Multitool versus SAK: opinions wanted

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Nikkogi

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Hey guys, as we all know, SAKs have been around forever. In the early eighties however, Tim Leatherman invented the first plier based multitool. For me, having full size pliers in a utility knife/tool is far more important then having toothpicks and tweezers etc.

I really don't want this to start into a war but in general, what do you prefer: multitools or SAKs?
 
I carry a Leatherman Wave in a Leatherman nylon sheath. I own a few SAKs, but they live in a drawer.
 
I like both, and have carried each for extended periods. For me, it boils down to the fact that I am a laptop jockey and not a tradesman, etc., and I just don't need a multitool on my belt. I like it, but don't need it, and as the weight and number of EDC items I carry becomes an issue, the multitool is the first to go. I do love a good multitool, and have way too many of them. They ride in my Man Sack, in my vehicle, Mrs. Powernoodle's vehicle, etc.

A 4 layer SAK can ride in the bottom of my pocket and I never know its there until I need it. So thats what I have repeated regressed to, over and over. That should tell me something.

So this debate is partially need based (objective), and partly subjective - i.e., what one subjectively likes more than the other.
 
I don't think the you will come to a consensus. I'm a huge fan of both and carry one or the other, sometimes both, depending on what I get up to in a day. I don't think anyone should or can say one is better than the other, just depends on what that individual person does in a day which makes one or the other the better fit.
 
It depends; I'm a maintenance guy so, while at work, I always have a multitool on me. Outside of work however I'm happy to carry a SAK.
 
There's no definitive answer because people have different needs. I carry both. My MT is a knifeless SOG Pocket Powerplier, and my SAK is Midnight Manager. I also carry a folder appropriate for the occasion.

This setup gives me the highest flexibility at minimum weight. The MT handles heavy stuff, the 58mm SAK is good enough for most EDC tasks without freaking anyone out, and the folder opens with one hand to cut whatever the SAK can't. If I go to schools or other places where a knife is verboten, I'll leave the SAK and the folder behind while keeping the knifeless MT. Carrying a knifeless MT is much, much better than carrying nothing.
 
SAK. Just don't need the size and weight of a multitool on a regular basis. But I do need screwdrivers and a blade and a SAK Soldier is a good combo weight and performance wise.
 
I carry a LM Charge everyday. I use it almost everyday. I saw a Vic Classic at Radio Shack for $0.99 and snagged it. After playing with it the rest of the day I put it on my wife's keychain. LOL!!!!! I just don't get it. I understand if you work in an office that a multitool would be a bit large. But IMHO there's no comparison as to their capabilities. After having said all that, I got a Farmer for my old man and he loves it.
 
If you are going to regularly use the tools and on heavier duty screws etc, multi-tool gets my vote. I managed to wreck a few Leatherman tools, worst of which was snapping one of the jaws off the pliers trying to unstick a trapped deer in a chainlink fence. What I should have had was a small pack with actual tools in it heh.

I found the SOG tools to be a heavier duty pliers than the Leatherman, but my active use is now out of date and I don't have current models of either.

SAK are great in a pinch, but I've never had one where I didn't spread the pins on them etc while trying to do things that the 'real' tool was the right pick for.

It depends on how you are really going to use it.
 
I used to be a multitool type guy , of late I prefer a SAK like a Ranger or Handyman , and a pair of Klien telcom pliers , at least in a work context . Off work , I still like my Wave and Spirit .

Chris
 
They are completely different tools entirely, and it all depends on what meets your individual needs better.

My SAK is small, lightweight, and easy to carry. It vanishes into a pocket like you wouldn't believe. It's just a small, lightweight pocket knife with some extra stuff on it.

My Vic Spirit is at least several times heavier, is much bulkier, and nearly requires one to use the bulky high riding pouch. It's obnoxious to carry indoors, and some features are handled better by the SAK. The pliers and some other tools are only occasionally useful.

My needs are slight, so the SAK works out better for me day to day. And I hardly ever use it to begin with.

My multitool is also in my backpack anyways, so it's just a zipper pull away. And if I'm doing outdoor stuff or think I might need it, I can still carry it right on my belt.
 
I carry my tinker everyday without fail, my sog pocket power plier stays at home unless I think I will be working on aomething, then on the belt it goes.
I absolutely use my sak several times a day, cant say the same about a mt, even when I did carry it everyday.
 
If you need tools with knife,go with a multitool. I prefer knives with tools and light weight carry,so i edc SAKs. Never edc my leathermans unless i want to do something plier based. They are not made to compete,but to complement each other.
 
Usually, I pair them, with one supplying what the other lacks. If pressed on the matter, though, I prefer a multitool because when you need one, there is no substitute for pliers. In addition, Leatherman screwdrivers are much better than any I have found on SAKs, except maybe for the small ph on the Rambler.

Just yesterday I was disassembling a home entertainment cabinet. Since I had both available, I decided to make a side by side comparison between the capabilities of my Charge TTi and a Vic Tinker. To a point, both worked well enough. My Charge drivers fit the screw heads much better and was easier to use than the SAK, although if I had nothing else, the SAK would have done the job. OTOH, I was able to lever out finishing nails more effectively with the SAK can open which was thin enough to work under the nail heads while the Leatherman could not. When it came to the Torx head screws, though, I could only get one of them out with some difficulty using the SAK, while thanks to the Leatherman bit kit, I was able to switch out the regular 2 way bit with the correct T20 and finish the job easily.

No question, though; SAKs are easier to carry, and the SAK you have with you is better than the multitool left at home.
 
I love them both and carry them both. A SAK is always in my pocket and if I go to work, I also have a Leatherman Kick with me, usually on the belt. The combo of the Leatherman Kick and a Victorinox Climber or Super Tinker is a favourite of mine. The SAK provides a nice blade and scissors, the multitool provides the pliers and screw drivers.
 
My SwissChamp stays home, though I carried a Champion for years. Now I carry my vintage Schrade Tough Tool and use it numerous times a day (IT Department). The pliers on the SAK are OK for jumpers and the like, but that's pretty much it--the full size multitool pliers are the deal maker. I also like the long phillips driver of the Schrade and the fact that I can open both handles and use the screwdriver that way. I also like the sheepsfoot blade for opening boxes and the heavy regular screwdriver blade for screws and prying.

I DO carry a SwissCard in my wallet for the tweezers, toothpick, pen and scissors.
 
Depends. Mostly I carried both 'till a few months ago. Then it started to boil down to where I'm going. Usually I carry a SAK rather than the mt, but when there's an itch that more would be needed I take the mt
 
SAK, just alot more useful for what I do day to day. I don't need a Multi-Tool yet.
 
I often go weeks, if not months, without needing a pair of pliers.
So I think that carrying around a plier based multi-tool would not be worth the extra weigh.
This means that I typically keep my multi-tools in my truck, my wife's car, the tackle-box, or the kitchen drawer (just to save be a trip to my real toolkit which is inside my garage).

But the swiss army knife is just such a handy little thing to have on you all the time.
 
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