I was just asked on Rec.knives why I prefered the Supertool to the Swiss.I must add that I sweated for two months over which multi to buy after giving away my Supertool after two years of great service. I checked the specs of every tool and asked a lot of questions. I thought I should include my review here. Don't get me wrong I know there are some real swisstool loyalist out
there who love the Swisstool but it wasnt for me. I am a heavy multi tool user as I am an
Exhibits person. All those nifty things you see and do at a museum are
Designed, built and maintained by us. There are some real pluses to the
Swisstool but I found that little of it was about real function. For
someone who uses the tool EVERYDAY I think its a weak choice.
Details: The good
1. It looks really pretty.
The highly polished tool and rounded handles, stamped Victronix
insignia and so on make this like a Rolex of Multi's. Just the thing
to take out at your beach house to impress the friends.
2. The pliers are Really stout
The pliers feel like a standard single purpose pliers
3. Tool acquisition from the outside
4. The lock mech rules compared to the super
5. Non clumping tools ???
The bad:
1. The tool is WAYYYYYY heavy for daily all day wear.
I found that more often than not when I needed the tool it was in my
ruck because I hadn't put it on. If you have really large hips or don't
mind spending the day pulling up on your pants its fine other than
that it is a pain to wear. Could be great for the car or boat but
tough on the body.
2. The tools are a bit on the flimsier side.
In their eagerness to include a bunch of stuff without having to
redesign the wheel they took a mess of standard SAK blades and stuck
them in the Swiss tool. Now I know again that there is a large
following of the SAK's but I have never been one of them. To me they
were somewhat of a novelty item. Cute but don't lean on them. I feel
the same way about the tools on the Swisstool. Kind of thin and flexi.
The Supertools individual blades are more robust. Again if this is not
going to be a primary tool then this is fine.
3. Did I mention it was HEAVY !!
4. The polished rounded edges on the screwdrivers have had me skip of
screws and stab myself more in one month of ownership than in the two
years I owned my super.
5. I am not a big fan of multiple use blades.
That little screwdriver on the end of the can opener is all but
worthless. Most of those little tiny screws especially with
electronics are slightly or completely recessed. I have yet to find a
use for this screwdriver. I like my screwdriver blade to be a
screwdriver blade. On the Swiss tool almost all the blades are a
combination this, that and the other thing doing none of them
particularly well.
6. Its really heavy.
7. The handles are very large and thick.
It gives the pliers that robust feeling I mentioned before but it also
stops you from inserting the tool into hard to reach spots. A few
times I was able to get the head into something only to bump up
against the handles and not be able to reach the nut or what have you.
I have had better luck inserting standard pliers lets say to engage a
leveler on wall panels than I had with the Swiss. Never had a problem
with the super.
8. Everything you heard about the blunt nose is true.
I'm better off with a dedicated needle nose for this type tool and my
type of work.
9. The crimper is worthless
I use a crimper all the time. The one on the super was wonderful. I
cant get a decent crimp from the Swiss and I think it has to do with
the rather thick handles.
Don't get me wrong the super has its flaws. I hate the way you have to
disengage the lock and I guess having to open the handles to get at a
screwdriver is a time waster (again minor inconvenience) but I think
that is my only complaint. Its not a light weight but feels much
slimmer and lighter than the Swiss. The blades including the knife
blades are stout, outstanding and usually single minded in purpose. I
never have experienced the problem that I hear about with the edges of
the handle being uncomfortable when using the pliers hard. Non
clumping tools to me is a non issue. Never once felt it was an issue
like I did with the lock. I used and abused a super for two years both
indoors and out on an all day everyday basis in a shop and in the
woods and the only damage I did was to the very small screwdriver on a
screw I shouldn't have used it on anyway. (the Phillips head screw that
you don't have the proper size Phillips for) finally I lost it in tall
grass and it lay buried in the snow for three months. My friend found
it and I let him have it. a spray down with wd40 and it is still in
use everyday today. And my friend is a REAL abuser of tools. If anyone has any questions I may not have answered here feel free to email.
I bought my girl the Gerber multi sport. cute but again not in the
league with the Leatherman offerings. The tools are not the most
gadgety or gee whiz but really well thought out USING tools. Follow
this link to see the Leatherman of my future. A little shorter than
the super and a few tools less. But the addition of scissors and remote
lock disconnect. http://www.leatherman.com/images/popupwindows/pulse.jpg
for details go to http://www.leatherman.com & http://www.equipped.com/shot00.htm
------------------
ALex
http://home.att.net./~a.boriqua
there who love the Swisstool but it wasnt for me. I am a heavy multi tool user as I am an
Exhibits person. All those nifty things you see and do at a museum are
Designed, built and maintained by us. There are some real pluses to the
Swisstool but I found that little of it was about real function. For
someone who uses the tool EVERYDAY I think its a weak choice.
Details: The good
1. It looks really pretty.
The highly polished tool and rounded handles, stamped Victronix
insignia and so on make this like a Rolex of Multi's. Just the thing
to take out at your beach house to impress the friends.
2. The pliers are Really stout
The pliers feel like a standard single purpose pliers
3. Tool acquisition from the outside
4. The lock mech rules compared to the super
5. Non clumping tools ???
The bad:
1. The tool is WAYYYYYY heavy for daily all day wear.
I found that more often than not when I needed the tool it was in my
ruck because I hadn't put it on. If you have really large hips or don't
mind spending the day pulling up on your pants its fine other than
that it is a pain to wear. Could be great for the car or boat but
tough on the body.
2. The tools are a bit on the flimsier side.
In their eagerness to include a bunch of stuff without having to
redesign the wheel they took a mess of standard SAK blades and stuck
them in the Swiss tool. Now I know again that there is a large
following of the SAK's but I have never been one of them. To me they
were somewhat of a novelty item. Cute but don't lean on them. I feel
the same way about the tools on the Swisstool. Kind of thin and flexi.
The Supertools individual blades are more robust. Again if this is not
going to be a primary tool then this is fine.
3. Did I mention it was HEAVY !!
4. The polished rounded edges on the screwdrivers have had me skip of
screws and stab myself more in one month of ownership than in the two
years I owned my super.
5. I am not a big fan of multiple use blades.
That little screwdriver on the end of the can opener is all but
worthless. Most of those little tiny screws especially with
electronics are slightly or completely recessed. I have yet to find a
use for this screwdriver. I like my screwdriver blade to be a
screwdriver blade. On the Swiss tool almost all the blades are a
combination this, that and the other thing doing none of them
particularly well.
6. Its really heavy.
7. The handles are very large and thick.
It gives the pliers that robust feeling I mentioned before but it also
stops you from inserting the tool into hard to reach spots. A few
times I was able to get the head into something only to bump up
against the handles and not be able to reach the nut or what have you.
I have had better luck inserting standard pliers lets say to engage a
leveler on wall panels than I had with the Swiss. Never had a problem
with the super.
8. Everything you heard about the blunt nose is true.
I'm better off with a dedicated needle nose for this type tool and my
type of work.
9. The crimper is worthless
I use a crimper all the time. The one on the super was wonderful. I
cant get a decent crimp from the Swiss and I think it has to do with
the rather thick handles.
Don't get me wrong the super has its flaws. I hate the way you have to
disengage the lock and I guess having to open the handles to get at a
screwdriver is a time waster (again minor inconvenience) but I think
that is my only complaint. Its not a light weight but feels much
slimmer and lighter than the Swiss. The blades including the knife
blades are stout, outstanding and usually single minded in purpose. I
never have experienced the problem that I hear about with the edges of
the handle being uncomfortable when using the pliers hard. Non
clumping tools to me is a non issue. Never once felt it was an issue
like I did with the lock. I used and abused a super for two years both
indoors and out on an all day everyday basis in a shop and in the
woods and the only damage I did was to the very small screwdriver on a
screw I shouldn't have used it on anyway. (the Phillips head screw that
you don't have the proper size Phillips for) finally I lost it in tall
grass and it lay buried in the snow for three months. My friend found
it and I let him have it. a spray down with wd40 and it is still in
use everyday today. And my friend is a REAL abuser of tools. If anyone has any questions I may not have answered here feel free to email.
I bought my girl the Gerber multi sport. cute but again not in the
league with the Leatherman offerings. The tools are not the most
gadgety or gee whiz but really well thought out USING tools. Follow
this link to see the Leatherman of my future. A little shorter than
the super and a few tools less. But the addition of scissors and remote
lock disconnect. http://www.leatherman.com/images/popupwindows/pulse.jpg
for details go to http://www.leatherman.com & http://www.equipped.com/shot00.htm
------------------
ALex
http://home.att.net./~a.boriqua
