View Full Version : Multitools. Any preferences?
larry the spark
08-01-2004, 18:33
Not sure if there has been a previous thread about this but thought I'd see what people favour as a multitool.
I've had a swisstool for a couple of years and absolutely love it. In fact, before I got into bushcraft 'proper' it was the only blade I brought away fishing and camping and it has served me very well. Still attached to my belt most of the time in addition to my trusty puukkos!
the swisstool is far and away the best m-tool going, if a little heavy and bulky for some people. sadly i lost mine, so i ended up with a LM wave, cheap from a mate in the states.
my favourite LM is the juice cs4, great little piece of kit.
cheers, and.
I've got a Leatherman super tool - old design and a bit heavy but very strong and reliable. The blades lock so not legal for 'everyday' carrying.
larry the spark
08-01-2004, 19:07
the swisstool is far and away the best m-tool going
I did not know that! In fact i had asked for one of the leatherman variants for my birthday a couple of years ago and got the swisstool instead. I was a little disappointed...though not after using it of course! :-D
got the swisstool X, it's great, but i dunno how it compairs to other high qualtity brands.
The Swisstool is the best mulritool made. I like the CS wih Scissors, corkscrew and tool bit kit.
I've used the swiss tool, the leatherman wave, and the gerber legend
The leatherman wave I found the best by Far, and is now what i carry every day
I use a Gerber 800 Legend. It lives on my belt. It has Tungsten Carbide cutting blades in the jaws and its spring loaded. The only draw back is no can opener, so I have to carry a G.I style can opener in the belt pouch with it. 8-)
I've been using a LM wave for the last 2 years and love it.
I don't know how it compares to any of the other leading brands as I've never used them, but I carry the wave pretty much all the time now.
I don't know how I managed without it before.
Colin KC
08-01-2004, 22:10
Mine's a Gerber 800 Legend ('course, I don' achully do any bushcraft, I just do knives :-) )
Don't know about the others, but I lurve mine :-D
i like the idea of the legend, i sold mine in the end and went back to the swiss tool. the spring loaded jaws are cool, but you then have the smallest opening jaws of any multi tool i've used. the jig saw attachment is brilliant, as is the idea of the wire cutter inserts. i'm an electrical engineer and i use my multi tool all day everyday. but most of the screwdrivers are just not long enough on the gerbers, and the posidrive is just too fat. the legend is still one of the most stylish tools going though. even if a little bulky for a limited range of tools. the bottle opener is a wierd one too, most people can open a bottle on the side of a table or a brick or with their teeth! but it's not nearly as easy to open a tin. so why a bottle opener and not a tin opener? the scissors are a bit of a let down too, more robust than the wave scissors by a long way, but the wave scissors are easier to use for light duty stuff.
all in all it has some of the best and most advanced features of any M-tool, but it just doesn't do the basic stuff well enough to keep up. :cry: a couple of other blokes at work swear by them though.
cheers, and.
Well the first multitool I bought was a SOG Paratool, about 8 years ago. I found that the various blades would fold on you if you applied any real pressure and you would end up getting hurt, especially when the screw-driver blades slip.
About 3 years ago I bought a Leatherman Wave while out in the USA(much cheaper than here in the UK). Prior to the trip I spent quite a lot of time handling as many different brands and models of multitool that I could and I came to the conclusion that the Wave was by far the best.
I have the leatherman supertool which is excellent and also the Juice Xe6 whick is lighter and has more tools.
The Supertool can really take some hammer and it,s always on my belt :-)
Personally find the swisstool too bulky to carry. The original leatherman designs were "inside out" so you couldn't apply much pressure to the grips because of the hollow handles digging into your hands. The new wave is much the best in my opinion. I liked the needle nose pliers on the original SOG paratool - still sorry I lost that - and like idea of the replaceable saw and carbide insert wirecutters on the gerber.
Just don't pay UK highstreet prices when you can save a fortune through Joe at ODS or direct import from the USA. Especially now with the exchange rate at 1.80:1
If I am carrying a multitool on my hip, the SwissTool X is my favorite. But I carry a leatherman pulse in my pocket every day. Would not leave home without it. Big enough to do most jobs but still light enough to carry. The only drawback imo is no saw. But that's why I also carry an SAK Camper. Both of these sit in a small sheath that rides in my back pocket, day in and day out. I've been carrying a Pulse ever since they came out and couldn't be happier. Good size, all the blades lock, and it's rock solid. I have the wave but I find it a little too wobbly for my tastes although it's still a pretty good tool and has earned a great reputation. The Juice line is also too wobbly for me with the exception of the squirt P4, which I really like and also carry edc.
In my limited experience, for multitools people seem to fall into one of 2 camps: Leatherman or Gerber. It seems to me that there's not a lot to choose between them and whichever you get first or is most easily available to you seems to be the one you stick with. I've had a LM supertool since 1996 and have had loads of arguments with others over which is better, Gerber or Leatherman. To be honest, I personally don't think it really matters as they are pretty similar and do much the same job.
Great Pebble
11-01-2004, 15:12
I have the LM Wave, of which I'm very fond. Haven't tried any of the other modern ones, But have had the original LM and the PST2 in the past.
I'm currently claiming that the Wave is getting a bit rickety and past it's best, principly because I fancy one of the 20th anniversary Waves with the satin finish and need an excuse to purchase.
Nick in Belfast
clcuckow
11-01-2004, 16:43
I cannot say anything bad about my LM Wave with the tool adaptor. I used to carry every day that I was not 'suited and booted' until I found out it was illegal due to the blade lock. It now lives in my laptop bag during the week (I am a computer consultant) and find that I reach for it first if on the odd occasions that I have do any hardware work rather than my 'proper' tool kit.
I also find the diamond file very good for sharpening knifes/axe's etc.