Thursday, December 23, 2010

Multitasker Ultralight Review















Click through to open the box-














I have previously discussed the fantastic Multitasker Tube, which is a great field tool for some basic AR needs.  Multitasker liked what I had to say, and sent out a sample of their Ultralight multitool for me to look over and beat up.

The Ultralight arrives in a tasteful box, simple and utilitarian, much like the tool itself.  The minimalist packaging design also avoids detracting from the contents itself, leaving the tool as the main show.  Inside the box is an instruction sheet and the Ultralight tool inside of its nylon case.













The case is Molle compatible and closes with a solid push-the-dot snap.  Inside is an elastic divider to separate the tool and the spare driver bits.


The tool itself shows Multitasker's usual attention to detail, all the components are cleanly machined, and rotate smoothly out of the handle.  The handle wears G10 grip scales, a highly durable fiberglass resin laminate.  All tools lock open when in use as well, either by a liner lock system, or traditional spine lock.  The back of the tool also has a very sturdy pocket clip with a built in lanyard loop.

Speaking of tools, here's the full spread-


From left to right, Castle-nut Spanner/flat screwdriver, bit driver with A2 front sight tool, dental pick on Otis compatible thread, and contoured bolt scraper.

The bolt scraper is what initially attracted me to the Multitasker line of tools, as I am of the scraping persuasion when it comes to cleaning my AR systems.  I hate cleaning, and kind of like to see how far I can push it, so all that carbon crud gets plenty of time to bake on to the bolt tail nice and thick.  The bolt scraper is precisely machined to match the radius of an AR15 bolt, making it much easier to scrape as much off as possible.

Ignore the beat up and ugly fingers...
It really takes no time to scrape off almost all of the baked on carbon, leaving just a small amount to be wiped of with some Hoppes or your preferred cleaning solution.

The bend in the scraper also makes it usable as a "bolt override tool" if you run into a nasty case-over-bolt or double feed.

The dental pick is a handy cleaning and take-down tool, just the thing to get into some of those small corners.  Some people have difficulty plucking the firing pin retaining pin out of the bolt carrier, and the pick makes it a breeze-


The pick is also threaded on with an Otis compatible thread just like the Tube, making the Ultralight a great handle for stubborn patches and the like if using an Otis pull through kit (like the Army is issuing these days.)

The bit driver is also a welcome feature.  An A2 front sight tool rides here, and there are 10 included driver bits of various sizes and types.  They are all standard 1/4" bits, so the user can swap out any other specialty bits they need.  The spare bits all ride in a rubber bit holder that snuggles down in it's own part of the case.

Between the driver and the spanner, there are few field repairs the Ultralight can't handle.

The Ultralight is now an indispensable part of my range kit.  Since my carbine is also a test platform for various AR things, I run my castle nut unstaked to make it simpler to swap parts out, so having a spanner wrench on hand is a great idea.  Plus the front sight tool alone is something so few people tend to have handy.  

And of course, it can be utilized as an improvised tactical beverage entry tool for those post-range gatherings and weekend gunsmithing sessions.

I just love the photo too much to not use it again...
The Multitasker Ultralight is a fantastic pocket AR toolbox, and worth thinking about for any serious AR shooter.  You can pick on up through Brownell's and AR15.com.

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