my trusty cell phone in one front pocket and wallet (and sometimes key fob) in the other.  Adding the Free T4 on the wallet side was a non-event.  I never felt it.  It clipped perfectly on my pocket and rested in my pocket.  As I mentioned above, because it is a little thick, it will take some getting used to getting my wallet out, but I expect that won’t take much time.

All Leatherman tools (including the Leatherman Free P2 which we also reviewed) are proudly made in the USA. The Free T4 comes with a 25-year warranty. I really like the Free T4 and look forward to it becoming a key player for every day carry.

Price: $59.95
Where to buy: Direct from Leatherman. It is announced on Amazon but pricing and availability are not available.
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Leatherman.

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Leatherman Free T4 pocket multi-tool review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 11, 2019 at 8:40 am.

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Nitecore NTK05 titanium keychain knife review

REVIEW – If you’ve been looking for a tiny, incredibly sharp and usable blade to add to your EDC, you have to check out the Nitecore NTK05. Let’s check it out.

What is it?

The Nitecore NTK05 is a key sized titanium folding knife with a replaceable scalpel blade.

What’s in the package?

  • Nitecore NTK05
  • 1 no. 11 scalpel blade

Design and features

The Nitecore NTK05 is tiny. It’s made of a TC4 Titanium alloy and when folded it’s only 2.17 inches long.

The end of the knife has a large opening so that you can easily attach it to your keyring or a lanyard.

When closed, the NTK05 is so small, thin, and lightweight (.169oz) that you could easily lose it in a pocket.

The knife opens easily to reveal the ultra-sharp blade.

Companies who make knives always claim that their blades are super sharp, but in this instance, Nitecore isn’t just saying that to say it. This time it’s true because the stainless steel blade used with the NTK05 is a real scalpel blade.

This little knife can easily slice through box tape, cut cardboard, score the peel of an orange, sharpen the lead of a pencil, remove tonsils, aid in an emergency appendectomy, and other light-duty everyday tasks.

Replacing the Nitecore’s blade after it has become dull is just a matter of unfolding the knife blade to 90 degrees, lifting the bottom edge of the blade and then sliding the blade up and off the blade holder. Adding a new blade is just as easy.

Although the blades resemble X-Acto knife blades, X-Acto blades are not compatible with the Nitecore NTK05. You have to use no. 11 scalpel blades.

No. 11 scalpel blades are readily available through Amazon where you can get a box of 100 blades for less than $12.

The only “problem” I encountered while testing the NTK05 is that it’s possible to flex the blade in such a way that it doesn’t close correctly if you’re not paying attention. This happened to me a couple of times and although I didn’t cut myself, that would have been a possibility if I had been in a hurry and hadn’t noticed the problem and slid the knife in my pocket in that configuration.

What I like

  • Tiny
  • Sharp!
  • The blade can be replaced with a no. 11 scalpel blade

What I’d change

  • I’d include 1 or 2 extra blades with the knife
  • Fix the blade flex issue

Final thoughts

If I ever decide to add a sharp blade to my keychain, the Nitecore NTK05 ultra-tiny titanium knife will be that knife. It’s so small it won’t add much bulk to your keychain and the fact that you can replace the blades when they become dull is a great selling point.

Price: $29.95
Where to buy: Nitecore store
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Nitecore.

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Nitecore NTK05 titanium keychain knife review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 19, 2019 at 8:00 am.

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OLFA Professional 18mm Heavy-Duty Aluminum Utility Knife (MXP-AL) review

REVIEW – If you are like me, you are always looking for the utility knife that you just saw yesterday, and then when you find it, the knife blade is dull. Sometimes I end up just hunting down one of the snap-blade knives that I keep in my junk drawer for emergencies and half the time the plastic blade holder is structurally unsound, the latching mechanism doesn’t work, or the blade just isn’t strong enough to do the job at hand. The OLFA Professional MXP-AL Heavy Duty Aluminum Utility Knife can come to your rescue.  It has performed every task I’ve thrown at it in the past month, with one exception (see below).

What is it?

The OLFA Professional MXP-AL Heavy Duty Aluminum Utility Knife is the ultimate evolution of the snap-blade utility knife. It is made from die-cast / machined aluminum with non-slip inserts and uses generously-sized 18mm coated blades that cut smoothly through most materials with minimal friction.

What’s in the box?

I was sent one OLFA Professional Heavy Duty Aluminum Utility Knife (auto-lock version) and one spare pack (5) heavy-duty blades. The knife is packaged in vacuum-formed sleeve with a cardboard backing. The package is closed with staples. The blades arrived in a plastic box with lid. The box of blades was in a similar sleeve / card package.

Hardware specs

The knife is 165 mm long and 33 mm wide. The main body of the knife is 17 mm thick with the thumb-activated slider that extends / retracts the blade extending another 7 mm above the body. The knife weighs in at a study 123 grams, making it as heavy as many traditional utility knifes that use the single-edge trapezoidal blades.

Each of the replaceable blades has 8 sections with the first 7 being removable. Replacement blades come in a medium-duty plastic case that has a good latch and friction holding the lid on.

Both the knife and the blades are manufactured in Japan.

Design and features

Setup

The knife came preloaded with a blade so there was no set up needed, other than removing the knife from the package. However when it is time to reload the knife, it is simply a matter of sliding the thumb lever out the back of the knife and nesting a new blade on the stud and inserting the blade and lever back into the knife.

Performance

I put my test knife through a battery of real-world tests during the past month. I carried it in my day bag as a tool knife, I used it around the house and garage, and I even took it out to summer camp with my scout troop.

During these adventures, I did not test the knife on any of the substrates listed on the packaging (linoleum, carpet, or rubber), however I used the knife for a variety of other activities which included

  • opening boxes by cutting packing tape, fiber-embedded paper tape, fiber-embedded strapping tape, industrial plastic strapping, cutting through multi-layered cardboard
  • cutting industrial plastic pallet wrapping
  • cutting batt insulation
  • stripping Romex wire (not cutting the wire to length, though)
  • cutting vines
  • scraping liquid masking from the corners of window panes
  • sharpening carpenters’ pencils
  • cutting rope and paracord
  • cleaning up rough edges / beveling sawed PVC pipe
  • smoothing / beveling holes drilled through wood
  • cutting dispensing tips on glue and caulk
  • cutting and shaping saddle leather (cutting pieces from a full-thickness shoulder)–this was about as close as I came to cutting linoleum or carpet

The knife performed most of these tasks with ease.

As you might expect, many of these operations took a toll on the first and second exposed blade sections. I ended up using 6 of the 8 sections on the first blade. Cutting leather definitely required a new blade section.

Breaking off the worn section of the blade simply required the precision use of a pair of pliers (my Leatherman Free P2). Like most heavy snap-blade refills, you need to precise when lining up the edge of the pliers, otherwise the worn section may not come off cleanly, and you will need to make a second snap to remove the remainder of the old blade section. This is both a minor annoyance and a testament to the strength of the blades.

The only problems I had were when trying to bevel thick PVC pipes and wood. When beveling the PVC pipe, I felt that the amount of torsional force that I was applying to the blade was probably going to exceed the breaking strength of the score lines on the blade, so I did switch to a traditional single-piece blade utility knife. When beveling wood I hit a knot, and the blade embed itself in the knot and the blade broke off at the score line. This may have been due to the stress I put on the blade when attempting to bevel the PVC weakening the score line, or it may have simply been operator error (I’m going to go with the latter being the main culprit). This type of cutting is not something that snap-blade knives are designed to do, so it was really a torture test for the blade. I was wearing cut-resistant gloves and proper eye protections when performing these more adventurous cuts and the blade that broke did so cleanly and remained embedded in the wood. No catastrophic failure of the blade occurred.

In addition to the standard and heavy-duty single-edge snap blades, a single piece serrated-edge knife refill is available. This blade is designed for cutting foam board and insulation. A second model of this knife is also available with a manual ratcheting lock, rather than the auto-locking thumb lever.

What I like

  • Robust-feeling knife
  • Feels good in your hand — good gripping surfaces
  • Blades are long lasting and snap away cleanly

What I’d change

  • It would be nice to have a dedicated blade snap off tool either on the knife or the blade case

Final thoughts

This OLFA Professional Heavy Duty Utility Knife has outperformed every snap-blade knife that I’ve ever owned. It has also outperformed many of the traditional utility knives that I’ve used over the years. It will take a lot of effort to wear out the blade holder and the blades have lasted longer than any other snap-knife blades that I have used. Just use the knife for the type of cutting that snap-blade knives are intended and don’t try carving wood.

Price: $ 16.49
Where to buy: OFLA Professional US retailers include Amazon (only one with the knives listed as in-stock), Fastenal, Home Depot, Lowes, Grainger, ULINE, and MSC Industrial Supply
Source: The sample of this product was provided by OLFA.

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OLFA Professional 18mm Heavy-Duty Aluminum Utility Knife (MXP-AL) review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 13, 2019 at 11:30 am.

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Use this ring knife to open boxes and kill zombies

NEWS – I’m just kidding, the blade on this ring knife isn’t long enough to kill a zombie. At least I don’t think so. Is this a useful knife? Highly doubtful. But this weaponized stainless steel ring will get a conversation started the first time you press the button on the side and the spring loaded blade flips open. And before you say something about TSA. Just don’t. Use common sense and don’t wear something like this to the airport. Duh. Want to learn more or buy one for $24.99 from Haddishop or way cheaper on from AliExpress.

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Use this ring knife to open boxes and kill zombies originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 28, 2019 at 4:17 pm.

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KLIP: Titanium Pocket Knife + EDC Suspension Hook review

REVIEW – I have a soft spot for gadgets that are multi-functional.  Any gadget that can perform multiple tasks helps me cut down on the number of EDC items I need to carry.  That’s what piqued my interest about the Dapper Design KLIP.  Let’s have a look!

What is it?

Made from lightweight Titanium, KLIP is a combination knife + pocket clip that is designed to suspend your keys or other items from your pocket while also giving you quick access to a small knife.  In fact, its very name, “KLIP,” is derived from a combination of the words “knife” and “clip.”

What’s in the box?

The KLIP comes in some very classy-looking packaging: a tin with top and bottom halves, and a clear window in the top half that allows the actual product to be seen, at least partially. I always appreciate when companies provide packing like this that.


Inside the package itself are the following items:

  • KLIP
  • Silver twist-lock flexible steel cable ring
  • Black coated twist-lock flexible steel cable ring

Hardware specs

  • Main body: Stonewashed Grade 5 titanium
  • Blade: 440C steel blade
  • Smooth spring-loaded detent ball mechanism (provides satisfying “click” on blade open/close)
  • Adjustable pivot screw
  • Opened length: 85mm / 3.34″
  • Closed length: 60mm / 2.36″
  • Blade length: 27mm / 1.06″
  • Height: 16.25mm / 0.63″
  • Thickness: 8.15mm / 0.32″
  • Weight: 16 grams / 0.56 ounces

Design and features

I love combo items—items that can serve multiple functions.  The KLIP can be your key holder and you can hang them down into your pocket, or from your belt, or even from backpack webbing.  Plus, there’s a little knife hidden in there, in case you need to open a box, etc.  The KLIP is machined from durable, lightweight, stonewashed Grade 5 Titanium and it sports a super-sharp 440C steel blade which locks into position with a “click.”  Its deployment mechanism also features a ball detent and adjustable pivot screw.  KLIP has a lot packed into a small, functional package.

My initial impression of KLIP was that it was small, lightweight, and unobtrusive-looking.  In essence, it’s a relatively minimalistic-looking metal hook with a mechanism at the end.  Its body is made from “Grade 5” Titanium, so it is in fact very lightweight and very durable and should last a long time.  I also think the surface treatment, a light “stonewash” that results in a matte, slightly irregular appearance, is quite attractive.

KLIP has a slim profile, as seen in the above pics, which helps it stay small and easily carried.

Further, in the photo above, you can see the hook, which is an open end that is about 4mm wide.  Overall, the hook has a sort of a “goose neck” shape.

One of the aspects that I very much appreciate in product design is logo minimalism.  Dapper Design has done well with this—their simple, overlapping “D” logo is imprinted into the surface of KLIP, in what appears to be a laser-etching process, and if that is the case, then this logo should never wear off.

KLIP is small, as you can see from the photo above, which makes it quite easy to have on hand just about any time, should the need arise for a small knife.

Besides the hook, which forms the main body of KLIP, its other main feature is the small knife concealed in its body, as seen in the images above.

KLIP utilizes a cam-shaped component that secures a spring-actuated ball detent mechanism that helps secure (but not lock)  the blade in both its folded and extended positions.  It essentially provides a  satisfying “click” sound and feel upon blade opening or closing.   Also, note that the blade has a small channel cut into either side the allows the user to get a fingernail into it to help open the blade.

KLIP utilizes a cam-shaped component that secures a spring-actuated ball detent mechanism that helps secure (but not lock)  the blade in both its folded and extended positions.  It essentially provides a  satisfying “click” sound and feel on blade open/close. In the photo above, you can see that there is a small screw with a tiny slot on one side of the cam-shaped component.  What is its purpose?  Read on to find out.

A small, flat head screwdriver (not included with KLIP) will fit into the slot and this allows KLIP’s detent mechanism to be loosened or tightened, which determines the amount of force required to snap the blade into an extended or folded position.  In fact, out the box, this small screw it tightened down such that the blade cannot be opened without the screw being loosened to some degree, which effectively “unlocks” the detent mechanics.

 

In the photo above, you can see the pocket into which KLIP’s blade fits when folded.

 

The blade itself is relatively small—you aren’t going to field dress an antelope with it, but it is a perfect size for cutting open boxes, cutting a loose thread, slicing open an envelope, or any number of light-duty, everyday tasks for which you might need a small knife blade.

The base of the blade is quite thick relative to the tip of the blade, which tapers to a sharp point in two planes, as seen in the views above.  This makes it excellent for piercing into things if necessary, and, though I didn’t have an opportunity to test this, it seems that a tip as pointed and sharp as this would be very useful for digging out splinters.

In the first week along that I carried KLIP as part of my EDC gear, I found myself using it daily.  I used it to cut through the tape on several boxes and also break down several others at work and to open mail envelopes at home.  KLIP’s blade opens easily and snaps in place thanks to the detent mechanism, and it is just the right length to hold for most quick jobs.

The only accessories that were included with KLIP were a pair of twist-lock flexible steel cable rings, one with a black coating, the other uncoated.  While KLIP could certainly be attached to a standard keyring, these cables are a quick and easy way to attach KLIP to a set of keys, as seen above.

I evaluated a few different methods of carrying KLIP.  It excels when it is attached to a set of keys and carried such that it “hangs” inside your pocket, with KLIP hooked over the edge of your pocket and the keys hanging down inside your pocket, as shown in the phots above.

Alternatively, I tried hanging KLIP on the outside of my pocket, see above left, which was not nearly as secure as allowing the keys to hang inside the pocket.  And finally, I also hung KLIP’s hook over my belt, as see in the photo in the above right.  This is slightly more secure than the method shown in the photo in the above left, but still made me a bit nervous that KLIP—and my keys—-were going to get knocked off by something.

One last thought on KLIP: I am very tempted to put it on my keyring with the idea to leave it there indefinitely because it is just that unobtrusive and I think I would find uses for it nearly every day.  The only thing stopping me is that I suspect that KLIP is so unobtrusive that I myself would forget that it is on my keyring, and I’d forget to remove the next time I took an airline flight, and it would be confiscated by TSA.  Which would be a major bummer.

What I like

  • Small, compact, lightweight
  • Looks nice with matte Titanium finish
  • Includes two twist-lock flexible steel cable ring

What needs to be improved

  • The blade does not technically lock in either the extended or folded positions

Final thoughts

I really like KLIP.  Elegantly machined from Titanium alloy and with an attractive style and finish, it is durable, and its design is both aesthetically pleasing as well as useful: it combines a suspension/keychain hook and a small knife, which makes it a perfect item to add to your EDC gear for when you need quick access to a small knife for small tasks.  While KLIP had it’s very successful debut as a crowdfunded Kickstarter campaign (see here for more info), it is now available for pre-order from Dapper Design (see links below).

Price: $49.00
Where to buy:  dapperdesign.com
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Dapper Design.

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KLIP: Titanium Pocket Knife + EDC Suspension Hook review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 21, 2019 at 9:30 am.

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