Cult of the peanut , members

For around 5 years now, my daily carry has been influenced by this group.

Couldn't have picked a better front porch to mosey up to!

From the Craftsman 4-way and P-38 that ride in my wallet to the little bit o' sharp that peaked my interest and honestly started a new way of thinking about my gear... y'all have been right in spades again and again.

Go figure though that I come back after a bit of a hiatus from the porch to find that y'all are talking about what I've had a need for lately(pocket pliers that isn't a leatherman).

Don't know how y'all do it, but once again, the wisdom of the porch hits home!

Also... if someone could direct me to the pocket channel locks... that would be fantastic!
 
JofAllTrades said:
For around 5 years now, my daily carry has been influenced by this group.

Couldn't have picked a better front porch to mosey up to!

From the Craftsman 4-way and P-38 that ride in my wallet to the little bit o' sharp that peaked my interest and honestly started a new way of thinking about my gear... y'all have been right in spades again and again.

Go figure though that I come back after a bit of a hiatus from the porch to find that y'all are talking about what I've had a need for lately(pocket pliers that isn't a leatherman).

Don't know how y'all do it, but once again, the wisdom of the porch hits home!

Also... if someone could direct me to the pocket channel locks... that would be fantastic!
Click to expand...

I picked up a tiny pair with red handles from Home Depot maybe 5 months ago. Cost was under ten dollars, I think. They're in my tool bag (not EDC), and have found them at least sporadically useful.
 
JofAllTrades said:
For around 5 years now, my daily carry has been influenced by this group.

Couldn't have picked a better front porch to mosey up to!

From the Craftsman 4-way and P-38 that ride in my wallet to the little bit o' sharp that peaked my interest and honestly started a new way of thinking about my gear... y'all have been right in spades again and again.

Go figure though that I come back after a bit of a hiatus from the porch to find that y'all are talking about what I've had a need for lately(pocket pliers that isn't a leatherman).

Don't know how y'all do it, but once again, the wisdom of the porch hits home!

Also... if someone could direct me to the pocket channel locks... that would be fantastic!
Click to expand...
Welcome back. The mini tool talk has been fun. Small tools that like the peanut are easy to carry and very useful. They also are inexpensive compared to multitools. The little vise grips i picked up today were like $12 at ace. They have come in handy for me today already.
 
Dunno if it’s ok to give you a link, but I get my little channellocks at the big river. Search on “4 1/2” Channellocks”. They used to turn up in stores every so often, but it’s been years since I saw them. A good Ace Hardware might have them.

The same search should also turn up the slightly cheaper 5” Tekton pliers with the red handles, and the 5” Knipex Cobras as well.

The little blue ones disappear in the pocket in a way that the slightly bigger ones do not. My fellow school bus drivers always want to borrow them. I have given several pairs away.
 
Last edited:
JofAllTrades said:
For around 5 years now, my daily carry has been influenced by this group.

Couldn't have picked a better front porch to mosey up to!

From the Craftsman 4-way and P-38 that ride in my wallet to the little bit o' sharp that peaked my interest and honestly started a new way of thinking about my gear... y'all have been right in spades again and again.

Go figure though that I come back after a bit of a hiatus from the porch to find that y'all are talking about what I've had a need for lately(pocket pliers that isn't a leatherman).

Don't know how y'all do it, but once again, the wisdom of the porch hits home!

Also... if someone could direct me to the pocket channel locks... that would be fantastic!
Click to expand...

Welcome back to the porch!:thumbsup:

The general knowledge expressed here is, in many ways, the old knowledge from our fathers and grandfathers time. They made do very well with very little not because they didn't have, but in many cases they didn't need. I always remember my dad having a compact but real tool kit in the trunk of his car, and a second one in mom's car. Just a small bag with pliers, a few screw drivers, adjustable wrench, Vise grips and electrical tape. But he rarely used them. When he came on a loose screw, or a bottle top needing to pop open, he just used the 4-way on his keychain. When he had to cut something, he used his little well used Case peanut. If he needed a little scraper or pry tool, the 4-way got used. I think if dad had lived long enough to see the birth of the Leatherman, he'd have asked "Why?".

I have to admit that when I look at the full size Leathermans, I ask "Why?"

The humble little legume is a lesson of sorts of life. The peanut is under rated in what it is capable of doing as far as cutting. Dad, being the minimalist he was, found the peanut, like his keychain screw driver and P-38, "good enough" to get by in an emergency. I know so many times I've been out and had to open a package or cut some heavier piece of rope, the mighty mite legume has been enough. Like the keychain screw driver. I've long lost track of how many times I've been out at the shooting range and a loose screw on the Smith and Wesson side plate or a slight scope adjustment on a rifle had to be delt with. Or a loose screw holding the twist grip control on a trolling motor had to be delt with. The tiny screw driver on a Victorinox classic even got used to good effect a few times. The mini screw driver did great.

Looking how large and heavy the modern Leathermans are, it seems a lot for just a pair of pliers. I've got a few pocket size handguns that are lighter and more compact that a full size Leatherman. It is a bit ridiculous when you realize that with a peanut, a few tiny items on a keychain, and a small Channel Locks, you have all the capability of a Leatherman with a small fraction of both the cost and weight. With a peanut dropped into the right pocket, the couple little items on a bead chain dropped in the left pocket, and a small Channel Locks or Vise Grips in the back pocket, you've got 99.9% of the hundred dollar Leatherman capability right there.

The humble peanut is a huge life lesson in efectiveness for function vs weight and mass. Like how that little bit of sharp will do for most cutting jobs, a little bit of screw driver and small pliers will do for most the 'other' stuff. You could even say the little legume is a metaphor for not over thinking the thing. :D
 
jackknife said:
Welcome back to the porch!:thumbsup:

The general knowledge expressed here is, in many ways, the old knowledge from our fathers and grandfathers time. They made do very well with very little not because they didn't have, but in many cases they didn't need. I always remember my dad having a compact but real tool kit in the trunk of his car, and a second one in mom's car. Just a small bag with pliers, a few screw drivers, adjustable wrench, Vise grips and electrical tape. But he rarely used them. When he came on a loose screw, or a bottle top needing to pop open, he just used the 4-way on his keychain. When he had to cut something, he used his little well used Case peanut. If he needed a little scraper or pry tool, the 4-way got used. I think if dad had lived long enough to see the birth of the Leatherman, he'd have asked "Why?".

I have to admit that when I look at the full size Leathermans, I ask "Why?"

The humble little legume is a lesson of sorts of life. The peanut is under rated in what it is capable of doing as far as cutting. Dad, being the minimalist he was, found the peanut, like his keychain screw driver and P-38, "good enough" to get by in an emergency. I know so many times I've been out and had to open a package or cut some heavier piece of rope, the mighty mite legume has been enough. Like the keychain screw driver. I've long lost track of how many times I've been out at the shooting range and a loose screw on the Smith and Wesson side plate or a slight scope adjustment on a rifle had to be delt with. Or a loose screw holding the twist grip control on a trolling motor had to be delt with. The tiny screw driver on a Victorinox classic even got used to good effect a few times. The mini screw driver did great.

Looking how large and heavy the modern Leathermans are, it seems a lot for just a pair of pliers. I've got a few pocket size handguns that are lighter and more compact that a full size Leatherman. It is a bit ridiculous when you realize that with a peanut, a few tiny items on a keychain, and a small Channel Locks, you have all the capability of a Leatherman with a small fraction of both the cost and weight. With a peanut dropped into the right pocket, the couple little items on a bead chain dropped in the left pocket, and a small Channel Locks or Vise Grips in the back pocket, you've got 99.9% of the hundred dollar Leatherman capability right there.

The humble peanut is a huge life lesson in efectiveness for function vs weight and mass. Like how that little bit of sharp will do for most cutting jobs, a little bit of screw driver and small pliers will do for most the 'other' stuff. You could even say the little legume is a metaphor for not over thinking the thing. :D
Click to expand...
I have found even with the full size leatherman like my super tool 300 they are not hard use tools. I am on my 3rd one in 5 or so years. I have learned my lesson. They are neat and all but like you said you have the same capabilities with a few items in the pocket and on the key chain. I find that with the leatherman i am limited with what i do because i know it will brake if used to hard. I have broke the pliers trying to pull a nail out of a tire. Another time i broke the pliers trying to hold back up on rounded bolt. I have broken multiple screw drivers on a leatherman trying to loosen screws. Each time it was what i consider light to moderate use. They do have a good warranty but that cost shipping. I am a mechanic so it makes no since for me to carry a leatherman because i have all the right tools close at hand at work, home, and on the road. I just got caught up in a fad and phase in my life. Now i have gone back to the things i watched my dad and grandpa do and get by with. If it was enough for them then it is enough for me too.
 
Last edited:
TrapperMike said:
I have found even with the full size leatherman like my super tool 300 they are not hard use tools. I am on my 3rd one in 5 or so years. I have learned my lesson. They are neat and all but like you said you have the same capabilities with a few items in the pocket and on the key chain. I find that with the leatherman i am limited with what i do because i know it will brake if used to hard. I have broke the pliers trying to pull a nail out of a tire. Another time i broke the pliers trying to hold back up on rounded bolt. I have broken multiple screw drivers on a leatherman trying to loosen screws. Each time it was what i consider light to moderate use. They do have a good warranty but that cost shipping. I am a mechanic so it makes no since for me to carry a leatherman because i have all the right tools close at hand at work, home, and on the road. I just got caught up in a fad and phase in my life. Now i have gone back to the things i watched my dad and grandpa do and get by with. If it was enough for them then it is enough for me too.
Click to expand...

Yes, I've had a Leatherman break on me. It was the little squirt that I've been carrying for a few years now. I was pulling some staples out of the plywood target backing so my granddaughter could save the exceptional target she'd shot with my Marlin 39TD. The plier jaw just snapped right off about 1/3 the way down.

Sure, Leatherman sent me a brand new one when I sent it in. But I'm not sure I trust it anymore. Soooo many times I'd done the same thing with the can opener/small screw driver tool on my SAK with no problem. I'm not sure I'd ever bother carrying the Leatherman again. The only thing I used it for was the pliers once in a while, but anytime I needed to cut something, I had the dedicated pocket knife in my jeans coin pocket. I still have the little pliers from my BMW motorcycle tool kit that Imay driver in my back pocket by my wallet. It's about a third smaller than the smallest Channel Lock. That and a small SAK will do me.
 
2Nz6osH.jpg

I am going to try this out for awhile. I had an idea today to carry some screw driver bits with me. I can clamp them in my vise grips and have a handle for them. I tried it out and it works okay.
 
TheChunk91 said:
Could you peanut folks tell me if this would meet your 'nut criteria? Does it have to be case to be a proper 'nut?

This one is technically a dogleg but is the same size as a peanut, with the same blades, and the bone looks kind of like an actual peanut.

View attachment 1091092
Click to expand...
I can't get over how much I like that peanut...what an amazing piece :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:
 
TrapperMike said:
2Nz6osH.jpg

I am going to try this out for awhile. I had an idea today to carry some screw driver bits with me. I can clamp them in my vise grips and have a handle for them. I tried it out and it works okay.
Click to expand...
I think this set up would make a great edc pocket tool kit. What pocket do you keep all of it in though? Pocket space can be crowded with cell phones/ pocket knife. The peanut is aging great! Please do a update on how this is working for you!
 
JaxBaron said:
I think this set up would make a great edc pocket tool kit. What pocket do you keep all of it in though? Pocket space can be crowded with cell phones/ pocket knife. The peanut is aging great! Please do a update on how this is working for you!
Click to expand...
I keep all this in my right front pocket with a
Bandana on top. My keys are in my left pocket.
The peanut has been just great for me. Perfect for all my cutting needs. The wrench is something i have carried for quit awhile. It is okay for small bolts and such. The little vise grips are great for me. It does everything the wrench can do and more. Like today my kids had soccer games. When we got there on of the chairs we brought was broken and i didn't have any bolts or twine with me to repair it. No problem i had vise grips. Theu saved the day and my little one had a place to sit.
29Imkt6.jpg

They are in the right front corner holding the seat to the frame. All i can say is there will always be a pair of vise grips and a peanut in my pocket.
 
My little vise-grips came the other day. I have pretty much decided they will not spend much time in my RFP. They are small enough, but add too much weight.

If you want to carry Apex bits, I was going to suggest the Doc Allen Versatool, which I have carried in my moto tool kits for years, but which I find a bit too bulky for EDC.
http://jerkingthetrigger.com/2017/05/09/the-edc-tool-roll-doc-allens-versatool/

However, that link pointed me to another product, Fix It Sticks, which look like a pocketable way to carry and drive a few apex bits. I am not looking for a way to get more screwdrivers into my pocket, but I will probably try one of those just for the heck of it.
http://jerkingthetrigger.com/2017/02/20/the-edc-tool-roll-replaceable-fix-it-sticks/
 
I like the mini vise grips because they are pliers, wire cutters, a wrench, and a clamp all in one. Like the peanut they acomplish alot of work in a small package. They add some weight but not bad for me. I will probably put the mini cresent wrench away in my tool box and only carry the vise grip. I also plan on ordering a pair of the small channel locks from my snap on dealer. I like the way they are shaped. The jaws are more straight and in line with the handles meaning more torque when turning. That versa tool looks nice. I wonder if it would take the double end bits so one wouldn't have to carry the bit set.
 
The smallest vice grips are still a little large for the pocket unless you know you need to use it. I have a couple small pliers (long handled ones) that I carry from time to time. One is made by Channel Lock. I think we discussed the pliers thing over in the multi-tool sub forum in the past. I found it to be an interesting thread.

I picked up two Rough Ryder/Rider (RR) peanuts this week. I look at these and say, they're enough for me versus spending more money for a Case peanut. I will eventually do a group shot for this thread of my 4 peanuts. I noticed that the pull is pretty light with the Rough Riders even for fingers that have trouble with opening slip joints. I'm still carrying my Small Tinker at the moment. I really like it.

Added: I quite like the RR Pipe Doctor knife. It was hard to beat for $15.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top