This multi-tool was specifically made for emergency applications. That's where the Leatherman Skeletool RX comes into play. And we'd rather people be prepared than not. Obviously, we'd never wish anyone to be caught in dire straits, like being lost out in the woods, trapped in a vehicle or something similar.

Material: 154CM Stainless steel, carbide, Cerakote.In use though, that shape provides a more ergonomic grip when operating either fold-out tools or pliers - and makes the Spirit X a notable standby.

It also has a unique handle shape that appears almost bent. The Spirit X has the other mandatory tools: a can opener, bottle opener, a Phillips head and two flathead screwdrivers, but it also comes with some extras, like a multifunctional reamer and a crate opener. Its scissors are spring-loaded, but they’re small (this is the case for many multi-tools, and it’s OK because big cutting jobs will probably call for a full-sized pair anyway). Its needle-nose pliers aren’t spring-loaded, but they are functionally long, with different-sized teeth and built-in wire cutters. It has a long, frame-lock plain-edge knife as well as separate saws for wood and metal. In many ways, the Spirit X is a predictable multi-tool, but that’s precisely why it succeeds. Victorinox’s famous Swiss Army knives are multi-tools in their own right, so it’s not a surprise that the company can pull off a full-sized butterfly-style tool too. No more annoying nail nicks and no more opening the pliers just to get to the bottle opener. The upgrade is twofold: you can now flip open the pliers, balisong style, with one hand, and every smaller implement is also positioned for one-handed use with small nubs that you roll your thumb over to deploy. But there’s a fundamental difference in that it, and every other tool in the broader Free collection, has an innovative magnetic construction that makes using those tools much more manageable. Like the Wave, the Free P2 features all the tools one might imagine should be present in a multi-tool: pliers, scissors, a bottle and can opener, wire cutters, a screwdriver, a ruler, a file.

When you think “Leatherman,” you likely conjure up the Wave, a long-time best-seller among the company’s 50-plus tool arsenal and a favorite of ours until the recent release of the Free P2. Leatherman, like Kleenex and Band-Aid, is one of those brand names that has come to stand for the category of products it produces: multi-tools.

Material: 420 high-carbon stainless steel.

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