What, non-cycling specific, multitool

[PaulF]

Having just missed the tool that chris n was selling I'm looking for a non-cycling multi-tool.


Key requirement is for pliers, then "extras" such as scissors, file etc. but I've got a Swiss Army knife so most of that is covered.


Alternatively does anyone make folding pliers?

[tiermat]

There is only one to go for, in my experience (sorry it was me that bagged the ones from Chris, for other people), and that is a Leatherman Surge.

Over the years I have owned (IIRC) 3, an original Leatherman, a Wave (way too big) and a Surge.

If you can, and you can wait, find someone with a Costco card and find out when they are getting them in (normally about now) as they are the cheapest place to buy them from.

On a side note, I have a theory that you can NEVER lose a Letherman, you temporarily forget where you have put it, but it will always come back.  The only way to justify getting a new one is to give your old one to someone else (in my case, my father and my older brother)

[mrcharly-YHT]

Do the blades lock on the leatherman surge?
I found a description on Amazon and they do.
If so, it isn't suitable for everyday carry, you have to have 'good reason' to justify having having it in public (having said that I have a SAK with a locking blade and no police officer has been bothered by it).

Shame. I like the idea of being able to use jigsaw blades in the knife

[tiermat]

Do the blades lock on the leatherman surge?
I found a description on Amazon and they do.
If so, it isn't suitable for everyday carry, you have to have 'good reason' to justify having having it in public (having said that I have a SAK with a locking blade and no police officer has been bothered by it).

Shame. I like the idea of being able to use jigsaw blades in the knife

I have never had any problems, even having taken the original LM into (in no real order) Blackpool Central, Leeds Central and Preston Training College.

It's all about plausibility and attitude, innit?

[Chris N]

How long have you got?

Loads of models out there but the best come from Leatherman and Victorinox.  Gerber and SOG also make some, but I wouldn't bother with them - Gerber's quality is highly variable and the newer models are pretty poor, and the SOGs are a bit of an acquired taste.  Leatherman's most recent models have definitely been built down to a price too.  A lot will depend on your budget - some of them can be very expensive at list price, but can often be found cheaper online.

There is a file and scissors on the Leatherman Wingman, but they're not very good.  It is about the cheapest decent model you can get though, so if you can only stretch to about £40, that'd probably do.

The Leatherman Rebar is probably the best mid-range one - two blades, good file and saw and very good pliers with replaceable wire cutters.  No scissors, but you can often get the Rebar in a pack with a Leatherman Micra for £60.  Very capable pair of tools, and will do pretty much anything you ask of it.  Not quite as comfortable as the Wave to use but a nice clean classic looking tool.

The Leatherman Wave is great (about £75).  Easy to open blades, good file and saw, with OK scissors and the bit driver inside - you can get a bit kit for this which will allow you to work on hex/torx/pozi heads too.  The mini bit driver is a bit of a waste of space IMO.  Comfy to use as well, because of the shape of the handles.  You can also get a pocket clip for it which is very handy.

The Leatherman Surge is amazing, but is big (bigger than the Wave, and a lot heavier).  Replaceable wire cutters, great scissors, two good knife blades, bit driver, good flat drivers and a blade exchanger which means you can use the standard file and saw but also T-shank jigsaw blades for wood and metal.  A proper pocket tool box.  Expensive though, about £100.

Leatherman SuperTool 300 -basically a bigger version of the Rebar - it's the same size as the Surge.  Very good robust tool, but I found it a bit big and not as versatile as the Surge.  Not as expensive though, can be had for £70.

Personally, I'd recommend a Victorinox SwissTool Spirit - the standard model with the serrated blade is excellent.  Great quality, good tools (blade, saw, file, scissors, drivers, chisel, awl, etc.) and pairs really well with a Swiss Army knife.  Very comfortable to use and very well made.  Can be had for about £80.  I've got two of these (slightly different models) and they're brilliant.

The Victorinox SwissTool (one of the ones I just sold) is good too, bigger than the Spirit but with similar tools.  I sold it because I had the Surge too, and didn't need two big tools.

There is only one to go for, in my experience (sorry it was me that bagged the ones from Chris, for other people), and that is a Leatherman Surge.

Over the years I have owned (IIRC) 3, an original Leatherman, a Wave (way too big) and a Surge.

The Surge is the big one, the Wave is smaller.

[Chris N]

Do the blades lock on the leatherman surge?
I found a description on Amazon and they do.
If so, it isn't suitable for everyday carry, you have to have 'good reason' to justify having having it in public (having said that I have a SAK with a locking blade and no police officer has been bothered by it).

Shame. I like the idea of being able to use jigsaw blades in the knife

There are very few multitools with non-locking blades.  The only one I can think of is the Leatherman Kick, and that's been discontinued - I've got two squirreled away in the shed though.   There are some knifeless models out there - Leatherman Knifeless Fuse (also discontinued) and a bladeless Gerber MP600.  The Leatherman, SOG and Gerber multitools are fairly easy to modify if you really want a knifeless variant, though (with the exception of SOG) you'll invalidate the warranty.

[tiermat]

You are right, chris, I have just been and had a look, I got it the wrong way around! Blame sleep deficit!

[PaulF]

Thanks, plenty of food for thought!

[mrcharly-YHT]

Do the blades lock on the leatherman surge?
I found a description on Amazon and they do.
If so, it isn't suitable for everyday carry, you have to have 'good reason' to justify having having it in public (having said that I have a SAK with a locking blade and no police officer has been bothered by it).

Shame. I like the idea of being able to use jigsaw blades in the knife

There are very few multitools with non-locking blades.  The only one I can think of is the Leatherman Kick, and that's been discontinued - I've got two squirreled away in the shed though.   There are some knifeless models out there - Leatherman Knifeless Fuse (also discontinued) and a bladeless Gerber MP600.  The Leatherman, SOG and Gerber multitools are fairly easy to modify if you really want a knifeless variant, though (with the exception of SOG) you'll invalidate the warranty.

I thought all of the leatherman juice range had non-locking blades?

[Chris N]

You're right, the Juice does.

[mrcharly-YHT]

I keep eyeing them up for meself.

I could justify the SAK when I lived on the barge, on the basis that it is a marine knife (with tools for dealing with jammed knots and a locking blade is v. important when you might be cutting something out of sight, under water). I can't justify it now and if challenged would have to just surrender the knife and hope that was the end of it.

Sure, the attitude test is important, but if the officer who pulled me up had recently come from telling parents that their kid had been stabbed to death, I'm not sure my attitude would swing it. And, frankly, in such a situation I would not blame the officer for sticking to the letter of the law. Claiming that I'm ok to carry a locking knife sounds awfully like "I'm a better driver so I'm safe driving faster than the speed limit.".

[Chris N]

I see it more like owning a car that theoretically can go faster than the speed limit, but being responsible enough not to.

[L CC]

I have one of these and it is the dogs doo-dahs.
I also had tool-lust for thing2's thingy though I hear the Dime does the same, but better.

[mrcharly-YHT]

I kind of agree with chris's analogy. Will try to remember that if I'm ever stopped and searched again!

Back to multi-tools- If I'm doing diy in the house or garden, my multi-tool sak sits in my pocket. The things I use constantly are:

Philips screwdriver (although it is a pain to get out)
Pliers - usually just to hold things
Knife - and being able to close it it with one hand is extremely useful, being able to open with one would be even better.
rope spike - so useful for undoing knots, threading things through (using it like a sort of needle)

I'd like a screwdriver bit that worked in small electrical things, like plug terminal grub screws. I'd like a file.

[Chris N]

Many of the multitools have an awl which can be used for ropework but they've got a sharp edge so less than ideal.  Victorinox make a non-locking knife with a long sacking needle, but they tend to be special editions/limited runs only, eg: http://swissbianco.com/products/sak/foldingknives/apocalypse-green-sea-rancher-detail.html

All of the tools listed above include a small flat driver and metal file, but I prefer the Victorinox file to the Leatherman (though the diamond file on the Wave/Surge is good for hard materials).

[Kim]

Do the blades lock on the leatherman surge?
I found a description on Amazon and they do.
If so, it isn't suitable for everyday carry, you have to have 'good reason' to justify having having it in public (having said that I have a SAK with a locking blade and no police officer has been bothered by it).

Shame. I like the idea of being able to use jigsaw blades in the knife

I have never had any problems, even having taken the original LM into (in no real order) Blackpool Central, Leeds Central and Preston Training College.

It's all about plausibility and attitude, innit?

And race, sex and age.

[mrcharly-YHT]

Many of the multitools have an awl which can be used for ropework but they've got a sharp edge so less than ideal.  Victorinox make a non-locking knife with a long sacking needle, but they tend to be special editions/limited runs only, eg: http://swissbianco.com/products/sak/foldingknives/apocalypse-green-sea-rancher-detail.html

All of the tools listed above include a small flat driver and metal file, but I prefer the Victorinox file to the Leatherman (though the diamond file on the Wave/Surge is good for hard materials).

You really can't use an awl for rope work!
I have a 'skipper'. The rope tool on this is the best I've ever come across, even compared to dedicated ropework tools.

[jamesld8]

Maybe have a look at Bahco stuff; reasonable quality , think they may have taken over Sandvik saws etc

I`ve got something like this one http://www.toolstop.co.uk/bahco-mtt151-multitool-p18320

as a multitool / pliers setup; much less dosh that Leatherman etc

[L CC]

Maybe have a look at Bahco stuff; reasonable quality , think they may have taken over Sandvik saws etc

I`ve got something like this one http://www.toolstop.co.uk/bahco-mtt151-multitool-p18320

as a multitool / pliers setup; much less dosh that Leatherman etc

The visible spring on those pliers shouts cheap & nasty to me.

[Chris N]

The visible spring on those pliers shouts cheap & nasty to me.

Yep.  Normally these are rebadged Ganzo multiools (and not actually made by the company whose name is on the side), which are inferior copies of the Gerber Suspension.

[hellymedic]

I love my Leatherman! I bought it for myself for my 20th birthday, which was a long time ago.
I also have a Leatherman Micra at which no eyebrows were raised when I flew to TLV and back, with it (inadvertently) in my waistpack, earlier this year.

[Valiant]

I love my Wave, had it since 2002 and it's been through the wars. Had/has a lifetime warranty.

[andrew_s]

Be warned that many of the leatherman-style pliers won't cut a brake or gear cable cleanly.
The wire strands just bend through the cutter section and jam the plier jaws in the closed position, and then the handles just fold when you try to open them. Pukka Leatherman are not immune to this problem.

If you think cable cutting is a likely task, try to check with someone who's actually used the model you are contemplating for cable cutting before paying out significant money.

[update]
neither of Leatherman Juice CS4 or Leatherman PST (the original, I think) cut bike cables cleanly

[mrcharly-YHT]

Good point. A fine file would probably do a better job.

I've not own a single pair of pliers that cut cable cleanly, either.

[fossala]

I carry around a leatherman charge tti everywhere. I use it for my bike, opening parcels, odd jobs around the house.

If I could go back in time I think I would buy a leatherman charge again as it is very robust and everytool works well. I don't think  I would get the titanium version though as it is too expensive to really warrant the higher price.

This is the kit I bought.
http://shop.topboats.com/tienda/accesorios/navajas_cuchillos/multiusos-leatherman/pack-leatherman-charge-tti-y-bit-kit?gclid=CLuxvffMtcgCFYU_GwodZaYJqg

EDIT: Just tried it on a gear cable, it did cut it but not half as well as the park tool wire cutters I normally use. Still good enough to use in an emergency though.