leatherman question

R

richiequan

Joined
Aug 27, 2006
Messages
80
what leatherman do you think is the best.

thinkinig of getting one soon and was looking at the WAVE and SURGE

what you guys think?
 
I have two on is the Juice XE 6 with tool kit nice small tool for arount the office and I have a Charge XI witch is a good all round outdoor indoor tool with blades of 154CM.
 
I much prefer the Wave of those two. The Surge (IMHO) was a good bit larger than I would ever consider carrying. I mean, that thing is a freakin' moose!
 
mnblade said:
I much prefer the Wave of those two. The Surge (IMHO) was a good bit larger than I would ever consider carrying. I mean, that thing is a freakin' moose!
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IIRC, the Surge weighs 4 oz. more than the Wave. Is that really a deal breaker? My Swisstool is only 2 ounces lighter,, but I hardly notice it on the belt.
 
It depends on what it's going to be used for, richiequan. I mean, they are basically the same tool, with a few tool differences. Think of the Surge as a Wave on steroids. If it's going to be used for some heavy duty work, then heck, carry the Surge. It's a tank, and can take mondo abuse. However, if it's going to be an EDC, carry around kind've tool, something to keep just to be prepared for anything, then carry the Wave. Both tools are really good, it just depends on what their purpose is.
 
PST, with the Micra a close second. Of course, I need both since they each fill different roles. ;)
 
I EDC the Surge just fine, sure at first you feel the weight, after a while you feel naked without it. And the advantages far outweigh any discomfort issues for me. Robustness is key to any tool, IMHO.

I still have an old style Wave I now keep in my BOB.

And a Micra on my keychain all day too.

Finally, I agree with everyone when they say it will depend what you're gonna need it for. Heavy work requires more robust tools. It's that simple for me.
 
It will be for keeping it in the backpack for outdoor stuff and in the car, around the house and so on.

what do you think? get the surge for the big stuff and a smaller leather man for EDC?
 
richiequan said:
It will be for keeping it in the backpack for outdoor stuff and in the car, around the house and so on.

what do you think? get the surge for the big stuff and a smaller leather man for EDC?
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That would be ideal. Besides, one cannot have too many tools anyway. :rolleyes:

You will always need one, and two or more always be handy in any situation.

Heck, there are guys in this forum who have dozens. And they all use them for one job or another. :thumbup:
 
richiequan said:
It will be for keeping it in the backpack for outdoor stuff and in the car, around the house and so on.

what do you think? get the surge for the big stuff and a smaller leather man for EDC?
Click to expand...

Sounds like a plan.
For almost 10 years, I have been satisfied with a Super Tool (later an ST 200), belt carried, with a Micra in my jeans watch pocket. The larger tool is good for any job a pliers based multitool can handle, the Micra provides scissors and smaller tools lacking on the STs and also a fob for a micro light.

Curiousity about how other multis stack up, however, led me to acquire several more, picked up only when they were on deep enough discounts so that I could resell them without taking much, if any loss on their resale, should they not suit me (actually, so far I'm running a small profit).

These days, in addition to the above, I own a PST, Juice CS4, Squirt S4, and also Vic Swisstool, Spirit and several SAKs. All of them have their good points, but I have so far found none that serve me better than my old ST/Micra combo. I might keep some of the others for spares, but will sell off or give away most of the rest. It's just a quirk, of course, but I don't like an excess of stuff in my life.

This is not a recommendation of my favorites. Possibly if Swisstool had been on the market way back, I might have chosen that, or something else. Familiarity has a lot to do with comfort level, but I'm not very sentimental. Leatherman now offers the Core and Surge, neither of which I have yet handled. But if I ever do and find either superior to the Super Tool 200, then it will go into EDC and the ST will go into reserve or out the door. But that will have to wait until one or the other goes on clearance.
 
For all the sexy bells and whistles, the Surge is a great tool. If you're looking for a tool that will stand all kinds of abuse, the Core is the way to go. I carry both tools...Core on the job, and Surge around the house...neither has failed me in those settings.:thumbup:
 
I had a Surge for awhile and was initially impressed by its heavy duty build and gadgetry. However, after the honeymoon phase ended, I found that I rarely wanted to carry it due to its size. I soon traded it for a Swisstool. The Surge would be a good choice to keep around for heavier work, but you might want a more modest second tool for daily carry.

Now I have the Swisstool for heavy duty work, and a Vic Spirit as my go-to edc.
 
got a surge for christmas. my first impression was that its huge!! i have owned gerbers--junk(imho). a sog powerlock that i got for 20.00 at wal mart on clearance. (bought 2!!) . the sog is great. lost one, other one is in my jump bag. dont hardley notice the surge on my belt. i carry it in the horizontal position. verry well made tool. cant see myself without it. definitly prefer the surge to any multi tool i have ever owned. get it and you wont be dissapointed.
 
The new Wave is great for an EDC multi, the Surge is fine also if you don’t mind the extra weight and bulk. The one thing that the Surge has that I miss on the Wave is the Awl.


For real work, I prefer the Core because of its longer/hollow ground screw drivers which are more useful to be than the stubby little flattened screw driver bits on the new Wave and Surge, though with the Core you don’t get scissors and onehand opening knife blades – everything is a tradeoff.




- Frank
 
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