Tools

Looking back, 2024 had some exceptionally cool knife and multitool launches, from ultra-sleek, reimagined pocket knives, to modular multitools with limitless customization, to hypnotizing folders that you can't help but deploy over and over.

From a handheld soldering gun to the 'playbird mansion' and, of course, the marvel of a smartphone microscope, there are some gadgets that we come across that we instantly want – and this wireless ultrasonic cutter is definitely another.

It was just a year ago when Leatherman launched a 20-in-1 pocket tool it literally billed as its best multitool ever. A year later, it's released a new version of the Arc that might rightfully be the most stylish Leatherman ever.

With its unibody key form factor, Screwpop's Toolkey II is as minimalist as they come. Yet it features 17 tools, making it a perfect 'just in case' multitool: pop it on your keyring and forget about it until you're in a fix.

The Blade Shadow is the latest in a seemingly never-ending stream of multitools that impress with the number of functions crammed into a pocket-friendly form factor. And this one packs a tool you don’t usually see in a multitool.

Less than a year ago we told you about the Tiroler, a titanium ring that's a rather clever alternative to the boring ol' tape measure. Well, its makers are back with a new take on the concept, which also performs calculations.

Folks who like to be prepared for emergency gear fixes on the go don't really want to be hefting a heavy toolbelt around. The Gordon 20-in-1 Multi-Tool from Harbor Freight puts an array of useful tools at your fingertips, without weighing you down.

The new Zen from Ant Design aims to be the "ultimate" in customizable modular multitools. It takes on a simple Swiss Army-inspired folder form, ensuring fast, simple tool swapping and deployment. Optimize one multitool or swap implements in and out.

Leaf-blowers are the bane of suburban Sunday mornings. Now a team of engineering students at Johns Hopkins University has invented a kind of silencer attachment to radically reduce noise, which could be on shelves in a few years from Black & Decker.

The James Brand's new Warrick is part bit cache, part torque-boosting multi-driver. Its slim, flat form makes it easy to slide into the smallest of pockets and carry along the extra torque needed to take care of stubborn screws.

Neanderthals were gluing handles onto their tools over 100,000 years ago, possibly making the species even smarter than previously thought. So says a new study that discovered the use of adhesives on ancient stone tools that were previously overlooked.

Sandblasters are great for removing paint and rust from surfaces but they're generally not considered home-use tools, since they must be used with an air compressor. The BLSTRsander is different, in that it's self-contained and compressor-free.