Tool Logic SL1 Tactical Folding 1/2 Serrated Knife With Hands-Free Magnetic LED Flashlight and Signal Whistle, Black

by Tool Logic

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

The Tool Logic SL1 gives you professional grade multi functional folding knife and solid steel construction. It features a tough Zytel frame with a liner style lock for smooth one handed operation, a 3-inch razor sharp 50/50 serrated blade made from rugged stainless steel, a built-in loud signal whistle, a brilliant LED flashlight, black stainless steel pocket-belt clip and lanyard hole. SL1 offers a detachable, magnetic brilliant white LED flashlight powered by four 1.5 Volt button cell batteries and is waterproof for shallow immersion or for use in wet environments. This versatile magnetic, hands-free LED flashlight made from tough anodized aluminum that is just right the tool for working in tight spaces where you need both hands free; such as engine compartments or behind equipment. The magnet on the SL1 attaches to any ferrous metal surface and conveniently pivots giving you directional, hands-free light just where you need illumination. The magnet also doubles to pickup small metal items. The SL1 weighs 2.7 ounces and has a silver bead blast finish. Four 1.5 volt button cell batteries are included. TOOL LOGIC, THE COMPANY - Tool Logic, a leading manufacturer of credit card-sized multipurpose tools and accessories, began in 1994 with an inspired dream of a credit card-sized case filled with tools by creator Steve Padden. Within a year, Tool Logic introduced its revolutionary Credit Card Companion to the marketplace, offering users the benefits of traditional multifunctional pocket knives and tools with the beneficial size of a credit card. Tool Logic has continued to innovate by expanding its product line to include multi-function folding knives, flashlights and key ring accessories. Our philosophy is to maximize function in minimal space.

Product Description

This multi-function folding knife features a sharp, 3inch, 50/50 serrated blade, brilliant white LED flashlight and a loud emergency signal whistle. Yet its just 2.7oz.

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B0001WC6LS
• Item model number: SL1
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #59,421 in Home Improvement (See Top 100 in Home Improvement)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A two dollar blade with trinkets, January 25, 2011

By 

Naomi (Storm) (Texas) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Tool Logic SL1 Tactical Folding 1/2 Serrated Knife With Hands-Free Magnetic LED Flashlight and Signal Whistle, Black (Tools & Home Improvement)

(What's this?)

I'm a bit of a knife hound and I generally stay away from these cheaper blades, but every once and a while you find a gem hidden in the rough. Unfortunately the Tool Logic SL1 I received is not one of these gems. Instead, take a cheap blade, add an underpowered flashlight, a whistle and a cheap, overly bulky housing, and you get the SL1.

*Note: I have several images posted up on this knife, but for some reason they aren't showing up properly on the item. You have to go to http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-media/product-gallery/B0001WC6LS/ in order to see them.*

The Blade
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The blade is a standard 50/50 serrated/plain edged combo and comes semi-sharp - the blade is not dull but it's not razor sharp either. I could not find the metal make-up of the stainless steel they use in the blade listed anywhere, but the metal seems pretty soft; tapping the blade against the flashlight's housing caused noticeable nicks on the edge (and by "tapping" I mean tapping - not a hard slam or anything). I did the same test with one of my Benchmade knives just to be sure I wasn't being unfair - the Benchmade had zero edge damage. However Benchmade is known for some solid knives so I did a more dollar-for-dollar comparison by using my Victorinox 47520 Fibrox 8-Inch Chef's Knife - also no nicks. However with all soft metals, it was easy to repair back to a sharp edge. Just be prepared resharpen a lot.

This is a minor complaint but it's worth noting that the non-blade edges of the blade were also pretty sharp. Generally when you purchase a quality knife, the stamped edges are given at least a cursory file down to remove the sharp corners. The edges on this blade feel as if the blade was pushed out of its stamp, had the extra flash removed and nothing else. Out of the box, you could remove paint from a wall using the backside of the blade. Why does this matter? Well, I'm assuming that the SL1 was meant to be an everyday carry knife (EDC). Given any amount of friction, the non-finished edges of this knife will chew through your pockets.

The Flashlight
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The flashlight is pretty horrible. It was hard to tell exactly how horrible until I put it against some of my other flashlights. First up was a free keychain I got with my Stanley 95-155 3-in-1 Tripod LED Flashlight. Against this little keychain, the knife's light wasn't too bad except for the fact that it was so diffuse. The LED did not have a very intense focal spot and therefore if you wanted a specific area lit up well, you need to have the light pretty close. The light is powerful enough to shed light on an object 7ft away increasing the illumination by one or two light levels in a dark room, but useful range is probably closer to 3ft max. Compared to the Streamlight 73001 Nano Light Miniature Keychain LED Flashlight, Black... well, there was no comparison. The Nano simply blew the SL1's flashlight away (see picture).

The only added benefit of the SL1's flashlight is the magnetized base clip. It's an innovative idea which does actually add some functionality to the light. I'm not sure about using the magnet as an item picker-upper like they have illustrated in their product shots; mostly because the surface area of the magnet is so small. However the magnet was able to hold the SL1 (obviously without the weight of the flashlight and batteries) + Spyderco Police 3 G-10 Plain Edge Knife, Black, but not much else - so the total lifting limit of the magnet is probably somewhere around 15oz. which isn't bad at all.

The Handle
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Due to the inclusion of the flashlight the body of this knife feels pretty bulky - in fact, the handle comes in at a thickness of 5/8 of an inch - larger than some full-sized multitools. In addition there is only a light texturing on the body's surface, so slip could potentially come into play in less than ideal conditions. The fact that the body is made of plastic doesn't bother me too much - it helps keep the overall weight of the knife down. Unfortunately it just feels too big.

The whistle? I don't know.. it's a whistle. It seems loud enough. I'm sure it'd get people's attention if you blew on it hard enough.

The Drop Test (Failed)
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One of the most important tests for any folder is the drop test - ie: dropping the knife from a closed position to the ground. A well constructed knife with a good folding device should not open when dropped. It's common sense - if you drop your knife, the last thing you want is for the sharp blade to drop on your foot. Dropping the SL1 from a closed position at a distance of approximately three feet, the blade was more than half open and fully exposed each time upon landing (it did not seem to matter which part of the knife hit the ground). Assuming that perhaps the screws got loosened in transit, I verified that all screws were fully tightened - same result.

Failing just this test disqualifies this knife for consideration as an everyday carry in my eyes.

Conclusion
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The SL1 failed the drop test which completely takes it out of the running for consideration as a EDC for me. Unfortunately this seems to be the intended primary function of the SL1, thus the one star rating from me.

Is this knife useless? Well no knife is really useless, but if you were considering this knife as a simple utility knife, at the current cost of twenty five dollars, there are so many more quality options. They may not be the all-in-one flashlight-whistle-knife that the SL1 is, but I'm betting that they'll fill their one or two roles better than the SL1 fills its three.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Nice knife, but flashlight is useless, falls off, July 7, 2010

By 

M. Mostov - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Tool Logic SL1 Tactical Folding 1/2 Serrated Knife With Hands-Free Magnetic LED Flashlight and Signal Whistle, Black (Tools & Home Improvement)

I like how this knife feels in the hand, and the fact that it's very easy to snap open with either hand, left or right.
However the add-on flashlight is pretty much useless. The beam is underpowered, and if you twist the head too much - it falls out of the socket, together with batteries and few other small parts... and then good luck finding them all in the dark...

So I'd give 4-5 stars for the knife, and 0 for the flashlight.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Husband likes it; I'm not impressed, March 16, 2011

By 

Margaret H "Kentucky Reader" (Kentucky) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Tool Logic SL1 Tactical Folding 1/2 Serrated Knife With Hands-Free Magnetic LED Flashlight and Signal Whistle, Black (Tools & Home Improvement)

(What's this?)

I'm giving this three stars because my husband likes it. Without his input, I probably wouldn't give it more than two stars because it just doesn't meet my expectations. The idea is wonderful. With a knife, a flashlight and a whistle all combined in one small space-saving tool, I expected to have all those items handy in my glove compartment or console, or maybe even my purse, within easy reach in case of an emergency.

In reality, I get very little sound out of the whistle and the knife scares me in the awkward way that it closes. Also, the flashlight seems pretty flimsy, although the small light is quite bright and I do like that it swivels on a magnetic base. The magnet is strong enough to hold the flashlight in the desired position when you attach it to a metal object, including the knife blade.

My husband especially likes the flashlight and he manages to get more sound out of the whistle than I do. My concern with the knife is that to close it you have to hold the locking mechanism out of the way as the blade comes down, which means you have a finger directly in the path of the blade. My husband doesn't share my fear of chopping off a finger, and that's probably the biggest reason he likes this tool much more than I do.

To sum up, the tool is useful to me only as a flashlight, and I think that's a steep price for a flashlight. My husband likes all features of the tool and thinks the price is just right.