how do the plier heads compare

hardheart

hardheart

Joined
Sep 19, 2001
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I had a PST II a while back, but have carried a Wave -> new Wave the last 5 years. How do the other Leatherman pliers and other brands compare? I use the pliers pretty hard, and have seen a Gerber snap on two occasions.

I have been kicking around getting Juice or a Skeletool, or trying one of the Vics, but I get these multitools for the pliers first and foremost, all the other implements are quite secondary. I would like the idea of dropping an ounce or so, but am wondering if the pliers would hold up. I especially don't like the appearance that some of these are lighter duty while also missing the finer needle nose profile.
 
You might check out the Fuse or Blast by Leatherman. To my knowledge, Leatherman beefed up all of their plier heads in '04. I have a fuse that I really enjoy carrying when weight is an issue, but i want a pretty full set of tools. It has about the same set of tools as the PST, the jaws have been beefed up, and the handle is contoured for a much more comfortable grip.
 
hardheart said:
I had a PST II a while back, but have carried a Wave -> new Wave the last 5 years. How do the other Leatherman pliers and other brands compare? I use the pliers pretty hard, and have seen a Gerber snap on two occasions.

I have been kicking around getting Juice or a Skeletool, or trying one of the Vics, but I get these multitools for the pliers first and foremost, all the other implements are quite secondary. I would like the idea of dropping an ounce or so, but am wondering if the pliers would hold up. I especially don't like the appearance that some of these are lighter duty while also missing the finer needle nose profile.
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Here are a few quick comparison shots for you (skeletool, charge, pst, powerlock, swisstool):

pliers-1.jpg

pliers-2.jpg


The Skeletool pliers are thinner and smaller than the ones on the PST II and Wave/Charge so I'm not sure if its what you want. The pliers on the SwissTool and PowerLock are pretty beefy so I'd recommend one of those two. I prefer the PowerLock's pliers and wirecutter but the tool selection and fit & finish of the SwissTool is excellent.

I'll second the recommendations from Steely_Gunz as well. If you liked the pliers on the Wave, you'll like the pliers on the Fuse and Blast.




.
 
The pliers on the SwissTool and PowerLock are pretty beefy so I'd recommend one of those two. I prefer the PowerLock's pliers and wirecutter but the tool selection and fit & finish of the SwissTool is excellent.
Click to expand...
The gear mechanism on the Powerlock also takes a lot of stress off the pivots when you use the pliers. Over time, I lost a PST due to pivot failure, and it appears that the way the gears distribute stress, this shouldn't be a problem with the Sog. Also, the ability to flip open the pliers is pretty cool to.
 
miro44 said:
as far as i know the strongest pliers on multi tools are the ones on the leatherman crunch, i would look into that: http://www.leatherman.com/products/tools/crunch/default.asp
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Leatherman tries to call them pliers, but that is a vice grip head. Vice grips don't come to a point like needles nose pliers, and would have reduced versatility for most EDC users. I know that I use pliers a whole lot more often than vice grips.
 
what do you guys think about the crimper affecting strength on the Charge TTi? If I could get the line cutter on the Al it would be an easier choice (not that the line cutter is critical, but it would be nice to have and is just a little aggravating that it's not an easy swap.)

I am liking the look of the Powerlock for customizing. I could carry that and a Vic Compact and be covered, though a bit heavier...
 
hardheart,

The one hand opening blades on the Charge are really convenient but I don't think that the pliers are the best. I had the same concerns about the crimper when I bought the Charge XTi (I actually bought a spare for that reason). The crimper definitely looks like a structural weak spot. I haven't seen any broken ones on Ebay but that's probably because of Leatherman's 25 year warranty. The crimper also takes up some of the usable surface of the plier's jaws. I prefer the location of the crimper on the EOD Powerlock--it's located behind the head of the pliers. The PowerLock and Compact sounds like an excellent combo to me. If you end up getting a PowerLock, I'd highly recommend getting one of the newer ones with the improved pliers/cutters, gear covers, and piano locks.
 
The jaws on the powerlock don't open up far enough in relation to handle position for functionality. On a 1\2" nut the handles are open too far to adequately grip and use. I compared this to my full size Gerber and my new Skeletool and both work fine. If you buy a Powerlock keep the reciept and try this test.... By the way I have considerably large hands.
 
sensei78 said:
The jaws on the powerlock don't open up far enough in relation to handle position for functionality. On a 1\2" nut the handles are open too far to adequately grip and use. I compared this to my full size Gerber and my new Skeletool and both work fine. If you buy a Powerlock keep the reciept and try this test.... By the way I have considerably large hands.
Click to expand...

The compound leverage pliers are such that the handles open wide. I suppose that could be considered a drawback as well as a benefit of the compound leverage. Whether I'm carrying a Leatherman or Victorinox or SOG multi-tool, I usually get a wrench from my toolbox for unfastening nuts and bolts--don't want to strip them.

There are a few wrench based multi-tools that might be of interest. I think that the older ones (e.g. Lunawerk or Hoffritz) are quite nice. You might also have a look at the Spyderench. Carrying a small adjustable wrench may be another option.

tiny_wrench.jpg
 
sensei78 said:
The jaws on the powerlock don't open up far enough in relation to handle position for functionality. On a 1\2" nut the handles are open too far to adequately grip and use....
Click to expand...

Due to the unique geared action of the SOG PowerLock pliers, you can grip larger objects by positioning the handles as shown below. The handles are closer together in this position.

sog-powerlock-half-in-nut.jpg
 
parnass said:
Due to the unique geared action of the SOG PowerLock pliers, you can grip larger objects by positioning the handles as shown below. The handles are closer together in this position.

sog-powerlock-half-in-nut.jpg
Click to expand...

I have used them like that a couple times- it can be useful. I like the key-ring mod. I lost my first Powerlock in the Farmington River while I was fishing- a dummy cord would have prevented the loss.
 
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