GT Essence Folding Tool

The rectangular shape of GT's 2nd tier Essence multitool means it's ideally shaped to fit in a jersey pocket. Unfortunately the 155g weight means you know it's there.

It's a ten-function job with 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 mm Allen keys plus an adapter to create an 8mm, Phillips and flat headed screwdrivers plus a Torx key for tightening Campagnolo shifters or the rotor bolts on your bang-on-trend disc-braked road bike. You also get a chain tool, with the pin extractor in a rather fetching anodised blue. Another nifty little idea is the spoke key slot notched into the end of the chain tool handle. Finishing things off is an emergency tyre lever and although it works okay I'd suggest it is only used for emergencies.

All of this is squeezed into a package around the size of a credit card. It's a clever bit of design with the square-bodied Allen keys having notches removed to house the smaller sizes keeping the overall size down.

The tools are made from chromium-vanadium steel which is then hardened to give a longer working life. Over the last month the Essence has been taking on all the maintenance jobs whether they be workshop based or out on the road and each function has stood up to the job well with barely a sign of use or wear.

Its length and shape allows you to undo all but the most stubborn of bolts without slipping and removing the bark from your knuckles; even tight pedals were fair game.

The chain tool, which is normally a weak link on cheaper tools, works pretty well too. There is some flex in the winding handle as you try to get the pin extraction started but as a get-you-home, emergency repair kind of option it's up to the test.

Other than the weight the only other downer is how quickly surface rust has started to show up after it's spent some time in the mesh pocket on the side of my rucksack. Chromium is supposed to protect against corrosion so it was a bit of a shock to see them covered so soon.

Thanks to its low profile even the smallest of saddlebags is going to fit the Essence in alongside a spare tube, some tyre levers and possibly even a small puncture repair kit.

On the whole the GT Essence multi-tool is a strong bit of kit which is going to last the test of time and its diminutive size means that it doesn't up a lot of room wherever you decide to carry it. That strength does come with a weight penalty though which makes it more suited to rucksack/saddlebag storage rather than a jersey pocket.

Price wise it looks about on the money, there are so many variations in terms of materials and specs on the market it's difficult to give a definitive answer but if I'd spent nineteen quid of my own money on it I'd be pretty satisfied.

Verdict

Good strong performer in a well thought out package, on the heavy side though.