Thorough - Multi-Tool Face Off

[Naperville]

I might use this video to pick a multi-tool. The video seems very well made.

https://youtu.be/Q9E2PjjdCAM

[bearfacedkiller]

I still haven’t found a tool I like better than the first generation Wave. Mine is from the first year they were out and says patent pending on it. I plan on taking it to the grave with me.

[Evil D]

All of his videos are pretty well made. Some of his testing methods seem a little odd but I like his channel and I like that he does seem to be pretty unbiased.

As for multitools I doubt any will ever replace my Vic Spirit. I might one day try out the Supertool though. I'm even more picky about multitools than I am about knives, so much that I don't even care to own 99% of them.

[JRinFL]

I have a bunch of these tools and still have not found the perfect one for me. Some are very close, but none perfect.
Gerber Center Drive
LM SuperTool Gen1
LM Blast
LM Wingman
LM Wave Gen2
LM Juice Kf4
Vic Swiss Tool Spirit X +
SOG Powergrip
And some little ones as well.

The Blast was used for years at work, replacing the SuperTool. Next most used was the Juice. Now I just use them at home and grab whatever is closest.

[VooDooChild]

I still haven’t found a tool I like better than the first generation Wave. Mine is from the first year they were out and says patent pending on it. I plan on taking it to the grave with me.

And they had USA stamped on the center of the pliers.

I have a 1st gen wave and its great.
With that said there are several other multitools I want.

[James Y]

I had used several Leatherman tools starting in 1999. PST II, original Supertool, Blast, etc. They were good tools. But after I got a Victorinox Spirit (NOT the one with the scissors) in 2010, I found the best multi-tool for me. I carried it for a couple years, but I don’t carry it regularly now. I mostly use it when doing work around my property.

Jim

[Doc Dan]

I have never found a multitool in that format that I like. I like the Vic Pioneer X and Farmer X and that's about it.

[ChrisinHove]

I have never found a multitool in that format that I like. I like the Vic Pioneer X and Farmer X and that's about it.

How do you find the Farmer X? I love the idea of it but I’m worried about the bulk.

[RustyIron]

I've only had two top-shelf multitools. Both are Gerber. Both have blunt-nose pliers. Both pliers were the sliding-type that could be deployed with one hand and a flick of the wrist. The multitools with the pliers that require the floppy-floppy antics of a Butterfly Knife Assassin do not interest me. I put a LOT of miles on both those multitools.

[SpyderNut]

I've only had two top-shelf multitools. Both are Gerber. Both have blunt-nose pliers. Both pliers were the sliding-type that could be deployed with one hand and a flick of the wrist. The multitools with the pliers that require the floppy-floppy antics of a Butterfly Knife Assassin do not interest me. I put a LOT of miles on both those multitools.

I have one of the same type of Gerber multi-tool you described. (It’s the old USA-made version that has flick-out/locking pliers, but the implements are all slip-joint). I bought it sometime in the mid-90’s. Anyway, at the time I preferred it to anything else on the market due to having tools that folded out from the inward sides of the handles vs. the outside sides (like the early Leathermans). I never really used it as much as I thought I would, but I keep it in the truck at all times for emergency use and whatnot.

[RustyIron]

I have one of the same type of Gerber multi-tool you described. (It’s the old USA-made version that has flick-out/locking pliers, but the implements are all slip-joint).

Yup, that's the one! The funny thing is, I started off with just one of these. Eventually the jaw of the pliers broke. That's right, broke. I needed it every day at work, so I bought another and sent the first one in for repair. I forgot all about it until three years later. I had never heard from Gerber. This was in the olden days before the interwebs and email. I called them up and explained that several years prior I had sent in a multitool for repair. The lady said, "Not a problem," and asked for my name. She looked it up and said, "I see where it was repaired and sent back, but it was returned as undeliverable." I asked if there was any chance that my multitool would be in a warehouse someplace, and if they could send it out again. I hadn't moved or anything, so who-knows-what went wrong. She said that the multitool would be long gone, so she sent me out a brand new one, which had been upgraded with locking blades. That's some seriously kįçk@šś customer service. I don't buy their knives because I'm just not that interested, but if I was looking for a multitool, I'd go straight to Gerber.

[T.J.]

My Leatherman Charge Ti with bit kit is my EDC at work. Incredibly useful and handy. SAK for off hours.

[Halfneck]

I still have one of the early Gerber multi-tools in black. Girlfriend(now wife) got it for me when I joined the Army. At the time it was cool, but it had some flaws.

1) If the pliers slipped off whatever you were strongly gripping, you could get a nice blood blister from the handles closing on the skin of your palm.
2) The non-locking tools could be an issue. Your best bet was to open the tool, then close the handles to limit the movement. Had a soldier end up getting a couple stitches because he didn't do that and the serrated blade shut on his finger.

Still have it, but it resides in my range bag.

Ended up replacing it with a SOG Tool that was much better. Had my name & rank on it to make sure it didn't walk off. Sadly I forgot about it in some hunting gear in my truck box and it rusted beyond saving.

My current go-to multi-tool is a Victorinox Spirit X. It's heavy, but I like it. Proved itself to me shortly after getting it. Late Fall trip to the Smoky Mountains we stopped at a gas station. Young couple with an infant in the back seat were struggling with the rear power window. Window was stuck down and the guy had the panel off on the door trying to cut the braided wire cable so he could raise the window up. Couldn't do it with the tools he had due to small area to get the tools in so I offered to give it a go with the Vic Spirit. Started squeezing real hard and took some time & effort, but got it cut and he got the window up. Figured I had probably screwed the wire cutter up, but surprisingly no damage. It sits in my travel bag as my portable tool kit.

[SpyderNut]

I have one of the same type of Gerber multi-tool you described. (It’s the old USA-made version that has flick-out/locking pliers, but the implements are all slip-joint).

Yup, that's the one! The funny thing is, I started off with just one of these. Eventually the jaw of the pliers broke. That's right, broke. I needed it every day at work, so I bought another and sent the first one in for repair. I forgot all about it until three years later. I had never heard from Gerber. This was in the olden days before the interwebs and email. I called them up and explained that several years prior I had sent in a multitool for repair. The lady said, "Not a problem," and asked for my name. She looked it up and said, "I see where it was repaired and sent back, but it was returned as undeliverable." I asked if there was any chance that my multitool would be in a warehouse someplace, and if they could send it out again. I hadn't moved or anything, so who-knows-what went wrong. She said that the multitool would be long gone, so she sent me out a brand new one, which had been upgraded with locking blades. That's some seriously kįçk@šś customer service. I don't buy their knives because I'm just not that interested, but if I was looking for a multitool, I'd go straight to Gerber.

That’s some impressive customer service indeed! I’ve fortunately never had any problems with mine, but it’s good to know that they stand behind their products. I still have a Gerber LST folding knife that I received as a gift when I was 16. I processed my first buck with that knife. It came with a plastic removable pocket clip, which was kind of unique back then.

[Doc Dan]

I have never found a multitool in that format that I like. I like the Vic Pioneer X and Farmer X and that's about it.

How do you find the Farmer X? I love the idea of it but I’m worried about the bulk.

I carry it in a pocket slip in my pocket. There is the belt scabbard, but I don't use them. It is a bit thick, a whole layer thicker than the Pioneer X. I carry the Pioneer X a lot. I only carry the Farmer outdoors. I really don't like being burdened by such things. Give me a good knife, a cable saw, and a hatchet and I am good to go outdoors. The cable saw weighs nothing, takes up no space in my pocket, and can cut down a tree. The Farmer can't do that.

[James Y]

Although I no longer EDC my Vic Spirit, I do always carry at least one SAK on me. Always my Executive, which is often paired with either my Spartan or my Pioneer. More often the Spartan, because it holds my eyeglass screwdriver in its corkscrew. I don't carry an SAK that's thicker than that.

Jim

[vivi]

I've tried a lot of different multis.

The combo that works best for me is a Micra in my pocket and a Rebar in my EDC backpack.

Haven't found a tool that works better than those.

Carried a Squirt for a while but realized that I don't use the pliers enough to justify having every other tool be worse than the Micras. I just run to my backpack and grab the full size ones now.

I've tried the PST, PST2, kick, original wave, current wave, wave + with a pocketclip, swisstool, swisstool spirit, charge, surge, some gerbers and SOG's etc. I can find things a given tool does better than the rebar, like the fit and finish on the Victorinox or the diamond file on the wave, but nothing beats the total package of the rebar for my uses.

[zuludelta]

I've carried a pliers-based multitool to work for close to a decade now. I regularly used the pliers & wire-cutters at my previous job & even though I don't use them as much now in my current job, I still carry one by force of habit.

I've owned a number of Leatherman tools over the years, but have settled on the following for different use cases:

• Signal: I bring the Signal when I go camping/hiking and don't want to carry a separate folding saw & folding knife (I prefer to carry a fixed-blade when camping/hiking, so a dedicated folder is redundant). The hammer pommel is surprisingly useful, too.
• Charge TTi: A relatively recent purchase that replaced my old 2nd generation Wave as the multitool that lives in my work locker (it's basically a Wave+ with an upgraded S30V main blade & a couple other minor upgrades). Paired with the bit kit & bit driver extension, it's pretty much all the tool I need at work.
• Skeletool CX: The multitool I EDC. Its 154CM blade is one of the best I've used in a multitool. To be honest, I could probably ditch my Spydercos & just carry this everyday & be perfectly fine.
• Style PS: This knifeless model is the multitool I carry in situations where even the Skeletool CX is too bulky, such as when trail running (I clip it to my keychain, where it pairs with my Manbug SE to form a complete micro-multitool system).
• Raptor: I carry this trauma shears-based multitool at work (where I serve double-duty as one of the senior occupational first aid attendants). The built-in ring-cutter has helped me save a couple of co-workers' fingers from serious injury or even outright amputation.

[VashHash]

I keep a supertool 300 with the bit kit in my car. Been using my rebar lately. I like that the cutter blades are replaceable. I actually have taken them off and "sharpened" them after getting a little damage cutting stuff. My first multi tool was one of the USA made Gerbers with the slide out pliers. I always opened the tool I needed and then closed the handles and slid the plier in. It "locked" it to the point it couldn't close on your hand. Thought about getting a signal or mut for the hammer feature. I have to bend cotter pins and some of the bigger ones need to be hit.

[Ramonade]

The voice of this guy is hypnotizing. I often end up randomly on one of his vids, and watch the whole thing even if it's not a tool I often use lol.

I have a Leatherman OHT that's been through a lot and is still kicking. Had to replace the cutters once.
Only con : the toolset isn't complete enough, the Wave does everything like it (except opening/closing) and has the driver and bits to go with.