I cannot count how many times I have been out wheeling, camping or pre-running trails for an event where I have been in need of a shovel, an axe, a pick and even at times a mallet. I have been using the Handle-All® from Hi-Lift for some time now, often enough that I keep one in my wheeling rig as part of my trail gear and equipment.
The Handle-All® is one of the smartest tools I’ve seen in awhile, it’s not one that I need or use often, but when I do need it I’m glad I have it with me. Those of us that drive a Jeep as our primary vehicle for fun, camping, outings or destination adventures know there is always a shortage of storage space. Of course with that limited space, keeping a shovel or a pick is obviously not practical. The great thing about the Handle-All® is that it breaks down, fits in an easy to tote bag and virtually has anything you would need that normally has a long handle and isn’t conducive to that limited space.
With a telescoping handle, an axe, a sledge, a pick and a shovel the kit has the necessities for most situations yet is small enough to fit into the back of a Jeep, behind the seat of a pickup or in the trunk of a car. The Handle-All® is portable enough that I often swap it from vehicle to vehicle when out on a job just in case it is needed; there has been more than once that it has come in handy even when I take it with expectations of not using it.
There were a few things that I ran into while using the various attachments that I did alter or change for function and my own personal preference. When using the sledge, the handle can be much like an aluminum bat hitting a brick wall. I’m going to retrofit a foam grip from a shovel into my kit in case I have to break down something solid. Secondly the pins that hold the telescoping handle together utilize a small ring that did break when I was using the sledge. Not a huge deal but when I went to buy another pin I found something that I wanted to try and it has worked out well. I purchased a trailer hitch lock pin from a local hardware store that I was able to replace the old pins with.
If you’ve ever run into that situation where you have needed any of these tools I suggest you check out and consider the Handle-All ® from the folks at Hi-Lift. If you use it once to get out of a sticky situation it will be well worth the price of owning it!
Update: After posting this review I spoke with the folks at Hi-Lift, they also tried the style of pin that I used as a replacement. They had users report problems with them so they do not recommend that style of pin, I will find a new ring to secure and utilize the pins that were originally sent with the unit for safety reasons.
