Multitasker Series2 AR-specific multitool - A review

(This product provided by the manufacturer.)


When most people talk about multitools, generally you'll hear only a few names. Leatherman, SOG and Gerber. Occasionally a Swiss Army tool will be mentioned, but 9 times out of 10, it's those first three. It is a rare thing to see a newcomer to this market which is so heavily dominated by massive companies, and especially so when this newcomer is an agile one-man operation. Multitasker is headed up by Shane Keng and has only been around actively for a fairly short time.

In that short amount of time, Multitasker has managed to severely impress me, not just with the quality and innovation of their designs, but also with their responsiveness to customer feedback and input. 

So what does Multitasker bring to the table with their tools? We are going to look at that today, starting with their flagship tool, the Series2 AR-specific multitool.

As per the usual routine, we'll start with some specs.


The Series2 is precision EDM-machined, not cast like the competition.


- Needle-Nose pliers with wire cutter jaws, roller bearing pivot, EDM-machined out of billet D2 tool steel. Melonite finish to prevent rust.

- G10 composite grip scales, textured for extra grip.

- Brass-bodied dental pick/scraper, which is threaded to the Series2 with 8-32 male threads to make it compatible with the OTIS cleaning kits.

- 2.5 inch long, 440C American tanto-style knife blade with a liner lock.

- Carbon scraper with a specifically radiused tip to fit AR bolt tails.

- File with a 5/16 flat-head screwdriver tip.

- 3/8” box-end wrench for adjusting LaRue optic mounts.

- Castle-Nut wrench
- Lanyard loop attachment point.

- Standard 1/4 inch hex drive bit attachment with a magnetic holder. 10 bits are included in a polymer carrier, which counts an A2-style 4 prong front sight adjustment tool. 


- Overall length, closed: 4 inches
- Weight: 11 Oz.


So, obviously, the Series2 is not a small tool, but when you look at the sheer number of separate tools that it replaces, it is still significantly lighter than it would be to carry all of these separate tools. 


What blows me away with the Series2 is the sheer quality of construction. The pliers are simply a work of art. There is, to my knowledge, no other manufacturer that comes even close to making something as well-made as the pliers on the Series2. Without fail, all the other manufacturers use investment casting for their pliers and that's something I'm not a big fan of. Cast steel has an unfortunate tendency to break under flexural stress, largely because of the grain structure. You simply don't have that problem with something that is machined from billet. And when that something is machined from D2 tool steel and not some relatively low-grade stainless steel like 420HC... Well, it steps it up another notch. 
You can see more detail in the following video where I also compare it to the most obvious competitor, the Leatherman MUT.

Next up, we'll look at a whole bunch of pictures to really get into the meat-n-potatoes of the tool and further compare it with the Leatherman.

The Series2 uses nicely textured G10 scales for grip and comfort and can be entirely serviced with a torx driver. 

The pliers are Melonited, the same finish used on such firearms as the Glock, Springfield Armory XD and S&W M&P. Incredibly tough and rust-resistant, it's arguably one of the best treatments around.

 I have a distinct feeling that I'll never snap the pliers on this tool, like I have on Gerbers and Leathermans in the past...

As is evident, the Series2 is a serious bit of tool. Very beefy and hand-filling.  

Note the wire-cutters. While not replaceable, they're still made from a far better steel than the ones you typically see. D2 is a steel that is made for, amongst other things, cutting other steels. 

Note the ultra-clean machining of the pliers and how well the serrations fit together.  

The tanto blade. Typical Americanized tanto style with a slightly dropped tip. Very handy and since it's made out of 440C, the steel is decent, albeit not ground-breaking. Far and above better than the typical 420HC steel you see on most tools. 

You can see the liner lock for the knife blade here. Note that due to the layout, this is set up as if this was a lefty liner lock. A bit surprising at first, but something you get used to quickly. There is also a tab on the tang of the blade that prevents the liner lock from over-travel. This will keep the lock functional even with extensive wear. 

The aluminum-bronze washers can be seen here. These are found throughout the tool and are both durable and smooth. Again, not a common feature. 

The coarse side of the file. A single-cut, smoother file is found on the other side.

Here you can see the bearing cover which protects the roller bearings, which accounts for the extreme smoothness and precision of the pliers. There is zero slop in this pivot. 

 The carbon scraper. The radiused edge is a near-perfect fit for the curvature on the tail of an AR bolt. 

All the tools deployed. The castle nut wrench works remarkably well, despite being meant only to function as an emergency tool. Very beefy. Also, the flat-head tip on the file fits the screws on my Daniel Defense rail as if it was made for it. I should also point out that none of these tools are stamped or cast. They are wire-EDM'ed out of sheet stock. 

 The sheath that the Series2 comes with. In this iteration it's a 1000 denier Cordura with an EVA foam hardshell. MOLLE-compatible, this does an admirable job of holding the tool. This case is likely to change in the future though.

You can see the polymer bit carrier here. Fits neatly inside the sheath. You can mix and match your own bits to fit your specific needs. I think this is a huge advantage over the proprietary bits that the Leatherman uses. 

 Comparison between the MUT and Series2. Note that the MUT is significantly longer. Mostly because of the rather silly hammer/shroud cutter. Mind you, it's a question of time before somebody cuts themselves badly on that shroud cutter. Very poor design.  

 Note here the difference in machining quality between the Leatherman MUT and the Series2 pliers.

 Take a wild guess which of these has the beefier, stronger pliers. 

Rather obvious in this shot that the tolerances and machining is far better on the Series2.

Here you can also see the other two Multitasker tool offerings, the Tube and the Ultralight. Expect reviews of those coming up shortly!

The Series2 multi-tool is a fantastic option for anybody that regularly uses an AR, whether it's for work or for fun. It's a perfect range-bag tool and I think it has a definite place even in the kit of someone on a deployment or in LE. The compatability with the OTIS cleaning kits, which is one of the most commonly used kits out there, alone makes it a great bit of kit. 

And when you compare it to the biggest competitor, the Leatherman MUT, in a lot of ways it frankly blows the MUT out of the water. The quality of construction and material choices, the standard bits, the tool selection (no frontsight adjuster on the MUT), all come together to provide an almost unbeatable package. 

Now, that being said, there are a couple of things I wouldn't mind seeing changed on future versions. 

Primarily, having a locking mechanism for the stock wrench would really improve the overall quality. Frankly, having a locking option for most of the tools would be very nice. I would also prefer to have the tool necessary to service the pivot included. I'm big on being able to service and care for my own tools so that would be a very nice accessory.

And lastly, replaceable wire cutter jaws. That is the one feature that I think the MUT has on the Series2. The good news is, Shane is already working on putting that on the next version of his tool. 

Now, what might be a non-starter for some people is that the tools are manufactured in China. And while I also prefer US-made gear, in most cases that just isn't possible. Even Leatherman who proudly proclaims that their products are made in the US, gets the vast majority of their parts manufactured overseas. For instance, the hammer portion, that also holds the strap cutter, is a metal-injection-molding piece from a vendor in India and that's just one part out of several that are not made in the US. You don't see that in the fine print however. So, I wouldn't let that stop you from getting one of these. The quality is just so much better than any other tool on the market. 

And Shane Keng is fantastically responsive to his customers and backs the product 100 percent, barring seriously retarded abuse by the end-user. 

To conclude this first installment of the Multitasker reviews, I can only say that I recommend this multi-tool without reservation. They retail for about 105, and can be found at places like Brownell's online.