Multi tools

B

Bob Litt

Joined
Feb 7, 1999
Messages
94
Hello all,
I've been using a Kasho A100 for the past year; however, I recently gave it away to pal. Therefore, can anyone recommend a good all-purpose multi tool? I've heard some good things with respect to the Spyderco model?
Any comments would be appreciated.


 
Look a the Leatherman Wave and the LM Crunch they are both very good but meet slightly different needs.

The Spyderco is interesting, IMHO the spyderco has limited utility/appeal. First there are a lot of pieces that you can loose, some of them are easily replaceable, some are not.

If you are in to collecting this sort of thing get a Spyderco as soon as you see one. I am afraid that when all us nuts have one the market is going to fall off pretty sharply, and it may be ripe to get DCed.

Anyway, I have my Spyderwrench in my pocket right now and I am happy, but I generally carry a leatherman.


Mike
 
I have a Gerber multi tool that I carry. It's pretty useful and has a good price of $20 almost everywhere. By the way, the spyderwrench is darn appealing, but for it's price?

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A real knife collector is always broke.
 
My top ten favorite multi-tools are, in descending order:

1. Victorinox SwissTool

I have written often and with considerable eloquence singing the praises of the SwissTool. Have you tried using the search feature? There are a number of threads to be found in both of the general "Blade Discussion" archives, as well as the "Reviews" forum.

The best collection of multi-tool reviews I've seen can be found at www.equipped.org

Here is a more direct link to the multi-tool reviews: http://www.equipped.org/devices2.htm

The SwissTool is robust, convenient, and doesn't hurt my hand. I like the tool selection. (In a game of Scissors Paper Rock, an awl beats scissors every time).

David Rock

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AKTI Member # A000846
Stop when you get to bone.

[This message has been edited by David Rock (edited 04-08-2000).]
 
I second the Gerber. You can now order one with the tools you want on it, and the price is really good.

 
Gerber.
wink.gif


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have a"knife"day
 
I am well-know as an advocate of the original Leatherman PST. Since the original design, others have tinkered with it, they've added other gadgets, they've tried new mechanisms to try and evade Leatherman's patents and they've shamelesly copied the Leatherman product.

Multitools are necessarily a balance between size/weight and the number of tools carried. Thus, the collection of tools you choose to include has to be carefully selected for maximum utility with the minimum number of pieces. IMHO, the Leatherman PST just about hits the bullseye.

I have seen the Swisstool and I must say that it is well-made. But, it's too heavy and bulky for my liking.

I carry my PST just about all day just about every day. The PST has many times earned its keep. But, the size and weight of this tool make it much easier to carry than so many other tools.

The point that I've often made is this: there is no one perfect multitool. What makes a multitool perfect is when you carry it regularly and use it frequently. The real synergy comes when you start to see your world and the problems you face in terms of the multitool you choose to carry. Then, you'll find new, creative ways to solve the problems you encounter using your multitool.


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Chuck
Balisongs -- because it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing!
http://www.balisongcollector.com
 
My favorites:
  1. LM Wave
  2. Swiss Tool
  3. LM Super Tool
  4. LM Micra
  5. LM PST II
    [/list=a]
    You can't beat those beater blades on the Wave. I prefer to use them when slaying those cardboard boxes over my MT or SAK. If(when) Victorinox puts scissors on their Swiss Tool I'll probably switch to that. I'll have to go check out the new Gerber.

    The quality of the Leathermans are superb. But I think they can do a better job on the Wave in the plier/handle area.

    The Swiss Tool is excellent. But too polished. I would like a brushed finish on the handles. When I use the screwdrivers I have to be extra careful not to slip. They're too polished and rounded. The rest of the tools work great. I haven't noticed a disadvangage of the "blunt" nose plier vs. Leatherman pliers.

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    "A knifeless man is a lifeless man"
    -Nordic proverb
 
Thanks for all the responses. Based on what I have heard I narrowed my choices down to a leatherman Wave and Swiss Tool. I decided to forgo the Sypdie after MNH alluded to the possibility of losing parts.
 
Leathermans aren't as heavy. But gerbers are bullet proof, cheaper,and have a strong bolt action lock on all the tools that is a hell of a lot more convenient than leatherman's lock where you have to open the blade or file part way to release it. And the jaws on the gerber are bigger than they are on the swiss tool so you can grip bigger things and get a better bite on them.And you can get a gerber with a replaceable saw blade that would be very handy for sawing through things like small branches and things like that.
The only thing about the gerbers that I don't really like is the poor alloy in the blades. they are tough and do not rust but they don't take much of an edge. But that doesn't really matter because most knife nuts carry a second knife anyway.
My vote is definitely for the gerber.
Check out www.byo.gerberblades.com

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We got a five dollar fine for whining
We tell you before you come in
So if it ain't on your mind to have a good time
Y'all come back and see us again.- Chris LeDoux
 
I own a LM Wave (my fave
smile.gif
), a Gerber, and a Swiss Champ. I would recommend all of these but the Wave is the most useful definetly.
--Mykl

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Concentration, patience, and practice always lead to success.
 
Just couldn't let this go by without saying that although the Spyderwrench does have parts that could be lost, it still has special place in my pocket. The only non-replaceable parts would be the file, and you need that to lock the pliars shut. I would not rule it out just because of the loose parts, but I do also carry my LM ST.

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It is difficult to make a man miserable while he feels he is worthy of himself and claims kindred to the great God who made him.

August 14, 1862 Abraham Lincon
 
I have a LM Mini, a LM Micra, and a LM Wave.While I don't "torture" them, I use one or the other on a daily basis, and they have been 100% reliable and satisfactory.The Wave is the favorite,but the Micra goes everywhere with me, on my keychain.I wish everything worked as well as these tools!
wink.gif


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AKTI Member #A000934
"Always just one knife short of perfection!"
 
Alaskan,

The other non-replaceable piece is of course which ever half of the tool you misplace during a snow storm in the middle of the night as you are trying to replace the shear bolt on your snowblower, or reconnect the windshield wiper linkage on your pickup.

smile.gif


Mike
 
This thread is much in the lines of a question that I was thinking of asking today, so I'll ask here rather than starting a whole new thread. Does anyone know of a decent multi-tool with needle-nose pliers that DOESN'T have a blade in it? Since I carry a folder or two in addition to my multi-tool, having a flimsy, off-center blade in a multi-tool seems pointless. I'd much rather have a saw or another size screw driver, or something.

(Tempting as the Spyrderench is, I'd still want something with needlenose pliers on it were I to get a 'rench.)

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He who attacks must vanquish. He who defends need only survive.
 
I have also wished for a multi tool without a knife blade for exactly the same reason.

I have not seen one but that doesn't mean that there is not one somewhere.

The reasoning that I have adopted is that I use the knives I carry in order, depending on what needs to be cut. At work I carry a plain old utility knife that gets all the real crap jobs, Where I am reasonably sure I won't damage a good knife, I use my regular folder. Things that fall in between get cut with one of the blades on the Wave.

We had a thread once about the feasibility of someone making a tool that could be customized with a number of different blades. I think that Gerber makes one that you can special order with specific tool groups.


Mike
 
I added pics to my above post. I may be retiring my wave
wink.gif


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Dennis Bible
 
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