Built to travel with tinkerers and DIYers from garage, to work, to distant outdoor spaces, the new Caliber X from Tools Mule takes a different tack on multitooling. The compact, skeletal chassis disguises an 18-function, wrench-out build meant for everything from Saturday afternoon BBQs to all-out wilderness survival.

Tools Mule isn’t blazing a never-before-seen trail, but it is taking the road less traveled with a multitool based around a wrench. Unlike some wrenches that happen to have a bunch of folding blades and implements stuffed awkwardly in their handles, the Caliber X appears to be more thoughtfully integrated into an ergonomic design.

The wrench appears thinner and lighter than the average adjustable wrench, meaning it shouldn’t be such an awkward counterweight when operating the flip-up tools at the other end. Or so it looks to the naked eye.

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Made from stainless steel for toughness, the Caliber X weighs in at 8.8 oz (250 g). Beyond the wrench, it brings more than a dozen additional tools, some of which you wouldn’t expect from a pocket multitool.

Our personal favorite, useful for everything from lazy, beverage-and-stargazing campfires to tense survival fires, is the fire-starter rod. Strike it with the back of the 3-in (7.6-cm) serrated blade and let the sparks fly (after you cut some kindling with the included saw).

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A tiny hammer on the side of the large wrench jaw is good for knocking in a thin nail or maybe pounding a tent stake into the ground. A nail puller pulls the nail right back out if you misaligned it.

Other handy tools include an awl with a hole for sewing, a can opener, a wood/metal file and a rope cutter. The screwdriver works with standard bits and extensions, and the Caliber carries up to three bits at a time. And of course there’s a bottle opener … readily available on the outside of the skinny wrench jaw.

Here’s the full list:

• Adjustable Wrench
• Serrated Knife
• Screwdriver
• Bit Holder
• Saw
• Bottle Opener
• Wood Chisel
• Rope Cutter
• Can Opener
• Hammer
• Nail puller
• Fire Starter
• File
• Pry
• Awl
• Wire Bender
• Center Punch

Tools Mule is raising funding on Kickstarter now, offering the Caliber X at pledge levels of US$75+. It’s more than doubled its goal with over a month left to go. Deliveries will begin in February 2021, if things move according to plan.

Source: Kickstarter