Gift for soldier help

cut it out

cut it out

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Apr 11, 2010
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We have a employee who is getting deployed this coming spring to the sand box. He is in the army reserves. He is a knife guy but doesn't have a real good knife. I wanna start a collection up at work to get him a ZT 0560 which he does like or a Hest folder not sure which. What other items would be cool to get? I was thinking a good multi tool too. He is a engineer at work and he will be demolishing and clearing blown up areas. I know he blows stuff up he showed a training video of him blowing stuff up. Anyway what other knives or items should I get him? We all dig this young guy and we want him safe and to return home safe. He doesn't know about my plan but are HR department thought its a great idea also.
 
If he's an engineer, I'm going to assume a quality multitool will be the better, if less glamourous, choice. Those guys do a lot of wire cutting, wire stripping, and electrical work, so a multitool will probably help him out alot. Plus, with a multitool, you have a knife as well, eliminating another piece of equipment for him to lug around.
 
Oh, if we are going to discuss engineers with multitools, I'll chime in since I am one and have some. I have a couple, actually probably more like five or six, but I have two on my person at all times (assuming I'm clothed). One is a Leatherman Skeletool CX (clipped to my pocket), the other is Leatherman Style (on my keychain for the awesome scissors). On days I'm dressing for the bush, I carry a Leatherman Charge TTi on my belt, and yes, I have all the bits. :) Some people prefer the MUT, but for me, a Charge worked best.

One other thing I can recommend is a set of dykes. Don't use the knife for cutting zip ties, get a pair of Klein D244-5C diagonal cutting pliers. They are not expensive ($30) and will spare the knife's edge. Zip ties are notorious for chipping the edges of knives. My girlfriend did that till I got her a pair of Kleins, so now I just sharpen her blade instead of working out the nicks. Win!

Also, a nifty little demo knife (demo as in demolition) is the Vitorinox Electrician's knife in silver Alox. When I was blowing stuff up in the Army, we didn't use much electrical demo (mostly M60 fuze igniters and time fuze), but a good electrician's knife is very useful and can be tucked into a boot top, something I did for years.
 
I do remember him telling me all his knives look like screwdrivers lol. Broken tips. Think the Ontario hest is a good option? With the built in pry at and all?
 
the leatherman mut eod version comes with a c4 punch, crimper and a molle pouch you could also get him the bits kit to go with it
 
Good point. There are EOD specific multitools now with their own crimpers and cap punch. Good quality, too. I still have my issue crimpers attached to my web gear somewhere in storage, so I didn't think of that.

StickToDrum, a member here, also makes sheaths to hold all that in one place. I.e., a place to hold the multitool, bit kit, Kleins, and maybe a flashlight, too, depending.

Speaking of which, a solid flashlight is a good thing. I am a fan of the SureFires and the Fury is a good one. I keep one in my EDC bag. There are other fine lights, I'm just speaking of my own preferences and experience.

Between the O560 and the HEST, I'd prefer the 0560. I have two and I like them. Trust me, if you need a pry bar the ZT 0560 won't let you down. :)

That said, the 0550 is even stouter. It's a miserable slicer, but it's stout as can be. :) And if he breaks it, ZT is likely to just up and replace it for him. No idea what HEST will do.

Almost forgot. The SkeleTool CX has a bottle opener that is always available, requiring nothing but pulling it out of the pocket. Highly recommended.
 
Maybe a watch. Which ones are good for that kind of job?
 
Honestly I'd give him a knife he won't be upset about when he looses it. A griptilian is always good and not to expensive, that and a good multitool. If you want to give him a nicer knife do that too, but pocket knives go missing easy.
 
cricketdave said:
Honestly I'd give him a knife he won't be upset about when he looses it. A griptilian is always good and not to expensive, that and a good multitool. If you want to give him a nicer knife do that too, but pocket knives go missing easy.
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I think that's good advice, no point of getting a few hundred dollars folder that you might feel sorry for losing or have to baby it.

In terms of multitool, I owned about a dozen in leatherman and a few dozens in Victorinox products, my personal favorite for a full-sized tool will be the Swisstool spirit. The tool is of excellent quality, and should be useful to him even years after the service. If he is in the military, then a black oxide version might be nice.
 
My nephew is bound for the marines and I'm getting him a Rat 1, Izula 2 and a good leatherman.
 
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