Multitool versus Swiss Army Knife

SAK Forrester. The only time I ever use the LM, and I don't even know which one it is, is when I'm fishing and need to make up rigs and mostly I use the wire cutters.

I make a lot of stuff and a very wide variety but even at work wrenching on life support equipment I rarely use pliers, on of the least used tools in all my tool boxes. Needle nose pliers much more often, my LM has needle nosed pliers but still, I find little use for them in the bush.

I know that a tool is only limited my the users imagination, that one guy can build the Taj Mahal with tweezers and a ball peen hammer while another will use a rope and a plum bob. I just find other ways to do things with out pliers and I just prefer the SA
K, whose tools are the toolbox I use to great effect.

Sorry, I would like to elaborate a bit but the wife says it's time to roll :)
 
Lately I don't use SAK's or Multitools because I cut my finger nails very short and It's hard for me to open the tools :D:D
 
I keep stating that I've put the most miles on my Kershaw Blue Mountain (obviously not a MT or SAK), but then I just looked at my SAK and realized that I broke the scales off years ago and have continuously used it for almost 25 years.
I have a leatherman wave in my car and keep meaning to bring it in with me to work but it's just never gotten my fancy. five'ish years of having the wave, which is a good tool, and I've used it 5 times at the most.
Multi tools just don't really ever get used by me, SAKs are used like a mofo.
I can't find the type of SAK that I have, maybe it's discontinued, but it's kinda like a swiss champ minus the pliars and a couple of underside additions.
Multi tool pliars just irritate me, I'd rather just carry a decent set of actual needle nose pliars instead.
I'm considering getting a swiss champ or possibly work champ and then I have zero reason to ever buy another knife again, unless I get ripped off.
In short, if I could only choose one knife/tool to use for the rest of my life it would most definitely be a SAK.
:thumbup:
 
I like SAKs and for their weight they're awesome but IMO many MT are superior.
I have a Surge which is a beast weight wise but the screwdrivers are many many times stronger than on a SAK and they lock.The design allows much greater leverage to be applied.Greater leverage than even a straight screwdriver.

When working on a vehicle,mountain bike or serious gun repair there is no competition.The Surge scissors are huge.The pliers allow the bending of metal,cutting of wire many times the thickness any SAK can do and they will actually remove nuts.The awl locks, is much larger and again you can get more leverage by manipulating the MT handles.The Surge has crimps and wire strippers built in as well as hard,soft and stranded wire cutters.Also has tiny removable eyeglass screwdriver that comes in handy.

With the Surge's blade exchange system you can sharpen your own very large one hand opening,locking blades with the file and/or carry spares of the removable metal file and wood saw.With the bit extender and bit kit you have a serious ability to fix or salvage anything you bring with you or encounter in the Field.It even has a removable neck lanyard attachment as an option which would make it the ultimate neck-knife survival tool and small boat anchor.
 
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Many people carry wire for making snares among other things; how do you plan to cut it?

Put me down for multitool.
 
Multi tool (specifically the Spirit). Goes with me everywhere, be it town or woods. I usually carry a complementary SAK too. I find the 111mm models work best for me. I'm particularly attached to my new Alpineer. Perfect complement to the Spirit, has everything the Spirit lacks: normal blade (locking, no less), corkscrew, and of course the tweezers and toothpick.
 
I have always carried a SAK on camping trips, these days a Victorinox Farmer in the pocket and a Huntsman in the rucksack. The Farmer is able to do most of the tasks I need a pocket knife/tool for; mainly cutting, sawing and opening cans. This year I will experiment with a Leatherman Wave on a camping trip in the summer.

I already tried it during a few short hiking trips, but for such trips it is too heavy IMO. I also noticed that the blade doesn't cut as well as one on a SAK, but maybe I have to sharpen it better. Also, I didn't need the pliers thus far. On one hiking trip I replaced the Wave by the Juice S2, which is lighter and has tools that I need. But I noticed that it is harder to open cans with the can opener on the Juice S2. I have the feeling that I can't put too much pressure on the can opener. It could be that I use the wrong technique, I'm very much used to using the can openers on the Victorinox SAKs. The Wave has a better can opener.
 
Overall, I think that most Multi-tools are more useful than most Swiss Army Knives, even in the wilderness.


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SAK Farmer or OHT as the very first layer of bush/survival gear on me (front pocket), Multitool in the wearable container-organizer for important gear inside the pack (sort of a layer 2). So yes, I carry both, but the most important is probably the light-weight one.
 
I carry a Leatherman Fuse for Urban use, for the great outdoors id still take the Leatherman style multi-tool but with a better tool set up. Swiss army knives just feel to me inferior in build and redundancy when it starts to fall apart.
 
Kermit said:
I carry a Leatherman Fuse for Urban use, for the great outdoors id still take the Leatherman style multi-tool but with a better tool set up. Swiss army knives just feel to me inferior in build and redundancy when it starts to fall apart.
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Are your Swiss Army Knives made by either Victorinox or Wenger? If so and they are falling apart on you, I suggest you are abusing them. If not then I'm not surprised.
 
shangchi108 said:
Are your Swiss Army Knives made by either Victorinox or Wenger? If so and they are falling apart on you, I suggest you are abusing them. If not then I'm not surprised.
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And doesn't Victorinox guarantee the SAK for life? They wouldn't do that with an inferior product, now would they?
 
shangchi108 said:
Are your Swiss Army Knives made by either Victorinox or Wenger? If so and they are falling apart on you, I suggest you are abusing them. If not then I'm not surprised.
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Ive come accross and owned both the knock offs and also the real deal Victorinox's, they dont impress me, maybe its from being exposed to them at a young age they have lost thier charm where as multitools today promice more and have the pliers which always get used.
 
I use multi-tools mainly for urban use, but take on with me in the outdoors occasionally. I have a LM Wave in my EDC bag, BOB and my SAR kit, LM SuperTool 200 in my CERT kit and car kits. My whole family have LM Juice S2's in their BOBs and I keep one in my ham radio go kit. I need to get around to buying a Swiss Tool and maybe one fo the Buck X-tract LEDs or Fins.

Outdoors I prefer the SAK Farmer or OHT, but I also own a Swiss Champ, Ranger and a few others.

Somebody asked what you use to cut snare wire. I've never had problems finding a rock with a corner on it and smacking it a couple of times, then bending back and forth 2 or 3 times until it breaks. Improvise, Adapt & Overcome!
 
Pliers are very handy so I either have a solo pair, or a leatherman when car/family camping. I prefer the pliers and a sak though based on the tools and ease of accessibility. I've never carried the leatherman backpacking.
 
Kermit said:
Ive come accross and owned both the knock offs and also the real deal Victorinox's, they dont impress me, maybe its from being exposed to them at a young age they have lost thier charm where as multitools today promice more and have the pliers which always get used.
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Fair enough. I'm not at all concerned with charm. A tool either works for me or it doesn't. If someone starts making better knives than Victorinox for the same price, I would probably switch. As it is, Victorinox, in my opinion, makes the best pocket knives in the world, for the money.

That being said, I do prefer a good multi-tool. Victorinox also happens to make the best multi-tool on the market that I know of. Leatherman, Gerber, SOG, etc., all make good multi-tools, but they ALL feel like cheap junk compared to the Victorinox SwissTools, especially the Spirit. The only advantage that the Leatherman Wave, for example, has over the Vic versions is you can open certain blades with one hand. If Victorinox ever made a SwissTool that had several main blades and tools that could be opened with one hand, there would be no reason to look elsewhere.

As they say, your mileage may vary.
 
I EDC a full size multitool (Gerb Diesel), BK11, and a small Vic SAK.

I like having a small sak for small cutting and personal grooming, the multitool is the powerhouse and the Becker is a great EDC fixed blade. Pretty great to have, at least what I consider to be a comprehensive tool kit on person everyday.

Makes me feel pretty damn nakid when i have to fly or go into a state/fed building.
 
I prefer my Leatherman Charge Ti multi tool to any Swiss Army Knife.

There are many things I use the pliers for, cutting wire, bending/fixing bindings and climbing gear, loosen frozen locks on ‘biners, pot grabber, reaching a match or lit stick or candle into the fire, grabbing leaches (fishing bait), generally grabbing things I can't grip well enough with my fingers to pull.... I also use the file for sharpening tools, sharpening or making other things, fixing a finger nail...

But the main things I really like about the Charge Ti are the higher quality blade and the fact that I can open everything one handed easily and more safely than I can with a Swiss Army Knife. One hand opening is so convenient that after trying it, I won't go back. I am often holding whatever I want to cut or use my tool for in one hand, leaving me with only my other hand to grab and open the tool. If you injure a hand, wrist or arm, being able to open your tool on-handed will be more than just a convenience.

My Charge uses superior steel (154 CM) in the main blade also.

Don't misunderstand. I love SAKs, and for the price their quality is excellent, but when it is one or the other, the LM wins for me.
 
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