Designed to give you more of what you’ll use and less of the tagalong bulk you won’t, the new Tacray MT1 multitool leaves behind the beefy, flip-out-stuffed body in favor of a thin open chassis carrying a pair of implements. And it adds a much-desired feature that most multitool manufacturers leave behind: an integrated flashlight that works on its own or lights the way for the other tools. Forget mere EDC; the MT1 is also an ENC (every night carry) essential.
Based in China, Tacray has been building multitools, knives and other pieces of EDC kit for over a decade. The MT1 is a response to feedback it’s received during that time. In the company’s own words, three sentiments in particular have echoed again and again: “My multitool is too heavy.” “I never use half these functions.” “Why doesn’t it have a flashlight?”
Tacray
Tacray makes its official response by capping the slim MT1 with a small 6000K LED flashlight on the tip, right next to where the two flip-out implements deploy. With multiple modes up to 260 lumens, the light can serve as a nimble, ultralight flashlight on its own or work with the other implements toward getting things done in the dark – no need to hold a smartphone flashlight awkwardly with the other hand.
It’s hard to picture a light working naturally with the curved nose or multi-directional tool deployment common on Swiss Army knives and other multitools, but Tacray has designed the MT1 light and tools to work seamlessly together. Its slim, rectangular chassis is essentially divided in half down its length, with one half dedicated to the light, 250-mAh battery and USB-C charging port, the other to the flip-out tools.
Tacray appears to successfully integrate the light in such a way that it’s useful and intuitive to use, whether or not you’re also using one of the MT1’s other tools. It certainly appears far sleeker and more user-friendly than many previous attempts at multitools with integrated flashlights or flashlights with integrated multitools.
From there, Tacray keeps things simple and doesn’t attempt to stuff a bunch of folded tools inside the MT1 chassis, like traditional multitool designs. Instead, it secures them outside a thin central chassis beam.
On one side, it installs the primary feature: a tanto blade made from buyer’s choice of M390 or 10Cr15MoV stainless steel. A liner lock secures the blade in place for use.
The side opposite the blade features a second deployable implement with liner lock. This one brings multiple functions: a bottle opener, can opener, seatbelt cutter and pry bar/slotted screwdriver.
There’s also a tungsten steel glass breaker tip at the end opposite the flashlight head.
The MT1 measures in at just 3.4 x 1.2 x 0.5 in (85 x 30 x 13 mm) when packed, making it easy to carry in any pocket. Weight slides in at 2.9 oz (82 g) for the aluminum-body version and 3.2 oz (90 g) for the titanium model.
Tacray
While we love the concept of a lightweight, skeletonized multitool that cuts out the extraneous tools “you won’t use,” the execution here lands well off the mark. The knife blade is, of course, a useful staple, but the multifunctional implement on the other side is the embodiment of “I never use half these functions.” Or any of them.
The bottle opener might prove useful enough, though it might very well be redundant if you already carry one on your keychain, smartphone case, belt loop, backpack, shoe, or all of the above.
And the rest? Good luck using those any day, let alone every day.
A can opener could potentially be useful for opening up a can while tailgating or camping, but how often do you really find yourself carrying around canned goods without a dedicated can opener that works better than the tiny one on the MT1?
A seatbelt cutter and glass breaker strike us as the type of narrow-use emergency items toolmakers throw in simply because they fit where other tools don’t, basically a means of upping the total “X-in-1” tally. Not only will you not be using them every day, you’ll be hoping to never use them, period.
Then there’s the combo pry bar/screwdriver that’s miniaturized in order to accommodate all the other functions crammed onto one chaotic strip of metal. That thing seems very unlikely to become your go-to choice for prying or driving.
We think Tacray would be much better served going the modular route with this one. The open chassis would allow for very easy swapping of different implements, and users could personalize their own version of “only [the functions] that earn their keep, nothing you won’t use” – because Tacray seems a little confused there.
Tacray
We have our reservations, but the crowd has opened up its arms to the MT1. Tacray has surpassed its modest US$1,285 Kickstarter goal 18 times over, with a full month left to go. The titanium-body MT1 starts at the $80 pledge level for the 10Cr15MoV steel blade variant and $100 for the M390 blade model. The aluminum-body version is only available with the 10Cr15MoV steel blade and slides in at the $50 pledge level. Shipping will begin in January 2026 if everything runs to plan.
Source: Tacray
