NexTool is a multi-tool manufacturer that seems to have fully embraced the philosophy of Kaizen—the Japanese concept of continuous, incremental improvement. This commitment to small, significant fixes has been evident across their product line, and the culmination of that process is visible in their latest offering: the Mini Flagship F12.
A Serious Upgrade to Core Capabilities
The F12 arrives as an improved successor to the original Mini Flagship, which was a compact, keychain-friendly version of the Flagship Pro. The company quickly addressed a known issue with the first generation’s scissors, and now, they’ve iterated on that fix again. The F12 is the result of that aggressive R&D.
Upon examination, the F12 exhibits the high build quality and craftsmanship users have come to expect from NexTool. It includes a pocket clip and a carrying attachment, allowing it to be clipped to a pocket or attached to a keychain. To top it off, it features a small luminous block that makes the tool easier to locate in the dark.
Pliers
But the real story is in the upgraded tools, beginning with the pliers. The plier head received a minor upgrade, now made of 420J steel and featuring a chunkier design. The tool includes the long nose tip, a dedicated bolt gripper, and a wire cutter—though at this size, the cutter is probably for soft wires only.
Scissors
The other primary tool, the scissors, has also been markedly improved. The new design features serrations similar to those found on medical shears, which should significantly enhance cutting performance. The blades were also given a curved shape, likely to further assist with cutting. Testing confirmed the upgrade: the scissors effortlessly sliced through cardboard, webbing, and even a tough, doubled-over packaging strap.
It’s worth noting the material change for the scissors and other tools: they are now made of 5Cr15Mov steel, an upgrade from the 30Cr13 used in the previous generation.
Other Tools
Moving on to the other tools, the knife is a highly polished ship’s foot blade made of 8Cr14MoV. The blade features a thumb hole. While seemingly designed to be opened with one hand, the location of the thumbhole and the stiffness of the action makes one-handed deployment difficult. In the end, I had to open the knife with two hands. The new knife now has a liner lock and a bearing for the detent mechanism, ensuring a more secure and consistent opening and closing action.
The file also saw a massive improvement. It is significantly larger than its predecessor. The file surface itself has an aggressive texture, offering both a cross-cut and a single-cut side, as well as an integrated metal saw. The tip is cleverly shaped to function as a flathead screwdriver and perhaps even a light-duty pry bar. It, too, now features a locking mechanism
The Phillips head screwdriver is a 2.5D head. While not the full 3D head, it’s entirely functional in a pinch. A useful new addition is the depth gauge located on the back of the tool, marked in both centimeters and inches. There’s also standard bottle opener with a smaller secondary flathead.
The one notable omission in this new version is the can opener; it has been completely removed to accommodate the F12’s updated feature set. While a loss for some, the trade-off was probably necessary for the other upgrades.
Final Thoughts: The Future of Multi-Tools
I was genuinely excited about this tool, and equally excited about how NexTool iterates through their products. They are definitely competing well with established multi-tool makers such as Leatherman and Gerber, and it can only get better from here. This is a promising time for the multi-tool space.