The Realist: NexTool Multitool Review

 A guest post from the Realist, who writes:

Disclaimer: All products mentioned in this article were purchased by myself. I did not receive free samples, evaluation models, or other compensation from any manufacturer or retailer. I have no formal relationship with any manufacturer or retailer mentioned in this article - I have only been an arms-length customer. All brand names and product names used in this review are the trade names, service marks, trademarks, or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Further, this article reflects my unique circumstances and subjective opinions with regard to performance and other characteristics of the products discussed. Your mileage may vary.

The NexTool is the size of a credit card.

    A few weeks ago, I saw a short YouTube video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRtjAwL1Upc) review of the NexTool (https://nextoolstore.com/) credit card sized multitool. It was described as a "Wallet Multi Tool." Folded, it was shown to be roughly the dimensions of a credit card, and in the video it appeared to be fairly thin.

    I'm a sucker for an interesting multitool design, so I ordered one from Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DN1HJ2SK). It cost $35 and shipped from Amazon, with delivery taking a couple of weeks.

    Folded, the multitool is 51.7 millimeters (2.0 inches) wide and 85.1 millimeters (3.4 inches) long. It weights approximately 94 grams (3.3 ounces). And, it comes with a fake leather pouch in which to store the multitool if desired.

 

The NexTool on top of its pouch,unfolded to show the
various tools.

     The various tools in the multitool consist of:

• Pliars
• Wire cutter
• Wire crimper (back side of the pliar jaws)
• Straight and Phillips screw drivers
• Hex nut wrenches in 3, 4, 5.5, 6, 7, and 8 millimeters
• Bicycle spoke wrench
• Bottle opener
• Wire stripper
• Box opener
• Scraper
• 5 centimeter ruler
• Knife

    The knife looks like it has a tanto blade, but the kissaki (angled tip) of the blade is dull. It is already beveled and could be sharpened if desired. The knife edge itself arrived fairly dull. The blade does not lock in the open position.

    The other blade, from which the spoke wrench, bottle opener, wire stripper, box cutter, scraper, and ruler is formed, uses a liner-lock style mechanism to lock it open.

    The two screwdriver tips are formed on the corners of the members forming the handles when the multitool is closed. They are better than nothing, but are far less functional than the screwdrivers found on a traditional multitool.

    The multitool ended up being thicker than anticipated, with the various hinges and pivots being the thickest elements of its construction. The main pivot for the plier jaws was 7 millimeters (0.28 inches) thick. The plier jaws themselves are 3 millimeters (0.12 inches) thick.

    Conceptually, the Nextool multitool is a great idea, but poorly executed. I really wanted to like this multitool, but the thick hinges and pivots were a serious design deficiency for something that is supposed to be thin. The next significant deficiency was that the knife blade does not lock open. Another deficiency was the underwhelming screwdriver implementation.

    It seems to me that this multitool is a niche product for those who may have specialized requirements for a small lightweight thin-ish multitool.

    The NexTool multitool is definitely unique, but unless you have a specific need for a multitool like this, I'd give it a pass.