Just how different are they?

[lagriffe]

Apart from personal preference, do the multi-tools emanating from brands such as Leatherman, Gerber, Victorinox and so on have worlds of difference between them when compared apples-to-apples ? I would think that the steels used need to meet certain strength requirements, leaving special finishes/coatings, price, probably looks, and whatever special elite military based teams who use it as the deciding factors for selection. Or is there much more to it?

 

[Dantor]

for your regular "plier based" MT I would say no, they are basically the same,
like a knife or a car;

but... their is style, application, function, reliability and more.
Tim Leatherman really started it all (our current popular design)
and it's been added too ever since.

for me it's really a choice of tools and feel/fit and reputation.

 

[cdf]

Gerber is the ugly sister of multis , quality is very suspect on lots of the recent models . Victorinox has the highest standards of F/F and build quality , their implements are the best made . SOG allededgedly has the strongest pliers of the lot , otherwise they are a bit unrefined . Leatherman has a wide range of models and are very innovative .

Personally , the only plier based multis i currently own are Vics.

Leatherman's ace is the one handed opening blades , no biggie for me as I prefer to use my dedicated folder .

Chris