Review of the Multitasker TUBE.

[Ryo]

Multitasker TUBE

I saw QUIB's review and figure to add my own on the Multitasker TUBE.

I was lucky enough to receive a pre-release of the new Multitasker TUBE with the Expansion Kit. This tool is the first of its kind that I’ve seen that fills in a gap between multi-tools and a dedicated AR-15 tool.




First of all what is the Multitasker TUBE. It’s a portable multi-tool to be used specifically on the AR-15/M-16 weapons platform. It was designed to be a portable tool that will fit into your pocket and a supplemental tool if you own any mutli-tools. The length of the body of the tube is about 5 1/8”.



The main body is made up of 6061-T6 aluminum, CNC machined and hard anodized. The pocket clip is specially heat treated spring steel which can be used as a flat screwdriver. The scraper tool and the A2 sight tool bit are both 420 stainless with a black oxide finish.



The Multitasker TUBE comes in 2 options. First option is the standalone TUBE, street price of $35 (MSRP $45). The second option is to purchase it with an expansion kit as shown in this review at a street price of $50. In my opinion this is an extremely reasonable price for such a versatile tool.

Let‘s start off on taking a closer look at the TUBE. The finish on it is flawless. It screams out quality when looking at and touching it. Even the seams where the cap & body screw together, they align up perfectly.



The cap has a push head that can be used as a starter for breaking down the AR-15/M-16. Just take the tube and push it in the stubborn takedown pin and voila, you have a starting point on gripping the takedown pins to break down your rifle.


Taking off the cap exposes the ¼” magnetic bit holder attached with a 4 prong A2 front sight adjustment tool. The ¼” magnetic bit holder is the standard size to fit most bits and has a strong enough magnet to keep bits from falling out. The ribbing in the center of the tube allows a positive grip when screwing/unscrewing a screw. However you have to be aware that the lower cap of the tube will unscrew off while twisting counterclockwise if you are not holding the main body of the tube.



The cap itself can serve as a flat head screwdriver as well as a take down pin punch.



Taking off the lower side cap of the tool exposes the scrapper screwed into a 8-32 male thread. The scrapper can be hand unscrewed off to attach the dental pick or even an OTIS cleaning kit cable. Wait a minute.. a OTIS cleaning kit cable? Yes, that was an unexpected but pleasant surprise since I have an OTIS 5.56 cleaning kit sitting in my closet. The 8-32 male thread is the right length to positively hold the OTIS cable on one end. The case has extra loops that can accommodate a couple of the OTIS cable attachment accessories, but I’ll discuss about that later.






The expansion kit consists of the Multitasker case and a set of hex driver bits. If you look at the case, it has 2 extra loop holes and pockets to hold other tools such as the OTIS cable and attachment tools. The case itself feels sturdy. The workmanship is very good, except for the velcro area which is slightly crooked. It doesn’t affect the performance of what it was intended but it’s noticeable to the naked eye. However I did receive a pre-release so I can’t say whether the production models will display the same symptoms. As stated, it doesn’t affect the form or function of the case and will do its job at holding the OTIS cable in the case.



I believe one nice improvement to the case would be to add some method to carry the case on a belt or MOLLE attachment. In the mean time I can wear the TUBE in my pocket, or throw the whole case into my range bag.
The hex bit drivers that come with it looked like they were selected to fit most of the standard fittings used in most AR-15/M-16 accessories. The bit holder holds the bits in pretty tight, so I don’t expect to have them fall out easily.

The following bit drivers were included in the set:
Phillips Head: #1
Flat Head: 3/32, #5
Torx Head: T10, T15
Hex Head: 3/16, 9/64, 1/8, 7/64, 3/32






There are a few accessories I am adding to my personal kit:
1. A long hex wrench bit to remove the bolt holding the grip in place.

2. Parts from my Otis Kit such as the pull cable, brush, and patch holder.. and throw the kit back in the closet. Here’s a size comparison of the case to the Otis case.


3. Brownell’s Needle Nose Oilers filled with lubrication like CLP, and some solvent. Apparently the case can accommodate two of them.


Talking with the owner of Multitasker, he has taken great care of making sure that the tool met high standards of quality. I’ve had interesting conversation on how he changed minor details to improve the performance of the tool. This included changing angle and shape of the dental pick, to selecting higher quality of metals to keep the tool to be durable. Kudos.

I would definitely approve the Multitasker TUBE for purchase since it fills in a gap that no other multi-tool company has ventured, or at least from what I’ve seen. If you have a multi-tool already, this is the item for you to supplement its capabilities. At a street price of $35 ($45 MSRP) for the Tube, and street price of $50 ($60 MSRP?) the Multitasker TUBE is worth purchasing whether or not you have a multi-tool in your collection.

Where can you get it? I’m guessing Brownells would be the first place to look when it gets released.. You try to guess what makes me say that..


Here are other photos of the Multitasker TUBE.



I'll add more info to this post as can find more free time to look at it.

(Sorry for the cray colors of the photos. I'm testing out a new camera.)

[Stickman]

Great review, the "tube" is a great piece of gear.

[Quib]

Can't say enough about the whole line-up of MT Tools! Very well designed indeed!

[markm]

That scraper looks tempting. I'm a card carrying carbon scraping society member.

[Optimus Prime]

I was cleaning mine the other night... and really wished I had one of these. Any word on when they'll be out?

[Multitaskertools]

Brownells will have theirs in about 2wks; the Multitasker ones should be available in 3wks.

[Optimus Prime]

Cool. I'll be watching.

[Dualspringfields]

Man I want one or two of those. Nice review.

[willardcw4]

Brownells has the Multitasker and the Ultralight in stock (I think they both went up at the beginning of this week)

http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=4...TITASKER_TOOLS

Don't see the tube yet =| Although I really like the Ultralight..

[Ryo]

The Ultralight is also a great tool. I had to warm up to it.

Man.. I'm so behind.. I need to complete the review I have for it. Been sitting on it for a couple of weeks. Any case A lot of photos will come up about it. Also I have the Multitasker 2 which I need to complete that review.. So little time.. Any case I'll get the review about them sometime in the next couple of days.

[willardcw4]

Looking forward to them Ryo! I really want to consolidate all of my bits, wrenches, etc. into a smaller package :) Just have to be willing to fork over the $$!

[Ryo]

If you want to consolidate your tools, the TUBE is the easiest due to the ability to put things in it's case. The Ultralight and Multitasker have many cool functions, but they don't allow you to really add anything to the case since it was design to fit the bits and the tool. I find myself having a hard time deciding what I like the most. Each has it's own role.

[Ryo]

New Info:

The TUBE was again upgraded to have 2 O-rings to help seal the caps in place when fully closed. I thought that was a very nice touch.

Also the Multitasker TUBE is now going to be offer in 2 colors. Black and FDE. For those FDE fans.. it's a really awesome color.

Mutitasker TUBE in FDE








Since my photo setup isn't complete, and the color is a bit off. I took some known color references from Magpul and Surefire FDE.




Guess who might be carrying this TUBE?

[Hatter]

I'd love one! But can anyone tell me where to get one? I haven't been able to find anything available at Brownell's or MultiTasker

[Ryo]

Are you asking about the FDE version or black. I believe the black has been released but I maybe wrong. I believe Brownells and NRA store will carry them. The FDE hasn't been released yet, to my knowledge.