Quick Question On Multitools

[MANIXWORLD]

Just wanted to know if you folks,who are into multitools and maybe collecting,or avid users thereof,find that you rather choose a multitool with a knifeblade of good premium bladesteel,like 154CM,S30V etc.,than 420 or other sort of lower class bladesteels.
i think for alot of us,who are used to real good bladesteels,any knifeblade we would use,simply has to be something good.

[yablanowitz]

Multi-tools have knife blades?












:eek: They DO! :eek:
I use the knife blades of my multi-tools so seldom that it doesn't matter what steel they are made of. In fact, given the things that I do use them for, good steel would probably be a drawback.

[rlw1979777]

I would probably be more adept at using one of my Spyderwrenches if it wasnt 440c. I like a steel that holds a better edge personally.

[MANIXWORLD]

To simply put it,if your multitool was the only knife you had on you and no other knives on you,then in the event of having to use a knife,i would most likely prefer a good/premium bladesteel, on the MT for the task at hand.

[yablanowitz]

If my multi-tool is the only knife I have on me, the world has already come to an end, so it doesn't much matter.

Usually, the knife blades on my multi-tools get used for things like scraping the corrosion off battery terminals, removing old water pump gasket sealer around the mounting studs, and other tasks that I wouldn't subject a good knife to. Having an S90V plain edge blade and a ZDP-189 serrated blade on my LM Wave would make it less useful to me rather than more useful. YMMV.

[i.v]

I use a Victorinox Spirit at work every day and I use its knife blade very often, mainly to cut soft cables, plastic wrappers and lots of cardboard. I use it because usually I'm in an environment that doesn't look too kindly on knives and multitools are accepted.

After doing this for about a year I have to admit that for pure work purposes I don't miss the higher quality blade steel. The knife holds an edge just fine, gets a touch up on the sharpmaker every couple of weeks (usually fine stones only) and the tough easy to sharpen steel seems very suitable for this type of work.

That being said, sometimes there is a need for something better and even if there isn't, my orange 79 Rescue almost never leaves my side.

On a last note, IMO when selecting a multitool, you're doing so because you need more then a knife blade, so although a reasonable blade is an important thing to have, other factors of the tool are more important to be looked at first. but YMMV of course....

[spoonrobot]

I prefer my multis to have the lower end 420/440 steels. Their blades usually get used for tasks that are too destructive for my EDC knife so they need to be able to resharpen quickly and easily.

I don't want to have to spend hours with 154CM to grind out all the dings and dents from cutting into dirt when I could spend a few minutes touching up a 440 edge instead.

Although I am glad to see multi-tool companies using premium steel and I do occasionally use my 154CM Leatherman tool, it's just not something I prefer since my EDC knife is premium steel too. No reason to double up on that when I could cover both the high and low with two different blades and get both benefits.

[J Smith]

I hardly ever use the blade in my Core.The only time I use it is if I need to scrape or something that I would not use my EDC knife blade for.

[Fred Sanford]

I have never owned a multitool other than a good old Victorinox swiss army knife. Well, I did have a Victorinox SwissTool pass through my hands before I decided I didn't want it. I would much rather have a SAK in my pocket along with a good Spyderco or similarly good fixed blade. Victorinox uses Sandvik if I'm not mistaken and it's a really good steel. Kershaw has been doing awesome with Sandvik for a long time now. For me it's never been about steel. It's always about the knife, the blade, and the heat treat. :)

[Chucula]

I don't pay attention to the blade steel. In fact, I don't even pay attention to the blade. I just look at the tools and carry a separate, full sized knife (millie).

I have a victorinox spirit and swisstool. The spirit is excellent IMO.

[fret]

My brother gave me a brand new Gerber MT. I thanked him for it and put it aside for about a year. Later, I looked at it and it seemed nice enough. But I really had no need for something that had mutiple tools on it. So I gave it back to him. I guess he still has it? I just don't have a use for an MT.

[J Smith]

I didn't need one that much until I started this job.
Comes in handy when you have to loosen a leg on a Pepsi vendor or cooler.Hard to believe how many phillips screws there are that need turning.The tools I use most on mine is the pliers,phillips screwdriver and believe it or not the awl.The awl works great for taking the barrel locks out of vendors.
No one get any ideas,the lock will only come out after it is unlocked. :D

[Water Bug]

I buy a multitool for practicality of the tools included in it and its design. Although a high-quality steel would be desirable for the knife, for me it's not a requirement. For example, the Skeletool CX has a blade made of 154CM, but I prefer the all-metal construction and PE knife of the Skeletool, thus 420HC for the blade is fine for me.

I typically use the pliers, screwdrivers, awl, and can opener on my Leatherman tools, and will opt to use a separate knife (such as a :spyder :) if I need to cut something; however, I'm happy there's a knife blade(s) in multitools as you never know when you might need it. I kind of look at a knife in a multitool as a "backup" or, in some environments, a more "politically correct" knife.