If you like outdoor gear, chances are you also like things that have a rustic, timeless look. Should that be the case, you'll probably take a shine to the AX03 carabiner-type multitool, which packs nine functions into a classy brass body.
Currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign, the 274-g (9.7-oz) AX03 is manufactured by Hong Kong gear company Ti-Man, and is made almost entirely of a copper-zinc brass alloy. It's the successor to Ti-Man's previous offering, the AX02.
That brass-bodied gadget combined a gear-hanging carabiner with features such as a compass, bottle opener, two sizes of bit driver sockets, and two holes through which a length of paracord could be threaded for lifting-related tasks.
The AX03 offers those same features in a less rounded, more parallelogram-shaped form factor. It also adds a 3-inch ruler edge, an open-sided hex socket, and a double-headed Phillips/flathead screwdriver bit which is stowed in a magnetic storage slot.
The older AX02 additionally featured a fold-out cutting blade and a hard-mounted saw blade.
While the AX03 likewise has 27-mm stainless steel cutting and saw blades, they're kept facing inwards in a recessed, lidded compartment. In order to use them, you utilize the screwdriver bit to remove the lid and remove the desired blade, after which you flip that blade around to face outwards before reinstalling it.
So yes, you have to really want to cut or saw something.
One feature of the old AX02 that doesn't make a comeback are two removable magnets that could be used to stick the tool to ferromagnetic surfaces. This omission makes sense, as those magnets would presumably throw off the compass when in place … and how often would you really want to stick the thing to a metal surface, anyways?
Assuming the AX03 reaches production, a pledge of US$49 will get you one – the planned retail price is $79. Its functions are demonstrated in the following video.
Source: Kickstarter
Note: New Atlas may earn commission from purchases made via links.