10 Real Uses for an 18-Tool Multitool (From a Retailer Who Sells It)
Most "uses for a multitool" articles are written by people who don't own one. We sell the ACTION 18-tool multitool. Here are ten jobs it actually does well — and a few it doesn't.
The tool in this article
ACTION 18-Tool Multitool
420 stainless · 9.2 oz · 18 tools · 11 accessory bits · nylon pouch
$54.00
Shop the ACTION →Bottom Line
A multitool's value isn't that it beats a dedicated tool. It's that it's the only tool present when you need one. At 9.2 oz with 18 functions and a $54 price tag, the ACTION lives in a glove box, a pack, or on a belt — and earns its space the first time a delivery shows up zip-tied or a battery terminal goes loose on a job site.
The Job, Not the Spec Sheet
Multitool listicles all read the same: cutting, prying, tightening, measuring, tweezing, lather, rinse, repeat. The problem is most of those entries aren't real uses — they're features pulled off the spec sheet and padded into prose.
This article only covers tools the ACTION actually has, in situations they actually come up. Where the tool isn't the right call, we say so.
Use 01
Cutting Zip Ties on a Delivery You Can't Open
Tool used: Main blade or wire cutters
Anyone who has tried to open an Amazon delivery, a hardware-store crate, or a contractor-bag tarp knows the problem. Zip ties everywhere, scissors nowhere. The ACTION's main blade handles plastic zip ties cleanly in one stroke. For braided or coated wire ties, the standard wire cutters bite through faster than the blade.
Specific to this tool: the wire cutters are replaceable. That matters more than it sounds. Most budget multitools build the cutters into the pliers head — when they dull or chip, the whole tool is compromised. On the ACTION, you swap them.
Use 02
Crimping a Battery or Trailer Connector
Tool used: Electrical crimper
This is the use that quietly justifies the whole tool for anyone who works on vehicles, trailers, or low-voltage electrical. A loose ring terminal on a battery cable. A new butt connector on a trailer wire that finally gave up. A spade connector for a fan or pump.
A dedicated crimper does a cleaner job. A multitool crimper gets the job done on the side of the road. The ACTION's crimper handles standard insulated terminals — the ones color-coded red, blue, and yellow — without chewing the insulation.
Use 03
Cutting and Stripping Low-Voltage Wire
Tool used: Standard wire cutters · hard wire cutters
The standard wire cutters take care of speaker wire, lamp cord, trailer harness, low-voltage landscape lighting, doorbell wire. The hard-wire cutters — a separate edge on the same pliers head — handle harder material: light gauge fence wire, picture-hanger wire, the occasional small nail.
Honest note: this isn't a dedicated wire stripper. You can score insulation with the blade and pull, which works fine for the kind of one-off repair the ACTION is for. If you're wiring a whole boat trailer, get an actual stripper.
Use 04
Tightening One Screw Without Unpacking a Toolbox
Tool used: Phillips driver · 3mm/5mm/6mm slotted · 11 accessory bits
The cabinet hinge that loosened. The license plate bolt that worked itself out. The kitchen-drawer pull. None of these justify hauling out a toolbox, but they don't fix themselves either.
The ACTION ships with a Phillips driver, three slotted sizes, a bit extension, and 11 accessory bits in a nylon pouch. Between those, you can handle most household and small-engine fasteners — Torx, hex, Phillips, slotted, square — without owning a separate driver set.
Use 05
Sawing a Branch, Stake, or Jammed Part
Tool used: Two-way wood saw
The wood saw on the ACTION cuts on both push and pull strokes. That sounds like a marketing line. It isn't — it's the difference between a saw that bogs in soft wood and one that actually clears chips.
Real uses: trimming a tent stake that's too long. Cutting a 1" branch off a hiking trail. Notching a piece of trim. Cutting through a stripped plastic fastener that won't unscrew. For anything thicker than 2", reach for a real saw — but for the on-the-spot cut, it works.
Use 06
Filing a Burr off a Freshly Cut Bolt
Tool used: Wood/metal file
Cut a bolt to length with a hacksaw and you've left a burr that won't thread back into a nut. The file on the ACTION cleans it up in 20 seconds. Same for trimming a freshly cut piece of all-thread, smoothing the edge of a piece of sheet metal that just got snipped, or knocking the rust scale off a stuck fastener so the wrench will seat.
It's a small thing until it's the only thing standing between you and a finished repair.
Use 07
Cutting Seatbelts, Rope, or Webbing in an Emergency
Tool used: Hook-style cord cutter
The cord cutter is a hooked, recessed blade — it cuts what's pulled through it without exposing a sharp edge. That makes it safer for the application that earned it a place on the tool: cutting a jammed seatbelt, severing a tangled tether, slicing through paracord or webbing without nicking what's underneath.
If you keep an emergency kit in the car, this is the feature that earns the tool's place in it. Pair it with the blunted-tip first aid scissors — a separate tool on the ACTION — for medical work where you don't want a pointed blade near skin.
Use 08
Opening a Can When the Can Opener Walked Off
Tool used: Can opener
Camping, tailgating, power outage, kitchen drawer chaos. The ACTION's can opener is the old-school hook-and-lever type — same mechanism as the GI P-38 that's been opening cans since 1942. Slow compared to a kitchen can opener. Faster than driving to the store for one.
Use 09
Opening a Beer at the End of the Day
Tool used: Bottle opener
Yes, this is on the list. The bottle opener is a feature that gets quietly used more than most of the tools above. The ACTION's is integrated into the frame — no folding tool to deploy, just hook and pop.
Use 10
Reaching the One Fastener Your Bit Driver Can't
Tool used: Bit extension · accessory bits
The bit extension is the unsung tool. Recessed Phillips deep inside an appliance. Torx screw in the back of a furniture cabinet. The extension turns the ACTION into a stubby driver that reaches places a full-size driver can't, and the 11-bit kit covers the sizes a single Phillips head can't.
For occasional work in tight spots, this is the difference between fixing the thing in five minutes and putting it on the someday list.
What the ACTION Isn't
It's not your daily-carry, lifetime-warranty, Leatherman Wave. The Wave is $130, made in Portland, and earns its price.
It's not a precision tool. The blade is 420 stainless — sharpens easily, holds an edge well enough for utility work, not premium knife steel.
And it doesn't have everything. No ruler. No tweezers. No corkscrew. The ACTION's 18 tools are the ones that actually get used. The ones that don't — the spec-sheet padding most multitools include — are absent on purpose.
"A multitool isn't useful because it does every job better. It's useful because it's there when there's no other tool."
Specs at a Glance
| Material | 420 stainless steel, skeletonized frame |
| Weight | 9.2 oz (260 g) |
| Open length | 6.5 in (16.5 cm) |
| Folded | 4.3" × 1.2" × 0.5" |
| Tool count | 18 integrated tools |
| Accessories | Nylon pouch, drive extender, 11 accessory bits |
| Wire cutters | Replaceable (standard and hard wire) |
| Lock | Auto-lock on all tools in operating position |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a multitool worth carrying every day?
If you spend any part of your day fixing things, opening things, or away from a toolbox — yes. The point of a multitool is not that it beats a dedicated tool, it's that it's the only tool present when you need a tool. At 9.2 oz, the ACTION lives in a glove box, a backpack, or on a belt without thinking about it.
Is the ACTION multitool good for emergency or survival kits?
Yes — that's what it's built for. Blunted-tip first aid scissors, a hook-style cord cutter for seatbelts or paracord, replaceable wire cutters, and a two-way wood saw cover the jobs that come up in an actual emergency. Pair it with a real first aid kit and a flashlight.
How does the ACTION compare to a Leatherman?
Honestly: it's not a Leatherman Wave. The Wave is $120+, made in Portland, with a 25-year warranty. The ACTION is $54, 420 stainless, with replaceable wire cutters and 11 accessory bits. For a glove box, a bug-out bag, or a tool you don't want to cry over if it gets lost, the ACTION is the right call. For your forever daily carry, save up for the Wave.
What is 420 stainless steel, and is it good for a multitool?
420 stainless is a corrosion-resistant steel commonly used for budget-to-mid-range cutting tools. It holds an edge well enough for general utility work, sharpens easily, and resists rust — important on a tool that lives in a glove box or pack. It's not premium knife steel (S30V, M4) but for a multitool blade you use occasionally, it does the job.
Can the wire cutters on the ACTION be replaced?
Yes. Both the standard and hard-wire cutters are replaceable. That matters because wire cutters are the first thing to dull or chip on a multitool, and once they're gone on most tools the whole pliers head is junk.
Does the ACTION multitool include bits?
It ships with a Phillips driver, three slotted screwdriver sizes (3mm, 5mm, 6mm), a bit extension, and 11 accessory bits in a nylon pouch. That covers most household and small-engine fastener sizes without carrying a separate bit driver.
ACTION 18-Tool Multitool
420 stainless. 9.2 oz. 18 tools. 11 accessory bits. Nylon pouch. Replaceable wire cutters. Ships from a U.S. warehouse.
$54.00
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