Wave, Surge, Swisstool, or other?

JGON

JGON

Joined
Mar 12, 2010
Messages
975
Hey there Multi-tool experts...

I had a Diesel by Gerber for many years, but it went missing a few months ago and I'm looking to get something new. The Diesel did the job and wasn't a bad tool, but I'm looking for something different.

After reading a bit, I've identified two products by Leatherman, the Wave and the Surge, that I am interested in. I also really like the Swisstool by Victorinox.

Any feedback on how these three compare to each other and which you experts would prefer would be appreciated.

I am the General Manager of a restaurant, and naturally I like to keep my costs down by fixing things myself, so this tool will assist me in fixing anything a $1,000,000/year restaurant can throw at me including refrigeration, electrical, plumbing, woodwork, kitchen equipment, HVAC, and any of the other endless odds and ends that I might encounter for my job. Sometimes this work can put a tool like this through the ringer, so I'm hoping to get one that is as sturdy as possible, and weight/size is not an issue.

In addition to that, I also enjoy backpacking and kayak/camping, so this tool would come with me on those trips as well. Weight would be more of an issue here, but I'm not concerned about this so much for the purposes of purchasing this tool. This is mostly for the restaurant.

Any thoughts? Will the three I've identified do the job? Is anything in the lead for the tasks I've described for the tool?
 
If weight is less of an issue, quick access to knife is not needed, and more power is desired, then I would go with something you don't list: SOG Powerlock.
 
Sep said:
If weight is less of an issue, quick access to knife is not needed, and more power is desired, then I would go with something you don't list: SOG Powerlock.
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How do SOG's multi-tools rate overall compared to the other brands? I'm not overly impressed with their knives, but I have no experience whatsoever with their multi-tools.
 
jgon said:
How do SOG's multi-tools rate overall compared to the other brands? I'm not overly impressed with their knives, but I have no experience whatsoever with their multi-tools.
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The quality is at least comparable to Leatherman, definitely better than Gerber.
 
I would go with either a Wave , or a Vic. Spirit , which I much prefer to the Swisstool . The Wave is a great piece of kit , can't say anything bad about it . The Spirit has about 95% of the Swisstool's capabilities , in a more ergonomic package .

Chris
 
The SOG powerlock is an excellent Multitool. Strong and reliable. I like the Wave and the Surge, my only issue with those two models is the file/saw is removable and replaceable, which is cool, but they are no way nearly as robust as the solid saw on the other models. Because of that, I prefer my Core or SuperTool, or even my Blast, when out in the woods.

The Vic is a really elegant multitool. Well built, solid, but very comfortable to use.

Honestly, between the tools mentioned, it really is a personal preference, verses reliability issue, they are all well made, strong tools. I can't really think of anything (other then price) that makes one of these above the others.

You will find that the fit and finish out of the box is much higher then the Gerbers.
 
I forgot to mention that the reason I picked the Powerlock is its compound leverage mechanism. Look it up.
 
All great feedback. I appreciate your help. I am reading about the compound leverage mechanism now.

What about one handed opening for the knives and other tools? Which tools do this?
 
I'm looking at the handle covers on the powerlock, and I'm visualizing those as being cumbersome. Also, the fit and finish on the Swisstool just looks amazing. Even though it doesn't look like it has one handed opening of knives, I can live without it really. It is definitely a nice feature to have and I like that design aspect of the Leathermans.

As of right now I'm leaning towards the Victorinox I think, although maybe I will head into a store and see if I can handle a few of these first.
 
If you have smallish hands, get the Wave...If you have largish hands, get the Surge. Note that the Surge is quite a bit larger, thicker, & heavier than the Wave. Also, if important to you, the scissors of the Surge are larger than those of the Wave.
 
jgon said:
I'm looking at the handle covers on the powerlock, and I'm visualizing those as being cumbersome. Also, the fit and finish on the Swisstool just looks amazing. Even though it doesn't look like it has one handed opening of knives, I can live without it really. It is definitely a nice feature to have and I like that design aspect of the Leathermans.

As of right now I'm leaning towards the Victorinox I think, although maybe I will head into a store and see if I can handle a few of these first.
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the handle covers on the SOG are no issue at all. in fact it makes the grip more comfortable. you do not have to open the unit to get to the good. just flip open the cover and close it back. everything locks into place. tell you what the power on the pliers are awesome. i snapped right through some barbed wire last week. gerber and leatherman cant do that bud.. not sure about vic
 
hung-solo said:
the handle covers on the SOG are no issue at all. in fact it makes the grip more comfortable. you do not have to open the unit to get to the good. just flip open the cover and close it back. everything locks into place. tell you what the power on the pliers are awesome. i snapped right through some barbed wire last week. gerber and leatherman cant do that bud.. not sure about vic
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While the SOG is awesome, the statement that Gerber and Leatherman can't/won't cut right thru barbed wire isn't close to correct. There are models of each that will do it fine. And yes, the Vic will too, and I am pretty sure that the Spirit can, but it might damage the cutters.
 
I recently found myself in the same situation, after I lost my old style leatherman wave. After questioning here and examining each model first hand I decided to go with the Swiss tool, although the Sog powerlock would be just great too. However, I ended up buying neither since wouldn't you know it my old wave showed up again! :) Incidentally I HATE the new style wave. Seems cheaply (and clumsily) made compared to the old one and who thought changing the Phillips head screwdriver around was a good idea?
 
Triton said:
I recently found myself in the same situation, after I lost my old style leatherman wave. After questioning here and examining each model first hand I decided to go with the Swiss tool, although the Sog powerlock would be just great too. However, I ended up buying neither since wouldn't you know it my old wave showed up again! :) Incidentally I HATE the new style wave. Seems cheaply (and clumsily) made compared to the old one and who thought changing the Phillips head screwdriver around was a good idea?
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MY new-style Wave is excellent, and strong. The one you looked at must have been a bad one. Also, the ability to customize the changeable bits (via purchase of the "Bit Kit" is a great idea).
 
glockman99 said:
MY new-style Wave is excellent, and strong. The one you looked at must have been a bad one. Also, the ability to customize the changeable bits (via purchase of the "Bit Kit" is a great idea).
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To be fair the new ones I looked at were at Target. It may be that Target has some sort of cheapie version or something, I've seen that other places like the Troy bilt stuff that you get at Lowes...
 
So far, I have owned 3 of the "new-style" Waves, and all 3 have been excellent. However, the Surge that I traded for my current Wave did have a slight side-to-side "wiggle" when closed. My Wave locks-up very tight, opened & closed.
 
I have owned several of the full size multitools, notably the SOG Powerlock, Leatherman Wave (new model), and the Swisstool Spirit. I have huge paws, and the Spirit is my favorite. Great design, useful blade, I really like it. The Powerlock is long gone, and the Wave stays in my car door pocket.
 
Honestly LM sometimes has some quality control issues from what I've seen. But they are great tools never the less. One thing I did notice, if that's an issue, ppl seem to respond better when you pull out a Vic than any other brand. The high polish is my guess.

Also I agree on looking into Vic Spirit if you're closer to the Swisstool than any other
 
jgon said:
I'm looking at the handle covers on the powerlock, and I'm visualizing those as being cumbersome. Also, the fit and finish on the Swisstool just looks amazing. Even though it doesn't look like it has one handed opening of knives, I can live without it really. It is definitely a nice feature to have and I like that design aspect of the Leathermans.

As of right now I'm leaning towards the Victorinox I think, although maybe I will head into a store and see if I can handle a few of these first.
Click to expand...

IMHO Victorinox selection of tools make it work better for the wilderness while LM and SOG are more suitable for urban environment. If you're gonna use it primarily in the woods I'd recommend a flavor of Vic, but since it's mostly for an industrial setting I suggest SOG. One of the most common use of the pliers is to substitute for wrench, and believe me you need all the gripping power you can muster to turn a rusty hex nut / bolt.
 
The Leatherman Wave is the best tool for you. It has one hand opening blades, it's not too heavy (8.2 oz respectively), has an awesome bit driver (42 piece bit kit available), and it has a lot of other great features. The Swisstools are nice but the screwdrivers are a big step down to Leatherman in my opinion. The SOG tools are the worst in my opinion. The implements are not robust, the knives are diminutive pen blades, the gears are cool but make the pliers open twice as wide, and the tool has a lot of play when you twist and turn it. Go Leatherman:p
 
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