[Hands-On Review] Omniblade: Meme Worthy Multitool

We’ve all seen them…those weird-looking tools that leave you uncertain if it’s a useful bit of kit or a cheap StarTrek prop knockoff.

Once in a while, those alien tools look promising enough for us to take a swing at, and the Omniblade is just one such example.

I’ve hacked away at vegetation, sawed through two by fours, and split firewood to test it out and see just how good something so alien-looking can really be. 

Ever wondered if this things actually works?

Let’s review the results!

What Is the Omniblade?

Coming to the world via Kickstarter in 2019, the Omniblade is a 5-in-1 tool that gives you a hammer, tomahawk/hatchet, Kukri machete, saw, and utility knife.

That’s pretty much the whole story. It’s, I believe, stamped steel from 420J2 Steel and is manufactured overseas.

Two paracord handles give you two places to grasp the Omniblade to make use of the different options.

Honestly… we found the Omniblade because we meme’d on it on Facebook. After I saw it though, I had to try it out.

Omniblade was nice enough to send a couple out for testing and the results are way better than I expected.

Is It…Is It Dangerous? 

Life is dangerous.

And yes, it is. While any bladed tool poses an inherent amount of risk, the Omniblade does turn that up a few notches.

If you’re aware of what you’re doing, you’ll be fine.

So far I haven’t cut myself yet — but I did come close a couple of times.

Field Report

As a complete unit, I actually really like it. It’s not lightweight but it’s not so heavy as to be a bad thing.

Most of the tools work as you would expect, but some do much better than others.

I’ll take this one by one.

Hammer

I think this is the lowest point for the Omniblade.

While it technically does have a hammer, due to the placement there is no way to really get a decent swing to make use of it.

At best this is a tap hammer for tent stakes in soft ground, but at that point, I think you’d be better off using the pommel of the main grip instead.

If for some reason you needed to hammer something so that you could use the Omniblade in an upward swinging motion, then the hammer would work fine.

But I think the odds of that are low.

Tomahawk/Hatchet

Far more useful than the hammer, the hatchet section actually works — but has the most potential for injury. 

To use it, you need to hold the secondary grip. This puts the point of the Kukri pointed away from the bottom of your hand, normally where a blunt pommel would be.

Miss your hatchet swing and that sharp tip could easily go into something soft and squishy that you don’t want stabbed.

Careful use and you’re fine, but it’s definitely something to keep in mind when you decide to chop something.

The hatchet is better for splitting wood than just using the Kukri end, but not massively better. If you have a stubborn piece to split, careful use of the hatchet will get it done.

But general wacking of stuff, I like the Kukri better.

Kukri Machete

The best part of the Omniblade! This is actually pretty awesome.

The Kukri is decently heavy, the handle gives a nice swing and a lot of leverage, and the blade is nice and sharp.

In my front yard, there is this mini palm tree. I hate that damn tree.

It’s stumpy, ugly, and grows into the walkway where it tears open grocery bags or cuts my arm.

Due to the…interesting way the planter it’s in was constructed, it is almost impossible for me to just remove it. So every couple of months I take a machete to it and hack away the branches.

Normally, I use an Ontario Knife Company 18-inch machete to do that, but this last time I used the Omniblade Kukri instead. 

It worked really, really well. The swing is surprisingly comfortable and the blade does a great job of hacking through even the thick and fibrous branches of something like palm.

This project was much easier than normal!

Saw

It’s a saw. Have ever seen a saw before? That’s what it is.

Since it’s on the back edge of the tool, the saw’s cut is really thick. This makes for a lot of drag when you’re cutting and this will tire you out after a while.

But it’s also really not designed for you to go homesteading with, so it’s not a big deal.

Thankfully, the saw does work very well! Even with the extra fatigue, it’s still a good saw. 

Utility Knife

It’s a close call between this and the hammer for uselessness. The “utility knife” is really just the tip of the Kukri, so you have the entire Omniblade extending backward from it. 

This basically kills any usefulness or dexterity when using the “utility knife.” 

Could you skin game or cut up veggies?

Sure, it’s doable. But it’s not going to be easy.

The Grips

My main point of complaint though is with the grips. They are kind of formed into the steel but mostly are wrapped with paracord…and that’s about it.

They work, sure, but in the least reliable way possible.

I’ve never used something wrapped in paracord and had it last very long.

It gets loose, cuts itself, gets dirty and is hard to hold.

It fails — always.

The inside edges of the grips are also on the sharp side, they really should have been rounded off better.

These aren’t insurmountable problems. But, if you’re going to actually use this and not just give it to your weird brother-in-law for Christmas, I would recommend taking a file or grinder to the edges to round them off better and replacing the paracord with leather, golf grip tape, or anything better than paracord.

Bottom Line, Does It Work?

Yes. It works.

I think it’s a stretch to call this a 5-in-1 tool though. Really, it’s more like 3-in-1.

The saw, Kukri, and hatchet range from decent to great. All three are useful and fulfill their goal well.

The hammer and utility knife don’t.

Who Is It For?

You might think this is purely for the mall ninjas and meme gifters, but honestly, I actually like it as a piece of kit.

The Omniblade is in no way a complete replacement for a saw, hatchet, or machete and there are millions of better utility knifes out there — but what the Omniblade does that they can’t, is give you all three in one package.

If you’re trying to save space, weight, or reduce the number of things you need to pack the Omniblade is perfect.

For a survival bag, a go bag, or something to keep next to the jack in the trunk — I actually recommend the Omniblade.

I wouldn’t use the Kukri to clear a field of palm trees, but to clear a camping spot it works great.

I wouldn’t use the saw to build a shed, but for sizing some branches for a shelter or firewood, it can get the job done.

You get the idea.

A dedicated saw, hatchet, or machete would give you a 100% tool for each.

The Omniblade is more like a 90% machete, 40% saw, and 75% hatchet — but it’s in ONE package. That’s like…205% tool. Not bad for one item.

My Omniblade is going to live next to my spare tire. If for some reason I need a saw, machete, or hatchet — I’ll have one.

It doesn’t take up much room and it’s durable enough that I feel confidant that it’ll be good to go for years to come.

By The Numbers

Reliability: 3.5/5

The grips need to be addressed for long term use, but other than that it’s good to go out of the box.

Ergonomics: 4/5

Note that I’m limiting my ergonomics judgment to the saw, kukri, and axe aspects. Those three work great, but the hammer and utility knife get a 1/5 in my book.

Customization: 5/5

Good news about the grips is that you get to pick your own new color!

Value: 4/5

At $80 a pop these aren’t cheap, but it’s well made and does give you some good tools in a single platform.

Overall: 4/5

Conclusion

To me, the Omniblade is like a multitool.

Each sub-component isn’t perfect and doesn’t beat having a dedicated tool, but the Omniblade gives you options in a single package and they still work well enough to get the job done.

It may look like it crawled out of the As Seen On TV swamp — but it’s a surprisingly useful tool and a now permanent part of my truck’s “oh no” box. 

What’s the weirdest tool in your kit? How does it work for you? Let us know in the comments! Be sure to take a look at the Ultimate Bug Out Bag List for a ton more information!