Multi-tools

February 5, 2004

This is more of a general hiking sort of question, but I'm sure there are plenty of geocachers who carry multi-tools as well. I've been checking out the Gerber and Leatherman brands so far.

I'm looking for recommendations for specific brands/models, what you like/dislike about the one you have, and what you use it for.

Thank you very much for any recommendations you can provide.

38.2k · February 5, 2004

Leatherman and Gerber are both pretty good. You just have to look for the features that are important to you. I backpack and hike a lot, and found a leatherman that has a fork and butter knife, which is great for eating sardines and spreading cheese, or peanut butter on crackers. It also has a corkscrew for that all important bottle of red wine at the campfire. These features attracted me to the model, but would be of little use to many others.

5.9k · February 5, 2004

Leatherman and Gerber are both pretty good. You just have to look for the features that are important to you. I backpack and hike a lot, and found a leatherman that has a fork and butter knife, which is great for eating sardines and spreading cheese, or peanut butter on crackers. It also has a corkscrew for that all important bottle of red wine at the campfire. These features attracted me to the model, but would be of little use to many others.

Anything with a blade sharp enough to kill the squid first next time please!

I prefer the SOG tool.

February 5, 2004

I don't actually own one myself, which is odd being that I collect (accumulate?) knives. If I were to buy one today, I'd get the SOG with the gear-driven pliars.

Happy shopping,

Bob

February 5, 2004

Leatherman Wave. Has everything & has comfortable grips

24.7k · February 5, 2004

Leatherman Wave. Has everything & has comfortable grips

I second this motion. The original leatherman I had was great but if you used the pliers it cut into your palm. The Wave solves the problem and is a good multi tool.

Edited February 5, 2004 by Renegade Knight

February 5, 2004

I have a Gerber multi tool and love it. I used to use a Leatherman because it was issued. It wasn't very comfortable to hold, felt like it was digging into my hands.

February 5, 2004

I've checked out a number of sporting goods stores around here. Leatherman is the best represented on the shelves, followed by Gerber. A few stores have a couple of SOG items.

The bummer is that none of the stores have floor models out of the packaging so I can play with them to see how they feel and operate. I think the sales folks are afraid I'll pinch their noses with the pliers!

February 5, 2004

I don't leave the house without my leatherman wave.

February 5, 2004

You might consider a micro, too. The Leatherman Micra is pretty handy for its size - it has helped me out many times and fits easily in your pocket.

2k · February 5, 2004

You might consider a micro, too. The Leatherman Micra is pretty handy for its size - it has helped me out many times and fits easily in your pocket.

Second the micra comment. I once changed a hard drive using one. Not an experience I would recomend, but it got me through a pinch.

February 5, 2004

Victorinox SwissTool, Best one I have ever owned

7.2k · February 5, 2004

I'll raise my hand for the Leatherman Wave, too.

What I like about it:

The knife blades are accessible with one hand.
The saw is actually useful. Been used in the field and tested great on limbs as large as about 1.5"
The file is useful.
The pliers are fine enough to pull splinters. Field tested, as well.
The blades come very sharp.
As mentioned, the handles with the pliers deployed are very comfortable and won't pinch your palm.
The wire strippers work very well.

The Wave is an all around quality tool. Supremely designed.

I see a lot of quality tools and toys come through my shop and the Wave is the only multitool that has ever gotten me excited.

Hope this helps.

February 5, 2004

i have the small leartherman its nice

February 6, 2004

Leatherman Wave. Has everything & has comfortable grips

I agree. This is a great tool. Another that I have is the Bucktool. I like the comfortable grip.

Gerber is also comfortable, and once it loosens up, you can open the pliers with 1 hand. Not essential, but convenient on occasion.

F_M

3.1k · February 6, 2004

Two of my favorite multi fools are Quad and Bufford

February 6, 2004

Second the micra comment. I once changed a hard drive using one. Not an experience I would recomend, but it got me through a pinch.

I've done onsite computer and network support before. I would use the micra to cut and strip Cat 5 cable. Since the wires are pretty thin copper, it never hurt the blades.

What I though was clever was that they had a flat Phillips screwdriver. It wasn't the best in the world, but I did use it (it was just a tapered flat head that fit into 2 of the 4 "points" of the screw head)

1.3k · February 6, 2004

I like and own the Kershaw Multi-Tool. The locking pliers are amazingly helpful.

And the full size knife can be opened and closed with one had.

Multi-Tool Pic 1

Multi-Tool pic 2

Edited February 6, 2004 by SBPhishy

February 6, 2004

I'm a gerber man myself. Mine has regular pliers instead of needle-nose, better to get on a nut if you don't have a wrench handy. Plus the knife blade holds it's edge very well!

2.4k · February 6, 2004

I had one of the original Leathermans, which I bought about 1982 or so, but it eventually ran away. It was ok, but using the pliers was painful, and the opening was unnecessarily complicated. I then bought a Gerber, and I love it. I carry it all the time at work. The saw works pretty well in a pinch. I also have a "Micro Fish-tool" made by Coast, which I bought on a whim at WalMart, and I like it also. It's very small, fits in my pocket easily, and works well enough. It's designed very much like the old Leathermans. The main advantage is the size and weight, making it easy to carry, even attached to a keychain. I seldom use the knife blades of any of these, because I always carry a real knife.

February 6, 2004

The wave. I own 2! Both are well used and in top notch condition.

February 6, 2004

Now you've done it! have to reply here.

Leatherman Super Toolege don't leave home with out it.

It goes every where with me.

Leemann

Edited February 6, 2004 by Leemann

February 6, 2004

I vote for the leatherman wave. I bought mine on ebay about 2 years ago and it is been in my pocket at home and work and fishing and camping and caching and hiking and etc etc etc.... ever since It is a very handy and easy to use peice of kit worth every penny 10 times over. A lot less bulky than any gerber tool I have had a look at.

February 6, 2004

I've got a Gerber. I like that I can open the pliers with just a quick flick of the wrist. The one handed operation is nice.

3.8k · February 6, 2004

The police in my area carry the Gerber... noticed this the other day while standing in line at Wendy's.

February 6, 2004

Wow, thanks for all the recommendations everyone. This is fantastic! I now know about brands I'd never heard of before.

So far I'm seriously comparing the Gerber 800, Leatherman Wave, and SOG S60.

I find it odd that the Gerber is listed as having aluminum handles, but weighing more than either the Wave or S60.

I stopped at Dick's Sporting Goods on the way home to see some in-person, but they didn't have any of the three available to look at/try out. I'm going to check the local EMS, Galleyons (sp?), and Gander Moutain stores next. It seems like these things are easier to find on-line than in an actual store.

February 6, 2004

Here's my two pfennig's worth - I have a Gerber multiplier that I love, simply because I can open it and use it one-handed, but it's only a belt-tool - just too big to have in my pocket. I used to get by at work (I'm a computer technician) with only a Swiss Army Knife (a Wenger, not Victorinox - Wenger has a locking screwdriver blade that is really nice, because it doesn't close on your fingers) After I lost my swiss army knife, I shopped around a lot and finally settled on the Leatherman Squirt P4 - It's a little bit better than the Micra, in my opinion - it's colorful and light and actually really heavy duty, for such a small tool. The P4 has pliers & Wire Cutters, while the S4 has scissors. The really nice thing is that the pliers are spring-loaded - they don't pinch your hands and the wire cutters actually (gasp) cut wire! All the tools are very useful, can be accessed with the pliers closed, and do exactly what they need to and it even has a single-blade phillips screwdriver that surprisingly enough to me, works really well. Best of all, it takes up less room in my pocket than the Swiss Army knife did, yet does way more. Price is sort of steep ($30), but you can find them on sale as low as $25.00 - or less if you go on E-bay. They come in different colors too - gray, blue and red that I know of. You can get one at Target & try it out - if it doesn't work for you, take it back & you won't be out a dime.

February 6, 2004

I carry a Leatherman Supertool, I like that everything locks in place when in use. I have the nylon shealth that also holds a mini maglight, picked that up at the factory in Oregon 2 years ago when I went on a plant tour, really cool to watch the tools being made and to see the whole process.

edit for sentence structure

Edited February 6, 2004 by Car37&Shnde

20.7k · February 6, 2004

I'm a big fan of the SOG 65. It has a 1/4" socket driver that is really handy. This is just about the only item that I try to remember to transfer between the Jeep, my hiking pack, and my bike pack.

20.7k · February 6, 2004

Check out the prices on SOG's factory seconds page.

February 10, 2004

Thank you all for such great suggestions and input. Go you!

I bought a Leatherman Wave over the weekend and have spent some time using it. It has pretty much everything I could need as far as tools go, and it's a nice size and weight. If size/weight didn't bother me at all I would have gotten either the SOG PowerLock S60 or the SwissTool RS.

Here's what I think Leatherman should do to up the ante and make the Wave their top of the line offering (I'd settle for just the top three):

(1) Postive-Lock for all the tools. High priority. This is practically a no-space/no-weight feature. I find it weird that they only have positive-lock on four of the tools. Personally, I think this was probably a marketing/sales decision so as to differentiate the SuperTool model from the Wave.

(2) Rulers. High priority. Again, this is essentially a no-space/no-weight feature. Again, leaving these off was probably a marketing/sales decision.

(3) Awl. High priority. They should average the sizes of the two middle-sized flat screwdrivers and go from 4 flat screwdrivers to 3. This would make room for a nice pointy, sharp-edged awl. I'd also like to see an awl like the one on my swiss knife that has a hole in the middle of its length to enable a rudimentary sewing capability.

(4) Wire Cutters. Medium priority. I spent some time cutting various wires. The cutters didn't have any trouble with copper wires, but they didn't really work all that well on super hard stuff like steel wire (barbed wire, fence wire, etc). They should either use a harder metal for the cutters or maybe go to a replacable carbide cutter like the high-end Gerbers. However, it may be it's just a matter of leverage instead of the cutters themselves -- there isn't much they can do about that without making the overall tool longer or introducing a gear mechanism or maybe offset jaws. I have no problem cutting the same hard wires with my fencing tool, but that's specifically built for the job.

(5) Nut Driver. Low priority. Leatherman has a nut driver accessory pack, but I'd like to see one built into the Wave. However, this would most likely destroy the nice size/weight that it has. So in the long run, I'd personally pass on this being a requirement.

(6) Repositional Jaws. Low priority. It'd be interesting to see if they could engineer a set of plier jaws for the Wave that had two size settings much like the regular set of pliers I have in my toolbox. I have my doubts that it would work out well.

(7) Colors. Low priority. Would it kill them to offer it in iodized black? :blink:

(8) Hex Nut Contruction. Low priority. It'd be nice to be able to take the thing apart for maintenance purposes. However, I'm not sure what this change would do to the current weight of it. Also, given Leatherman's good history of offering to do maintenance/repairs for only shipping costs I'm not sure this is really a big deal. Maybe they're afraid of someone reconfiguring their Wave in such a way as to make it more dangerous.

2.6k · October 2, 2004

Being a Leatherman expert I think the Leatherman Wave is the worst model made.

However I think that Leatherman has redeemed them-selves with a HOT new model called the Charge!

Just amazing! Every tool you expect from a multi-tool. The aesthetics and ergonomics of the Wave at half the weight. All packaged with innovative new tools. Very nice.

October 2, 2004

personally i have a schrade and love it. the most important thing to remember when selecting a multi-tool is the ergonomics. some of these tools have the 'blades' opening into your hand when applying handle pressure, this is poor design when compared to others.

another thing to remember is that most of these tools come with a single bevel edge which requires a special honing process for best results. this sharpening is best achieved using an ulu sharpener.

my only beef isnt directed at these tools but knives in general, why must manufacturers serate the inner 1/2 of nearly all knivfe blades now? im sure youll find out this is another ford-chevy debate. for what s its worth, i have a schrade tough tool, i own buck knives and have owned several victorianox products. if you find siomething that fits in your hand nicely and ensure the product is made from quality steel nearly any choice is sure to be good.

October 2, 2004

No one has mentioned Victorinox yet, so I put in a word for it. I have used one of their heavier models all my knife owning life and it hasn't left me wanting anything else. That new Leatherman Charge looks cool though.

October 2, 2004

Maybe I'm weird, but I'd take a good pocket knife over a multitool any day. The blade is easier to work with than the blade on a multi, I keep another $50+ in my pocket, I'm not going to be upset if I lose it, and even though I spend most of my time working and recreating in the woods--I've rarely ever wished that I had most of the multitool gadgets at any time.

If you like wine, just get a nice Swiss Army Knife.

Edited October 2, 2004 by dingermcduff

October 2, 2004

I never go anywhere without the Leatherman Wave, but that Charge looks pretty darn magnificent. I just may do the unthinkable and trade. Victorinox, etc.? IMHO, they have their target market, but they're not for the serious outdoorsperson.

October 2, 2004

Target has leatherman's on sale these day. Check it out. Take the leather over to the scanner and check the price it may not be marked down on the shelf.

October 2, 2004

Victorinox, etc.? IMHO, they have their target market, but they're not for the serious outdoorsperson.

Ouch. OK, I won't take that personally, I'm often serious and I'm often outdoors, which hopefully would qualify me for the above mentioned group. I hope my carrying a Victorinox won't make me an unserious indoorsperson. I so much want to belong to the serious outdoors ones.

I don't know what you mean though, Victorinox makes sturdy stuff, and the tools fold out neetly, year after year. Haven't used my lifetime warranty yet, and I tell you, I have chopped wood with that knife. The saw is amazing. Why isn't it for outdoors people?

1.6k · October 2, 2004

Most all the Leathermans are amazing.

2.1k · October 2, 2004

Hi,

the biggest of the leatherman "juice" series...it's awesome!

nfa

October 2, 2004

I can tell you which one NOT to buy. Yes, I was trying to cheaper and I got what I paid for with the Coleman. The knifes were so dull I am STILL working at sharpening.

October 2, 2004

I've used multi tools for years after working as road crew for a couple of rock bands. I used to but cheap ones incase they were lost or knicked, but in the end I got fed up with them breaking. I've ended up with a Leatherman Wave and a Gerber 600 Scout needlenose and I love em both. They both have pros and cons, but for me the thing that makes the Gerber just stretch ahead is the saw blade attachment that takes a standard jigsaw blade. A stroke of pure genius can't understand why Leatherman never came up with the idea

1.8k · October 2, 2004

I don't use one, but I realized that I got one for Christmas from one of the kids...just a stocking stuffer, off-brand...so I went and dug it out a bit ago. I always carry a $.99 razor knife, but I'm going to try hiking with the multi for awhile and see if it's worth the weight. I use the plastic razor knife because it has no weight, and I use it often. No way I'm spending $50+ on a real one, if I don't use the cheap one.

I was looking at the link for SOG seconds, and $25 wouldn't be so bad.

October 2, 2004

My choice.

October 2, 2004

I don't use one, but I realized that I got one for Christmas from one of the kids...just a stocking stuffer, off-brand...so I went and dug it out a bit ago. I always carry a $.99 razor knife, but I'm going to try hiking with the multi for awhile and see if it's worth the weight. I use the plastic razor knife because it has no weight, and I use it often. No way I'm spending $50+ on a real one, if I don't use the cheap one.

I was looking at the link for SOG seconds, and $25 wouldn't be so bad.

One thing I use mine the most for it using the needle nose to handle the pan part of my mess kit. I heat water for cooking or coffee and the little loop handle doesn't give much control so I also grab ahold of the pan with the pliers part.

2k · October 2, 2004

I've gone through three standard Leatherman tool and my current edition has stuck with me for over seven years.

On a tangent... I've found some neat multi-tools that had an adjustable wrench on one end but the quality of the metal and workmanship was so bad I was always frustrated. If somebody ever makes a good quality tool with a strong wrench and screwdrivers I'm there.

October 3, 2004

My choice.

Oh, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings :lol: or say you're not a serious outdoorsy person. I take it back--that Victorinox looks pretty cool! (Still sticking with the Leatherman, but eating crow with it )

2.3k · October 4, 2004

I don't actually own one myself, which is odd being that I collect (accumulate?) knives. If I were to buy one today, I'd get the SOG with the gear-driven pliars.

Happy shopping,

Bob

Might want to re-think that. I have a SOG with the gear-pliers in it, and it does NOT have a lock for the blades. Almost cut the bejeezus out of myself trying to use it once.

October 4, 2004

Victorinox SwissTool, Best one I have ever owned

I second it I love mine never leave home with out you can access every screw driver, knife,scissors every thing with out having to open the pliers like the wave

but my favorit thing about it is when someone ask you for it and they are just opening it closeing it trying to figure out how to get the knife out.

I also have a leatherman juice I manily use it for the scissors.

October 5, 2004

I carry a Leatherman SideClip at all times. Got it from a BassPro Shops credit card promotion. It doesn't have a lot of fancy gadgets, but it has pliers, a knife, four screwdrivers, and a can opener. It's incredible how many times a day I use it...

Multi-tools

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