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Carry a multitool in the UK

Updated: October 2026

You are about to pocket a tool whose listing says blade, lock, or glass breaker, or nothing. In England and Wales, section 139 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 covers a blade or a pointed article in public, and the folding exception is narrow. If you cannot describe the blade, do not treat the pocket as settled. This page does not rank products. The table is the [mini multi tool comparison](/hub/lawn-and-garden-equipment/mini-multi-tool). The family choice is the [buying guide](/hub/lawn-and-garden-equipment/mini-multi-tool/sub/mini-multi-tool-buying-guide). Peter F. used statute and public guidance on 22 October 2026. Northern Ireland was not opened. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are about to pocket a tool whose listing says blade, lock, or glass breaker, or nothing.

Our top picks

GIRIAITUS GIRIAITUS X9 pry-bar pocket multi tool

Best overall

GIRIAITUS GIRIAITUS X9 pry-bar pocket multi tool
9.0/10about £22.54
View offer
BDHI BDHI 24-in-1 multi-tool key

Alternative

BDHI BDHI 24-in-1 multi-tool key
8.6/10about £4.59
View offer
BIBURY BIBURY BI2051AB mini pliers multi tool

Alternative

BIBURY BIBURY BI2051AB mini pliers multi tool
8.4/10about £19.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.The exemption is a non-locking folder of three inches or under
  2. 2.Screwdrivers on the same handle do not remove the blade
  3. 3.What these listings do and do not say
  4. 4.A point, and an intent to injure, are separate questions

The exemption is a non-locking folder of three inches or under

GOV.UK says it is illegal to carry most knives in public without a good reason. The exception it states is a folding pocketknife with a cutting edge no longer than 3 inches, which is not a lock knife. The maximum penalty GOV.UK states is 4 years, an unlimited fine, or both. Scotland has section 49 of the Criminal Law (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 1995, with the same kind of three-inch folding exemption. Northern Ireland is not covered here. Good reason is not a box on an amazon page. GOV.UK’s examples include work, religion, and national costume. A court decides. Ask the Police says a lock knife is not a folding pocketknife, whatever the length. The Ministry of Justice knives FAQ records R v Deegan: a lock knife is not immediately foldable. None of the twelve listings prints a measured non-locking cutting edge.

Screwdrivers on the same handle do not remove the blade

Ask the Police says a multi-tool that includes a prohibited blade or point is not saved by also having a screwdriver. The other tools do not cancel the article section 139 is about. Pliers, a bottle opener, or a bit on the same handle are not a defence by themselves. A screwdriver on its own is different. The Ministry of Justice FAQ notes that a screwdriver is not a bladed article, the line associated with R v Davis. It can still be an offensive weapon if it is carried to injure.
GIRIAITUS GIRIAITUS X9 pry-bar pocket multi tool

Testsieger

GIRIAITUS GIRIAITUS X9 pry-bar pocket multi tool
9.0/10about £22.54
View offer

What these listings do and do not say

GIRIAITUS, at about £22.54, is a pry bar with bits and a box opener. UK reviews say it is not bladed. That comment is not a ruling. The listing prints 5.71 inches in a folded-size cell, not a cutting edge. BDHI’s bullets do not name a blade. BIBURY’s bullets name a glass breaker and a removable blade, with no edge length. GOWEILE’s bullets do not name a knife, and a UK review does, with no length. SOL, at about £3.99, does not list its four tools. You cannot apply an exception to a tool the page has not described. If you still need a family, use the best mini multi tool page.

A point, and an intent to injure, are separate questions

Section 139 covers a sharply pointed article as well as a blade. A glass breaker is pointed by design, so the good-reason question is live for BIBURY. Do not say every glass breaker is automatically unlawful, and do not say a car emergency is automatically a good reason. An item with no blade can still be an offensive weapon under the Prevention of Crime Act 1953 if it is carried to cause injury. A pry bar that reviews call unbladed is not inside the folding-knife exception, because there is no folder to exempt, and it can still be an offensive weapon if it is carried to cause injury. We cannot say your pocket is lawful. If you cannot measure the blade, leave the tool at home. Pocket versus pen is on the page linked below.

Common questions

Is every mini multi tool legal in a pocket?
No. A hand ratchet or a rotary pen is not a knife, and a pocket tool with a blade or a point can fall under section 139 unless the folding exception applies or you have a good reason. A small size, or the words multi tool, does not answer the statute.
Does under three inches cover a lock?
No. GOV.UK’s exception is a non-locking folding pocketknife with a cutting edge no longer than 3 inches. Police guidance says a lock knife is outside that exception whatever the length. The Ministry of Justice FAQ cites R v Deegan for a lock that does not fold immediately.
Does a screwdriver on the same tool cancel the blade?
No. Police guidance says a multi-tool with a prohibited blade or point is not saved by a screwdriver. A screwdriver by itself is not a bladed article, following R v Davis, and it can still be an offensive weapon if it is carried to cause injury.
Is a pry bar with no blade inside section 139?
Section 139 is the blade or the point. A pry bar the reviews do not describe as bladed is not inside that section on the facts printed here, and not bladed remains a review comment. The Prevention of Crime Act 1953 can still apply if it is carried to cause injury. GIRIAITUS is the example of that gap, not a cleared product.
What about a glass breaker or a seat-belt cutter?
BIBURY’s bullets name both. A glass breaker is pointed by design, so the point in section 139 is a live question. That does not make every glass breaker automatically unlawful, and a hoped-for emergency is not automatically a good reason. No edge length is printed. This page does not clear that listing.
Can I trust the folded size on the amazon page?
Not as the cutting edge. GOWEILE’s cell says 3.5 by 1.5 inches, and GIRIAITUS prints 5.71 inches in that kind of cell. Police guidance treats the whole side of the blade as the cutting edge, which is a different measurement. If the edge length is missing, the three-inch exception cannot be checked from the cell.

Related pages

Pocket multitool or rotary tool

Mini multi tool

Best mini multi tool: who it is for, and who skips

Mini multi tool buying guide: four tools, one search

How to use a mini multi tool when the collet is missing

Sources

Public UK sources from the research digest. Listing prices and stars were taken from the amazon.co.uk files on 22 October 2026.

  1. GOV.UK: buying and carrying knives (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  2. Criminal Justice Act 1988, section 139 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  3. CPS: offensive weapons and knife crime guidance (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  4. Ask the Police: bladed multi-tools (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  5. Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995, section 49 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  6. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9 (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  7. HSE: selecting equipment and hand-arm vibration (retrieved 22.10.2026)
  8. Dremel UK: 3.2 mm collets (retrieved 22.10.2026)