True Utility Lighter and Pocket Multi-Tools

What True Utility makes for hunters and campers

On this site, True Utility shows up in two places: pocket and keychain multi-tools, and one lighter. The maker's own store sorts its range into pocket tools, multi-tools, pocket knives, flashlights, key organisers and lighters. The grid above carries the multi-tools and the lighter.

Inside the multi-tools, the lineup splits into five groups:

• Keychain tools: Scarab, ClipTool, FishFace
• Card tools: CardSmart, flat enough for a wallet
• Knife-first folders: the SmartKnife family and the Titanium Block
• Full multi-tools with pliers and a saw: Handyone, Fireranger, the Handyman bundle
• Small pocket kits: the FIXR

The grid changes as listings come and go, so I'll write about the groups, not this week's count.

Most product specs in the grid came from Amazon listings, and the grid marks them. Where True Utility's own site lists a spec, I've used the maker's number here, including every weight on this page. If neither says, the cell stays blank.

The True Utility lighter: FireStash on a keyring

The FireStash is the one lighter in the grid. The maker describes it as a keyring lighter inside a canister. It refills with lighter fluid. The maker says a neoprene O-ring seals the canister and keeps water out, so the lighter works "even in the pouring rain," in its words.

From the maker's page:

• Body: chrome-plated zinc alloy
• Size: 45 mm long, 15 mm across (about 1.8 by 0.6 in)
• Weight: 27 g, just under 1 oz
• Fuel: lighter fluid, refilled by the owner

That's small. It's a backup light for a fire kit or a key ring, not the lighter you'd want for lighting a camp stove twenty times a weekend. The maker's warnings are plain: keep it away from children, light it away from your face and clothing, make sure the flame goes out after use, and keep it out of heat and long sun.

Fill it before the trip, not at the trailhead. And if it lives in the truck, remember the maker's line about heat and sunlight. A dashboard in September counts.

This site's lighter pages cover butane and electric lighters across brands: the torch lighter page, the refillable butane lighter page and the electric lighter page. For a wick-and-fluid lighter from another maker, the Zippo brand page has that lineup.

The U.S. Fire Administration's advice is simple: never leave lighters or matches where children can reach them. A lighter on a key ring is a lighter that goes wherever the keys go, so put the keys up high.

Keychain tools: Scarab, ClipTool and FishFace

These three are made to hang next to your truck key.

Scarab

The Scarab's listing calls it a one-piece keychain tool with pliers and a knife. The maker's page lists seven tools: pliers, wire cutters, a knife, flat and Phillips screwdrivers, a nail file and a fingernail cleaner. The listing counts six; the maker counts seven, so read the maker's list. It's made of 420-grade stainless steel per the maker, and weighs 101 g, about 3.6 oz. That's the heaviest keychain tool here, and your ignition switch will notice.

ClipTool

The ClipTool's listing says stainless steel, a one-piece keychain form, pliers and a knife. Its title adds a quick-release clip, which lets it come off the key ring without taking the whole ring apart. A tool that takes two hands and a fingernail to free stays on the ring.

FishFace

The FishFace is the small one. The maker lists 18 tools: three Phillips and three flat drivers, four wrenches, a 1/4-inch hex drive, a bicycle spoke spanner, a pry bar, a file, a nail cleaner, a bottle opener and a box opener. It's black titanium-coated stainless steel, 90 mm long (about 3.5 in) and 20 g, under 1 oz. The maker says it's sized like a house key.

It has no folding blade. The "box opener" is a small cutting notch, fine for tape and zip ties, not for anything you'd call a knife job.

The card tool: CardSmart

The CardSmart is a flat stainless card. The maker lists black titanium-coated 420-grade stainless steel, 86 by 54 mm and 2 mm thick, which is credit-card size. Its tool list is mostly cutouts: a Phillips and three flat drivers, twenty wrench sizes, a 1/4-inch hex drive, a spoke spanner, a pry bar, can and bottle openers, rulers and a protractor.

A card tool rides in a wallet and gets forgotten there, which is half its charm. (I found one in a coat pocket in March. It had been there since rifle season. It worked fine.) It won't replace pliers. It'll tighten a loose bow-sight bracket screw if the head matches, and it'll measure a tent-stake hole.

Knife-first folders: SmartKnife and Titanium Block

This group is a pocket knife first and a tool kit second. The pocket knife page and the everyday carry knife page cover the type across brands.

SmartKnife

The maker's Smartknife page lists 420-grade stainless steel with anodized aluminum handles, 99 mm long (about 3.9 in) and 75 g, about 2.6 oz. The tools fold into the knife body: a clip that doubles as a bottle opener, a large flat screwdriver, a set of wrenches and a box cutter. The maker calls it "the knife that thinks it's a multi tool." The grid also carries the Smart Knife TU573, whose listing describes a utility pocket knife with a built-in multi-tool.

SmartKnife 8-in-1 and the Smartknife WR

The newer SmartKnife's listing names a 2.5-inch black oxidized sheepsfoot blade, a wrench, calipers, a bit driver, a flat driver and wire strippers. The maker's page for what it calls the Smartknife WR lists the same blade and tools in more detail:

• Lock: liner lock
• Wrench: adjustable up to 14 mm or 9/16 in
• Bits: magnetic 1/4-inch bit driver with a stored PH2 bit
• Wire strippers: up to 10 AWG
• Calipers and rulers: metric and imperial
• Weight: 149 g, about 5.3 oz

A sheepsfoot blade has a straight edge and a rounded-off tip. It's a good shape for cutting rope and cord on a flat board. It's not a skinning shape.

Titanium Block

The Titanium Block's listing describes a five-in-one tool: a locking driver, a folding tanto blade, a bottle opener, a flat-edge scraper and a pocket clip. The grid also has a two-pack. The maker's site doesn't list it, so the listing is all there is.

Pliers multi-tools: Handyone, Fireranger and the Handyman bundle

These are the belt-pouch tools, closer to what most hunters picture when they say multi-tool. The multi-tool page lays out the type across brands.

Handyone

The maker calls the Handyone a knife-first multi-tool. Its page lists:

• Blade: full-size 70 mm partially serrated locking knife with a thumb stud (about 2.75 in)
• Pliers: full-size needle-nose with inset carbide cutters and wire strippers, internally sprung
• Saw: a 50 mm shark-tooth rip saw (about 2 in)
• Drivers: bottle opener, large flat and Phillips drivers, plus a magnetic bit adapter with nine 1/4-inch bits (three Phillips, three flat, three hex)
• Weight and size: 261 g (about 9.2 oz), 105 mm long (about 4.1 in), with a molded nylon pouch

Fireranger

The Fireranger shares the Handyone's 70 mm locking blade, sprung needle-nose pliers and 50 mm saw, by the maker's page. It swaps the bit kit for a double-sided file and a pull-out ferrocerium striker rod built into an emergency whistle. Same 261 g weight, 108 mm long (about 4.25 in), with a nylon belt pouch.

A ferro rod throws sparks, not a flame. UCO's guide to ferrocerium rods says you plant the rod in your tinder and drive a striker down it at about 45 degrees with firm pressure. The spark has to land on something fine and dry: grass, birch bark, fine shavings. Smokey Bear's campfire guide lists the same tinder and says to light the tinder first, then add kindling. The ferro rod page and the fire starters page cover the rest.

Handyman bundle and FIXR

The Handyman TU181's listing describes a bundle: a full-size folding knife, pliers, a saw and nine screwdriver bits. The FIXR's listing calls it a 20-in-1 tool with a knife.

How to choose within the True Utility lineup

Start with where it rides

• On the keys: Scarab, ClipTool, FishFace, FireStash
• In a wallet: CardSmart
• In a pocket on a clip: SmartKnife family, Titanium Block
• On the belt in a pouch: Handyone, Fireranger

Half a pound of steel on a key ring swings into your knee every time you climb into the truck. Weigh that. The maker's weights run from under an ounce for the FishFace to over nine ounces for the pliers tools.

Then decide if you need pliers

Pliers are the reason people buy a multi-tool. If you'll pull a stuck arrow from a target, crimp a wire or grab a hot pot lid, get pliers. The keychain Scarab and ClipTool have small ones; the Handyone and Fireranger have full-size needle-nose pliers by the maker's description.

Then look at the blade and the lock

My one opinion on this page: if a blade doesn't lock, treat it as a box cutter, not a field knife. AKTI's safety guide says a blade that doesn't lock open can snap shut on your fingers if you push it hard. The Handyone and Fireranger list locking knives, and the Smartknife WR lists a liner lock. For a blade to field dress a deer, look at the hunting knife page instead. None of these is a skinning knife, and none claims to be.

Then the extras

• Saw: Handyone, Fireranger, Handyman bundle
• Ferro rod and whistle: Fireranger
• Bit driver: Handyone, Smartknife WR, Titanium Block
• Wire strippers: Handyone, Fireranger, Smartknife WR

A two-inch saw blade cuts a shooting lane twig or a tent stake. It doesn't clear a lane. Bring a real saw for that.

Care for small stainless tools

Stainless doesn't mean rust-proof. Leatherman's own maintenance guide says it plainly: stainless steel is corrosion-resistant, not rust-proof, and a tool should be cleaned, dried and re-lubricated now and then. The same steps work on a True Utility tool:

• Mild soap and water for grit and sticky buildup between the tools
• Fresh water rinse after salt or road slush, then dry it
• Light oil on the pivots, worked in by opening and closing
• No acetone or brake cleaner near plastic parts, per Leatherman

AKTI adds a toothpick for dirt in the handle and a cool, dry place for storage. A tool kept in a damp truck door pocket all winter is going to show it by spring.

The FireStash gets different care: refill it with lighter fluid away from any flame, wipe off spills before you light it, and check that the O-ring is seated before you count on it in the rain.

True Utility's warranty page says products are covered for two years from purchase against defects in materials and workmanship. It lists exclusions, including water damage, improper handling, flame consistency and normal wear. It also says spare parts aren't supplied. So if a pocket clip screw backs out, a drop of thread locker at home is your Saturday-afternoon fix.

Safety

Cut away from your body and keep your fingers out of a folding blade's path. Don't carry a tool with a blade open in your pocket. Knife carry rules vary by state, so check your state's rules before a bladed tool goes on your keys.

A ferro rod and a lighter are fire tools. Keep them in the fire kit, away from children, and put every fire out before you leave it.

True Utility facts

Here's what I could verify from the maker's own pages:

• Range: pocket tools, multi-tools, pocket knives, flashlights, key organisers and lighters, per the maker's store menu
• Warranty: two years from purchase, from True Brands, per the warranty page
• Claims: an online form with photos and proof of purchase; replacements are sent by Royal Mail, per the same page

Write the tool's name in a notebook next to the truck it rides in. Next November you'll know which coat pocket to check first.