Opinions on the Victorinox SwissTool vs Leatherman & others?

I've been working with a SAK CT 34 for 8 years, a LM Charge Ti for 7 years.

I've recently upgraded the CT 34 to a CT Lite which includes an LED light and a magnifying glass. I just purchased a Vic Swisstool Spirit X Road Tour Edition, so we'll see how these work out.
 
Well, it has arrived this morning and I have been out and about with it on my belt.

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I removed my LM Wave from my belt and put the SwissTool X in its place, I can't really tell the difference in weight or size as I walk around - I think I'll be sticking with the SwissTool X for EDC and finding somewhere else for the Wave to live (BOB or vehicle or whatever).

The blade came sharp and with less than 1 minute on the strop it was shaving arm/leg hair, within 5 minutes of stropping I was satisfied with the sharpness and called it good. Everything is in a good 'as new' condition as describe by Amazon. For $62 I am happy with my 2nd hand ST X.

Overall I like the selection of tools on the SwissTool X better than on the Wave - I lose a serrated blade (that I haven't used in 10 years of EDC) and I gain a chisel & an awl & a metric ruler & an imperial ruler. I also gain can opener, bottle opener, screwdrivers & scissors that can be accessed without having to open up the pliers; And they come out one at a time instead of in a clump; And they lock. Overall I think that this tool has improved my EDC load-out and I'm very happy.

An extra 3oz or whatever it is? *shrug* no big deal to me.
 
Glad ya like her , great tool , but now you really need a Spirit X !

Chris
 
I recently picked up a Leatherman Charge TTi. It is nice, comes with the extra socket inserts. However, to be honest, with the exception of the S30V blade, I'd much prefer the regular Leatherman Wave. The Charge isn't any lighter, all the tools are the same, and the Wave is actually a little sturdier, because the handles are stamped metal, all folded around, whereas the side is missing on the Charge so they can attach the titanium scales to the outside without adding weight or bulk. The result is that the handles are a little flimsier, and will flex under the knife blades.

I am very tempted to switch our the clip blade between the two, so I can have the S30V blade on my favorite. To me, though, the Wave, with extra socket inserts, is about 98% perfect. The only thing that would make it even better would be to have the saw able to exchange blades, so you could change between metal and wood saws, and the S30V clip blade.

So I reiterate what I said earlier. Wave for me.
 
I have LM charge ALX with the 154cm blade and find it covers all my needs. That plus the bit drivers have saved my bacon on more than one occasion. Leather man for me.
 
After the first week of EDCing my SwissTool X I have to say I am still not noticing the extra weight. Riding a motorcycle or sitting at a poker table or sitting at a computer or walking around - the weight of the SwissTool or Wave on my left hip is close enough that I honestly can't feel the difference. When I remove the tool from the pouch and hold it in my hand then I can feel that the SwissTool is heavier and to be honest I like the heavier more solid feel of my SwissTool.

My Wave is the older model without the bit driver, so it isn't something I miss when using the SwissTool instead. Since I have a bit driver on my Cybertool 34 I don't really feel a big need to have a bit driver on my multi-tool, I also have a bit driver on my Leatherman k502x which lives in the inside pocket of my jacket and I don't find myself needing to go to that tool so I can use the bit driver. If I want to use the SwissTool on screws it isn't a problem, it has a nice phillips driver and some good flat screwdrivers - it does the job just fine!

I'll probably just throw the wave into the vehicle as a backup multi-tool until I get around to setting up a good BOB. I think I'll stick with the SwissTool X for my EDC.
 
Gadgetaholic said:
Isn't the file also usable as a wood saw? I thought that was why one edge has the file on it.
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The file is usable as a metal saw, albeit not a great on, IMO.
And the file on my Charge isn't as good as the one on my Wave. Not nearly as aggressive. Neither is the metal saw, for that matter. Wood saw is great, though.
 
I had some problems getting the main blades open on my Swisstool due to the positioning of the nail-nicks. For that reason alone I prefer a comparible Leatherman such as the ST300.
 
Glad she's working out for you , for your line of work a Cybertool / Swisstool combo. would be great . I gotta admit I want a Cybertool 41 , my former apprentice has gone over to one , and sidelined his Multi's .

Chris
 
cdf said:
I gotta admit I want a Cybertool 41 , my former apprentice has gone over to one , and sidelined his Multi's.
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I like the idea of the 41 if you are only going to carry one tool, but as useful as the pliers on the Cybertool might be they can't handle the same tasks as the ones on a pliers based multi-tool.

I think if I was to cut down on what I carry I'd rather switch to a SwissTool Spirit X + Cybertool 29. But I'm really not bothered by the weight or bulk of what I'm carrying now.

I have used both tools at once - the pliers on the Cybertool to hold a nut & the pliers on the multi-tool to turn the bolt. This would also work with pliers on one & screwdriver on the other - not often needed but it can be useful at times. I also like to have some redundancy - there's nothing wrong with carrying a backup.
 
I've got a Leatherman New Wave, Blast, and Juice, but after trying out one of the new SwissTool Spirit X's at a local shop I'm going to sell off the Blast and Juice and get the Spirit X. The new Spirit X has a regular SAK knife which I had to have. It was so much easier to use and the quality that much better that I decided it's what I want in a multi-tool, price be damned :) Having all the tools open (and open very easily) from the outside is night and day compared to a Leatherman. I've also felt the tools on the Leatherman Juice to be flimsy and the can opener on it is awful. The tools on the Spirit X are very robust and much better overall.

Tired of tearing up fingernails on the Leatherman's, so it will be a Victorinox for me next time :)
 
coloradowildman said:
Tired of tearing up fingernails on the Leatherman's, so it will be a Victorinox for me next time :)
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I don't think you'll regret it - the Victornox tools are just great quality, beyond what the price would suggest.

I've now been EDCing my SwissTool X for 2 weeks and I think it is a winner - great tools and more convenient to use. Being able to access the screwdrivers, can opener, bottle opener, scissors, etc - all without having to open up the pliers, that is great! Also having useful tools like an awl & a chisel - that just adds more functionality than you get on the LM Wave.

I think that my SwissTool X will remain as my EDC multi-tool. After 2 weeks of carrying it every day the weight still doesn't bother me in the least. For those that don't want a tool this heavy I think that the SwissTool Spirit X is an excellent choice. I'd have no hesitation in recommending any SwissTool for a daily carry MT.
 
Gadgetaholic said:
I don't think you'll regret it - the Victornox tools are just great quality, beyond what the price would suggest.

I've now been EDCing my SwissTool X for 2 weeks and I think it is a winner - great tools and more convenient to use. Being able to access the screwdrivers, can opener, bottle opener, scissors, etc - all without having to open up the pliers, that is great! Also having useful tools like an awl & a chisel - that just adds more functionality than you get on the LM Wave.

I think that my SwissTool X will remain as my EDC multi-tool. After 2 weeks of carrying it every day the weight still doesn't bother me in the least. For those that don't want a tool this heavy I think that the SwissTool Spirit X is an excellent choice. I'd have no hesitation in recommending any SwissTool for a daily carry MT.
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Thanks Gadget, after trying one out locally I'm already convinced. To be honest, it made me think Leatherman's design team is way behind the times, because the tools are not only hard to get to but incredibly hard to pull out compared to the Victorinox's. I do like the one-handed opening on the Wave plus the diamond file is great, so I'll probably keep it, but the Blast and the Juice are going to to be sent off to boarding school :)

Cheers, CW
 
coloradowildman said:
Thanks Gadget, after trying one out locally I'm already convinced. To be honest, it made me think Leatherman's design team is way behind the times, because the tools are not only hard to get to but incredibly hard to pull out compared to the Victorinox's.
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Several years ago I tried out a Swisstool as a possible replacement for my Leatherman Super Tool. Of course, I was attracted by what everyone else here finds impressive about the Vic product, but in the end went back to Leatherman.

Reasons: the blunt(ish) Vic plier jaws were less useful to me than the true needle nose on the Super and they didn't open as wide, an issue within days of carrying it (oddly enough, never before or since :confused:.)

The Swisstool's overpolished screwdrivers were slippy compared to the sharp cut, businesslike Leatherman ones.

Leatherman implements were easier to draw out than the Vic's, despite their inside opening. I could access most of them with the flat of my thumb, even wearing gloves. Those on the Swisstool were stiffly sprung and when repeatedly pulled out caused my fingernail beds to smart. With wet softened nails, getting them out was quite a challenge, all but impossible in cold temperatures. On a few occasions it took a key or some other small metal to lever them into place.

So it was in sorrow not anger that I sold off the Swisstool. I really liked it and on the day it was to be put up for sale I had a small project to do, installing curtain rod brackets. Using the Swisstool ph driver, I turned a wood screw until it slipped a bit, pressed harder and tightened another half turn until it slipped again and would drive no further. Then switching to the Leatherman, without undue pressure I tightened it almost a full turn more with no slippage.

Decision confirmed. I admire Swisstool fit and finish as much as anyone, but I think Leatherman makes better tools.
 
znapschatz said:
Leatherman implements were easier to draw out than the Vic's, despite their inside opening. I could access most of them with the flat of my thumb, even wearing gloves. Those on the Swisstool were stiffly sprung and when repeatedly pulled out caused my fingernail beds to smart. With wet softened nails, getting them out was quite a challenge, all but impossible in cold temperatures. On a few occasions it took a key or some other small metal to lever them into place.
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I haven't had any difficulty opening any of my SAK implements or my SwissTool implements - they all open as they were designed to. My friend has a Victorinox SAK that he brings around for me to sharpen and there was one implement on his that I couldn't open with my thumbnail, this immediately struck me as wrong so I lubed it and opened & closed it a few times - then it wasn't a problem to open it with my thumbnail.

As for the polished screwdrivers I'll have to admit that I very rarely use them because 99% of the time I use the bit driver on the Cybertool for my screwdriving needs. The flat screwdriver that is on the bottle opener is something that I mostly use as a pry tool. For serious screwdriving that requires a lot of force I'd definitely go with the real screwdrivers rather than any multi-tool, but with the normal odd job my SAK & multi-tools have worked just fine for me.

With the SwissTool there is a variant that comes with a bit driver, so for someone that doesn't want to use the polished screwdrivers on the tool, that could be an option worth considering.
 
I love the Swiss Tool, I'm getting another one tomorrow NIB for $30 off craigslist. I carry a SOG powerlock EOD and I have a Leatherman Fuse. The Fuse is super lite-weight. The SOG is awesome but it is heavy. I feel that the swiss tool is better quality than the SOG and will hold up better. Sometimes the powerlock seems alittle flimsy when you really have a hold of something, it just doesn't seem as sturdy as the Swiss Tool
 
Yeah, this guy in my area works in the medical supplies field and travels from hospital to hopital all over the state. He posts little flyers on the hospital's community boards saying he will buy new or used pocket knives and tools. He gets them at low prices and sells them for $5 more on craigslist. This is the second SwissTool I have bought from him. Other knives I have gotten from him are a mini-griptilian and a delica.
 
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