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Tool: Multiscribe Shop Now
Manufacturer: Trend
MSRP: $70
I like tools that can do more than one thing—they keep the clutter down. When I read that Trend’s Multiscribe performs 15 functions, I had to check it out!
Opening the package, I was immediately struck by how solid the tool felt in my hand. It’s clearly made to last. Having only two major parts—a slotted bar and a sliding head—the Multiscribe’s design is elegantly simple. Both the bar and the head can receive a pencil at either end. Using a knob, the head can be locked parallel or at right angles to the bar. The head also contains a pencil sharpener and a level.
While the Multiscribe can be used for many tasks, I was most interested in how it would perform as a compass, a scribing tool, a combination square and a level.
It shines as a compass. Using a nail or push pin as a center point, you can adjust the head to make circles from 1″ to 19-3/4″ dia.
It’s a nice scribe, too. It really works well scribing from an irregular surface, such as a brick wall, using the pointed end of the bar. The tricky part is holding the tool level while you scribe. The spirit level helps, but you still need a steady hand.
The Multiscribe works better than a combination square for marking a line parallel to an edge. First, your pencil won’t slip because its point is trapped by a hole. (I wish my combination square had this feature!) And second, you can mark from a concave edge, something a combination square can’t do.
The Multiscribe won’t be replacing my combination square for marking accurate 90° and 45° angles, however. There’s simply too much play in the locking mechanism. Well, you can’t have everything!
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