Leatherman Question

afishhunter

afishhunter

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Do I want a Super Tool 300 or Surge?


I'm leaning towards to Surge because I remember having a multi-tool once that was rather uncomfortable to use because all the tools were digging into my palm and fingers while using the pliers.
 
I don't have a 300, but I do have a Surge and an original Super Tool. The Surge is far more comfortable when using the pliers, but it rides in my car because it is just too heavy for me to lug around all day every day. It also employs their stupid flat bit system, meaning you get to figure out how to carry a bunch of small loose parts and buy new ones when they get lost. Notice I did not say "if"; it is going to happen if you carry a Surge or a New Wave long enough. The screwdriver blades on the Super Tool and Rebar are far superior to the bits in my experience.
 
Those bits do seem to go AWOL quite often, don't they?
I keep a selection of bits in holders in one of my bike bags, for a couple screwdrivers I have that use them.
 
I have a soft spot for the Surge. It came out right around when my wife and I got married and she bought one for me as a wedding gift.

That said, the bits have gone missing and the little glasses driver is super weak for the size.

I do like the exchangeable bits...most of the time. I have had too many of them disappear while on the job. So, while the custommization and convenience of the one hand blades is nice, the ST300 is go too full size MT.
 
afishhunter said:
Those bits do seem to go AWOL quite often, don't they?
I keep a selection of bits in holders in one of my bike bags, for a couple screwdrivers I have that use them.
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Yes, but are they the Leatherman flat bits? A regular quarter inch bit driver will use Leatherman bits okay, but regular quarter inch bits won't fit in the stupid flat bit holder on the Leatherman tools.
 
yablanowitz said:
I don't have a 300, but I do have a Surge and an original Super Tool. The Surge is far more comfortable when using the pliers, but it rides in my car because it is just too heavy for me to lug around all day every day. It also employs their stupid flat bit system, meaning you get to figure out how to carry a bunch of small loose parts and buy new ones when they get lost. Notice I did not say "if"; it is going to happen if you carry a Surge or a New Wave long enough. The screwdriver blades on the Super Tool and Rebar are far superior to the bits in my experience.
Click to expand...

But if you think you really need bits, they can be attached with an accessory bit driver that fits over the ST, Rebar and also Juice ph heads, and they will accept regular hex bits, as well.
 
I have both the ST300 and the New Surge, I like aspects of both but I prefer the ST300. The ST300 has rounded edges and is a very comfortable MT. I prefer the ST300 for the following reasons.

1. The ST300 feels better when in the open position to use the pliers. The Surge is to wide and feels weird when in the open position. (This is actually the biggest reason I like the ST300 over the Surge).
2. The ST300 is a little lighter than the Surge.
3. The ST300 is cheaper than the Surge.

But again both are great because they are Leatherman's and I would put both in your hands before you make a final decision. You won't go wrong either way.
 
I've got both the ST 300 and the new Surge. To be honest, I think the Rebar and ST 300 are the best Leatheman multitools for most of my needs. They're sturdy, have almost all the tools I use often (I'd love scissors) and I don't mind the lack of one hand opening blades because I always have a knife in my pocket and my multitool rides in my backpack 99.9% of the time.

I find the flat interchangeable bits too fragile and easy to misplace, although they're fine for most EDC tasks. The main thing I Iike about the new Surge is that it has all the features I like in Leatherman tools. For instance, the Rebar has a great awl but no scissors. Or the Charge has scissors but no awl.

I tend to keep a Surge in my daily use backpack, and a ST 300 or a Rebar on my outdoors backpack (I also use one of those when working at the ranch).
 
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Carried a surge on my chest rig when I was in the service. Have not used it since. It’s so massive and bulky, I’m just not interested in carrying it. Hopefully the kydex sheath I’m designing specifically for the larger tool will solve this, but a ST300 would have been a better place to start. I’ve also had to send my surge back to leatherman because the tools kept loosening. A problem I did not experience with my rebar.
 
MeanBeaver said:
Carried a surge on my chest rig when I was in the service. Have not used it since. It’s so massive and bulky, I’m just not interested in carrying it. Hopefully the kydex sheath I’m designing specifically for the larger tool will solve this, but a ST300 would have been a better place to start. I’ve also had to send my surge back to leatherman because the tools kept loosening. A problem I did not experience with my rebar.
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After a time of trying to like it, I sold off my Surge and returned to the Super Tool 300. At first, I liked the idea of a beefier Wave/Charge that had all the tools and could accept the accessories I already had for my Charge, plus blade exchanger. But the tool's complexity was problematic. I didn't have it long enough to experience issues, but in my experience, if pieces can be lost, someday they will be. But the main problem was the weight. At first I thought the extra 3 ounces more than the ST 300 could be managed, but it made more of a difference than I had expected. I couldn't find a comfortable way to carry it on a daily basis, although I had no problem with an original Super Tool on my hip for 9 years, or the ST 300 that replaced it. Those who can bear it are sturdier men than I. When I'm expecting heavy use, the ST 300 can do it all, but for just out and around, the Rebar is my choice, just dangled into a front pocket and forgot about until needed.
If I seem to be a Leatherman fanboy - well, I am. :)
 
I'm a contractor who uses his tools, including a multi-tool. To be honest, if you limited me to carrying a Rebar for the rest of my working days I would be just fine. The ST300 is a great tool and certainly robust to handle whatever. The Rebar is just so much nicer on the belt, and if I need something bigger, I get a dedicated tool.

Wouldn't part with either though:D
 
I tend to favor a Juice with a separate, dedicated blade. I have a Charge Ti, but I can do 95% of the things with my Juice S2 (including pulling out carpet staples from wood floor).

I like the feel of the Wave, but like the Charge, I fear that the opening hole on the knife makes it easier to pinch my palm (pretty badly) when using the pliers on jobs that the pliers might slip off.
 
Scott321 said:
I tend to favor a Juice with a separate, dedicated blade. I have a Charge Ti, but I can do 95% of the things with my Juice S2 (including pulling out carpet staples from wood floor).
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I change out my edc from time to time, and ^^^^ is my current loadout. I've done this before, and usually everything goes well until I am in a situation where the S2 is just not enough pliers, switch to a larger multitool, like Rebar or ST300, roll with that for a while until wishing for something lighter in weight and taking up less pocket space, revert to the Juice, and after happiness with that combo for a while, I run into a pliers job the S2 can't handle, then (repeat). The knives rotate usually between Delica and Vantage. During yard and other outdoor maintenance seasons, I will also strap on other knives or multitools better suited for dealing with vegetation.[/QUOTE]

I like the feel of the Wave, but like the Charge, I fear that the opening hole on the knife makes it easier to pinch my palm (pretty badly) when using the pliers on jobs that the pliers might slip off.

I hate when that happens :mad: . But with experience, that seldom happens anymore, and when it does, it's a "mild" pinch. I'm just super careful when using Charge pliers.
Click to expand...
 
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I've never used the ST 300 but I love my surge! You can interchange any T-shank blades on it. Very helpful!
 
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