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Multi tools


Opalblade

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I am very very fond of tools in general :D

 

I currently carry a little multi tool on my keychain that has:

 

Screwdriver

Nail file

Corkscrew

Can opener

Bottle opener

Scissors

Knife blade

 

So two points to this thread. One is I'm curious what multitools others carry and which little tools on it they have used while geocaching or hiking and for what reasons. Especially if they've involved using a little saw or pliers :D

 

Two is I'd love to know if anyone has found a multitool that fits all my requirements :rolleyes: With all of the above tools and ALSO tweezers, pliers, and a little saw, WITH a keychain attachment. I never camp overnight or hike alone in remote areas or put myself in any kind of situation where a little saw would be needed but I just WANT a little saw :D My thinking I guess is you never know when a little saw might save your life (read a lot of Reader's Digest growing up hehe). Pliers and/or tweezers I can think of many practical uses for having handy, aside from geocaching. Being the mom of four boys presents interesting situations on an almost daily basis, and there is the occasional handygirl type stuff to do around the house.

 

I do want my new multi-tool to still fit on my keychain - with the little keychain attachment, and not too huge to be attached while driving, or to fit in a pocket.

 

I've found one that has absolutely everything my heart desires (plus way more I would prob never use) - the Swiss Army SwissChamp - but it looks WAY too heavy to have hanging off my keychain:

http://www.swissknifeshop.com/Swiss_Army_S...p/saswchamp.htm

 

Swiss Army Huntsman has everything I want except little pliers:

http://www.swissknifeshop.com/Swiss_Army_H..._p/sas54755.htm

 

Swiss Army Deluxe Tinker has no saw or nail file:

http://www.swissknifeshop.com/Swiss_Army_D...x_p/sa53481.htm

 

I love that the Leatherman multi tools have a full size scissors option, but there isn't any that has all the tools I want AND goes on a keychain. For example...

 

Leatherman Juice S2 - no keychain thingy, no nail file, no tweezers - http://www.swissknifeshop.com/Leatherman_J...p/ltjuices2.htm

 

Leatherman Squirt S4 - no little saw, no little pliers ;)

http://www.swissknifeshop.com/Leatherman_S...4_p/ltsqts4.htm

 

So tell me about your multitools - why you love them, what you do with them.

 

Here is what the Swiss Army SwissChamp has by the way :D The one I really want but looks too bulky to be practical:

 

Swiss Army SwissChamp Features:

Large Blade

Small Blade

Can Opener with Small Screwdriver

Bottle Opener with Large Screwdriver and Wire Stripper

Scissors

Pliers with Wire Cutter

Wood Saw

Fish Scaler with Hook Disgorger and Ruler

Metal Saw with Metal File and Nail File

Magnifying Glass

Reamer with Sewing Eye

Phillips Screwdriver

Corkscrew

Hook

Wood Chisel

Fine Screwdriver

Mini Screwdriver

Ball Point Pen

Straight Pin

Toothpick

Tweezers

Key Ring

Edited by Opalblade
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I carry a Leatherman Fuse and a Victoronox Super Tinker with me all the time. I'm always having to fiddle with something, and the variety of screwdrivers and the pliers come in very handy. The Super Tinker's scissors are great for anything from cutting paper to trimming fingernails.

 

As far as what I've used for caching, I've needed a screwdriver a couple times (opening caches, fixing one for someone), and it seems the tweezers in the Super Tinker are always getting used for fishing out logs from those darned nanos. I've used the pliers on the Fuse to retrieve a cache or two from places my fat fingers wouldn't go, too.

 

If you're looking for something with a saw, I think you're going to be needing to find a setup too big to fit on your keyring, though. A saw that is short enough to fit comfortably on a keyring is going to be essentially useless, in an emergency situation, you'd probably get better results hacking away at whatever it is you're cutting with a sharp rock. Heck, my Fuse replaced the Leatherman Wave that I had (it got lost... :rolleyes: ), which had the saw. This was, at the time, the biggest Leatherman you could get, I think, and the saw on it was pretty close to useless, and is at least twice as big as anything that I would consider keyring sized.

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I don't use any multitools - too heavy, too useless. The only thing that I carry all the time is a simple Swiss Army knive with just a blade (to cut saussisons, baguettes and vegetables), a corkscrew and a bottle opener (the use of the last to should be obvious...). The model is aptly called "waiter". B)

 

As you can guess from this, one of the great pleasures of hiking/trekking/geocaching for me is not survival (I try to avoid it) but a nice picknick, preferrably with a gorgeous vista in front of me.

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I have a Swiss Army Knife with me at all times. It is on my keychain and I use it frequently. I can't imagine life without one.

 

I have three multi tools, two Leathermen and one that I think is labeled Winchester. One Leatherman stays in my day pack, the other is in my overnight backpack and the the off brand tool is in my mini tackle box (the one I take fishing when I don't want to lug the monster tackle box along).

 

The tools that are important to me no matter what multi tool or SAK I'm using are:

 

- Knife

- Screwdrivers

- Corkscrew

- Bottle opener

- Can opener

- Scissors

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I carry a Swiss Army knife. Just a couple of blades, a can opener, screwdriver, pliers, tooth pick, blow torch and cricket bat. B)

 

Not a multi-tool, but I find my torch (flashlight) to be about the most useful thing I carry, after the GPSr. Even in daylight it's useful to shine into dense undergrowth to see if anything reflects back.

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The saws on those tools (the ones that I've seen, anyway) are all but useless. If you want to carry a survival saw worth the weight (and it is much less weight) then pack one of these: http://www.bestglide.com/Wire_Saw_Info.html

 

Most of the saws on multi tools are of questionable value, but I got lucky with mine. I wasn't interested in having a saw on my Leatherman because the small size seemed like it would be big enough to be useful. After carrying the CS4 for about I year I tried the saw while I was at cub scout camp with my son. Boy was I surprised. It cut through branches over 2" in diameter very easily. It came in handy when all they boys needed sticks to practice whittling.

 

Thanks for the link to that wire saw. One of those is going to find a home in my pack.

Edited by Wooden Cyclist
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I carry a Leatherman Wave on my belt at all times (except when flying or visiting government buildings). Its served me well for years.

Me too. Mine came with a nylon pouch and an attachment for my AAA mini Maglight. The best Xmas gift my brother ever gave me. Got it in 2002. I was impressed right away by being able to open the two outside blades with one-hand - a common feature today, but saw it first in the Wave.

 

I keep a 20-yr old Victorinox Swiss Army Champion Plus in my backpack as a backup.

 

For night hikes, I include my 4.5" Benchmade Nimravus fixed blade (140SBK). My wife got me this for Xmas three years ago.

 

What should I ask for next? :)

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the swiss army knife site has a cool page in which you can select what tools you want and it will match you to the closest swiss army knife.

 

the craftsman knife was right for me. had the knives, screwdrivers, scissors, wood saw, metal saw/file, plus pliers and bottle opener.

Edited by Red 07Z
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Mirror on a telescoping handle (bought in the automotive dept.) Great for looking under the lip of jetties/wharves/footbridges etc. Then we have to figure out how to retrieve the cache....without getting stuck. That almost happened to me under a bottom railing - but I got the cache with a lot of grunting! Replacing it was easier thanks to the powerful magnet...

 

edit - I know it isn't a multi-tool...should have read the thread title more carefully - sorry!

Edited by popokiiti
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I have carried my Leatherman Juice CS4 since long before I stared caching. It is in my pocket everyday. I has all of the tools you list except the tweezers. An earlier post suggested that any multi tool that has a saw will be too big for your keychain. The CS4 proves the opposite.
Sorry, but the Juice's listed length of over 3 inches isn't what I'd consider "keychain sized." Not to mention the weight will contribute to wear on a car's ignition switch while it is hanging on your ring. . .
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I carry a Leatherman "Fuse". A new model with plastic on the inside of the handles so when you come back on the pliers, it doesn't wreck your fingers/hand. It is basic, and doesn't fit on a key chain. I carry it in a leather holster on my belt. I have lost three over the years when in my pocket. I don't loose them in holsters. I carry a Buck #110 in my pocket for things that need to be cut. One can shave with it.

 

I personally consider those big multi-tools a waste and Swiss Army type knives the same. But I use these tools at work every day. Caching is secondary.

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Looking through here I am surprised not to see any Gerber Multi-Tools listed, I have had huge success with them in the past. Likely the most formidable combination I have carried was the Gerber Pro Scout coupled together with Swiss Army Tinker. Unfortunately both were stolen from me some years back before I started caching, been looking into replacing them.
I have been carrying a Gerber Clutch for about a year now. But I think that the only piece that I've used has been the pliers. For tweezers, I use the pair on the micro-Swiss Army Knife clone that I carry on my keychain.
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I have two Victorinox and a Benchmade but I found out today it really doesn't matter what you have as long as you have one. I couldn't find any of mine so I borrowed a Stanley from the hubby for a solo caching adventure. Turned out I really needed it as one of the stages was in a cave frozen in ice. By heating one of the straight blades with a lighter and chipping/cutting I was able to get it out.

 

Always go with something! I'm surprised by the ways I have to use them when I do.

That being said, I'm looking at getting a Gerber Crucial to add to my arsenal. I love my other ones for their durability but I would love having something light on a carabiner too.

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I carry a Leatherman Wave on my belt at all times (except when flying or visiting government buildings). Its served me well for years.

Me too. Mine came with a nylon pouch and an attachment for my AAA mini Maglight. The best Xmas gift my brother ever gave me. Got it in 2002. I was impressed right away by being able to open the two outside blades with one-hand - a common feature today, but saw it first in the Wave.

 

I keep a 20-yr old Victorinox Swiss Army Champion Plus in my backpack as a backup.

 

For night hikes, I include my 4.5" Benchmade Nimravus fixed blade (140SBK). My wife got me this for Xmas three years ago.

 

What should I ask for next? :rolleyes:

My wife and I had been caching the day away, when the trail jumped onto the road for a ways. Some recent dozer tracks revealed a freshly placed drainage pipe along our route. In those muddy tracks was something shiny, demanding that I investigate. What I pulled from the mud was a Leatherman Wave. This served as my caching tool, until one day when one of the locks broke off. This was a first gen. Wave. I wrote to Leatherman, telling them of my everyday use, and sent the tool along for repair. They sent me the new model, with sheath, 5 days later. It rarely leaves my hip, and is used on a daily basis, either at work or at play. It's well balanced with it's selection of tools for anyone, and has proved useful in all aspects of Geocaching as well. From placing to finding, retrieving logs from nanos, removing cactus thorns, carving walking sticks, repairing caches, and building them. It's all around a great tool, and from a company with great customer service.

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I use a small multi-tool plus one of these! :)

 

42d60a8d-5989-4cb8-b802-9f8ee4b17e3d.jpg

Dang.. I'd almost forgotten about the Lancrastian Army Knife :P

I'd never buy one. Even my very first scout's knife had a fork and a spoon on it. I don't see either in that photo. What were they thinking? They probably didn't sell many because of that very reason.

 

Something that I think everyone should carry, when they venture into areas that might be far from civilization, is a good long length of 16 lb. test spider-wire fishing line (or equivalent high-tech thin line), wrapped around an old unused credit or ID card. Then embed a good sturdy needle and fishing hook flat within the wraps. I carry that with me at all times today. I have lived off the land a few lengthy times (out of choice), and I assure you, the most difficult things to come by are a needle for repairing things (including yourself if needed) and a fishing hook. With that little multi-pack kit you can survive most anywhere there is water for fishing. Just a tip from one who's been there, did that, and have the stories, experience, and scars to prove it.

Edited by Keo1
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Only take my small Swiss Army Knife, which has the usual two blads, screwdrivers, can-opener, bottle-opener, corkscrew, tweezers and toothpick. Only ever needed the blade and screwdriver for caching. Used the blade to put a couple scratches on a smooth surface so I could remove a lid. Use the screwdriver flat blade to pry open a few rusty Altoids tins.

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I have a multi-tool that is larger and heavier than a swiss army knife. It has wire cutters, pliers and screw drivers. I keep this in the car and transfer to my cache bag as needed. I also have a swiss army knife but have never used it on a cache. I do keep a small garden shovel in my cache bag to aide me when searching for lost bench markers.

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I have a Victornox, Huntsman that I carry everywhere. (Except where prohibited by law.)

I carry a Leatherman Wave at work. I'm a firefighter.

I have a Leatherman Juice Xe6 that I use on vacation, long geocaching days.

The Huntsman does everything I want on a daily basis. I've used the tweezers to remove logs from micros and nanos. The Xe6 is a nice compliment to the huntsman, and can replace it. but I prefer not to carry it all the time.

I think you are limiting yourself by having a keychain attachment. It's just my opinion, but you may not want too much weight hanging off your keys. There's a possiblity that extra weight MAY damage your car ignition switch, OVER TIME. But that's a theory.

But Leatherman makes some small tools that may fit the bill. Look at the Leatherman website.

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...

Pruning shears? First time I have heard of those being used for geocaching.

I use them to help maintain my own caches, which sometimes get overgrown, as well as when bushwhacking into someone else's cache. I'm talking about a small one-handed pair of shears, not big loppers.
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...

Pruning shears? First time I have heard of those being used for geocaching.

I use them to help maintain my own caches, which sometimes get overgrown, as well as when bushwhacking into someone else's cache. I'm talking about a small one-handed pair of shears, not big loppers.
I personally know several land owners/managers who would take issue with someone using pruning shears to bushwhack on their property. Seems a bad idea to me. . . :lol:
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I use the following tools:

- Small multi tip screw driver (4 sizes of each type included in that one little driver)

- Super bright LED flashlight

- Curved needle nose pliers

- Magnetic extension pointer (extends to 18" with a magnet at the end, the two buttons near the top provide a laser pointer and a bright single bulb led)

- Paper plate

- Rubber band

- Not show: various dry logs and a tooth pick or two

- A write anyplace pen

 

Paper plate? you ask ... yep, one of the best tools I have. Dump the contents of the cache on one of these, no lost pieces here. Put a small log on a folded plate for an instant hard writing surface that fits in your back pocket.

 

I recently added the magnetic extension when I couldn't reach into a small tree hole to retrieve an altoids tin.

 

I use the toothpicks to roll those dang tiny logs nice and tight.

 

tools.jpg

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While in the Marines, I was issued a Leatherman Wave, and LOVED it. It has since come up missing in one of the 4 moves since then. The saw that comes on it it actually useful, but I wouldn't choose it as a primary. Now, I carry a KISS pocket knife by CRKT, and am in the market for a multi-tool to throw in the cache kit. I plan to get a telescopic mirror, and some decent forceps as well. A big old honking flashlight that compares with day light is at the top of the list, however. My head light (just about the handiest thing I have ever owned....I'm on my 4th one now) is in there now, and good to about 6 feet. I need more candle power for more distance. :)

 

Like some others, I strayed off the topic a bit, but I think most of these items are as important, if not more so than a multitool in most cases.

 

Later!

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