Advice on multi-tool for hiking trips in the mountains

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Phaselock

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Oct 26, 2009
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Hi! I am looking for a multi-tool to bring with me on trips in the mountains. I do need a lightweight knife that does not weigh too much. I want to stay under 150g. Mainly I need the pliers, Phillips screwdriver, flat screwdriver. Scissors is nice to have, but not absolute necessary. I'm going to have this in the backup in addition to my Fallkniven F1 fixed blade. I've looked at the following models: Leatherman Juice S2, Leatherman Kick and Victorinox Mechanic. I'm going to use it for simple tasks such as maintenance of my stove, etc.

My budget is $50

What do you recommend?
 
Of the three you've picked out I'd go for the Kick if you think the blade and the pliers are important to you. I can't say I've ever needed pliers, but it depends on what gear you take with you I suppose.

The Mechanic's pliers are really quite small and I can't think of anything worse that needing pliers and finding out that the ones you have are not up to the task.

I've never been a huge fan of the Juice tools. The pliers are smallish (although not as small as the Mechanic's), the drivers are short and can be tricky to get out. I will say that other peoples experience with them are quite different though so YMMV.

I'm not sure on the Mechanic's weight but the kick comes in at exactly 150g and the Juice at 124g.

Like I say I've never felt the need for pliers and am more likely to carry a SAK with a saw blade to back up a fixed bladed knife. Something like a Victorinox Hiker or a Fieldmaster might suite you.


PS if you do go for the Kick don't, whatever you do, get the "leather" sheath, they are horrible. I'm not normally a Nylon sheath fan but it's certainly the lesser of two evils here. You con also buy a pocket clip for it and do away with the sheath altogether.
 
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also consider the Leatherman Blast, like a LM-Kick plus scissors but still reasonably priced ;)
 
Thanks! Most reviews Juice S2 as very good. What is it with the Juice S2, you do not like? I'm not so sure if I really need pliers when I think about it. It's nice to have i guess. I have used it a couple of times. It is perhaps better to have a good pair of scissors. Scissors on Juice S2 looks big and usable. The scissors on the Blast looks too small. Kick, Fuse and Blast is screwed together with special screws. How do you attach a clip on it?
 
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Phaselock said:
Thanks! Most reviews Juice S2 as very good. What is it with the Juice S2, you do not like? I'm not so sure if I really need pliers when I think about it. I have used it a couple of times. It's nice to have i guess. It is perhaps better to have a good pair of scissors. Scissors on Juice S2 looks big and usable. The scissors on the Blast looks too small. Kick, Fuse and Blast is screwed together with special screws. How do you attach a clip on it?
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The scissors on the Kick/Fuse/Blast/Wave are the same size, and ive found them to be allright for my needs such as cutting thread, bandaids, opening stuff...anything bigger and i pull out my blade.

You can only get a clip for the Kick models, although ive heard about people making their own. Check this out: http://store.leatherman.com/shop/shop.aspx?category=32

I dont have a S2 but ive got a Juice CS4, and im not too big a fan of the Juice series, i think theyre too heavy for pocketcarry and the juice-sheath dosent have a beltloop only a clip that dosent secure it properly. The awl is rounded and near useless. And the can-opener cant open any cans, period. Pliers are ok and so are the scissors. Screwdrivers are ok as long as you dont have to reach any recessed screws, then youll discover how short they really are. Remember that in the mountains it can get pretty cold, and finger dexterity suffers so youd want a tool that is easy to operate, you dont wanna fumble when needing a screwdriver or something else, thats why id advise you to upgrade to the bigger models.

If youre already packing a F1 you could take a look at the knifeless fuse: http://www.leatherman.com/multi-tools/full-size-tools/knifeless-fuse.aspx
At 170 grams it excceds your limit by 20 grams but its pretty versatile and exchanges the knifeblade for a file. And i also advise u to get the nylon sheath.

If you dont need pliers theres a hundred SAK's to choose from, and they are all field-proven and reliable.

Heres a pic of the knifeless Fuse and Juice CS4 together. Ive also got an F1 so let me know if you need a pic to get an idea of the size. Id be happy to help you out.
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4170803163_5f4f8afa2f.jpg
 
Gareth UK said:
PS if you do go for the Kick don't, whatever you do, get the "leather" sheath, they are horrible. I'm not normally a Nylon sheath fan but it's certainly the lesser of two evils here. You con also buy a pocket clip for it and do away with the sheath altogether.
Click to expand...

I think Gareth meant to say DONT get the "leather" sheath.
 
Thanks for complementary answers. I am very unsure if I really need pliers. As said, I've actually been using it for a couple of times. Fixing a tent poles and for the maintenance of my stove. I am strongly considering a Victorinox. But I want a knife for minor tasks. Therefore, a knife less Kick out of the question (thanks for the tip!). Fuse is actually not much larger than the Juice. A useful can opener should be expected. Juice S2 is therefore not relevant for me anymore. Difficult descision...
 
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I have never needed pliers when hiking through the mountains, but as Gareth said, it depends on the gear you take with you. In your situation it might be a useful tool to repair the stove or other things.

But, I do have the Leatherman Juice S2, which I carry with me mainly as a backup tool in my rucksack. That is also the reason why I choose the S2, it is light and small. And it does provide pliers if I ever might need them. Not very big pliers, but big enough to be useful and they are sturdier than those found on the Victorinox models. I don't have a Mechanic, but my Handyman and Outrider have pliers and in my opinion they are not very suitable for heavier tasks.

You could also consider taking a traditional SAK with a saw, which is very useful in the outdoors, in combination with real pliers. There are very lightweight pliers.
 
I would say the Kick out of the choices you have given. I would go ahead and get a pocketclip for it. I won a SideClip (discontinued leatherman tool) a couple months back and it's been great. It's basically a Kick with the clip already on it:)

If clipping it is not that big of a deal, but scissors are, I'd go with the Fuse. LOVE that tool:thumbup:

I have found that a small multi-tool with pliers has been a godsend when camping. Things these days has parts, pieces, screws, and whatnot. A nice set of comfortable pliers can come in real handy. Plus I use them to pick up the hot kettle off the fire:)
YMMV
 
kmm said:
hop.aspx?category=32[/URL]

I dont have a S2 but ive got a Juice CS4, and im not too big a fan of the Juice series, i think theyre too heavy for pocketcarry and the juice-sheath dosent have a beltloop only a clip that dosent secure it properly. The awl is rounded and near useless. And the can-opener cant open any cans, period. Pliers are ok and so are the scissors. Screwdrivers are ok as long as you dont have to reach any recessed screws, then youll discover how short they really are. Remember that in the mountains it can get pretty cold, and finger dexterity suffers so youd want a tool that is easy to operate, you dont wanna fumble when needing a screwdriver or something else, thats why id advise you to upgrade to the bigger models.
Click to expand...

Until a CS4 came my way at a price I couldn't refuse, I had no interest whatever in the Juice lineup. For what I paid, my reasoning was to fool around with it for a while, then resell it for a profit. It ended with me becoming quite fond of the little thing and despite the quirks, it gets pocket time as an occasional change out with my usual Charge TTi, even at this moment.

True, the tool array offers challenges. It's a matter of technique, but after a few tries I found doable both opening cans and popping bottle tops with the combo tool. Vic does both better, but the Juice at least gets it done. A multitool is usually a compromise, anyway. As for the awl, a few minutes with a sharpening stone was all it took to make it useful. Yes, the stubby slotted drivers can be a problem (only hours ago for me, in fact :grumpy:). There is a workaround, though. Leatherman offers an extension that fits over the PH driver, accepting both regular hex and flat Leatherman bits. Of course, that adds a layer of complexity you may not want to fool with. There are a few ounces differences in weight Juice v. SAK, but meaningless to me as I suspend either into pocket by belt hanger. Felt weight on anything in that size class is like nothing.

Deficiencies noted, the tradeoff I accept is useable pliers in a SAK-size package, something not available from Vic or any other manufacturer. I have needed pliers more often than stubby drivers have come up short, so this setup suits me well.

That said, my CS4 has been used in an urban environment only. I completely agree with kmm in re upgrading to a larger tool.
 
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Thanks for all feedback! I think Fuse has everything i need. A clip would be nice, but not necessary. Black color looks cool. Can anyone tell me how the black oxide color hold up over time?
 
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Phaselock said:
Thanks for all feedback! I think Fuse has everything i need. A clip would be nice, but not necessary. Black color looks cool. Can anyone tell me how the black oxide color hold up over time?
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My friend has a black leatherman, and it looks pretty good to me. Its not a coating thatll start to chip and flake off within a month.

But i think the blank versions are pretty rust-resistant as it is.
 
If I extend my budget to about $70 there are a lot more models to choose from (multi tools). The Wave is nice, but I think it it too way too heavy.

For my use, how do you think the Skeletool will work? It is very light weight.
 
Dont like the skeletool, other than the blade it only has pliers and screwdriver. I might be biased cos mine broke after one days use.
The Wave is really nice but way too heavy for outdoor use, especially climbing.

As an outdoor multi, id advise you to get something with minimum blade,scissors and canopener. Pliers is up to you. My advise is stick with the Fuse or some sorts of SAK.

3845986674_4c95046961.jpg


EDIT: Im pretty sure that it was my Skeletool that was a lemon, as ive heard alot of good things from people who use them daily.
 
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How did you manage to break the plier? Leatherman has 25 years guarantee, did they fix it for you? I don´t think there will be any heavy tasks in the mountains so the plier on skeletool will be enough for me. But there are very very limited functions on it.
 
Swisstool. Its the most comfortable in long term work bare handed for me by far.
I think its one of the toughest mulit-tools available also.
STR
 
Broke it trying to bend a wire, it was ridicilous cos it was fresh out of the box, like i said it must have been a lemon.

Leatherman customer service was great, they swapped it to a tool of my choice and i picked the Knifeless Fuse. But as good as their service was, it wouldnt have been much use to me if i had been sitting on a mountain-top miles from civilization, right?

Maybe somebody with Skeletool experience will chime in, if not try to make thread about it and see what people say.
 
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