Tool review: Ganzo G301

Time Well Spent June 15, 2022

This chunky multi-tool is Terry Doe’s first contact with a new brand

RRP: £27.99

I find multi-tools invaluable and I always have one in my bag, plus another in the boot of the car. I can’t count how many times they’ve got me out of trouble, whether fixing a bike or getting a sheep out of a fence.

I carry one when hunting so I can keep my single-blade folding knife just for game-cleaning duties. This ensures the highest stands of food hygiene while the blades of the multi-tool do the dirty work.

Ganzo is a new name to me, and the folks at Blades and Bows tell me they’re very pleased with their new signing.

The G301 tool has a good heavy feel to it, suggesting there’s plenty of steel in the construction. In common with most tools of its kind, the handles unfold to reveal a pair of pliers and cutters suitable for soft iron and copper wire.

Special adaptor

Inside the handles, there’s the usual selection of knife blades, a screwdriver, bottle and can opener, pair of scissors, lanyard ring and another very special blade.

This has a square drive end that fits an adaptor to hold any standard size hex bit. This is an excellent idea and 11 of them are supplied with the tool in a flexible carrier, which also holds the adaptor.

The ones supplied are a good choice for shooters, with a range of sizes of Allen keys and screwdrivers. Of course, you can swap these to include the exact ones you need for your rifle stock bolts, scope mount bolts and anything else you carry regularly.

The carrier fits inside the padded ballistic nylon belt pouch with the tool so you always have them handy.

Locking blades

I’m pleased to report all the blades lock solidly to protect your fingers from accidental closing, a feature I value highly.

The natural and convenient action to release the blades involved withdrawing a serrated slider on each side of the frame.

The shape of the handles suits a larger hand, whether in knife or pliers mode. In the pliers position, the edges of the frame and the spacers between have a ridged pattern to add grip for those high-pressure jobs, and unusually, the pliers have a coil spring to open them, a feature all too often missing from multi-tools.

The build quality and finish appeared very good, which is all the more pleasing when you look at the retail price. I think the G301 is a winner straight from the box.

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