How many multitools do you own...and why?

Once upon a time I had a SAK Rucksack with the locking blade. It carried me through many climbing trips until one day the lanyard broke and it fell out somewhere in the grampians. Is it just me or does everyone feel sick when they switch to their spare knife?

Anyway, a friend introduced me to pliers based multi-tools by giving me a jackeroo multitool for my 21st, but after a month or two of using it for everything it quickly wore out its nylon sheath and the epoxy putty I work with in my hobby gummed up the mechanism.

I went out and bought a caribee 28 function multi-tool from aussie disposals.

http://www.aussiedisposals.com.au/product_pages/campingproducts.asp?cat_id=15&parent_ids=1

The cool thing is that all the blades locked securely, and the handle design prevents chopping your fingers off in lock failure by putting a centimeter of steel between the live edges and your hand while the knife is open. it also accepts V-bit screwdriver heads, so you can get more "functions" by buying more v-bits (11 of the 28 functions are the vbits that sit in the second compartment of the nylon sheath)

The nylon sheath is durable, flat black and has no logo so it disappears on the beltline.

I've used it to fix my bike, build an artist's lightbox for my gf and even get water from a tap that had had its handle stolen. I went back and bought another for my gf.

The only weakness is that it takes about 30 seconds to safely open the main blade due to the unusual locking mechanism, so if you're looking to use it for self defense the best thing you could do is think of it as a kubotan.
 
At the moment I have
1. Gerber 400
2. Gerber Legend
3. Leatherman Wave
4. Leatherman Pulse
5. Leatherman Micra
I carry the Pulse and Micra to work everyday along with a Wenger Handyman SAK.
 
Swisstool - My overall favorite - well built, great design (all tools lock and easily open without clumpnig or evan having to unfold the handles). Drawbacks: heavy (10 oz), Screw driver tips need to be roughened to prevent them from slipping off screw heads, and there is no one hand opening capabilty (allthough blades/tools can be unlocked and closed easily with one hand).
Wave - Also very nice, but not as heavy duty as the Swisstool. I carry the Wave alot when I don't anticipate hard use(if I do I take the Swisstool). The Wave's one hand opening feature is particularly welcome when I am not carring another knife. The Wave is lighter (8 oz.)and more compact than the Swisstool, which adds to it's convience. Drawbacks: No ruler, no awl, only 4 blades lock and are acessable without opening the handles. The Wave's knife blades are a bit too stiff in operation. This combined with the narrow blades means that you can cut your self easily if your not careful (I gave myself a minor cut opening my Wave's serrated blade just yesterday in fact - I think the blades should have studs instead of cutouts).
Micra - A surprisingly useful little tool. I prefer it to the "Classic" model SAK.
PST II - I just got this one. I like the size of the PST II, more compact that the Wave with the same tools except there is no wood saw and a single combo edge knife blade is used in place of the Wave's two seperate blades. Unlike the Wave the PST II dose have rulers (the Wave is about the only multitool without rules). The PST II's blades don't lock, but I don't mind this too much. I intend to carry the PST II at times in my pocket, so I want compactness and a smooth shape more than locking tools (which are offered on the similar Pulse).
Additional multitools that I have either owned or at least used for a while and found lacking in some respect include the following:

Supertool (original) - This is a good sturdy multitool, but is not as good as the Swisstool. The Supertool's major flaws are it's handles which have edges that a painful if any real pressure is applied, and the method of unlocking the blade in use by opening another tool half way to dissengage the lock.

Supertool 200 - The 200 version is an improvement over the original Supertool, but is still a far cry from the Swisstool in terms of design. The ST 200 has rolled edges which don't dig into your hands painfuly and the added lever mechanisms allow unlocking without digging out another tool and opening it half way. The levers are still inconvient and you have to be careful to get your fingers out of the balde's path once it's released.

Sideclip - This is a nice little tool with a real nice pocket clip (Leatherman should use this on the PST series and perhaps make it an option on the Pulse and Wave). Unfortunately, the Sideclip simply dose not have a wide enough assortment of tools for me.


Gerber Multijaw 650 - This model allows changing the plier heads form needle nose to bullnose, however the heads do not retract into the handles like other Gerbers. The Mulijaw was just too bulky for belt carry (plus the sheath was crap and very bulky). I also did not like some of the Mutijaws tools and overall quality was not as high as Victorinox or Leatherman's.

Schrade Tough Chip - This is a scissor tool that is larger than the Micra, with similar features. Unfortunately the Tough Chip's scissors don't work as well as they should (they would not cut paracord or evan mason's line).
 
I have a Leatherman PST-II that I have been very happy with, had it for around 6 years or so. I temporarily lost it, so my wife got me a Wave for Christmas. I like them both, but I carry the Wave now most of the time. Makes her happy to see it on my belt.:)
 
My first multi-tool was a Schrade Tough tool that I bought for work.It saved me many trips up and down stairs to get regular tools.I was going to get a second one for home but opted for replacing the Tough tool at work with the Craftsman Pro-tool.From there I started buying Gerbers,Leathermans,Toolzalls,etc.I believe I have ten multi-tools.
It is unfortunate that there is not the "perfect" multi-tool on the market,however,then there wouldn't be any reason to have more than one:D
 
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