BIBURY Multi Tool Review: A Leatherman Alternative That Earns Its Keep

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Every house has a drawer. You know the one: batteries of unknown charge, a takeaway menu from 2019, three screwdrivers that are all the wrong size, and no sign of the scissors. When the power goes, or the wind takes a fence panel, or the cooker hood starts hanging off, that drawer is where you go, and it usually lets you down.

The BIBURY multi tool puts the useful half of that drawer into one folding tool in a belt pouch: needle-nose pliers, a tungsten wire cutter, a saw, scissors, a can opener and 16 screwdriver bits. It comes from BIBURY’s own Pro series rather than being an anonymous copy, and it sits firmly in Leatherman alternative territory. This BIBURY multi tool review covers what’s in it and where it earns its keep at home, in the car and in your emergency kit.

What Is the BIBURY Multi Tool?

The BIBURY multi tool (model BI2049N Pro) is a folding set of multitool pliers with the rest of the tools tucked into the handles. BIBURY says it made this one for its UK customers, as an upgrade on its earlier Pro series model: slightly bigger, with bigger scissors and replaceable wire cutters. You’ll also see it listed as the BIBURY multitool, as one word.

The body is 3Cr13 stainless steel, a hard-wearing steel chosen so it won’t rust for a long time. Folded, it’s 11.3cm long and 3cm thick, about the size of a mobile phone cut in half; opened out as pliers it’s 18cm. A safety lock holds tools like the scissors open while you use them, which makes them safer and easier to work with, and a nylon sheath comes with it, with a front pocket for the screwdriver bits and side pockets for the extras.

Here’s everything in the box:

• Pliers head: needle-nose pliers, regular pliers, wire cutters and a replaceable YG10 tungsten hard-wire cutter.
• In the handles: saw, scissors, double-sided file, ruler, awl/thread needle, large and small flathead drivers, can opener and wire stripper.
• Screwdriver: a fold-out screwdriver with a bit socket, plus a holder of 16 bits.
• T-shank scalpel handle that takes most surgical blades.
• Spares: replacement hard-wire cutters with screws, and an Allen key to fit them.
• Nylon sheath with pockets for the bits and extras.

The Pliers Head: Gripping, Bending and Cutting

Pliers are the reason most people buy a multi tool, and on the BIBURY multi tool they’re the main event. The needle-nose tips get into tight spots for the fiddly jobs, like a snapped zip pull, a split ring or a bent hook. Further back, the regular pliers grip properly for a stubborn hose fitting or a nail that won’t come out of the shed door.

Behind them sit two sets of cutters. The hard-wire cutter is made of YG10 tungsten, and BIBURY says it cuts through mild steel hardware surprisingly well. When it eventually wears, the spare cutters and Allen key in the box mean you can swap it at the kitchen table instead of buying a new tool. With the wire stripper as well, you’ve got what you need to snip cable ties, trim wire, or cut through garden wire when the wind has the trellis half off the wall.

A Saw for Storm Clean-Up and the Garden

The saw is the tool that earns its place after a storm. A snapped branch hanging over the path, a split fence batten, a broom handle that needs cutting down to prop something up: the BIBURY multi tool deals with them without a trip to the shed. It’s built for small branches and bits of timber, not for felling the oak at the end of the garden.

16 Screwdriver Bits Instead of a Drawer Full of Screwdrivers

The BIBURY multi tool has a fold-out screwdriver with a bit socket and a holder of 16 bits, which live in the front pocket of the pouch. Between them they cover Phillips, slotted, hex and star-type heads in a good spread of sizes. For a quick job there are also large and small flathead drivers built into the handle, so you don’t have to fit a bit at all.

That matters more than it sounds. The screws you actually meet at home are never the size of the one screwdriver you own: the battery cover on a smoke alarm, the hatch on a child’s toy or a camping lantern, a wobbly door handle, a loose cupboard hinge, a flat-pack wardrobe that’s started to lean. One set of bits in a pouch gets you to most of them.

Scissors, File, Awl and Can Opener

The scissors are bigger than on BIBURY’s earlier model, which turns them from a token gesture into something you’ll actually use: opening parcels, cutting tape, trimming a plaster or a dressing from the first aid kit, or cutting string for the tomatoes.

The double-sided file has ordinary file teeth on one side and a diamond coating on the other, for detail work like smoothing a rough edge. The awl doubles as a thread needle, so it can punch a hole in a strap and then help stitch it back together. The T-shank handle takes most surgical blades for fine cutting. And the can opener is the tool everyone laughs at, right up until the power cut when the electric tin opener is useless and dinner is in a tin.

Why a BIBURY Multi Tool Belongs in Your Emergency Kit

Emergencies at home are rarely dramatic. They’re small, practical jobs that turn up at bad times, usually in the dark or the rain, when the toolbox is in the shed and the shed is at the bottom of the garden. A BIBURY multi tool in the kitchen drawer or the car means the basic tools are wherever you are.

• Power cuts: swapping batteries in torches and lanterns, opening tins, and cutting the cable ties off the emergency kit you packed last winter.
• Storms: sawing a snapped branch off the path, cutting and twisting wire to hold a loose trellis or a flapping cover, and tightening the screws on a gate that’s started to bang.
• The car: a loose number plate, a rattling trim panel or a hose clip on a cold morning.
• A grab bag: one tool in one pouch instead of five loose ones.
• Camping, caravans and the allotment: pegs, guy lines, wire and the inevitable tin of beans.

The BIBURY multi tool doesn’t replace a proper toolkit, and it isn’t meant to. It’s the tool within reach for the five-minute job, which is most of them.

A Leatherman Alternative From a Real Brand

For years, a decent multi tool meant a big-name brand and a price to match. The BIBURY multi tool is a serious Leatherman alternative: it comes from a brand with its own Pro series range rather than a no-name copy, it names its steels (3Cr13 for the body, YG10 tungsten for the cutter), and the part that wears fastest, the hard-wire cutter, can be swapped out at home with the spares and Allen key in the box. Amazon reviewers have also praised BIBURY’s customer service, which is reassuring for a tool you’ll keep for years.

If you’re after the best multi tool for the house, the car and the camping trip rather than for scaling a glacier, this is the sort of tool that makes sense.

What the Rest of the Team Think

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Pros and Cons

Pros

• Needle-nose and regular pliers, a saw, scissors, a file, a can opener and 16 screwdriver bits in one folding tool
• Replaceable YG10 tungsten hard-wire cutter, with spares and an Allen key in the box
• Safety lock keeps tools like the scissors open and steady while you use them
• 3Cr13 stainless steel body, made to resist rust
• Folds down to 11.3cm, small enough for a drawer, glovebox or grab bag
• From an established brand: a genuine Leatherman alternative

Cons

• The screwdriver bits live in the pouch, so keep the BIBURY multi tool in its sheath or the bits will wander
• Spare cutters, the Allen key and the scalpel handle are small parts to keep track of
• Made for everyday jobs, not a replacement for a full household toolkit

Frequently Asked Questions