Back in the day, I was an auto mechanic. I spent a great deal of time pouring over the Snap-On and Mac tool catalogs that I kept in a drawer of my roll-away. I would figure out how much of my income I could afford to spend on tools and still have enough money left over to buy gas to get to and from work and eat once in a while. Then, Uncle Sam graciously offered me a job in the United States Army repairing helicopters. I had to use the issued tools of the day, which I absolutely hated. I would continuously sneak in my much better tools I had acquired to perform my work, then smuggle them back out to my car should there be an inspection of some sort. Then one day, I got out, and armed with my newly minted FAA Airframe and Powerplant license, I went back to work in the private sector only this time working on airplanes. I headed straight back to the Snap-On truck and grabbed a copy of their catalog then set to finding all of the tools I couldn’t live without, determining which ones were worth losing yet another meal for. All of this just to prove that I’ve dealt with a lot of different tools throughout my life. I think I can detect the crap ones from the good ones most of the time. So that’s it, there are my qualifications to write this article. Oh, that and I think I own nearly every tool Leatherman has ever put out.
With that out of the way, let’s talk about the tool. The Multitasker Series 3 Multi Tool. If you own an AR rifle, this is something you should be considering for your range bag. It has six fold out tools, including a blade, and the obligatory pair of pliers in the center, complete with a wire cutter at the base. The pliers are deployed by folding the handles back, the same way the first generation Leatherman’s worked. There is a built in belt clip, which comes in very handy. I think what initially impressed me the most were the handles. They’re made from G10 scales and feel great in the hand. They are checkered for a nice non-slip grip. The other thing that struck me right away were the wire cutters. Most multi-tools have them built in and carved directly into the same metal the pliers are machined from, but there is no real way to sharpen them after they dull from use. These however, can be changed. The blades are mounted to the plier’s surface in a recessed pocket and can be changed when needed by removing to two mounting fasteners holding them on. Two screws? Even Leatherman just uses one on their Military tool. The build quality starts to become very evident with this tool from the very moment you pick it up.
So, what’s in the box? The tool comes in a nice foam-lined storage box (which you may or may not need). In it comes the tool itself and a range of eight bits mounted in a carry tray. I’ll admit it took me a few moments to figure out how to release the bits from their cage. The bits are No.1 Phillips, 3/32 Slotted, 3/16 Hex, 9/64 Hex, 1/8 Hex, 7/64 Hex, 3/32 Hex, T10 Torx, T15 Torx. About that little cage, nope, I’m not going to tell you how to open it up. You’ll have to figure it out for yourself. The second time I tried to open it, I was pulling up on the cage and it snapped in half. To boot, I had to rely on my Leatherman to find a flat tip small enough to try and fit into the slot in the cage to pry it open. Wouldn’t it be better if the tool had something on it that would work on its own packaging? Just a thought. So, to Multitasker company – I hate that little cage. I encourage you to find another way to house those tips.
So, what does it do? The tool is specially developed for use with an AR rifle platform as mentioned before. The pliers, wire cutters and knife blade are self-explanatory. However, there are other parts of the tool that are specifically designed for the job.
There is a 3/8” hex for LaRue mounts. 1/2” hex for scope rings. M4 castle nut spanner wrench with a flat blade screwdriver on the end. There is a 3/32” pin punch to deal with take-down pins, which also has an 8-32 male thread mount for an OTIS compatible cleaning kit. A curved tip carbon scraper. Finally, there is a ¼” magnetic bit driver for use with the tips stored in the little cage.
One by one, I deployed each tool and tried to work with it. The spanner works great. However, trying to deploy it is a pain in the six. There is not enough of the material available to grab hold of to deploy it. So, I had to pull the hex wrench open to get enough of a hold to pull out the spanner. It is a minor nuisance, but perhaps they’ll read this and re-think it.
The hex wrench blade is easily deployable. It’s easy to grasp and pull open and easy to use. You do have to be conscious of which direction you’re rotating the nut, as it will fold up if you’re rotating towards the closure point. Next up was the sight adjustment tool/ bit driver. It is easily deployed and easy to use. The sight adjustment bit pulls out of the tip and you can then insert a bit from the cage. Those stay in place well due to the magnet within the tool and can be used easily. My only concern is the sight tool tip that slides out can be removed with very little effort. I haven’t lost it yet, but it’s something I’ll keep an eye on. The blade is probably one of the best I’ve seen. It has a nice nut to assist in deploying it and a lock to keep the blade from coming back on you. It’s nicely sharp and thick enough not to break with moderate to heavy use. Next was the take down pin punch. It sits in the middle between the blade and the carbon remover. It too is tough to deploy, but it can be done with two hands. The pin remover works really well. It also unscrews so you can attach a cleaning rod. Very handy. Finally, the carbon scraper. It also has an assisting nut to help open it. It seems very sturdy, and it stays in place well.
I’m sure that most of these tools will also lend themselves to handgun maintenance. The pin remover alone will be used a lot in my house. My Jeep has a small tool bag I keep in the back. I’ll be ordering another one of these to keep in there with the rest of my off-road gear. Even though I have a few small gripes, overall, the quality of this tool shines through at every stage of use. Head over to Top Spec U.S. and check this tool out for yourself.
