Advantages and disadvantages of multi-purpose knives

The history of multi-purpose folding knives begins in the XIX century with the army knives of various armies of the world. In 1891, the Swiss company Victorinox received the first state military contract for the production of folding multitool knives. Initially, multi-purpose knives were intended for opening cans and assembling and disassembling weapons. The first model of such a knife from Victorinox Model 1890 had a knife blade, a can opener, an awl, and a screwdriver as part of the tool. Then, as the army structure changed, the number and purpose of the tools also changed. Used in multitool army knives of different countries, the hook for cleaning the horse's hooves began to gradually disappear from the tool range. At the same time, there was a second additional, shorter blade designed for sharpening pencils, as well as a corkscrew. Then began a significant increase in the number of tools and built-in scissors, bottle opener, a small saw, tweezers, and others appeared. In the most modern versions of folding knives, you can find a flash drive, laser pointers, flashlights, compasses, etc. In addition, there are specialized multi-purpose knives for rescuers, fishermen, hunters, etc. Despite the appearance of multitools, which had two handles connected with pliers and often a larger number of tools, multifunctional knives continue to maintain their positions and are popular with consumers.

Among the most popular tools are the following:

1. Big blade

The blade of a multi-purpose knife has a standard length from 3 to 10 cm, although there are also larger blades. It is usually quite thin in the spine and does not exceed 3 mm. This is due to its attachment in the socket, where it adjoins another tool and is limited in its dimensions. It is made of stainless steel with a hardness of about 55-58 HRC. Such a blade can be fixed with a traditional slip-joint lock, or with a stronger lock, usually either a liner-lock or a bolt-type lock. 

Blades can have a wide variety of geometries: straight bevels from the spine, a concave lens, etc. In terms of cutting properties, they are not inferior to any other folding knife blades.

Among the disadvantages of such blades, we can note the relative weakness of the design and the inability to use the most rigid and durable locks. The slip-joint lock was not originally designed for heavy power work, and the other locks of multifunctional knives due to lack of space inside the structure also do not have high strength. In such a knife, it is impossible to make a full-fledged frame lock or back-lock, that is, locks that have the largest resource for power work. Steel on the blades of such knives is rarely of high hardness and prestigious brand since the use of good steel would lead to a significant increase in the cost of the knife. Therefore, powder steel or Damascus blades are rarely found only in limited collections of manufacturers of such knives.

Almost any large blade of a multifunctional knife can be sharpened on standard or fillet clamps on the TSPROF knife sharpeners: TSPROF and Blitz sharpening systems.

2. Small blade for sharpening pencils and fine work

The standard length of such a blade is about 3 cm. In the XX century, such blades on knives were very relevant. Everyone used pencils, and most importantly, they wrote on paper. At the moment, the value of this tool is gradually being lost. It is impossible to cut anything large with such a blade, and the amount of paper used for writing is constantly decreasing. To sharpen a blade of this size on the TSPROF K03 knife sharpener, a single clamp can be used, for the Blitz sharpener, two standard clamps installed together.  

3. Screwdrivers

Multitool knives traditionally have three types of screwdrivers. 

1) A large slotted screwdriver designed for unscrewing/tightening ordinary screws or screws with a slotted thread. It is most often located in one of the rows of a multi-purpose knife and is a power tool that can cope with a medium-hard screw. The main disadvantage of using such a screwdriver is not convenient to hold the knife handle when rotating and the length of the lever is limited to the same handle. In fact, such a screwdriver can not replace the usual one in long-term operation.

2) Phillips screwdriver  It is located most often on the back of the knife handle next to the corkscrew. Designed for unscrewing/tightening external or cross-threaded screws. Due to its location, the screwdriver almost does not have the length of the arm and can be used for screws of medium hardness.

3) Slotted screwdriver combined with a can opener Designed for unscrewing/tightening external or cross-threaded screws. The screwdriver has a very small sting length and can only handle the smallest screws.

4. Wood saw

In the vast majority of models of modern folding multi-purpose knives, there is a compact saw. It allows you to cut branches and boards with a thickness of about 10 cm. The aggressiveness of its work is determined by the size and layout of the teeth, the best saws today have Victorinox knives. The functionality of such a tool and its applicability in a modern city is highly questionable. However, manufacturers have not yet abandoned this tool.

5. Openers for cans

Although many modern cans have their own can opener, in the form of a ring, openers on knives are still in demand. Most often, they are a small hook with one sharpened edge. Many of these openers can be sharpened on a single fillet clamp of the TSPROF K03 knife sharpener, sharpening is also possible on whole-milled fillet clamps. For sharpening, TSPROF or Boride narrow stones are best suited.

6. Bottle opener

It is a small hook that allows you to pry the cork on a glass bottle. It was often combined with a large slotted screwdriver, such as on Victorinox knives.  This bottle opener is gradually losing its value, due to the decrease in the production of glass containers with lids.

7. Awl–reamer

Another tool with a long history is the awl-reamer. Most often, it is a small iron pin, with a one-sided sharpening and a hole for the thread. The awl was once an essential tool, particularly in the military version of the multitool. They could make a hole in the leather horse harness, on the soldier's belt and other items of military equipment, as well as independently make homemade shoes and clothing. Now the awl is rarely used and is symbolic. You can sharpen the awl-reamer on single and single fillet clamps, as well as on the whole-milled fillet clamps of the TSPROF K03 sharpener. It can also be sharpened with standard Blitz sharpener clamps.

In general, the advantages of multi-purpose knives are a wide variety of different tools for a variety of tasks. They can solve issues of minor repairs, in particular where a conventional folding knife with a single blade can not cope.

The disadvantages of such knives are the relative weakness of the design and the increased weight compared to a conventional knife. Most often, a multi-purpose knife does not have a strong lock or a blade with a thick spine and is generally not adapted for power work. The same options, where the blade is made in the most beneficial version and has a back-lock, often show an extremely large weight for a folding knife.

Today, multitools continue to maintain their position and are produced by various companies around the world.