Multi-Tool...why?

C

collecter

Joined
Aug 21, 2002
Messages
1,083
I recenlty purchased a Sog power plier and now I'm wondering why I bought it. I cancelled another item from my order so I thought I'd get something else...!

The pliers are cool and it flicks open nicely but why did I spend $43.00 on a pair of pliers?

I bought a gerber plier years ago. I don't know where it is anymore but that's because I never used it enough to keep track of it.

It turns out I've beeen sold on the idea twice now but i'm still not impressed!

I think I'll stick with the cheap Fuller plier and my Victorinox Soldier.

Anybody else feel the same way?

Cheers,
Collecter
 
Depends on your line of work. In a normal workday I use my Leatherman Wave no less than a half dozen times. Worth every cent. :cool:
 
Same here. I use my wave miltiple times per day. However I have a theory that gadgets create their own reality. Before I had a cell phone I didn't think I needed one. After I got one, situations popped up all the time where I would have been in deep poo without it. Same goes for multi-tools and SAKs.

Just wait collecter. Allow a day or so for the Milti-tool to imprint it's karmic energy into your personal universe and you will be confronted with situation after situation where you couldn't have done without it.
 
Ming is right - you need to carry a multitool for a while before you realize just how useful they can be. Multitools are not replacements for a box of real tools, but they do come in handy when you don’t have a tool box with you. I used to think that a SAK was enough, but now my multitools get used and carried more.





- Frank
 
I like my Leatherman tools cause sometimes that dang heater hose goes :( You need a knife to trip the hose down,a phillips head screwdriver for the hose clamp on one end,a regular screwdriver for the other style hose clamp on the other end, and pliers to expand the 1 clamp so it will go over the freshly cut end. It sucked but having that Supertool in the glove compartment saved the day(and a long Fing walk). Almost every one of my friends who've asked "why?" have at sometime or another borrowed a multi tool and been really happy it was there. Maybe it won't be needed every day but when they are needed, you'll be extremely thankful to have one.
 
I think I've used just about every tool on my SuperTool. I've worked on cars, computers, orthopedic bedframes, a boat, well you get the idea. The multi-tools are there when you need them, where ever you are. Thus they get called on to perform a wide variety tasks. I really wish they had existed back when I doing search and rescue and extracting victims from auto accidents. Back then all I had was a Buck 119 clone. If all you have is what's on you, it had better be very versitle and tough enough to get the job at hand done. I love my Leatherman SuperTool and am almost never without it. Still carry a 110 too, always. And a mini mag flashlight. So far, none of them has let me down, and I've seen the elephant as they used to say.
Bob
 
Its great for the little things that come up. I found that if I actually carry my Wave, I'll use it more, rather than having to get it out of my tote bag. I keep one in each of our 3 cars, my wife has one in her desk at work and I gave my extra one to our volunteer medic neighbor whose tool had 'disappeared' on a call.
 
Collector, rdg has made a very valid point about
the "why" of multi tool carry/use. People who
like them have had many opportunities to "use" them
in their everyday life.....long term.

That bring me to my point......
If your lifestyle,job or personal preferance causes
you to need tools then the multi tool is very hard
to beat (other than a tool box) for sheer uitlity.

As an example......
When I worked in the shop I carried a Supertool /
Mini-mag flashlight combo & folding knife all
the time. When I move to the office to work I
switched to Leatherman Kf4 juice and small folder.
Now that I'm retired I carry a ulta light Folder
and a multi tool when I work in the yard.

So you see it's all in what YOU need at the moment.
 
As a guy who is has to do alot of around the house repairs just to save money, I think that a good multi-tool is a life saver. I just used one the other day, to fix the pipes in the bathroom.

Multi-tools also have come in handy when traveling. They have saved my bacon on a few occassions in Africa over that last three years.:D
 
I'm surprised nobody stated the old adage yet: It's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. (I never thought I would have the opportunity to say it here in the forums). ;)

Here's a "you-never-know" story: I was sitting on the can doing #2 business when the toilet paper holder fell off the wall. I think it was booby trapped by some prankster. (No, this was not at my home). I used a multi-tool (LM SideClip)--which I happen to have on me--to screw the sucker back on. Saved my life? No. Was I glad I had the multi-tool at the time? Yes!

Collecter, your time will come someday. Not a matter of "if" but rather "when?" Be prepared. :D
 
Originally posted by toothed
Here's a "you-never-know" story: I was sitting on the can doing #2 business when the toilet paper holder fell off the wall. I think it was booby trapped by some prankster. (No, this was not at my home). I used a multi-tool (LM SideClip)--which I happen to have on me--to screw the sucker back on.
Click to expand...
You should snd that in to Leatherman for an "At Extremes" article. :D http://www.leatherman.com/leatherman-world/at-extremes/default.asp
 
I agree that if I carried it on me, all the time, I would probably, eventually have a use for every one of the blades in that thing.

I carry my Soldier in my briefcase, actually I don't even use my briefcase any more, I leave it at work, but I always have either my Vic Soldier or Syderco Delica on me. If I need a plier, I have on in my car or in the house.

I think my new multi tool is too heavy to carry in my pocket and the belt sheath dosen't suit the way I dress.

I'm not pleased with the cutting blade on this thing. I'd rather use my Solder for cutting stuff, The awl is also better on my Soldier.

When I'm out camping I carry a Fuller plier in my kit. It's light and it's cheap. I can lend it to my friend to hold the hot can of beans. I can still open another can of beans with my Soldier while my friend is burning his fingers using my pliers.

I won't go in the woods without my Soldier and I like my old pliers, so why did I buy a tool that has them put together, with a cutting blade is poor and it's too heavy to carry in my pocket.

They got my money but I'm not sold on the idea!

Collecter
 
.......actually a SAK soldier and a cheap pair of plyers is not a bad combo..............
 
Collector, Since you may not need the "bigger"
multi tools and you like the SAK so much take a
Look at the leatherman "JUICE" line. They are
smaller pocket sized multi tools that can replace
a SAK in usefulness while adding small pliers to
the mix.

As I said I carried a Juice Kf4 model while I
worked in the office finding it to be VERY useful
for many office jobs that I wished I had pliers for
Since there are several Juice models to pick from
take look at this site to get the idea.......

http://www.backcountry-equipment.com/index.html

All Juice models are the real deal...just smaller.
 
I used to carry a Micra on my keychain and a Gerber in my bag. But I finally figured out that all I used on the Micra were the scissors and nail file. The Gerber was just too heavy. I gave 'em both away. Now I carry my Grandpa's old Wegner and a pair of pliers in my bag. I have real tools in the trunk of the car. If I'm going to be working on sets I'll bring real tools. All I've got on me now is a Blink and an Ayoob. But my bag is only a minute away. I keep looking at the Kf4, maybe for Christmas.

Frank
 
Boy,can I relate to your question. I bought my first multi-tool in 1995 (Schrade Tough Tool) at Home Depot. I got home and wondered what ever came over me to blow $50.00 on this "gadget". I have all the tools I need at home and at work. My problem, as some here have touched on, is that I failed to see how this was going to help me. I was used to running up/down stairs for what I needed and that seemed normal. Initially, I also failed to carry it...very bad!
I hate to sound religious, but once I discovered how much you can do,I became obsessed with the darn things,because every multi-tool has its own particular strengths and weaknesses. Granted,my job requires me to tackle many repairs each day,but even off the job,I couldn't imagine not having one.;)
 
To each their own, whatever works for you. But for me, Tightwad hit the nail on the head.

I don't need pliers for heavy-duty use, so I don't want to carry a full size, dedicated pair of pliers. At work, I carry a Juice S2. For my office/lab/computer work, I use the screwdrivers a lot. I also like having the scissors and blade on the outside, easily accessible. And for those occasions when I do need the pliers, they are available. All this in a relatively light, compact package that I can carry all day in "business casual" trousers. For me, it makes sense. If I was in the repair or construction business, I would agree with you.
 
Before Leatherman, I was miserable. The Swiss Army knife just didn't cut it (no pun intended). It wore enough holes in my pockets that there were days I didn't carry it. Sometimes when I did have it, I realized what I really needed was a pair of pliers. (The scissors were cute though. I actually tried to use them once or twice.) Then came Leatherman. I got about 5 of the blued variety my first year. Gave other nickel plated ones as gifts to girlfriends. As a gift they were viewed with suspicion, till the first time they needed a phillips screwdriver to open up a computer, or a pair of needlenose pliers to grab something at work, looked in their pocketbook and there was the Leatherman. I was usually in like Flint after that. The blue versus nickel made it easy to tell mine from theirs and prevented false claims. Then came the Super Leatherman and the SOG and the Al Mar and a dozen others. Here is how it works for me. In the glove box, a Leatherman. In the car tool box, a super Leatherman. In the tractor tool box, a super Leatherman. On my civilian pants belt, always a Leatherman. In my forensics scene kit, a Leatherman. On my ALICE belt, a super Leatherman. In my pack, a Leatherman. In my desk drawer now and also on the kitchen table, a Leatherman. When the connection between my car heater and the radiator hose broke in the middle of DC rush hour traffic 90 miles from home, what tool was used to reroute the hoses, right there on the street? A Leatherman. When I had to cut a dog chain at 2AM on a deserted Bronx street (don't ask why, you don't want to know) a few years ago, what'd I use? A Leatherman. When I pulled a nail from my boot and foot on a construction job, what'd I use? A Leatherman. When holding metal in a flame, or to a grinder, what do I usually use? A Leatherman. Whether cutting string, pulling nails, pulling staples from crates, fishing out springs, clipping phone wires, or disassembling PCs the Leatherman is a handy thing to have on your belt. Especially when your tool box is at home.
 
As previously stated it all comes down to what you do during your day and whether other tools are easily available.

I work in a hardware store and I carry a Leatherman Wave and a Spyderench every day. why? Because I can never find a pair of pliers, or a screwdriver, or a shifting spanner when I need it. Sure I could take one off the shelf but management tend to get a bit peeved when you keep using stock when they (and I) know that there have to be at least 20 of each tool lying around the store somewhere. I just can't waste 10 minutes looking for a tool when there's a customer waiting if i can carry it with me and use it for other stuff as well. Convienience is the name of the game and Multi tools are the winner of the game.

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For best results remove foot from mouth before speaking :footinmou
 
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