The James Brand Helton Review
Note #1: This review, as with all content I write on this site, is my opinion. It does not reflect the opinion of others, including the American Knife and Tool Institute (AKTI), the cutlery trade group that I advise on legal matters.
Note #2: Sorry for yet another baseball intro. I love baseball.
Hype is a problematic thing. One person sees promise. then another, and another, and then, like the psychology behind mass hysteria, EVERYONE agrees that something or someone is on the verge of greatness. Even if we all know, deep down, that the chance that this one thing or one person is the greatest of all time is very slim (one in sixteen billion for people), the hype has momentum and we can’t stop it. We know in our heads this is stupid, but we always think “What if…”.
People burst on to the scene, whether it is sports or movies or politics, with a lot of hype and almost no one lives up to the hype. Baseball is littered with hype letdowns. Even really great players are hype let downs, because hype almost always overpromises. Look at Bryce Harper, an excellent baseball player. Bryce Harper was hailed as the greatest baseball prospect of all time. He was talked about with Hall of Famers at 16 when he was on the cover of Sports Illustrated. And while he has been quite good, he is not the player that people hyped him up to be. There more than full Willie Stargell between Harper and Mickey Mantle in terms of career WAR. And Harper is 34, two years outside the statistical peak of a baseball career. The chance he makes up the difference is basically zero at this point. The same thing could be said for a slew of people, regardless of career or occupation. In fact, people failing to live up to the hype is the norm not the exception. Alas we still aren’t great at predicting the future.
But every once in a while, we see that rarest of things, someone or something that lives up to the hype. What is interesting is that it often takes a while. Babe Ruth didn’t even start as a hitter (he was a pretty good pitcher, too). It wasn't until 7th season until he became the Ruth we think of in our imaginations. In fact, in his first four years he hit 9 home runs TOTAL. And it wasn’t just because he was a pitcher—he had about 325 ABs in that span. The first 50 home run season of his career, his first as a Yankee he hit 54 home runs in 458 ABs. Ruth wasn’t Ruth for a while.
The James Brand came into the gear market with a ton of hype. They entered the market when the Shill Site Boom was at its peak and there were thirty different sites that just regurgitated marketing emails and called them articles. You probably know all of the key offenders. But they really, really like TJB. I was intrigued so I tried their first offering the Chapter Knife v1. It looked striking, no doubt, and the steel wasn’t bad for the time. But there were a lot of mistakes that more experienced companies don’t make. The head slapper that sticks out the most was the decision to put coating on the entire blade, including where the tang contacted the lock bar. The result was that the coating would wear away and impart blade play into the entire system. As a first offering it was good, but there were obvious growing pains.
Then, they started expanding their offerings and some were okay, like the Carter, and others were misses, like the Duval (which was inexplicably designed so that you didn’t know if the blade was ready for deployment). The Barnes, by all accounts, is phenomenal, but it is a nearly $700 production knife. The number of production knives thus far that CAN justify the price is zero. Over and over again the TJB did really good work on average, but individual products were hit or miss and none were spectacular. Now, eleven years after I reviewed their first knife, they have a product that finally delivers on all the hype. The Helton is the best knife-based multitool not made by Victorinox. Like all of TJB’s stuff, it is impeccably good looking, but unlike everything else they have made, this is a flawless tool.
Here is the product page. There are four colorways. Here is a great review by Jon Gadget. Here is my review sample, purchased with my own money and mine to keep:
Review TLDR: Stylish and capable without excess fluff.
Design: 2
This is unquestionably a design-first product, like all stuff from TJB. But this one backs up that fabulous appearance with some real utility. And it’s not just that they did stuff well, they hit it out of the park. The blade is a great shape with some real versatility and the lock is both effect and easy to use. The scissors are truly special and rival even the vaunted Victorinox scissors. Again and again the Helton has proved to be as useful as it is attractive.
Then there is this weird, inexplicable fact—as I have gotten older I have come to appreciate the SAK format much more. I used to think of them as slow, boring knives. But now as I realize I have almost zero need for a rapidly deploying knife (sorry auto fans), I have come to appreciate the fact that I can tighten the knob on a drawer pull and slice an apple with the same compact, easy to carry tool. This applies in equal measure to the Helton, except here, all the implements lock. It’s not a big deal and I don’t think tools on a knife-based multitool HAVE to lock, but it doesn’t hurt.
Wonderful iteration on an already stellar design.
Fit and Finish: 2
The fit and finish on a regular SAK is pretty good, but it is more high execution and low degree of difficulty. Molded plastic is not exactly the most sophisticated material. And while the guts of a SAK are an impressive feat, the guts here as just as nice. The fact that the dimples on the toothpick and the handle align perfectly tells you all you need to know—the Helton is a truly refined design with superlative finishing touches.
Purpose: 2
This is not a tool box replacement like the Charge TTi, nor its is a bases-covered hunting tool like the Victorinox Ranger. It is designed for everyday carry with a capacity to flex into a lot of different jobs you are likely to encounter. There are pliers or saw, just what you are likely to need on a Saturday when you are running errands and cleaning the house. You might need to open a box, cut open a packet of hot chocolate, and tighten a knob. And in that regard the Helton covers you perfectly. There is nothing here that is extra (no main blade and pen blade) and nothing that is very low use (like a corkscrew). The Helton is laser focused on EDC and its tool complement is shaped entirely by that focus.
Grip: 2
A slightly rounded, oblong piece of aluminum might not be the grippiest thing in the world, but when you add some anodizing and dimpling it actually terms out quite well. I also appreciate the fact tat the screwdriver is essentially an in-line design, making easier to drive home fasteners.
Carry: 2
Hung on the lip of your pocket, the Helton is slim and unobtrusive. It is dense enough to know it is there but not so heavy as to weigh you down or preclude you from using your pocket. The shape is noteworthy—it’s basically as minimal a profile as you will find. I also like the fact that the lanyard attachment is not as the bottom or top of the tool but to the side. It makes getting poked in the hand or the leg less likely.
Materials: 2
Is VG10 a world beater steel? Nope, not by a long shot, especially in 2026. But, in a tool like this, it’s more than fine. Sure there are two Leatherman multitools with Magnacut, but the vast, vast majority of multitools run steel that is considerably worse. I also really, really like the aluminum scales too.
Deployment/Accessibility: 2
The tool accessibility here is incredible with a thoughtful mix of nail nicks and thumb holes. I don’t think they are as aesthetically pleasing as the discrete nail nicks on SAKs but they really really work and I am okay with the small looks trade off involved.
One small point—if you close the scissors without folding the handle in AND you angle it just right you can miss the stop pin and the scissor handle will pass through the body of the tool, push out the Phillips Driver, cap lifter, and poke out the other side. It has happened to be once and I tried on purpose to recreate it and I couldn’t. The handles don’t seem to open widely enough to make it work, but it did once, I just can’t get it to happen again. I am going to chalk this up to a fluke as no one else has reported the same problem.
Retention Method: 2
I was a steadfast anti-sculpted clip for a long time. They were ugly, hard on your pockets, and uncomfortable in hand. Now, years later, they have evolved and are now beautiful and nice to use. This clip is about as discrete and comfortable as it gets. I can’t imagine a clip getting better. I don’t even mind the billboarding here.
Tool Selection: 2
You get four really solid main tools and two solid scale tools (though you can only carry one if you opt for the pocket clip). They are all beautifully focused on tasks that you are likely to do everyday. They are intuitively designed and, fortunate for those of us that care about weight, there are no duplicate tools.
Tool Performance: 2
The knife is good, the pry a file are good, and the screwdriver/cap lifter is good. All at least above average. But the star on the Helton, the tool that is a difference maker, is the scissors. WHA…scissors? Let’s be honest, scissors have been the star of Victorinox tools for years. They are leagues better than the competition and despite us thinking of ourselves as knife guys, we are more knife and scissor guys. So when you make a decent knife with great scissors, you have winning recipe. I don’t think that Victorinox’s success is solely based on their scissors’ performance. But they are certainly a difference maker. So when I figured out how cool and functional the Helton’s scissors were, I was stunned. The interesting thing is that the spring ALSO locks into place. This gives the scissors some real tension and cutting power. The pivot is very, very tight. Taken together this combo makes the Helton’s scissors, if not as good as Victorinox’s design, then very, very close. As a result, the tool performance here is outstanding.
Other Considerations
Fett Effect: High
Blasted aluminum and steel will just blossom with patina and given how easy this is to carry I fully expect my Helton will have a full pocket stonewash in no time.
Fidget Factor: High
This is a tool that feels great in hand and while it is not a flipper, it is still fun to play with and handle.
Value: Moderate
This is twice as much as the most expensive SAK. But if you want to get a clip or a nice set of scales, that price gap gets smaller. And that is why I gave it a moderate and not low.
Overall Score: 20 out of 20; PERFECT
Here is the standard for a PERFECT—What would I change? If the answer is nothing, then the item gets a perfect. There is nothing here I would change. Would Magnacut make the blade better? Sure, but then it would be a much pricier knife and that price increase would make the knife worse. It’s especially hard in the knife-based multitool market to get expensive when Victorinox makes dozens of world class tools for under $100. In that world, that hyper competitive market, the Helton is perfect. I wouldn’t change a thing. It’s great and it is, finally, the thing that proves the promise that The James Brand debuted with eleven years ago.
Competition
This is somewhere between the Cadet and Compact. The Helton is more capable than the Cadet and more sophisticated than the Compact. And those are among my two favorite knife-based multitools in the world. If you upgrade the Compact with some well made aftermarket scales, like I did with mine, it is really outstanding. Even then, though, it is not clearly superior to the Helton. That’s impressive company. The problem is both the Cadet and the Compact are much cheaper. If you upgrade the Compact as I did, the price is $107. The Helton is $179.95. The PDW scales are out of production right now but others make good ones too (though not as good, in my opinion). I like the Helton a lot, but the Compact in PDW scales is awfully good too. The fact that I can’t decide between these two tells you a lot. The Compact in PDW scales is easily one of my favorite carries of all time.
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I just updated this after EIGHT years, but I want to make sure the revenue stream for the site continues, so I took Parker’s advice and culled out dead links and highlighted new stuff. I will do more of this going forward.