Hi guys - I thought I'd add my musings to this thread rather than start one of my own.
I was in Darwin recently an got an invitation to go on a 3 day fishing, gorge running expedition that was too good to refuse. After a day on the phone I managed to delay my flights home and take up the offer. Having just visited a freight/weight conscious oil rig I had none of my normal toys with me so I did some shopping for a few essentials. Conscious of the fact I was replicating a bit of the gear I had back home I decided to try a few different items hey I can always pass them on or sell them later.
This is my long winded explanation for why I bought a Victorinox Spirit when I already have 2 very serviceable Leatherman Waves. I had in mind that the Sprit could be given to one of my mates as a gift but he hasnt received it yet and probably never will. After using the LM Wave and the Vic Spirit for a month or two I thought people who are choosing between these two models might benefit from a comparison.
Ive compared them head to head on a number of criteria as well as some common multi-tool tasks. Im not a tradesman and dont use the tools heavily they are a convenience when traveling or in the bush. I tend to always have a toolbox handy around the home.
Style The spirit has this in spades in fact Im calling it, right here and now, the worlds first gents multi tool. The smooth lines and minimalist I-Pod style design, nicely crafted leather sheath with light brown stitching looks great with my jeans and RM Williams belt. Scoff if you want but there is a certain look in country West Australia that black, high speed ballistic nylon doesnt fit. Understated natural fibres, slightly faded cotton and well used leather all do. The LM sheath looks stupid, is bulky and will not survive my next visit to a sheath maker.
I place a bit more weight on the style factor as time goes on. Having shed my delusions of being a hard core, high speed operator whos mission critical success, indeed survival, can be made or broken my not having exactly the right gear. Hanging around my mate Don, who was actually a hard core high speed individual (5 years in the regiment and time spent in the two way firing range in SE Asia and Africa) and seeing him make do with a small SAK and an old divers knife has made me realize that most situations can be handled with an adequate gadget and a bit of ingenuity so why not go for a bit of style? My Seiko Auto divers watch is heavy, less accurate and has many less bells and whistles than a G-shock. But looking it at it gives me pleasure the spirit does the same.
Carry ability Spirit. Is much lighter and will compete well with the smaller Squirt style Leathermans. I can slip it on my pocket on or my belt and not have my posture, clothing hang or stride pattern altered by its presence. The Wave falls just outside this line for me so it tends to live in a bag. I must get around to getting a pocket clip sheath made for it one day as I find this a convenient way to use a heavy multi-tool, clip it on when you need it and take it off when you dont.
Personal Grooming LM Wave. I havent kept score but Id bet with all my travels that this is the most common use of the multi-tools I have. From plucking unwanted hair, trimming nails, cleaning up blisters to shaving my lower leg so I can tape up my dodgy left ankle before scrambling over rocks (I am so tired of being the heroine who sprains an ankle and needs carrying home I say heroine because thats what my mates call me at the time). The scissors on the Wave, although small and more dinky looking on the newer version, work much better than the Spirit in fact this is the only serious flaw in the Spirits design that I can see; the scissors dont open wide enough, making them awkward to use on occasion, particularly when trimming nails. The Spirit doesnt have a knife that can shave either. Although the Wave doesnt have a super knife steel like the its more expensive cousin the Charge, I can still get the plain edged blade hair flinging sharp and leave it that way, saving the serrated edge for brutal cutting. Shaving with the wave is still the most convenient way to prepare my girly ankle for taping and I reach for the LM even when Im home and have access to a conventional razor. The needle nose pliers on the Wave are great for splinter removal a common task on me and my dog. I havent tried the Spirits slightly fatter nose pliers for this yet but cant imagine they would be as good.
Small repairs. Dead Heat. Around the home, when Ive needed to use the screwdrivers, neither has been markedly superior. The smoother edges on the Spirit havent slipped in any threads yet. The longer reach in the Spirits Phillips head may come in handy at some stage but it hasnt yet. Likewise I see no difference between the saw and files on either model. All in all, score this a major plus for the Spirit as it is much less endowed than the Wave in the tool department but Im yet to find it lacking.
Cutting. Wave. At first glance, the lack of a proper knife on the Spirit is disappointing. But for cutting rope, string, cardboard and making wood shavings, the partially serrated, chisel ground sheepsfoot blade performs adequately. Also the lack of a point can be compensated for by the pointy awl. There is another multi-bladed chisel/wire stripper gadget on the Spirit that also soaks up scraping type duties that you might be tempted to use a knife for. Both serrated blades survived the dreaded nylon rope cutting test without blunting their teeth. I can also see the butter knife appearance of the Spirits blade having some advantages in the PC stakes when traveling. All in all though, the two beefy knives on the Wave are better.
Cycling Wave. This is a bit unfair on the spirit I suppose because I do have the tool bit accessory for the wave. The plastic sleeve for holding these slips nicely into the W.U.S. (worlds ugliest sheath). I can cover all of the common adjustments and running repairs on my road and mountain bikes (apart from tire levers) with these tools. The Leatherman always rides in one of my cycling jersey pockets and has been used extensively. Again the shave-ability of the plain edge knife is a bonus here, as one can make a puncture repair much more effective by shaving the bead off the tire in the effective area before applying the patch the ridge created by the bead can affect the integrity of the seal. I was visiting a friend who owns a gym recently and he was complaining about his Monark 818 ergometer (fitness testing bike) and the fact that he couldnt remove the plastic molding to access the chain and lubricate it because of these funny looking screws. Out came the Wave from the W.U.S. and in went a #10 torx head into the bit holder and his ergometer creaked no more (the chain was quite rusted from being sweated on constantly for a couple of years)
Comfort of use Dead heat. If you wish for a more exhaustive comparison of this then you may have to ask someone who uses them more heavily than me. Use pliers for a few hours and the ergonomics or lack of, will be revealed. I had no problems with either. Both have smooth rounded handles that dont pinch. I wired up a home entertainment area recently and had both tools within reach. For cutting and striping wire I didnt feel hampered by picking up either. The longer, curved handles on the Spirit feel a little better for fine, controlled pliers use, but youd need to be a fussy anally retentive type to care.
Toughness. Dead Heat. Again Im going from a personal experience here. The Wave is beefier and looks tougher but I used the Spirit to undo a rusty bolt the other day, gripping and ripping it hard. The pliers slipped a few times on the bolt before we got it to move. No ill effects on the tool and no noticeable rounding of the teeth on the pliers afterwards. The more delicate looking Spirit is tough enough for me.
In summary its remarkable to me how my personal debate between these two sounds exactly like the old Apple vs PC arguments. One model objectively has more functionality, while the other has a bit more style and creates subjective pleasure in ownership. The spirit will have its fans for sure Im one of them. Had I not owned the Wave beforehand and gotten used to the multi bits available (particularly torx and hex heads) Id be perfectly happy with the Spirit.
).Most days the swisstool wins just because i know if i really need it it wont let me down after edc one for 5 years and as i spend alot of time on the beach and in the sea it does not rust anywhere like a leatherman does .To put what ive said in a nutshell the charge is more user friendly but the swisstool is more solid and dependable .
