Ruike Trekker LD42-B
- By John Fenna
- Last updated: 24/01/2018
My first impression of the Ruike Trekker LD42-B Multi Tool (after I got over the mouthful of a name!) was that it appeared to be a ‘Swiss Army Knife’ that had gone on a bodybuilding course! This tool is a serious piece of kit and is built to perform, with crisp and solid machining and quality materials. The LD42-B features- Large blade, scissors, wire bender holes, bottle opener, 6.5mm screwdriver, wire stripper notches, wood saw, spoke wrench, awl/ reamer with sewing eye, belt cutter, 3mm screwdriver, pocket clip, corkscrew, glass breaker (Tungsten steel), lanyard ring and tweezers!
During the tests, I have been impressed by the ‘eye for detail’ brought to each tool. The 9cm wood saw is narrower in the spine than at the teeth, so that it will not bind in the kerf, the scissors cope well with everything from 2mm thick leather through paper to hair, the awl cuts, drills and sews wood and leather well and all the other tools perform equally well.
The blade is easy to deploy and close safely with a half-way stop to help avoid closing the razor edge on any slow fingers and, in use, is big enough and secure enough to take on serious work. The choice of blade steel, Sandvik 12C27, is one of my favourite stainless steels for blades, taking and holding a fine edge, as well as a mirror finish.
The textured G10 scales offer a good, slip-resistant grip, but are a little square edged for me to find comfortable over extended use, while the pocket clip, despite being very useful for keeping the weighty tool from being a heavy lump in your pocket, did compromise the comfort of the grip. Clips are never a favourite feature in my book. I am unsure of the safety of having a screwdriver as the tip of a razorsharp belt cutter blade, but so far I have yet to have any accidents!
All in all, the Ruike Trekker LD42-B Multi Tool has proved to be an outstanding tool, with a great selection of tools and with excellent build quality.