Favorite EDC multitool

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daniel craig

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I have a Leatherman Surge, the big brother of the wave and honestly, I hate it. It’s too heavy and bulky to carry as an EDC and with no option for pocket carry (no clip) I have to carry in a sheath, which I don’t enjoy.

I really enjoyed the weight (and the carbide cutters) of the Gerber I got from Uncle Sam but that also had some....minor gripes? The tools other than the pliers seemed not well made (especially the knife blade), they required two hands to get out of the tool and the tool required a sheath to carry.

What do you like for Multitools and do you know of anything with a pocket clip that isn’t a chinzy little thing?
 
I have a Surge and love it.

V8sTBB8l.jpg

But I agree it's big, heavy, and bulky, but its hard to beat for it capabilities. A good sheath and stiff belt makes it much nicer to carry. On the weekends or if I am working around the house than the Surge is on my belt.

But for EDC to work and similar places where I don't want that big tool on my belt I carry a Skeletool. It is a much more compact and pocket-friendly tool. Clips into the pocket nicely. It is not as capable as a Wave or Surge but will cover 90% of the jobs I use a multi-tool for and do so in a much thinner and pocket friendly package. The knife blade is an easy one hand open/close and comfortable in the hand when used as a knife. The replaceable driver bits makes the tool more capable than it first appears. Get a bit extended from Leatherman and you can use standard 1/4" bits too.

TLtiFC7l.jpg

Been carrying the Skeletool for over a decade now. I lost it once out at the hunting property and found it a month later in the bottom of a tractor tire track. Despite 6000+ lbs of tractor running it over and a month in the elements it's still working for me. I personally think the Skeletool is one of the best pocket friendly multi-tools going.
 
mcb said:
I have a Surge and love it.

View attachment 943001

But I agree it's big, heavy, and bulky, but its hard to beat for it capabilities. A good sheath and stiff belt makes it much nicer to carry. On the weekends or if I am working around the house than the Surge is on my belt.

But for EDC to work and similar places where I don't want that big tool on my belt I carry a Skeletool. It is a much more compact and pocket-friendly tool. Clips into the pocket nicely. It is not as capable as a Wave or Surge but will cover 90% of the jobs I use a multi-tool for and do so in a much thinner and pocket friendly package. The knife blade is an easy one hand open/close and comfortable in the hand when used as a knife. The replaceable driver bits makes the tool more capable than it first appears. Get a bit extended from Leatherman and you can use standard 1/4" bits too.

View attachment 943002

Been carrying the Skeletool for over a decade now. I lost it once out at the hunting property and found it a month later in the bottom of a tractor tire track. Despite 6000+ lbs of tractor running it over and a month in the elements it's still working for me. I personally think the Skeletool is one of the best pocket friendly multi-tools going.
Click to expand...
I like the skeletool at least at first glance. I can’t carry anything on a sheath at work thanks to dress code/uniform regs so a an sheath is out. Also the surge just isn’t comfortable in my hand and requires two hands to get the pliers and other tools out. Is there a multitool that’s 100% one hand useable?
 
daniel craig said:
I like the skeletool at least at first glance. I can’t carry anything on a sheath at work thanks to dress code/uniform regs so a an sheath is out. Also the surge just isn’t comfortable in my hand and requires two hands to get the pliers and other tools out. Is there a multitool that’s 100% one hand useable?
Click to expand...

The Leatherman OHT (One Hand Tool) was specifically design for one handed use of the entire tool. I have never used one but it might fit what you need.

https://www.leatherman.com/oht-49.html

It nearly as big as a Surge though so it may not pocket carry as well as others.
 
mcb said:
The Leatherman OHT (One Hand Tool) was specifically design for one handed use of the entire tool. I have never used one but it might fit what you need.

https://www.leatherman.com/oht-49.html

It nearly as big as a Surge though so it may not pocket carry as well as others.
Click to expand...
That actually looks pretty close to what I’m looking for. I’ll have to see if there’s on in store somewhere I can get my grubby mits on to play with.

Have you ever used the SOG Power Pint?
 
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My EDC multitool is a Leatherman Fuse. About as big as I care to carry all the time. Before that it was an original Leatherman which finally broke on me after nearly twenty years of daily carry and use. I keep a Leatherman Micra on my keychain. Those folding scissors have been very handy on many occasions.
 
Leatherman 200 super tool, in leather belt sheath for a long time. A Good leather belt cause it is holding up my draws, the leatherman, 1911, mag carrier, and phone.
All that with a 32 waist.:neener:
Leatherman gets used at least twice a day or more.
 
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Leatherman Charge Titanium, I have three or four of them. When I manage to break one I send it in and they send a new or refurbished one back. Even though I have offered to pay and admitted to abusing the tool, Leatherman has never charged me a dime. Great company.
 
I forgot to mention I have others, a smaller husky, with brass bolsters and rosewood scales. And a Gerber in the truck.
 
If you want the absolute smallest then get the Micra. I used to have these on my keychains before I decided to go lighter and not carry excess stuff on the keychains:

upload_2020-9-17_18-20-41.png

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007UQ1B0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I like the SAK Outrider. This is a bit bigger than your standard SAK and the SAK ergonomics are a bit better than a mutlitool (eg. handle angle when using screwdriver). It has a locking blade but you will need to add a stud for one-handed opening.

upload_2020-9-17_16-10-43.png

If you want the pliers instead then the Skeletool is a good bet with also a small pocket presence. Not keychain worthy tho:

I like having the scissors (which I use fairly often) but sometimes I would like pliers.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0001P158K/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I add a very small screwdriver to the corkscrew which is useful for small screws.

upload_2020-9-17_16-12-36.png

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MXBMSE0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

IDK if this would fit the SAK but here is an example of an aftermarket thumb stud:

upload_2020-9-17_16-24-35.png

https://smile.amazon.com/Kwik-Thumb-SS-BRK-KTS01756-Stud-Stainless/dp/B006OCP46S

My other multi-tools are Leatherman Crunch, Wave, Skeletool and Micra.
 
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I carried a super tool 300 for awhile and the 2nd time I broke it and sent it back I bought a surge to use for EDC and kept the super tool as a backup. I am pretty hard on them and will actually be sending the surge back for repair in the near future. It is my favorite tool so far with the one handed blades and the large pliers but that obviously doesn't help you.

I gave my girlfriend a leatherman Rebar and it is basically a smaller lighter super tool. I would look at it or a Wave if I needed something smaller/lighter but honestly the surge and super tool are the perfect size for me. The wave actually can be carried with a pocket clip that they sell separately, and I believe the charge and several other models can as well.

I do have a leatherman wingman I bought on a whim when they were on sale. It is nice and light but the pliers are too small, the inner tools are not as robust and I broke the pocket clip on it pretty quick and I don't have a pouch for it. I might buy one of them for a kid as their first multi tool in case they lose it but I wouldn't rely on one for EDC unless you plan for it to be pretty light use.
 
I use a pair of SOG Power Pliars, has plenty of tools on it to get what I need done.

When I damaged it and sent it back in for service, SOG took care of everything. They even sharpened the two blades on it.

I would definitely buy another from them or something similar if it was discontinued. SOG has always made quality knives and tools, so I'll keep buying from them.
 
My wife bought me a Surge as a wedding gift 15 years ago as of this coming October. It is a heavy cuss.

My current edc is a Leatherman Free P4. They are spendy, but for a tool junky who actually uses his MT on the job 4 or 5 times a day, i dont mind the 130 bones it cost me.

Wave size tool, one hand everything on the outside, new magnetic tool lock up. Plus it has a pocket clip. Plain edge, serrated, scissors, saw, and a plethora of different drivers.

Close second is a Leatherman Rebar, but i like the One Hand features of the Free P4.
 
I had a Victorinox and it was an excellent tool, but heavy. So much so that it never got carried after the first couple of weeks. I had a Gerber and it was cool being able to flick the jaws out, but it stopped being carried after the second time it pinched my palm. I had a SOG power pliers that I carried off and on for years. Excellent EDC multitool, but not that much better than the various Leathermans I also carried and the tool access of the Leathman's improved to the point the SOG goes uncarried. I keep trying different multitools, but I keep carrying Leathermans.
 
I actually had an original Leatherman tool, I think I ordered it from an ad in the back of SOF mag. back in '86.

Unfortunately some A-hole stole it a couple years later! Wish I had it just for the uniqueness of what they were when they first hit the market.
 
I'm a tool junkie. I carry a sak when I'm in church or otherwise out on the town.
If there is any chance of being outdoors away from my vehicle(supertool 300 in door panel), or fishing...... 20200906_184221.jpg ..I will have my wave. The outboard knife blades on the Wave are worth the $$ of buying one for sure!
1600430011394271104162293322015.jpg

One hand opening and darn good stuff, whatever it is.
 

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I had a bet with the mate on a boat one time, I said bluefish would eat anything you put in front of there face when there in a frenzy. Bet was I got a free trip or I wash the boat on the way in, used a long shank mustdad hook like used on diamond jigs. I attached with a snap and ring to the tools loop and tied to the same loop kinda like one of them butterfly jig used for tuna.

Dropped it down like a jig, but bottom and cranked fast for about 30 turns. The 3rd time a fish hit, so I won a free trip on a 8 pound bluefish witch would have never even won the pool lol.
 
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