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How do you guys rate Swiss Army knives and Leatherman knives? Is one better than the other? Are they too different to compare?
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Swiss army knives vs. Leatherman knives
- Thread starter supratentorial
- Start date
They are so different it's not even funny! The only crossovers are the Swisstools vs. standard Leatherman tools and the Leatherman lockbacks vs. 111mm locking folders.
Personally I rate the Swisstool Spirit higher than any other Leatherman offering because I feel it is just designed better. All of the tools lock, none of them clump, and they're all accessible without opening the pliers. Now if you need one-handed blades and saws, interchangeable proprietary bits, maybe the Leatherman Wave or Charge would be better suited for you, but I'm sure most people on BFC carry a separate folder and don't need another one-handed blade. Also I think the quality has dropped a bit on Leatherman's lower-end offerings like the Micra and the Kick.
And if you don't need pliers, well, Victorinox is the only way to go for a multitool.
Personally I rate the Swisstool Spirit higher than any other Leatherman offering because I feel it is just designed better. All of the tools lock, none of them clump, and they're all accessible without opening the pliers. Now if you need one-handed blades and saws, interchangeable proprietary bits, maybe the Leatherman Wave or Charge would be better suited for you, but I'm sure most people on BFC carry a separate folder and don't need another one-handed blade. Also I think the quality has dropped a bit on Leatherman's lower-end offerings like the Micra and the Kick.
And if you don't need pliers, well, Victorinox is the only way to go for a multitool.
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Well i own 50+ SAK's and only 7 Leathermans (one old Wave and 6 Micras), lol!
The Leathermans are good quality but i personally like Victorinox SAK's better.
The Leatherman Micra is about the only Leatherman i would choose over the Vic equivalent (Vic Classic).
Actually i think the Vic Swisschamp is a good or better than a lot of multitools. The Vic SAK pliers are smaller than those on most multitools but the quality is high.
But If big chunky pliers are your thing get a Vic Swisstool or Spirit or one of the other brand multitools (Leatherman SOG etc).
If you don't need large pliers then a Vic Swisschamp will do the job.
If you don't need pliers at all then SAK's like the Vic Ranger/ Huntsman/Farmer/Compact/OH Trekker are good choices.
My EDC is strictly Victorinox right now.
However i do have a Leatherman XE6 on the way.To me the XE6 multi looks like it should have been born a Victorinox. Very SAK-like, lol!
The Leathermans are good quality but i personally like Victorinox SAK's better.
The Leatherman Micra is about the only Leatherman i would choose over the Vic equivalent (Vic Classic).
Actually i think the Vic Swisschamp is a good or better than a lot of multitools. The Vic SAK pliers are smaller than those on most multitools but the quality is high.
But If big chunky pliers are your thing get a Vic Swisstool or Spirit or one of the other brand multitools (Leatherman SOG etc).
If you don't need large pliers then a Vic Swisschamp will do the job.
If you don't need pliers at all then SAK's like the Vic Ranger/ Huntsman/Farmer/Compact/OH Trekker are good choices.
My EDC is strictly Victorinox right now.
However i do have a Leatherman XE6 on the way.To me the XE6 multi looks like it should have been born a Victorinox. Very SAK-like, lol!
The latter one was the comparison that I'm wondering about. For example:
I haven't seen these new Leatherman knives up close yet so i can't comment. But i do own a Vic OH Trekker (like the one pictured).
Its a GREAT KNIFE!
And it has more functions than the pictured Leatherman.
Also personally for one-hand opening i prefer the hole-in-the-blade type as opposed to the button-on-the-blade types.
The Vic saw also cuts like crazy and is a major plus in a camping situation.
The spine Phillip's on the OH Trekker is not as useful as the end-mount Phillip's on the Leatherman. The Leatherman knives with the bit drivers have a bit of an advantage if you need to screw different types of screws, the Vic is the better camp tool. Now to throw some fuel on the fire, how come you didn't ask about the Wenger Ranger 120mm locking folders (see http://www.wengerna.com/browse/browse.jsp?cat_id=1&sub_cat_id=85) in your comparison?
Yeah i'm not a big fan of spine mounted Philips at all, regardless of make. The end mount phillips is definitely more useful.
Regarding the Wenger Rangers well i've been trying to get feedback on those from forumites here
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=509145
Not a lot of hands on replies so far.
But there is a good article here
http://www.sosakonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=243&Itemid=35
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Please do include them. That's why I chose the words "Swiss army knives" instead of "Victorinox" or "Wenger". The photo was just one example. I actually wrote a comparison of those two.
The discussion is going well and I hope it continues.
There are lots of interesting differences between them such as:
front or back serrations
polished vs. matte finish
hollow ground flat drivers vs. bit drivers vs. combination drivers
....to name a few.
I own several Leatherman tools and LOTS of Victorinox SAKs, plus an original Swisstool. I also own one Leatherman knife, forget which #, but it has the linerlock, a blade flipper, and no extra tools on it.
I don't yet own a One-Hand Trekker, but I have the older equivalent, the Vic Trailmaster. Quality-wise, there is really no comparison between the knives. The Vic is super-solid and perfect f/f. The Leatherman knife isn't junk; it makes a decent beater knife. It cuts fine. It does seem to get loose at the pivot point with use, though.
Jim
I don't yet own a One-Hand Trekker, but I have the older equivalent, the Vic Trailmaster. Quality-wise, there is really no comparison between the knives. The Vic is super-solid and perfect f/f. The Leatherman knife isn't junk; it makes a decent beater knife. It cuts fine. It does seem to get loose at the pivot point with use, though.
Jim
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The Leatherman knives can be adjusted though. Aren't Swiss army knives technically slip joints?
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I have a Vic Soldier, and super tinker. Both are high quality.Life threatening survival I would pick the soldier,seeming indistructible.Good for salt water too.I also have a few Waves,a Supertool, and used to have the original leatherman.As far as quality, I think the Vics have it down for fit and finish. I still prefer the Wave though.The fit on the Wave is good, the finish is acceptable, so I did a little finishing myself. I crocused the blades on my wave and polished her up a bit.It takes a beating fairly well.
How is customer service on Victorinox?
How is customer service on Victorinox?
Supratentorial:
Most basic Vic SAKs are slipjoints, but my old Vic Trailmaster is one of the larger-sized SAKs that has a dual linerlock (locks both the knife blade and the bottle/can opener on the other end. I also have an even older Vic Cowboy with a sliding/button lock.
Jim
Most basic Vic SAKs are slipjoints, but my old Vic Trailmaster is one of the larger-sized SAKs that has a dual linerlock (locks both the knife blade and the bottle/can opener on the other end. I also have an even older Vic Cowboy with a sliding/button lock.
Jim
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Jim,
Thank you for the reply. I'm more of a "tool guy" than a "knife guy" so hopefully you and the other members of bladeforums can help straighten me out. So the OHT and Trailmaster have a liner lock similar to the Leatherman C305 except it's on the opposite side.
The large flat driver also uses a liner lock but the remaining tools are slip joints. Correct so far? No here's my main question: The knife on the OHT has what appears to be a back spring which seems to keep the blade from rotating freely. (1) Does this backspring work similar to the way a slipjoint works? (2) What mechanism performs this function on the Leatherman C305?
Some locking blades have a backspring similar to a slipjoint (usually the lock back style as seen on Buck 110s), however, it is noticeably weaker (mostly it is used to hold the blade closed); the backspring in the Vic is not weaker though (which makes opening it a little slower and harder than many Tactical knives, on the other hand if the lock does fail it will not close as easily as other locking blades). Liner locks typically do not have backsprings, they operate similar to a Friction Folder. I've never held or looked closely at a Leatherman C305 (or other Leatherman knife) so I have no idea if they have a backspring at all.
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Thanks for the info!
Like Sunshaker said.
On the Leatherman knife I have, there is no backspring, and the way it's held closed is by a ball detent which, on this particular knife, instead of the common ball bearing in the locking liner, the "ball" appears to be a stamped-on bump in the liner. It seems to serve its purpose fine, however.
Jim
On the Leatherman knife I have, there is no backspring, and the way it's held closed is by a ball detent which, on this particular knife, instead of the common ball bearing in the locking liner, the "ball" appears to be a stamped-on bump in the liner. It seems to serve its purpose fine, however.
Jim
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