Any Multi-Tool Recommendations?

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HoosierQ

HoosierQ

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I got a gift card for Christmas and I really need a nice, big multitool.

I am looking at Leatherman (but will happily entertain any brand).

I am liking the the Leatherman Surge. It has the external knife blades and all the tools I'd need. The thing is really big but that's fine by me. Anybody have a Leatherman Surge?

I also like the Wave which is their most popular model and is smaller.

Any recommendations or thoughts? Thanks.
 
There is a lot of give and take with multitools. I recently was pouring over several options myself. I eventually decided on a SOG PowerLock 2.0 and got it for about $55. I must say I am impressed so far. SOG makes some darn good hardware.

I previously used a Gerber Diesel. The one-handed slide-out pliers were a must for me because I frequently need them while holding something with my other hand. I always carry a dedicated one-handed knife, so a one-handed blade on the tool was not necessary for me. What sold the SOG for me was that it too can be opened one-handed, butterfly knife style.

Your needs may be different than mine. Gerber makes one called the Flik which has both sliding pliers and one-handed blades on the outside. But the sliding pliers come with a price: They take up room and so many tools are quite stubbed. The Phillips on Gerbers are usually not very good; they are flattened. SOG has a similar one called a PowerAssist, which has two Assisted Opening blades. However this feature sacrifices a lot of space for tools. Whereas a standard PowerLock has 12 "slots" (6 one either handle that can be customized), the PowerAssist has only 8, 6 standard (which can be swapped) and two AO blades.

I'm not saying leathermans are bad, but I just need that one-handed plier too much. I've leave comments on leathermans to the other forum members.
 
Wave & Surge

I have the Wave.

It rides EDC on my belt. It replaced my original Supertool.

I've contemplated the Surge, 'cuz it has one more tool than the Wave, but I don't need one that large.

Still, I'm not sure you can have too many Leatherman tools.

 
I have been issued gerber multi tools for years, i don't like them, they break to easy, and there is so much better out there. The gerbers are free which is always a good thing i guess. You will be happy with a sog or leatherman, i prefer leatherman over them all. Wave or the surge wither way i think you will be well served, i have never seen a leatherman fail.
 
Swiss Victornox multi tool. A better tool AND unlike Leatherman none of your money will go to liberal causes.
 
HELLO ALL, Ron L here


I own both a Gerber Basic Model, as well asa Leatherman Wave tool Both are good and I like both I see the Needle Nose Pyliers as well as the Wather Pump Type as best suited for different jobs hence I use BOTH, I won't and say what Model is better, You just need to check them out and well see what Model has the functions ya ike, as I ike sissors on ine?

RON
 
I'm very happy with my Wave. There's really nothing else I want in a multi-tool.
 
I have owned probably 10 diffrent multi-tools. Anything from a leatherman wave, to a gerber basic, gerber deisel, and a sog. I keep going back to my favorite the Schrade tough tool. It works very well for what I do.
 
I have a Surge. It's great for working on things, but it's just too damn big for me to carry around all the time. The locking feature is great and with the extra bits, you have lots of flexibility. Unfortunately, due to the size, it rarely stays on my person. I'm looking at a Skeletool CX to carry, since the multitool you have on you is better than the one sitting in the drawer.
 
Gordon:
Swiss Victornox multi tool. A better tool AND unlike Leatherman none of your money will go to liberal causes.
Click to expand...

You are aware Switzerland is a socialist country and a healthy dose of Victornox's money go towards liberal causes too? It does remind me I want to pick up another Leatherman however.

Here are the multitools I owned and used over the years.

Leatherman Supertool. It was nice and tough. The saw on it is totally awesome. It will still cut through thick branches like a knife through hot butter. It's blades were a fair length and sharp. The screwdrivers were tough and handy. The edges are a little hard on the hands when using the pliers and to release the lock on the tools requires moving another tool past 90 degrees and to tighten the hinges requires the use of a couple of pliers. Not too bad though, since I paid all of $5 for it. I wish it had a proper lanyard hole on it. I don't like how all the blades are on the inside though, but that was mainly for the ruler.

Leatherman Charge TTi. It is another full size monster with an S30V blade, awesome file, scissors, saw and has two screwdrivers with replaceable heads. This is my favourite one and it hard to beat for toughness. It also much easier to tighten up with a torq screwdriver. It also has a nice removable lanyard or clip option for when you don't want to put it on a belt in its case. I use this one at work.

Swisstool X. The thing has just about everything on it and it nigh indestructable. The tools on it aren't as big and impressive as the Leatherman Charge though, but it has more tools and you don't have to rely on adjustable driver heads which means less tools to carry around. It also tends to be cheaper than Leatherman tools. Probably my second favourite.

Gerber Suspension. What can you say? It is cheap. Very cheap. Of course the handles are so wide it hard to use, the tools themselves are relatively tiny and the clips to pull the blade out snapped after a few weeks of work and I couldn't find the receipt to get it repaired. It just doesn't compare to the others.

I was looking at one of the SOG Powertools. It has some nice toy factors to it such as the assisted opening blades.

You can get some good reviews, pictures and so on of various multitools at multitool.org if you need too. I don't know how good the other Gerbers are, but I been happy with the Leatherman and Swisstool so far.
 
i have a wave that is EDC and has come in very handy the only complaint i have is my file broke in half but i can still open it and still use it my friend had the charge i think its called which was one step up from the wave with a few extra bits for the changable screwdriver and his flat tip screwdriver (the standard one in the tool not the bit style) broke

im not one to poopoo a product because i broke it because i can break a sherman tank if i use it hard enough

i would say look into gerber or sog too but you honestly cant go wrong with leatherman it may have broke but they fixed it for free and its never failed when i needed it
 
I have owned the original Leatherman, a Supertool, and currently have two Charge tools. I wouldn't own anything but a genuine Leatherman in a multitool, and they really stand behing their products. Customer service is excellent. You might consider looking for one of the original Charge tools on eBay. Good luck!
 
It's hard to beat the original Leatherman I use mine often. I also have the larger one for my truck tools but that was made "safer" by adding locks. That has caused injuries to more than a few !
 
I have the Leatherman Wave and the Surge. For carrying everyday the Wave is much better, imo. I carry the Surge in my hunting bag along with the extra bits

I much prefer the Leathermans to the Gerbers. The only Gerber I like is the anglers tool and that goes fishing with me every time.

I have heard great things about the SOGs though and I love my SOG knives.
 
If I recall correctly, Leatherman is listed on the NRA-ILA site as a supporter of gun control. You might consider Gerber, which is not listed.
 
The Leatherman Wave is the greatest multi tool I have owned and I have it on me almost all of the time. I find the larger ones to be a bit too big and the Wave has everything I need. The ability to open the knives without opening the tool is the best. The jobs I work involve using the multitool several times a day. I have seen many Gerbers break. I have also heard good things about the Victorinox being even stronger than the Leatherman though I prefer the tools on the Leatherman and haven't broken one yet.
 
OK. Thanks everyone. I got the surge. Wow it's big:what: but that's ok.

Here is my thinking: I needed one tool to do it all. I won't EDC this and didn't intend too. I sort of have a "bug out bag" that I have been carrying with me every day since long before people called them that. It has a first aid kit, all kinds of things like rubber gloves, warm gloves in winter, leather in summer, a Swiss Army Knife,...etc. Not hard core bug out stuff but still handy stuff. I wanted a big sturdy tool to replace my stolen super tool to keep in that bag that is big and tough enough to handle most chores in situations where I don't have a toolbox handy. Whey I work around the house or whatever I have a tool belt and use full sized tools.

Now that I got the big one, I am going to hunt for a small (or smaller) one that might server as EDC. The Wave, which is their most popular model, would be good but it is basically one step down in size from the Surge so I may take a couple of steps down and go to the Skeletool or something.

Thanks for the input.
 
The only leatherman I liked is discontinued, the PST II. Their "replacement" model has a saw on it, which personally I don't need nor will use (If I'm cutting branches, I'm going to use a bigger saw or chop it out with a hatchet).

I'd say go with a Gerber Suspension if you can....they're pretty good, and it handled my intense abuse better than expected. SOGs tend to break within a few weeks of what I put them through, and I've shattered some bits on an early EOD model Bucktool doing some car audio installation.

Given, any multitool will have a flathead bit snap off within a few years with how I abuse them....to me they're simply tools.
 
Well, the suspension is bulky as all get out, but it's pretty solid. The spring loaded plier jaws is a great touch, especially for doing delicate work.

BTW, those early Bucktools are awesome if you want something where you can just flip the pliers open...the pliers are the sturdiest I've seen, ever.

The Sog I had, the weird compound leverage device on the pliers failed after a few days of doing work in a datacenter....since then I've placed the most importance on the plier's durability.
 
I've had original leathermen (2 now) and a Swiss Army multi-tool.

I love the long needlenose leatherman plier jaws.... But both pairs cracked thru the joint. Haven't returned the second one for warranty replacement yet. This time I wasn't even abusing it....

The swiss army tool is a beast. Extremely sturdy pliers, and comfortable handles. Very heavy. Too bulky to be a good regular-carry piece. Awkward to use the knife blades. Regularly use this one in my forge or shop.

J
 
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