Best of the best multi-tools

golok

golok

Joined
Oct 20, 2000
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4,453
When one asks for the "best" multi-tool, there will bound to be 20 different answers. So I guess, it may be fairer to ask which is the best value for money.

My instinctive answer would be the Leatherman Wave. It is compact, smooth to the touch and user-friendly because of its one-hand opening for blades.

Second choice may be the Swiss Tool. If the weight is not a problem, it is definitely one of the better ones.
 
the wave's good quality-to-price ratio will be beaten on summer... by the new wave! locking tools in plus for a lower price. think it'll be the best quality to price ratio of every multitools, but for the SOG powerlock is the same price as the wave (at least on 888 knives r'us), so it depends on tastes.
 
IMHO it's the Wave for sure.
No other tool combines all those features, great warranty,fair price and durability in one package....that and you can buy it and get warranty almost anywhere in the world.
The new Wave will most definitely surpase the existing one......the improvements are enormous and the price is coming down to boot!

Kap :D
 
For me i think it's the LM Sideclip. It dosen't have as many tools, but it has enough and it's cheaper.
 
i agree with fruitbat. the lm sideclip has just the essentials in a light weight package. plus the sideclip can be had for less than $30.

todd
 
It's the wave for me as well. Just a brilliant piece of design. There are other tools better suited for specific tasks and their are plenty of tools that are more heavy duty than the wave, but for me it is revolutionary.

I also like the swiss tool but it's a bit too heavy for me.
 
With a street price only ~$10 more than a LM pulse or LM ST200, the Wave is hard to beat. But I'd like to also agree with fruitbat that the LM Sideclip also hits a sweet spot at a price point about half that of the Wave. So I guess I agree with everybody: LM Wave AND LM Sideclip.

BTW, Leatherman has now added the Charge Ti and XTi to their products page with a "coming this summer" blurb.
 
The Wave's nice...IF you're not left handed.....I'm quite partial to the swisstool; there's no other tool I've tried that is as solid and robust...
 
I now prefer the Leatherman Super Tool 200 over all other multi-tools.
It's very comfortable to use
Very strong and robust
Has the best blade of any multi-tool I've handled
And has a very good selection of tools

The only multi-tool that even comes close IMHO is the Victorinox SwissTool.

My old favorite, the Gerber Pro-Scout is a very good light-to-medium work multi-tool, and it has some great features, but it falls short in total strength and the blade.
The blade is a rather small and short combo-edge one.

The Leatherman Crunch is nice but it does have a limited tool selection and a small Vise-Grips wrench is rather cheap and easier to use.

Allen.
 
2nd the SwissTool, its a little heavy but its solid enough to be really usefull. The tools can be opened singly without opening the plier handles, and all of them lock open.
 
The only ones to be considered:
SOG Powerlock
Leatherman Supertool(original)
Victorinox Swisstool
Gerber 600 w/file or 650,800.

The Wave is very good, but not all of the tools lock.

YMMV;
Mith.
 
I just have all and put it in different places...

The wave goes in the car...

The SOG Powerlock goes with me to classes...

The Gerber Legend 800 goes fishing...nice to have the spring pliers to take a hook out...

Favourite right now is the Powerlock since it's the newest (a few months old)...and the flipping factor...since i can't have my bali here with me in the UK i'll just flip a plier open...

In terms of looks the wave is the sexiest...the black powerlock the most tactical...the gerber is just weird looking...
 
Point44 said:
The SOG Powerlock goes with me to classes....
Click to expand...

What classes? Graduate school, college? What are the blade rules in the UK regarding classes? Have you ever deployed your Powerlock in the classroom? Apologies for all the questions. I'm an Anglophile based here in the U.S.
 
cardimon said:
What classes? Graduate school, college? What are the blade rules in the UK regarding classes? Have you ever deployed your Powerlock in the classroom? Apologies for all the questions. I'm an Anglophile based here in the U.S.
Click to expand...

University lectures...

I just carry everything with me...usually a BM721 and a powerlock...i even carry it to exams....

I've deployed my Endura, my BM721and my Native in the labs to cut stuff up...it beats using rusty scissors...and i do play with my knives in classes...nobody's gonna call the police...

Of course technically all this is illegal....

You can only carry a non-locking folder under 3 inches in length...but hey if you don't get in trouble with the police they won't be searching you...although if i do go to big places like london i don't carry it...
 
Point44 said:
You can only carry a non-locking folder under 3 inches in length
Click to expand...

I suppose SAKs would be okay then.

Point44 said:
although if i do go to big places like london i don't carry it...
Click to expand...

Ah, just like in the good old U.S. of A. When you are in a location where you may absolutely, positively need a tool for survival, you are forbidden to have it.
 
I carry a tool based on where I am going to be and what I am doing;

SOG powerlock has the best pliers
SAK has the best tools but the pliers suck
SOG switch pliers if I want something small and fast to open
Leatherman Juice XE-6 for the best mix of tools vs size
SOG power pliers if I want good pliers and small size
Bucktool/w sideclip if I want something to slip in a pocket

I also have a LM micra or SOG crosscut in my pocket and next to whichever
tool I have on my belt is an Inova Xo flashlight.

Of course I have ordered a leatherman charge XTi from cabelas and it is probably going to upset my tool list if it lives up to my expectations. :)
 
My choice is the SwissTool. As I have stated in other threads, I carry either an Original or an 'X' every day. I have used both of them extensively and not found them lacking in any way.

Other than the SwissTool, I only have significant experience with an original Leatherman Supertool. I found it lacking in many ways. The SwissTool offers everything the Leatherman didn't.
 
ckl said:
the best go for swisstool or wave.. :D
Click to expand...

that depends what you want to use it for , if its light duties then the wave but if its something a bit more heavy or you really need to rely on it then the swisstool or leatherman supertool (either original or 200 ) would be better . The wave has a lot of features but not all the tools lock and that is so important if you dont want anything to go wrong . I went to buy a wave and after playing with it in the shop i found it a bit loose and just a bit wobbly and was far more impressed with the lm supertool 200 which i bought , i also own a swisstool which is going strong after 4 years of EDC (bought the LM ST 200 because i fancied somethng different ) . I think with the WAVE LM put all its new features in one tool that lacked strength but with the new WAVE and CHARGE hopefully this will be sorted . ok thats my two pennies
worth .

dunc
 
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