Review: SOG Switchplier 2.0, The Most Convenient Multi-Tool

I took this little rockstar out for a twirl on the creek for a little large mouth fishing. I use multi-tools pretty frequently when fishing, as there are tons of reasons why you would need one. Here are my two cents on this multi-tool.

Functionality ★★★★★
Imagine you’re sitting out on your boat, sipping on your beer and suddenly, ‘whack!’ You get a bite on your fishin’ pole. Reel that baby in and she’s a beauty. You reach your thumb in, grab it by the mouth and begin the search for your hook. Of course the fish decided it would attempt to digest your entire hook before letting you know she was even coming out to lunch. So you reach down with your other hand, grab your Switchplier 2.0 and, with one quick push, snap! Your pliers are at the ready and you are carefully removing the hook from your catch. Why couldn’t fishing have been this easy 20 years ago when I was a kid?

I give this multi-tool an A+ for functionality. Especially as a fisherman, it is perfect for situations where you need those pliers in a snap, which is often. I kept it hanging on my belt using the clip and never once had it accidentally open up. I generally carry a leatherman with me and there is always that awkard 5-10 seconds of opening my pouch and retrieving my multi-tool, then opening it, which requires both hands. The ease of use of this SOG multi-tool is just phenomenal.

Features: Rapid deploy plier, gripper, wire cutter, ruler, bottle opener, medium screwdriver, can opener, small screwdriver, awl (hole poker), Phillips screwdriver, file, half-serrated blade, pocket clip. 

Design and Aesthetic ★★★★
This is one of the few multi-tools that is comfortable to use when you are using a tool other than the pliers. In order to get the other tools out, you do have to flip out the pliers, but you can simply close it back up after you pick your tool. Then it just fits comfortably in your hand. There isn’t that awkward dangling second arm hanging down when you whip out the screwdriver or the knife. It’s fairly light weight, coming in at 6.3 ounces. I also genuinely like the simple satin and black finish. It gives the tool a manly, yet not over the top roughness.

Durability ★★★★
Stainless steel, no aluminum and no plastic. This thing isn’t going to break easily. At first, the pliers were a bit stiff and weren’t 100% smooth, but after using them for the first day, they’re now much smoother. I did run into the problem where, once you have a couple of the gadgets out, the pliers will not eject properly. This was a bit disappointing as I had to force the pliers out.

Value ★★★★
For $64.00 on their website, I believe SOG has done an awesome job with this multi-tool. As a fisherman, it is incredibly convenient and for an all-around multi-tool, it is easy to use. It is about the same price as a skeletool and has more convenience and about double the tools.