Multi Tool Recomendation

I have a leatherman charge xti now, I love it, I have a feeling i'll be buying a swisstool, only because i want to see what all the fuss is about, the xti is pliers and cutting based, i would actually prefer the tti, scissors are sometimes handy for precise fiddly detailed cutting. Good luck, i would never say forget another brand exists because, i believe that u can own 2, and u can give someone who is less anal about details the unwanted tool and to them it will be one of the nicest gifts anyone has ever passed onto them. :)
 
ensile said:
I have a leatherman charge xti now, I love it, I have a feeling i'll be buying a swisstool, only because i want to see what all the fuss is about, the xti is pliers and cutting based, i would actually prefer the tti, scissors are sometimes handy for precise fiddly detailed cutting. Good luck, i would never say forget another brand exists because, i believe that u can own 2, and u can give someone who is less anal about details the unwanted tool and to them it will be one of the nicest gifts anyone has ever passed onto them. :)
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I never really fuss about "unwanted" tools, my opinion is if it has one extra tool ive never used before, ill find a use for it at somepoint. I believe more is better and i never buy something that has the bare minimum. Im not a weight wh*re at all and like to be over prepared than under prepared. An example is the reamer on vic tools, i never thought id have a use for it, but its good at picking at things that would ruin a knife tip, ive never used it for what it was meant for though lol.
 
allenC said:
Here's my 2 cent's worth...

I had the Gerber Legend and it was nice but just too big.
You need some serious gorilla hands to use it comfortably.

The SwissTool was nice but it had some shortcomings too:
The jaws are too blunt for my needs, the tools were not that easy to access due to the nail-nicks, the screwdrivers were highly polished and tended to slip off of the screws, and it was too heavy to EDC.

The old Leatherman Wave set the standard when it first came out but...
Not all of the tools locked (very frustrating to have a screwdriver fold on you when applying pressure), sometimes the pliars got stuck in the handle when using certain inner tools, and the handles developed alot of "wobble".

The new Leatherman Wave is much better overall but the screwdriver bits are too stubby for my needs (you can't get to recessed screws).

The Leatherman Surge is great but too darn heavy to lug around all day long and it has some tools that I really don't need.

I have not tried the Charge.

I prefer the Leatherman Blast:
It's not too heavy, all of the tools lock, the cutting blade is longer than my old Wave's blade, the screwdrivers are long enough to access recessed screws, it is very comfortable to use, and it has all the tools I use on a regular basis (except it also has the tiny screwdriver which is not that often used).
Best of all, it's only about $38.00 dollars!

Here's a link to a thread where I posted some pictures:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=467036

Good luck,
Allen
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I agree with all the above except about the Blast. Not that I have anything against it, in fact have never used one, but I like toughest possible in my primary multi-tool, which narrows my choices to Swisstool and Core.

Every good thing posted here about the Swisstool build quality is true, but at this time (haven't used it long enough for a final opinion) I prefer the Core. I have been trading off a Core and Swisstool as EDC for several months now and find the tools and handling of the Core more to my liking. Based on my previous 10 years with a Super Tool/ST 200, I believe it will hold up well enough.

Selecting a multi=tool is more than a matter of studying specs and opinions. It's a good a idea to try them out to find what fits your needs and, not to be overlooked, personality.
 
Spartan, if you are just getting into knives, you will probably end up getting a second multitool at some point in the next year or two. Then you can keep the one you like best, and give the other one to a friend or family member. Or just keep it, and leave it in the glove compartment of your car for emergencies.
 
Tiny tim hit the nail in the head, but i think you should get the swisstool so you have a higher standard to go by if you look for another multi tool. My leatherman i still have is beat, the wire cutters are all knicked and i had to shave off the knicks so the pliers would open, the tools and pliers are floppy even though i tightened them up. My buck tool i still have except for the squishy handles after 6 years of abuse that i shouldnt have done to it, no other damage has been done to it. It has the hardest wire cutters besides the swiss tool that ive seen. I like my gerber though because you can replace the wire cutters on it.
 
i also need to pick up a Swisstool, but it doesn't seem as easy to use as the Wave/Charge line

the way the Wave/Charge opens one handed is very nice
 
znapschatz said:
I agree with all the above except about the Blast. Not that I have anything against it, in fact have never used one, but I like toughest possible in my primary multi-tool, which narrows my choices to Swisstool and Core.
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Not to be argumentative, but...

Do you know of any specific testing that would suggest the SwissTool or the Core is any tougher than the Blast or any other decent multi-tool?

I can't think of anything that the SwissTool or the Core could survive that the Blast (or any other decent multi-tool) could not.
Can you give an example of what would kill multi-tools other than the SwissTool or the Core?
 
Suzukigsx1300r08 said:
Tiny tim hit the nail in the head, but i think you should get the swisstool so you have a higher standard to go by if you look for another multi tool.
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I had a SwissTool that I traded to another forum member...
While I would agree that it is a fine multi-tool with excellent fit-and-finish, I would not say that it is of a higher standard.
And one cannot forget that you pay a higher price for that marginally better fit-and-finish.
 
I got mine for cheaper than the leatherman tools the outdoor shop was selling. They were out of the swisstools so i ordered myself one and it came to around 70.
 
Suzukigsx1300r08 said:
I got mine for cheaper than the leatherman tools the outdoor shop was selling. They were out of the swisstools so i ordered myself one and it came to around 70.
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You got a great price.:thumbup:

Of course you can get the Blast for about half that price.;)
 
I have an original Swisstool and a Swisstool Spirit that I carry most of the time.

I had a Leatherman Surge briefly, but it was way too heavy and bulky to carry every day, and the stubby driver bits always seemed too short. If you want something heavy duty, the original Swisstool is hard to beat but the Spirit is more practical for daily carry (and it can stand some hard use too).

I also have a Leatherman Wave (old style) and Supertool, but the Swisstools seem superior to me; not just in their construction but in their design (more useful implement arrays, all tools accessible without opening the pliers).

Don't buy anything until you have handled a few Swisstools!
 
allenC said:
Not to be argumentative, but...

Do you know of any specific testing that would suggest the SwissTool or the Core is any tougher than the Blast or any other decent multi-tool?

I can't think of anything that the SwissTool or the Core could survive that the Blast (or any other decent multi-tool) could not.
Can you give an example of what would kill multi-tools other than the SwissTool or the Core?
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No, I don't know of any objective tests comparing relative toughness and haven't done any myself, but experience leads me to equate bigger with stronger. Cranking down with my PST would bend plier handles under forces that the Super Tool could easily sustain. Likewise, I saw less wear and deformation of other implements, like screwdrivers, on the larger tool. Mass has its virtues. Sorry, guys, size matters :D.

Please don't concern yourself about being argumentative. Even though I have opinions on the subject, I really don't take multitools seriously enough to be offended by anyone's opinion of them. Just between us, they are all good :) .
 
Im not arguing, just saying. I dont believe they can "all" be good. Being a mechanic of bicycles and motorcycles i can pick out a bad tool a mile away. park tools is the snap on tools of bicycle tools. I have a mixture of park and odd tools mostly because i couldnt afford the park tools at the time but as they break, they get replaced with park. Now, i believe price has a big impact on a buyers choice, so leatherman may be cheaper than a swisstool, but swisstools i believe are of better quality. As i said about the tools, as my leatherman and other multi tools broke i was thinking hmm, i should have just gotten the swiss tool to begin with!
 
have a leatherman wave,,,also a vic spirit,,,love the spirit,,,,will never go back to carrying/using the leatherman again,,,
 
the only reason ive stuck with leatherman is becouse if one breaks you can bring it back to the hardware store and they'll hand you another one.
i'de never get around to mailing one off to the factory ever
ive broken them in a few ways pliers snaped off ,stripped screwdriver bits broken knife blades (all from abuse) as far as motorcycles go i think only the crunch and the super actually get a bolt of a bike.
i used the crunch vicegrips once as a clutch lever to get me home
but if the hardwear store near me changes its policy i'll try the swisstool
 
Go with a leatherman or a Sog. The wave is great I have carried it for over 2 years abusing it at vehicle wrecks and have had no failure yet.
 
president ebrmc said:
the only reason ive stuck with leatherman is becouse if one breaks you can bring it back to the hardware store and they'll hand you another one.
i'de never get around to mailing one off to the factory ever
ive broken them in a few ways pliers snaped off ,stripped screwdriver bits broken knife blades (all from abuse) as far as motorcycles go i think only the crunch and the super actually get a bolt of a bike.
i used the crunch vicegrips once as a clutch lever to get me home
but if the hardwear store near me changes its policy i'll try the swisstool
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How the heck did you do that? Did the lever itself snap or what? Is it cable or hydraulic? Thats pretty mcguyverish!
 
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