The Most Carried Multi-Tools for Everyday Carry: Six Pocket Favorites

Introduction

Most everyday carry conversations start with a folding knife, but a multi-tool can do the same blade work while adding pliers, scissors, drivers, and a file in one package. After a lot of pocket time across different tools, six models stand out as the ones that get carried the most: the Leatherman Skeletool CX and RX, the Leatherman Curl, the Leatherman Signal, the Leatherman FREE P2, and the Victorinox MX Clip.

The thinking behind carrying a multi-tool instead of a knife is simple: a small weight sacrifice buys access to far more utility, and pairing a multi-tool with a fixed blade covers nearly all cutting needs. Here is how these six stack up.

Leatherman Skeletool CX and Skeletool RX

If you are used to carrying a folding knife, the Leatherman Skeletool family is a natural step up into plier-based tools. At only five ounces in every variant, it is much easier to carry as a package than most multi-tools, which is exactly why it earns a spot here.

The Skeletool CX comes with a 154CM blade in a full straight edge, versus the partial serrations on the standard model. The Skeletool RX, by contrast, uses a fully serrated blade. Both are popular bases for modifications, including aftermarket hammer attachments and scalpel holders that use the space in the handle where the lanyard hole would otherwise go unused.

The Skeletool suits anyone who wants a knife-first multi-tool that does not feel like a weight penalty, and the CX is the pick if you prefer a plain edge.

The RX shares the same five-ounce platform and slim carry, with the serrated blade as the main difference. It is the better fit if you cut cord, webbing, or fibrous materials more often than clean cardboard.

Leatherman Curl

The Leatherman Curl arrived to mixed feelings, launching at eighty dollars and since rising to ninety dollars, but it has quietly won people over. The slip lock system holding the internal tools has been dialed in remarkably well: it is incredibly strong, and the lack of a full outer lock turns out to be less noticeable than expected.

This particular example has been modified by swapping the diamond file for a saw, the preferred secondary implement when only one choice is available. Even bone stock, the Curl is a nice compact package at only seven ounces, and it is carried often for exactly that reason.

Leatherman Signal

The Leatherman Signal is one of the favorites in this group, and the biggest surprise was how much the hammer end gets used. Think of it less as a hammer and more as a persuader, and note that a different grip than most people default to gives better control and safer use.

The tool set is relatively compact, and you might assume it makes little sense in an urban environment. The reality is the opposite: you are unlikely to carry a whistle, a knife sharpener, or a ferrocerium rod in the city, so having them on the tool to ignore until they are genuinely needed is a real advantage. The integrated carabiner is another quietly useful feature, letting you clip the tool to a belt when pockets are full.

Leatherman FREE P2

The Leatherman FREE P2 came in as a genuine surprise at a high carry frequency. The deployment is the headline: you can flick out the plier head or any tool one-handed, without a second hand, and that ease of use has genuinely spoiled expectations for other tools.

This example has been modified, swapping the scissors for a saw and the partially serrated blade for a straight blade, changing the flathead into a prying tool, and adapting the Phillips driver to take a bit holder. In hindsight, only the blade and saw swaps would have been necessary. At 7.6 ounces, slim in the pocket, and carrying exactly the tools needed, it makes a lot of sense as a daily driver.

Victorinox MX Clip

The Victorinox MX Clip is the most carried multi-tool, full stop. The blade and pliers are the workhorses and both deploy without issues, and a mod with diamond files on the tool tangs has dramatically improved how easily the implements open.

What keeps it in the pocket is the package: it weighs almost the same as the FREE P2 but packs significantly more tools, in some cases better ones. The blade is short but more than enough for any utility task, and the file, scissors, saw, and everything else you would expect fit into a very compact form factor. The plier grip is genuinely comfortable, and the tool feels like Victorinox really nailed the design.

How These Tools Fit Into a Kit

A multi-tool provides blade functionality plus all the additional implements, the pliers, and the scissors, which dramatically limits how many separate items need to be carried. Some people decide they do not need that, which is fine, but the small weight trade for that much extra capability has always felt worth it.

Blade steel matters less than people assume. Whether a knife uses a premium steel or a budget one, the first cut is relatively similar, so the multi-tool covers daily utility and a small fixed blade can be added inside the pocket for heavier cutting tasks. Together, that combination covers almost all cutting needs, and a small keychain tool fills any remaining gaps.

Conclusion

These six tools earn their carry time for different reasons: the Skeletool CX and RX for knife-like lightness, the Curl for its strong lock and compact size, the Signal for its survival extras and carabiner, the FREE P2 for one-handed deployment, and the Victorinox MX Clip for packing the most capability into the least weight. Pick the one whose feature set matches what your pockets actually face each day, and you will likely stop reaching for a plain folding knife too.