Most multi-tools are pretty meh on utility. SOG, the knifemaker of choice for the U.S. Navy SEALs, has a very specific ethos around utility—specifically on single-handed utility, because your other hand might be gripping a rock face or, you know, punching a terrorist. We certainly hope you never find yourself in combat, but it’s nice to know that SOG is thinking of extremes with its new Reactor multi-tool.
For instance, the stainless blade is sprung to deploy at the push of a button. That’s handy in a knife fight, or less dramatically, when your other hand is busy holding the fork as you cut into a juicy steak beside the campfire. Likewise, the pliers that incorporate wire cutters are more impressive than you’d guess: They’re geared to double the grasping force of your leverage. Yes, we’ve used them, and we wish all pliers were so enhanced.
Other brilliant thinking? The way SOG has put the magnetic Phillips screw bit centered at the plier end, not off-center, so you can drive with the entire Reactor poised in your mitt. That way you’re not fighting to balance the tool while twisting in the screw. In addition to needlenose pliers with a bolt-grip channel, the Reactor has a bottle opener and a slotted screwdriver, the medium-flat tip appearing on the opposite side of the Phillips bit. Lastly, the Reactor is pocket-sized, making it easy for daily carry or leaving in a glovebox without adding clutter.