Has carrying a multitool increased your efficiency?

Howdy peoples, I wanted a slightly less biased viewpoint on things, so I'm posting this here as well as on EDCF. I'd like the CPF input on this question. Also, if you voted at EDCF, would you please refrain from voting here! Thanks a lot.

For my school, I am writing a persuasive English essay about how Multitools should be allowed to be carried in my school once again. For this to be effective, I'd also like some statistics and polls to back up my position. So, here is my question to YOU CPF. Has carrying a multitool made you safer, more efficient, or better prepared to tackle life? Please vote in the poll AND post any specific stories you might have about it. School related ones will be particularly beneficial. Also, if possible, could you please post your first name and state after your story? If this bothers you in public, would you be willing to PM me it? Thanks for the help guys!

Jason in Pennsylvania (the format I'd like )

Hi Jason,

Use one every day. It's part of my daily routine.

I use my Gerber everyday.......for work and doing things around the house, just makes things simple.

m16a said:

Howdy peoples, I wanted a slightly less biased viewpoint on things, so I'm posting this here as well as on EDCF. I'd like the CPF input on this question. Also, if you voted at EDCF, would you please refrain from voting here! Thanks a lot.

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Well, it might be a slightly less biased viewpoint. But not much, I think...

Out of curiousity, does your school prohibit multitools outright, or just because they have knife blades? On some multitools, the knife blade can be easily removed and replaced with an appropriate thickness washer; I did that with my Gerber 600 one time when I went to a camp with a (stupid) no-blades policy.

Benson said:

Well, it might be a slightly less biased viewpoint. But not much, I think...

Out of curiousity, does your school prohibit multitools outright, or just because they have knife blades? On some multitools, the knife blade can be easily removed and replaced with an appropriate thickness washer; I did that with my Gerber 600 one time when I went to a camp with a (stupid) no-blades policy.

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Knives are currently prohibited, because my buddy was still in the honeymoon phase with his new benchmade, and kept using it in school, and finally got caught a few too many times. They were previous allowed, and I'm just campaigning for it to be changed back! :thumbsup:

Can we vote that your school's policy is stupid? For that I vote YES! A knife on a multitool is not an offensive weapon in any way, shape or form.

How's this? - I feel naked without a multitool of some kind in my pocket. Just having the capabilities of a knife, pliers and screw driver within a moment of their need is so convient I can't remember what it was like before I started carrying my original leatherman in the 80s. I've used them for everything from opening a can of soda to temporarily fixing the wiring harness of my car.

I'm sorry that I don't remember any school related stories about using multitools, but I remember sitting in a boring accounting class and sharpening a pencil with a 5" butterfly knife and no one but the professor showing any kind of reaction. I was asked to refrain from said action and did so in the future.

Jeff in PA

I voted "YES"... even though my multitool is my Utilikey it comes in very handy without a doubt.

Should you be able to carry a multitool at school. Probably. Good luck in your campaign.

But it's easier for a school to adopt a zero-tolerance policy than to take the time to figure out which students are responsible and can be trusted with a tool, and which students are mall-ninjas who shouldn't be trusted with so much as a toothpick. And there are liability issues..., "fairness" issues...

Sadly, unless your school has a shop of some kind (wood, metal, art,...) or a theater, opportunities to use your multitool at school are likely to be few and far between. It's tough to make a case for needing a tool when so many of the things we once used tools for have been engineered out of our lives, especially in the modern office environment. Sure I use my multitool to open a can of chili for lunch now and then, but a P-38 would work just as well and be lighter.

I'm old enough that I was able to carry a pocket knife most of my educational career. I've carried a knife, multitool, or both, for my entire professional life. I switched from a SAK to a pocket tool once locking tool blades were available. I use my multitool every day at work. Could I do without it? Sure, but it would mean an hour or more lost in travel time to get tools, or mean carrying around about 6 times the weight in "regular tools"

I run a shop at a University. I issue my student employees multitools with the understanding that they are to bring them to work and carry them while at work. It's insane not to have one if you are working in any type of manual trade. If it saves a few hours over the course of the year in folks walking back and forth to the tool cabinets to get a screwdriver to tighten 1 screw, it's worth the investment.

Does yer' school have knives and forks in their Cafeteria ?




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I once dropped off an embankment near an old dredge here in Alaska on my snowmachine late at night only to have it hang up on a cable about 5 feet down a very steep slope and with my leatherman and about 30 minutes was able to cut the cable and be on my way.

Another time I was guiding a customer up into the White Mountains and had my tie rod end break. Used the same leatherman to cut a length of black spruce which I tied to the front of my skis and was able to complete the trip without any more problems.

There's a lot more times that having one on me has really saved the day but those are two that always come to mind. Can't imagine being without one, and haven't been for about 20 years now.

I voted yes in the poll. Funny thing is I'm usually around full toolboxes so I don't use my multitool that often. When I have needed it though it's been worth every penny it cost, and every ounce it weighs.

I didn't have one when I was in school so I can't comment on that, but I guess I can understand schools zero tolerence policy. Although I don't agree with them because it's yet another example of how a couple of stupid people can change the way everybody has to live their lives. I do have an example of weapons in schools though....

I'm 31 years old. I bought a chain wallet when I was in 8th grade, and wore it daily. In 11th grade one of my teachers was out sick and the vice principal sat in for him one day. He noticed my wallet and said I probally shouldn't wear it because someone could hurt me with it He had me come to the front of the class to prove his point. He grabbed my head and the wallet and tried to wrap the chain around my neck by pushing my head down.

The VP was a really nice guy and he wasn't trying to hurt me, I knew the point he was trying to make. I also decided to prove a point:devil: Since he wasn't using much strength it was easy to twist out of the hold. I brought my clenched fist up to his throat and lightly tapped him a few times with my thumb. I pulled my hand back slightly so he could see I was holding my ink pen in my hand with my thumb over the tip. The look on his face was great when I told him I'm required to have the pen with me. Not to mention the Exacto knife in my backpack for my art classes

I told him I meant no offence and wasn't trying to discount his point. This started a great discussion in class about responsibillity and violence in school. He even had a little smile on his face. Fast forward a few years to the infamous event in Colorado:shakehead and I can unerstand the zero tolerence policies.

Good luck with your paper:thumbsup: I hope you can prove your point and regain the abillity to carry a multitool. If you do prevail make sure you're responsible. Any fool who want's to hurt someone will find a way. In my life I've seen way more damage done open handed than with any type of weapon.

Keith in Michigan

m16a said:

For my school, I am writing a persuasive English essay about how Multitools should be allowed to be carried in my school once again. For this to be effective, I'd also like some statistics and polls to back up my position. So, here is my question to YOU CPF. Has carrying a multitool made you safer, more efficient, or better prepared to tackle life? Please vote in the poll AND post any specific stories you might have about it. School related ones will be particularly beneficial. Also, if possible, could you please post your first name and state after your story? If this bothers you in public, would you be willing to PM me it? Thanks for the help guys!

Jason in Pennsylvania (the format I'd like )

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hey jason,
i take several issues with your actual polling questions because we are considering the use of multitools in the context of academia. forgive me but i think your thesis should be more defined to that end. as such, i have never found the need for a multitool in any academic environment. to that end i will also submit that i frown on even the use of calculators. yeah i know, that's really harsh but but you are there to learn to use your mind and solve problems without the use of a crutch. it's been a while but the tools i needed in class were textbooks, paper and pen/ pencil and my mind. if something is broken ask the instructor to have a custodian fix it.
following this line of reason there are other things i find completely unnecessary in a classroom. in no particular order they are:
ipods, cell phones, pagers/ beepers, YO-YO's, cigeratte lighters, cigarettes, candy, chewing gum, food of any kind, make up, baggy pants, bandana's, gang colors and or fashions, alcohal, drugs and parafinalia, prostitutes, preachers, politicians, and pocket knives (including multi tools) and firearms. i suspect your friends fascination with his new benchmade was nothing more than a distraction to the rest of the class.
my blackberry and SAK do make me safer, more efficient, and better prepared to deal with my daily life and work. the point is, i need them to get my job done. in no way will a multi tool assist you in solve a probability or conjegate the verb "to be" in french (which is my favorite verb).
now.... if you could refine your premis to the exclussion of the other items mentioned above and refine the argument to show need instead of want you could have a more successful presentation. :thumbsup:

sincerely,
keith in south carolina

Do you work with Projectors, or any Audio/Visual equipment ?


Stage / Theatre work & maintenance ?


Art Dept. ? (opening a tube of Oils can be a challenge)


Hafta' remove staples from your reports ?



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I'm hoping to find a multi-tool that does not have a knife built into it...

that's the first thing many people see and decide outright whether or not you should have it with you in the building...thank goodness my knives are concealed carry only.

In fact, when I was 8 I nearly got expelled for bring a SAK to elementary school because it had a knife on it...I merely had it because I needed sissors for a project that day.

My Leatherman Micra comes in handy at times. But I really don't use it for anything important.

I could have used the scissors to trim an I.D. sticker last night. But I just ended up ripping it, in order to get a smaller piece that I needed. The smaller piece was used to cover up the auto-dimming sensor on the internal rearview mirror of a Ford Escape rental at work.

It was working the way it was supposed to... And that was the very problem. By covering the sensor, the mirror would not automatically dim to a horrible degree if the cabin was a bit too brightly lit at night. In NYC, that's an issue; since every now & then you get some moron driving around at night without his lights on. I'd rather be annoyed by an idiot with his brights on, rather than crash into one with no lights on because the auto-dim feature worked as intended.

I have a Leatherman Micra in my backpack 24/7. I doesn't get used much but it's a godsend when needed. At work (a school) I strap a Leatherman Juice S2 on my belt as soon as I get in and carry it all day. I gets used pretty much every day for something or other. Mainly opening mail and deliveries, removing staples and helping in minor repairs. I used to carry a Charge TTi at work but it's pretty heavy on the hip so I only use that during the school holidays when I have scheduled repairs to do, although at that point I'm also wheeling round an expensive fully stocked tool cart. I also keep a Squirt P4 in my desk drawer. That used to be my work EDC but while very useful, proved to be a bit too small for some jobs, hence the change to the Juice. I also have a Gerber 600 at home.

As a member of staff I can see the school argument from both sides. Certainly the kids would like to be able to carry around a multitool, and I know from decades of experience how useful they are, but unfortunately there are too many idiots amongst the pupils who cannot be trusted. We have enough problems with petty vandalism without allowing the kids the tools to do the job properly. Day to day, this is a bigger and more realistic issue than kids stabbing each other. Unfortunately in Britain we are also in the grip of an epidemic of stabbings which has caused the government to clamp down hard on blade carrying. There is a legal limit which allows non-locking folding knives up to a blade length of up to 3.5 inches to be carried, but you could still be pulled over by the police and have to give a good reason for carrying a knife. (I think fixed blade carry in public places is illegal, but someone will have to correct me on that.) Multitools are a safer bet here in terms of demonstrating legitimate use, the the fact they have blades still makes people twitchy and you do have to surrender them in certain public buildings and venues, and schools generally have policies against any bladed instruments. The punishment in schools varies. Some have gone for zero-tolerence (often the ones in bad areas) and suspend the kid while others will just confiscate and write to the parents.

I can remeber a sports lesson, where somebody tried to pump up the volleyball we should be using when i broke the pump an left the needle sticking in the only usable ball.
The teacher almost gone mad because he didnt hav an alternate plan of what we should be doing.
My leatherman charge brought the situation back to normal quickly.
If i didnt have had it with me, we would likely have waited half an hour for our teacher to find some pliers in our school :-D

I have a PST II from which I removed the knife in my backpack (or at least I did) and my mom, a teacher, carries a Juice S2 and uses the pliers at least monthly.

I've never really had to use the PST II though, but it's nice to have. I think I'll also adjust the can/bottle opener's grind so it doesn't look like it's sharp (even though it's not very sharp).

I own several multi-tools but the one I EDC is a Swiss Army Knife (SAK). It has pliers and scissors and screw drivers etc. I use it DAILY, several times a day. I have saved time by not having to go get another tool thousands of times. In several instances a co-worker has gone to get a screwdriver or pliers and I have had the problem completely fixed before he even returns.

As for the school issue... I would point out that the overwhelming majority of multi-tool owners use them as tools and are law-abiding people. And if a bad-apple student wants to bring a weapon to school he or she will do so regardless of the rules, and their weapon of choice certainly won't be a multi-tool.

But... sadly in this day and age I'd say you have a hard battle to win ahead of you. Schools are overly cautious these days.

Good luck.

Doug in Mesa, AZ.