The multitool market looks fundamentally different than it did two years ago. Premium blade steels that once belonged exclusively to custom knife makers are showing up in pliers-based tools. Modular systems let users swap individual implements instead of buying an entirely new unit. Campsite-specific designs are carving out territory that traditional all-rounders never addressed. And budget options have gotten good enough to make the old advice about always buying Leatherman feel less like gospel and more like one of several solid strategies.
These eight multitools represent the clearest picture of where the category is heading. Some are brand new, some are recent updates to long-running models, and one is a $40 surprise from a retailer nobody expected to compete at this level. What connects them is that each one brought something to the table that shifted how people think about what belongs in their pocket or pack.
Quick picks
- Best overall: Leatherman ARC, $250, 20 tools, CPM MagnaCut blade, one-handed deployment
- Best upgrade: Leatherman Wave Alpha, $200, MagnaCut steel meets the Wave platform
- Best for camping: Gerber Stakeout Spark, $75, tent stake puller + ferro rod in 5.4 oz
- Best minimalist: Leatherman Skeletool CX, $100, 7 tools, 5 oz, 154CM blade
- Best knife-first: SOG Flash MT, $70, D2 steel blade, compound leverage pliers
- Safest bet: Leatherman Wave+, $130, 18 tools, 25-year warranty, proven everything
- Best screwdriver-first: Gerber Armbar Drive, $48, center-axis bit driver, 3.1 oz
- Best budget: Harbor Freight Gordon 20-in-1, $40, 20 tools, mirrors the Wave+ at a third of the price
Leatherman ARC
Leatherman’s flagship runs on the company’s FREE platform, where every tool deploys one-handed through a magnetic spring system. Twenty tools come standard, expandable to 38 with the included Bit Kit Set, and the whole package clips into your pocket at 8.6 oz. That spec sheet alone got knife enthusiasts and multitool users talking to each other for the first time.
The real story is the CPM MagnaCut blade. Developed by metallurgist Larrin Thomas, it balances edge retention and corrosion resistance at a level no production multitool has touched before. That steel accounts for much of the $250 price tag, but it also means the knife component can genuinely replace a standalone EDC blade for most users.
Pliers borrowed from the now-discontinued Free P4 deliver grip strength the wider Leatherman lineup hasn’t matched, replaceable wire cutter jaws extend the tool’s lifespan, and an integrated impact surface pushes the Leatherman ARC closer to purpose-built field instrument than Swiss Army all-rounder.
Price: $249.95
Where to Buy: Leatherman
Leatherman Wave Alpha
The 2025 Leatherman Wave Alpha swaps the original’s 420HC main blade for MagnaCut steel with a thumb stud deployment, bringing the ARC’s premium metallurgy down to $200. Bigger scissors replace the serrated secondary blade, a trade that reflects how most people actually use their multitools rather than how spec sheets suggest they should.
Sculpted G10 scales give the exterior texture and grip that the Wave+’s stainless handles never offered, plus a visual identity that separates it from every other model in the lineup. Underneath, the same proven 18-tool layout with replaceable wire cutters and accessible bit drivers stays intact. The Alpha isn’t a reinvention. It’s an admission that the original had room to grow in the places users cared about most.
Price: $199.95
Where to Buy: Amazon
Gerber Stakeout Spark
Gerber built the original Stakeout around a single insight: nobody had put a tent stake puller on a multitool before. The Spark edition, new for 2025 at $75, doubles down on the campsite thesis by adding a ferro rod and a set of needlenose pliers, two features the first version lacked entirely.
Ten tools ride inside a 5.4 oz chassis with both a pocket clip and a built-in carabiner for carry flexibility. The 5Cr15MoV steel blade locks open, and the ferro rod lets users start fires without carrying a separate striker, though Gerber hasn’t made the rod replaceable, which limits the long-term utility of that particular feature. What makes the Gerber Stakeout Spark interesting isn’t any single specification but the overall philosophy.
Rather than cramming more tools into a generic frame, Gerber designed around a specific use case and let everything else follow from that decision. For anyone who spends weekends setting up and tearing down camp, the stake puller alone justifies the purchase.
Price: $74
Where to Buy: Amazon
Leatherman Skeletool CX
The Skeletool has been the minimalist’s argument against tool bloat for years, and the CX variant sharpens that argument with a 154CM blade that outperforms the standard model’s 420HC. Seven tools total, 5 oz on the scale, and a carabiner-style pocket clip that turns a full-size multitool into something you genuinely forget you’re carrying.
At $100, the Leatherman Skeletool CX occupies a unique position where it’s light enough for everyday pocket carry but robust enough that the pliers, blade, and driver can handle real work. The construction quality earns high marks across every major review outlet, and Leatherman’s decision to limit the tool count means each implement gets the space it needs to function properly. The bit driver uses Leatherman’s proprietary flat bit format natively, though the Bit Driver Extender accessory bridges the gap to standard 1/4-inch bits. That workaround has softened what was once the tool’s most persistent criticism.
Price: $99.95
Where to Buy: Amazon
SOG Flash MT
SOG designed the Flash MT as a knife first and a multitool second, and that priority shows up in a D2 tool steel blade that outperforms the 420HC found on multitools costing twice as much. At $70, the Flash MT pairs that blade with SOG’s Compound Leverage gear-driven pliers, a proprietary system that multiplies grip strength without requiring users to bear down harder on the handles.
The overall tool count stays lean at seven, which keeps the closed profile compact enough to disappear into dress pants without printing. SOG went with smaller 4mm bits rather than the standard 1/4-inch format, a choice that leans toward electronics work and lighter fastening tasks.
A deep-carry pocket clip rounds out a tool that feels more at home in urban environments than wilderness ones, though the plier strength means it can handle either. The SOG Flash MT represents a growing segment of the market where the line between EDC knife and multitool has started to blur in genuinely useful ways.
Price: From $69.95
Where to Buy: SOG
Leatherman Wave+
Twenty years of production haven’t dulled the Leatherman Wave so much as clarified what it is: the safest recommendation in the category. Eighteen tools, 420HC steel on both blades, replaceable wire cutter jaws, and the architecture that has moved more units than any other multitool in history. At $130, it delivers roughly 90% of the premium tier’s functionality at a fraction of the cost.
No MagnaCut steel. No magnetic deployment. No ferro rod. What the Wave+ has is a track record of showing up in pockets, toolboxes, glove compartments, and belt sheaths across every trade and hobby imaginable, working every single time. The Bit Driver Extender accessory adds reach for recessed fasteners, and Leatherman’s 25-year warranty means the company will stand behind it longer than most people keep a car. For buyers who want proven performance without chasing the newest materials, the Wave+ remains the centerpiece of the market.
Price: $129.95
Where to Buy: Amazon
Gerber Armbar Drive
The Armbar Drive packs a center-axis bit driver into a 3.1 oz single-piece tool that costs $48. The 2.5-inch extension driver sits along the body’s center axis when deployed, replicating the ergonomics of holding an actual screwdriver rather than the awkward off-center grip that pliers-based multitools force on users.
Eight tools fit inside the compact frame, including a locking 5Cr15MoV blade, scissors, bottle opener, hammer, pry bar, and awl. No pliers, which is a deliberate choice that keeps the overall footprint small enough for genuine pocket carry. The interchangeable bit accepts standard quarter-inch bits, opening the door to whatever driver configurations users want to build out. Quality control has been inconsistent according to long-term user reports, and the steel won’t hold an edge as long as premium alternatives, but the Armbar Drive‘s contribution to the market is structural rather than material. It proved that a screwdriver-first multitool could find a sizable audience.
Price: From $42
Where to Buy: Amazon
Harbor Freight Gordon 20-in-1
The biggest surprise in the multitool market didn’t come from Leatherman, Gerber, or any of the usual players. Harbor Freight’s Gordon 20-in-1 landed at $40 with a tool selection that directly mirrors the Leatherman Wave+ and a build quality that has no business being this competent at the price.
Twenty tools include needlenose pliers, a clip-point knife, wood saw, file, serrated blade with gut hook, scissors, and a bit driver, all built from stainless steel that trades edge retention for slightly better corrosion resistance compared to the Wave+’s 420HC. Manufacturing grit left in the tool interfaces creates some initial stiffness, and the fit and finish won’t impress anyone who has handled a Leatherman. But the Gordon isn’t competing on polish. It’s competing on access. At one-third the price of the tool it emulates, the Gordon 20-in-1 has opened up the full-size multitool category to buyers who previously had to choose between spending $130 or settling for something genuinely inadequate. The tools lock, the pliers grip, the blade cuts, and the whole thing operates well enough that losing it to a job site or a river crossing won’t ruin your week.
Price: $40
Where to Buy: Harbor Freight
The bottom line
The multitool market in 2026 isn’t about finding one perfect tool anymore. It’s about matching the right design philosophy to the way you actually use your hands. Leatherman still owns the conversation with three distinct tiers that cover minimalists, upgraders, and flagship chasers, but Gerber and SOG aren’t standing still. The Stakeout Spark carved out a campsite niche that didn’t exist before, and the Flash MT blurred the line between knife and multitool in a way that feels genuinely useful rather than gimmicky. Then there’s the Gordon 20-in-1 sitting quietly at $40, proving that full-size capability doesn’t require a full-size budget. Whether you’re clipping one to your pocket for daily carry or tossing one in a pack for the weekend, the best EDC multitool is the one that matches your specific routine, not the one with the highest spec sheet. The days of one multitool fitting every scenario are over, and that’s a good thing.
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(as of March 21, 2026 23:09 GMT -05:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
