Review: M-Tac Multitool Type 1

 

M-Tac Multitool Type 1

Multitool Review: Purchased with my own money – no cooperation with M-Tac.

Background

My EDC bag is a black Mil-Tec Assault Pack with lots of MOLLE. It took 12 years of daily use to wear out my green Tasmanian Tiger Daypack. It handled trips abroad, military training, overnight stays, and served as a school bag. Fantastic backpack.

I’ve got a bunch of gear in my 'new' black school bag from Mil-Tec. I needed some small pouches for organization, so I placed an order from M-Tac. M-Tac is a Ukrainian company that makes budget-friendly gear of decent quality. It can be compared to Mil-Tec, which is solid mid-tier gear (and has improved in recent years).

M-Tac has a warehouse in Poland, so they can ship to the EU cheaply – and since I like supporting Ukrainians when possible, I ordered from them.

Multitool Type 1

I added a Multitool Type 1 to my cart. If something costs 120 DKK (roughly $17), it's probably not worth much more – so I wanted to try it out. They sell many different multitools, but Type 1 seemed like the best EDC option: pliers, knife, saw, and a bit set – that covers most needs.

Ergonomically, the tool is a bit rough to use. It's slightly bulky in the hand, whereas something like a Leatherman has more rounded, slimmer metalwork.

The company sells a wide range of multitools, but I think many of them are missing essential tools. In my opinion, a multitool is only really useful if it includes a bit set – otherwise a folding knife and a small pair of pliers will do just as well.

Field Test

If you're going to review gear, you have to use it. I’ve just been renovating a house and decided to use the multitool daily for all sorts of tasks. As a result, it’s been used every day for a month and a half – and it’s taken a real beating.

The knife holds up well and can easily be resharpened with a cheap sharpener. I’ve cut string, tape, plastic, and drywall. Drywall dulls any blade quickly – gypsum does that to everything.

The pliers have pulled out countless wall plugs, nails, and screws. The wire cutter isn't quite as strong as I’d hoped. It has cut lots of wires but struggles with thicker steel wire.

The bits are of very good quality, and the selection is decent. But here’s one of Type 1’s design flaws: the bit holder fits over a square peg on the tool. And it makes no sense to have a “tool” that only works as a mount for a bit holder. It could just as well have been a Phillips screwdriver (like the older Leatherman models have).

The bit set alone is worth the price of the whole tool. If you have an older Leatherman multitool, you can buy a “bit set conversion adapter” so you can use Leatherman’s newer bits. That adapter set is expensive – you could buy three Type 1 multitools for the same price – and this bit holder fits on older Leathermans. Standard bits fit perfectly too – whereas Leatherman’s own bit holder only fits smaller bits.

I used the can opener as a pry bar. It removed 200+ 8 mm staples fired into hardwood. Eventually, the can opener bent – but considering the twisting force it endured, that’s to be expected. I straightened it out using a flat stone, though it’s lost strength in that axis. Still works fine as a can opener. Surprisingly durable.

Conclusion

The M-Tac Multitool Type 1 gives you a lot for your money. It’s of decent quality and can take a beating. As an EDC, it’s a great tool for typical multitool tasks. There’s no need (like I did) to use it for everything – especially when you have proper tools available. But this was a test.

The bit set adds a lot of value to the tool.

The belt pouch that comes with it is thin junk – completely useless. Get yourself a better pouch.

Will this replace my 20-year-old Leatherman with bit set as my primary multitool? No. But is it great to keep in the glove compartment or give to kids as their first tool? Absolutely.

M-Tac allows customers to rate their products from 1 to 5, so I’ll do the same. When evaluating quality, you have to be realistic. For the price, I give the multitool 4 out of 5 stars.

Why not a full 5 stars?

Because of a few design flaws that don’t match even the budget price. The bit holder mount is silly – it could have been a screwdriver. The edges are too sharp – they could easily have been rounded off so gloves wouldn’t be necessary.

4 out of 5 stars

About M-Tac

On a related note, I have to comment on M-Tac’s review policy. They let users submit product reviews and encourage it via email. I did that. I rated the products between 4 and 5 stars and wrote reviews like this one.

4 stars is a good and fair rating. However, M-Tac doesn’t approve reviews that only give 4 stars. You can only see my reviews for products I rated 5 stars. That seems completely silly to me – if you don’t want honest feedback, don’t ask for it.