opinions - Leathermans/multi-tools

I've owned several of the following brands - Leatherman, Gerber, SOG. I keep donating to the the airlines. My favorite is the SOG. I've bought more of the Leathermans simply because I always seem to find the $20 deal on the "original" and I think that is the most bang for the buck. I have broken off blades on the Leatherman but not on the others. The Leatherman is the easiest to sharpen but I feel it gets dull the quickest. The Leatherman tools fold from the outside of the handle and can get painful if you are using a lot of pressure on the pliers. My SOG and Gerber have the tools folding from the inside so the pliers feel better. Gerber is the hardest to sharpen. I have spare blades for the SOG and can switch out the tools (it has my preferred setup). I don't have the higher end versions of any of these brands and among what I do own I would rank SOG, Gerber, Leatherman but I am not unhappy with any of them and will continue to buy base on the best deal I find.
 
Of the full size tools the Leathermans and SOGs are American made. Some of the Gerbers are now Asian and all the CRKT tools and knives are Asian (they only have an office in the Portland area.

I have been to Leatherman, Gerber, SOG, Benchmade, Kershaw and CRKT. I am farmiliar with Imerpial Schrade who handed their workforce their walking papers in July 2004 and left plenty of suppliers with unpaid bills.

SOG makes nice tools although I do not own one at present. They are well made though and I would have no problem using one. Located just noth of Seattle

CRKT is Asian and I have no problem paying the money for a well made US tool. In addition you NEVER know what you are going to get when the steel comes from Asia... There address in in the Portland area, like many other cutlery people but no manufacturing is there.

Gerber Multi Tools are both American and Asian made. Check the packages. I have had a 600 which I bought for my dad and then inherited for years. It is a nice, if rather plain, multi tool most noticeable for its one handed opening pliers. They make some nice stuff and are the main quality competitor for...

Leatherman. LTG is the powerhouse of the multitools. They are very well made and the design innovations have moved forward rapidly thanks to pressure from Gerber. The two are 20 minutes from each other and people do go from one to the other. LTG is big on bringing work in house and has moved fineblanking in house as welll as numerous other operations. Some of the smaller tools are made in China but all the full sizes I know of are American assembled. I have a Crunch (locking pliers) and Black Ti Charge that I love for the one handed opening blades on the outside of the handles. It is my normal carry tool now. If in the area Leatherman has a store on premises that sells at MSRP but sometimes has specials. My black Ti Charge was $70 since the black was being discontinued. Often they will have seconds like the squirts that had a slight color variation on the panels so you can get a good deal there but don't count on finding a cataloged tool at a discount. Tim Leatherman is a granola eater who supported Kerry and signed a stupid letter to that effect which resulted in a huge backlash against his company. He then flubbed the response... I don't know so much about anti gun groups but he donated to Kerry. Given the are of the nation he is in and the amount of tree huggers that seems to be the norm.

Kershaw is owned by Kai Cutlery and also in the Portland area. They make nice stuff but like Japanese automotive want nothing to do with you if you are also not Japanese. Doesn't matter they have a plant in the US, they are Japanese through and through. As a result I do not have a Kershaw multi tool. They do not appeal to me anyway with regards to design but I would wager they are well made.

Benchmade is also in the same area. No multitools but if they did it would be a solid performer. Anything in the Blue box or better is US made. Great shop and I wish I sold them parts but they make many of their own.

I have looked at the Swiss Tools and been to Switzerland several times. The tools are well made and sturdy. They are rather plain though and I am not impressed by the features. They strike me as a desperation attempt to recapture much of the Swiss Army Knife market which fell in love with the multi tools. They seem very bulky for the job they are to do and far too overpriced compared to even high end Gerber and Leathermans made in the USA.
 
I also love the new sheaths for Leathermans and the feature on the Charge which lets you use a pocket clip. That is nice for when you are in a suit and a belt sheath is not appropriate.
 
This thread got me to thinking that I’ve never had a decent multitool. So I went looking around the web last night and there is a bewildering array of tools available. Got confused and went to bed.

Today, I ordered the Leatherman 74208003K Juice CS4. I wanted something not too large, but with a fair number of tools. I thought it made sense to get one with pliers and scissors.

Oh… and the corkscrew will definitely come in handy… I like my vino and always bring some good stuff when I camp.:)
 
This thread got me to thinking that I’ve never had a decent multitool. So I went looking around the web last night and there is a bewildering array of tools available...
Click to expand...

Grymster, thats exactly what happened to me, but the answers here sure helped cut down my search (thanks guys!) I had a cheap multi-tool in the backpack I carry everyday but lost it and decided it was time to grow up and get something that didn't look like it came out of a box of Captain Crunch or Cracker Jack. Since it'll generally be carried in a backpack, size and weight aren't too much of a concern for me so I've got it narrowed down to the Leatherman Surge and Core.
 
I looked at the Surge and Core, but wanted this first one to be a bit smaller. My Juice should be here Tuesday. If I like it, maybe I'll look into bigger ones for the truck and the quad. Let us know what you think of yours.
 
i carry and use a leatherman fuse everyday. Make sure the blades lock open on any brand you decide on, my first multitool didn't have locking blades and they kept closing on my fingers when in use!
 
I had no idea that Leatherman was anti-gun. That sucks, I love my Wave and just bought a TTi Charge for my best friend for Christmas. Well, I guess that is the last dollar that Leatherman will ever see from me. I guess I should have done my homework better, I feel like I just got sucker-punched.

I haven't been happy with Gerber's Multi-Pliers, I guess I will have to start looking for a new brand to go with. Thanks for the info, it just saved me from buying another TTi Charge for my Dad for his b-day. YOU HEAR THAT LEATHERMAN??? You won't get another penny of my money!
 
I carry a combination Vice-Grip/Schrade Multi tool that has really served me well. At 7.2 oz., it's a bit heavy, but VERY useful. This is the only link (http://www.47d.net/~seven/vg/v-multitool.html) I was able to find with much info in the tool. I am not sure if they are still being produced.
V-5WRTB0t.jpg

V-5WRTB2t.jpg
 
I had no idea that Leatherman was anti-gun.
Click to expand...

egads... Leatherman is not in any way anti gun that I have been able to find out. Tim Leatherman is a Pacific North West granola eating outdoorsy folks with an environmentalist bend. As such he, as a private citizen who was dumb enough to sign on as a business leader and thereby tie his company to a candidate (an action he has regretted), has supported the likes of Kerry because of environmental issues.

To say Leatherman is anti gun is a very serious stretch of the imagination.

That Schrade tool is so ugly it is scary. I carry a multi tool for convenience and that thing looks like it needs to be in a tool box, not a pocket or belt sheath.

Try this for an easily portable locking plier:

http://www.leatherman.com/products/tools/crunch/default.asp

crunch_tool.gif
 
I have an original leatherman and a leatherman mini.

I have a Gerber with srewdriver kit that is, too big to comfortably carry and that I leave in my gun box.

Many of the new Leathermans also seem to large with the result that they would soon get left at home on the dresser IMHO.
 
Ive gone through three Leathermans in 12 years of heavy use. The first one was an original model, in an industrial battery shop environment. It dealt with lots of acid and corrosion exposure until I loaned it out, and big surprise, it disappeared, so the guilty party bought me the 10-tool. All things considered that original model did a great job for me- my only complaint being the blades/tools didn't lock back.

I liked the 10-tool, and it was with me a long time, until it got stolen at work when I used it as a door wedge so I could get back into a customers building..That sucked. So to make myself feel better I bought a Wave. The Wave has held up for five years of heavy daily use assembling scientific equipment. The serrated blade could use some freshening up, since I'm constantly having to cut up cardboard so it'll fit into the compactor.
 
Leatherman is the best---have been using an original tool for 8 years all the time---I'm good at losing hand tools---I always know where my Leatherman is so its my first go to tool for just about everything.


Pretty sure Shrade is out of business now.

Had a Gerber---cheap steel and snapped off a couple tools before I threw it away. Junk
 
I've had a Leatherman for years, it's never failed. My brother is into back country snowboarding and I got him a Gerber a few years ago, he was fixing a binding somewhere in the middle of nowhere in the Cascades and it broke.
 
Victorinox 16oz of fury

I bought a Victorinox Swiss Tool since the Gerber I owned always got sand in the slide mechanisms every time I used it fishing. Also remember Victorinox is a much better brand than Wegner.
 
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