More than a decade after its launch, the Leatherman Skeletool has some real competition — the SOG Flash MT. It’s a full-size multitool aimed at EDC.
For years, multitools have been great step-savers for house and garage chores. But their weight and sometimes difficult-to-access knives (the most commonly used tool) made them less than ideal for everyday carry. Luckily, things have slowly changed.
Leatherman installed its blades on the outside of its tools, making them much more accessible. Then, with the release of the Skeletool, the brand made the multitool light enough to be carried daily. But there were still some compromises — the Skeletool had some really blunt pliers, the driver was off-center, and the tool was longer than it needed to be.
The Skeletool used to be the only full-size multitool that could be daily carried. But now a new, even lighter challenger has entered the ring: the SOG Flash MT.
SOG Flash MT Specs
- Tool complement: Needlenose pliers, wirecutters, center-drive screwdriver, bottle opener, pry tool, and assisted-open knife
- Knife blade: Coated 2.36” D2 with flat grind
- OAL closed: 3 ¾”
- OAL open: 5 ⅜”
- Weight: 4.7 oz.
- Price: $70
- Country of origin: China
SOG Flash MT Review
Let’s Talk About Weight
There are a lot of knives heavier than the Flash MT. For example, the Hinderer XM-18 3.5” weighs almost a full ounce more at 5.6 ounces compared to the Flash’s 4.7.
The SOG Flash MT is a really light multitool — the lightest with full-size pliers. Those pliers also happen to have SOG’s compound leverage system, giving a lot of force when gripping items.
Testing & Notable Features
I’ve done some major office renovation and used the Flash MT to build a few pieces of flat-pack furniture (yuck), and it did exceptionally well.
The clip is an over-the-top, deep-carry clip set at an angle to make it pass over the center of gravity of the tool, which prevents it from rolling in the pocket. This is customary for off-center clips like those found on the Leatherman Skeletool, Wave, and Charge.
Aside from the size, there are a few notable improvements over its chief rival, the Skeletool. The Flash MT has a much better, pointier pair of pliers, allowing you to get in and do real work.
The center drive is absolutely ingenious in its implementation and blows the Gerber goose-necked driver out of the water in terms of utility. Finally, the blade here is quite thin and slice-y. Lots of multitools have insanely bulky blades for no real reason, but that’s not an issue here.
Drawbacks
The drawbacks of the SOG Flash MT are pretty typical of multitools. Its handle, with all its cavities and tool components, is a far cry from comfortable.
The driver — a two-headed 4mm with Phillips on one side and flathead on the other — is small enough to sometimes not work on bigger fasteners.
One thing that was surprising was the blade play on the knife. I’d prefer no assist and less slop, but I think, given the design, there needs to be some fidget room for the assist to work.
Conclusion
In the end, all of these drawbacks don’t weigh down the Flash MT. This is the smallest, most EDC-friendly full-size multitool on the market. It just happens to have an excellent little blade as well. I highly recommend it.
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