SAK or Multi-Tool?

Quiet Storm

Quiet Storm

Joined
May 17, 2002
Messages
5,757
What do you like better? I´m talking about quality products only, which means Swiss Army Knives made by Victorinox/Wenger and Multi-Tools by Leatherman/SOG/Gerber... - you get the idea.

I personally prefer SAKs for the mid-sized category, but if I would need something larger, I´d go with a Wave or something. Those SAKs just grow too thick to be comfortable to handle.
And I don´t think these mini-SAKs are too useful either, so I´m probably going to replace mine with a Micra.

What´s your preference?
 
I like my SOG PowerLock and Deluxe Pocket PowerPlier the best. I have a Victorinox Deluxe Tinker, but the pliers on it are strictly for light use. I also like the fact that I can change the tools on my SOG multi-tools if I want to.
 
Don't forget to look at a Spyderench, having an adjustable wrench included is a nice feature.:)
 
I love multitools! :D

I have the SOG Powerlock and CrossCut and the Leatherman Supertool 200, PST, Wave, and Micra! They are all great!
 
For comfort, I'd call the new ergonomic handled locking SAKs to be the best of the bunch. I've used my locking SAK Tradesman for hours on end. VERY comfortable compared to the older SAKs and any multitools I've tried.

But when I need pliers, I usually grab my Wave or Juice.

trade2.jpg
 
For daily carry, I need pliers, so it has to be a multitool. Right now it's a Leatherman PST, since I broke the pliers on my Wave off night before last:( Those comfortable handles were its downfall-let you put plenty of pressure and torque without hurting your hand. Forgot I was using a Leatherman, and not a pair of Kleins. Snap!

I agree about preferring SAKs, except for when they get too thick. My Outrider is at (really a little above) the limit for me to use comfortably. If I didn't need the pliers, I'd carry the Outrider instead of a multitool, though.
 
I too love Multitools. Between SAKs and multitools, I must have around 40:D
if you need pliers, than you should have a multitool. I also like carrying combinations, such as a juice and a manager II sak, or a wave and a micra, etc. I think the biggest factor in determining what I'm going to carry is "how big of a tool can I comfortably take with me." Take the biggest that I can, and supplement it with something smaller. (I think I'm crazy for these things"):)
I thought that after I had just about every leatherman made, it would end there, Then I saw a SOG Powerlock on sale for $49. It's a bit big, but I now like the SOGs better than leatherman. Here we go again! :D
 
My favorite one of these gadgets is the Victorinox Swiss Tool. So I guess that would be a SAK Multitool. People complain about its size, but I have found that if you use the belt sheath I don't even notice it's there. Really, 9 ounces isn't much, less than a bag of Doritos.

In my experience the smaller SAKs simply cannot hold a candle to the Micra. Not as tough, not as useful, and usually bigger too. They do look a bit better, though.
 
Originally posted by markd1
...I thought that after I had just about every leatherman made, it would end there, Then I saw a SOG Powerlock on sale for $49. It's a bit big, but I now like the SOGs better than leatherman. Here we go again! :D
Click to expand...
...A SOG PowerLock for only $49???.:eek:. The list price on those is $79.95! You made an EXCELLENT buy!.:).
 
For 90% of my stuff, my Vic Delux Tinker is great. In my bag is a Gerber 400 and a Vic Bantam in a Gerber double pouch.
guy

edited to add Bantam to post
 
It depends. For example, when I had an SAK, I'd use the little scissors (the ones where the spring breaks after using it a few times) on it rather than hunt around for those household scissors that always go missing. But I'd never use the flimsy screwdrivers on the SAK's.

On the whole, I'd have to say multitools (the larger ones) are more useful than the SAK. Multitools are more robust in build. If I was lost in the wilderness, I'd rather have a full multitool than an SAK. SAK's are more convenient for carrying.

Neither of them is a good substitute for a tool set.

Ironically, my choice would be a Victorinix multitool!
 
SOG PowerLock
Hands down.
No Leatherman that I own/seen can compare.
I need pliers and SAK's pliers won't do the job at all.
 
I would choose even the lower end decent Multi-tool over the most high end SAK. Just my tastes :)
 
It is widely known that I'm insane, but I like to carry both. My preferred combination these days is the massive Victorinox SwissChamp XLT and the Leatherman Mini-Tool. The Mini-Tool doesn't have enough tools to be a good carry by itself, but those full-sized pliers make it the perfect match for a well-appointed SAK.

--Bob Q
 
I own three different version of Buck's BUCKTOOL and am absolutely in love with 'em. The handles open differently then the Leatherman or Gerber's,(allowing you to open one haflway for more torque if needed) the tools are ID's on the handles so you know which side to open, and the tools (knife blade, screwdrivers, etc.) LOCK open when in use preventing the accidental injury.

Unfortunately, Buck has recently discontinued this line. They are still being sold on eBay and through stores and dealers that still have stock.
 
>"... I broke the pliers on my Wave off night before last Those comfortable handles were its downfall-let you put plenty of pressure and torque without hurting your hand. Forgot I was using a Leatherman, and not a pair of Kleins. Snap!"

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You're sending the Wave back to Leathermanland, right? I'd be extremely surprised if they didn't replace it.

As to my own preference - SAK or multi - well, I carry a SAK Spartan far more often than I do a multi tool. But that doesn't necessarily mean I <i>prefer</i> a SAK over multi tools. They just fit my lifestyle better right now (easier pocket carry, I don't often need pliers, etc.) When it's time to get some work done around the house, or head into the woods, I take a lot of comfort in strapping that Wave onto my belt.

Here's a tale I'll tell you that has, well, no real point ... just says a little something about me and multi tools. I have one of the larger, locking SAKs, an <a href="http://store.knifecenter.com/pgi-ProductSpec?VN53601">Adventurer</a>, that I keep in my truck. Awhile back, I got it in my mind that I had to "upgrade" this truck knife to a multi-tool. Now, that SAK has always done everything that's been asked of it, and done it well. I carried it around Europe for 5 years (it was my only knife there). Still, for a brief time there, I was ready to chuck it over and "upgrade" because I felt I needed the latest-and-greatest, pliers-enabled tool sitting in my truck just in case I ever needed to fix something. I looked high and low for just the right multi at just the right price. I searched Ebay and I glanced in at a couple of pawn shops. Finally, it occurred to me (I think that SAK was speaking to me), "Hey dummy, just buy a pair of pliers and toss 'em in the glove box too." So my trusty old SAK, which has stood by me for years and got me out of a ton of jams, didn't get put out to pasture just yet. And for less than $15, I got a "multi tool" with the best pliers going, <i>actual pliers</i>.

At any rate, if I did HAVE to choose one or the other, I guess it would be a multi ... but it probably wouldn't be my EDC, it'd ride in my vehicle or backpack, while a folder of some sort filled the EDC role.
 
Originally posted by mnblade
>"... I broke the pliers on my Wave off night before last Those comfortable handles were its downfall-let you put plenty of pressure and torque without hurting your hand. Forgot I was using a Leatherman, and not a pair of Kleins. Snap!"

===============================

You're sending the Wave back to Leathermanland, right? I'd be extremely surprised if they didn't replace it.
Click to expand...
I plan to send it back, and don't doubt that they'll replace it. Haven't gotten around to emailing or calling Leatherman, yet, though. A friend of mine waited 2 1/2 months on a SideClip that he sent back with a broken blade recently, though, so I'm thinking of buying a SuperTool, or something along those lines for work, and keeping the replacement Wave for use away from there. The ST seems alot beefier behind the wire cutter cutout, which is where my Wave broke (guess that's a stress riser?). I can already see that my PST just isn't going to cut it, since I seem to be using pliers constantly lately, plus the blade folded up on me several times tonight while doing some stuff I wasn't willing to use a decent knife for. Stopped by Wal-Mart on the way home to get a ST, but they were out:(
 
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