Leatherman has been the dominant force in the multitool industry and never seems to stop innovating. Year after year they wow us with these shiny new creations, and we anticipate these releases. I do feel over the last serval years, we have seen a slowdown in new products and more of a rehash of what they already produce.

When the Curl was announced, I thought alright here we go, let's see what they've been working on. Instead of being wowed, I feel like Leatherman just took two models and put them together and called it a new creation. So, is it a new amazing tool? Or just a cash grab for the folks in Portland? Let's take a look.

Pry bars have been an increasing standard in the EDC community for over a decade. This length of time combined with every manufacturer hopping on the bandwagon has created a plethora of prys to choose from.

On my hunt for amazing and useful pocket tools I came across TEC Accessories. TEC develops and makes their own products and create products for everyday tasks while focusing on value. Today I'm taking a look at Ti-Pry standard and keychain edition.

Vosteed Knives is a fairly new company that has been around since 2021. The company was founded on the principle of making great products with their collaborators and users. They have had several successful releases since their inception, and today we are checking out their Grind model.

When it comes to a great EDC knife, I look at a few different factors. I look at blade style to see how utilitarian it is for basic everyday tasks. How easy is it to sharpen when the need arises? Is the handle comfortable, and is it the right size for my hand? What locking mechanism does it have, is it ambidextrous, and can it be disengaged if one hand is occupied? And finally, I look at the pocket clip. I love a knife that carries well and doesn't take a lot of fuss to remove and replace in my pocket. When it comes to the Grind, it hits oh so many sweet spots; let's take a look.

Ever since Gerber introduced it's first multitool design in 1991 they never seem to have a limit to their creativity. Gerber's trademark sliding plier head is what defines their multitools. That landmark design showed that Gerber was full of ingenuity and they hadn't stopped since.

The Dual-Force is Gerber's latest multitool and it breaks the mold in so many ways. Gerber took a lot of the design cues from the Center Drive and modified them for Dual-Force. These simple yet radical design changes have showed Gerber is ready to show the others how it is done.

The everyday carry scene is huge and covers a variety of products that people feel are essential to covering what they need on a day to day basis. One item that I see quite a lot of is flashlights. Personally I have never carried a flashlight before on a daily basis, nor had I ever seen the reason to add one to my carry. The times I've needed one were rare and should the occasion arise I had one in a pinch by using my smartphone. The amount of edc pics I've seen that incorporate flashlights was so immense that I decided to see what all the fuss was about. How often would I use one and what situations would occur that I may need one over my aforementioned smartphone.

One of the lights I chose for testing is the Fenix LD15R. Right angle flashlights are unique and are becoming quite popular. Compared to traditional flashlights where the lens and body are parallel to each other; a right angle has a head that's positioned 90 degrees to the body. These style of lights are good because they incorporate some abilities and features you don't see on the standard lights.

 

In an ever changing world companies like Leatherman are forced to innovate and diversify in order to stay competitive. Leatherman CEO Ben Rivera took the company in a new direction back in 2015 and released the Leatherman Tread multitool. The Tread was a tool born out of necessity for Ben on a trip to a theme park and his current tool was not allowed in the park. The Tread has gotten a lot of press in the last couple years; some positive and some negative. One fact that remains is that it's still a hot seller for the historic tool company.

Most folks think of multitools as plier based tools that have an assortment of functions. In fact the company Leatherman has become synonymous with the word multitool; similar to how Kleenex is being used to define tissues. Leatherman had a big inspiration back in 2015 and released a multitool which was very different than the standard modeling. Current CEO Ben Rivera had a run in with the security at Disneyland and told him he couldn't bring in his Wave multitool. This got the gears turning and this helped develop a new type of multitool; wearable.

Most of the multitools we see on the market are from the big three; Leatherman, SOG and Gerber. There are other companies that produce tools as well but are not what I consider key players. Columbia River Knife and Tool (CRKT) is one of those companies and they seem to wow us with innovative designs but never stay in the limelight long enough. CRKT produces a lot of in house designs but I consider them more of a publisher. They collaborate with a lot of knife designers and as a result they able to give us innovative designs at affordable prices.

 

Multitools have changed over the decades, constantly improving functionality and design. What doesn't change however is the sheaths and holsters we use to hold our beloved tools. We have the traditional leather and the old standby of ballistic nylon but no major multitool company offers anything other than those two options. There are some tools that have the option to add a pocket clip but not everyone likes the weight of a Surge hanging from their pocket. People looking for alternative sources for sheaths will likely see the plethora of folks offering kydex sheaths. Kydex is extremely popular with law enforcement and military because of durability the material offers as well as the attachment options like the molle system.

I'm a huge fan of budget blades; you show me a good deal on a knife and I'm there. Budget blades are often sought  after because they have good form, function and are very affordable. When looking at budget blades one company that caught my attention is Sport Manufacturing Group. SMG is  an American based company that produces pneumatic guns as well as a pocket knife line by the name of Steel Will.

SMG is quite passionate about their pocket knives and it shows. They have a huge range of knives that cover many different categories and use premium materials. Being a budget guy I wanted to check out a knife I had been hearing a lot about and that's the Cutjack. The Cutjack is  a sub $50 knife that is aimed at the everyday carry crowd and hits home on so many levels.