Looking for a new multi-tool, any suggestions?

[HunterDan]

I'm looking for a new multi-tool. My current goto one is probably 15 years old and just isnt getting the job done anymore.

Anyone have any experience with SOG? I like the look of this one... http://www.falconsurvival.com/sog-eod-powerlock-wv-cutter-black-oxide-nylon-pouch-1.html

or maybe a Gerber? http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/GERBER-Blunt-Nose-Multi-Tool-1XEZ6?Pid=search

I just need one for day to day use in the garage/hiking/camping. I dont think I wanna spend more then $100. Can anyone here make any suggestions? I haven't bought one of these in YEARS.

[pete lynch]

I have a couple of the Gerber Suspension multi-tools. They are pretty decent for my needs but I don't carry one every day so they haven't been put through the grinder so to speak...

[kyratshooter]

I have gone to the Gerber suspension because the tools are accessable without opening the tool. The main knife blade also opens one handed.

I cheated though. The Gerber tools can be disassembled and I took the file from another Gerber multitool and placed it on the suspension because that feature was not available. I think I swaped the file for the serated knife blade which I consider useless anyway.

It is not an every day carry tool for me, way too heavy. It lives in the console of the Jeep.

[Buckman95]

How about a leatherman? The supertool is around $100

[crashdive123]

Leatherman Wave is my multi-tool of choice.

[randyt]

leatherman has a awesome warranty too.

[pops]

leatherman supertool is mine

[natertot]

My Gerber tools have served pretty well for me, but I am way less than impressed with their customer service. My next one will probably be a leatherman, but other than a pocket driver set, I have no expierence with them.

[Jimmyq]

Gerbers here, I still like the flick and slide action. 1 in the truck glovebox, 1 in the BOB and one in the toolbox at the house.

[Phaedrus]

I've got a few Leathermans and a couple of Gerbers but my favorite MT is my Victorinox Spirit. Due to the small size I wind up using the Leatherman Freestyle CX quite a bit. Lastly, although it's not being made any more the Leatherman Flair is very near the top of my list, just not #1 since I can't really say where you might be able to find one.

[Winter]

My favorite is the SOG powerlock.

[Rick]

I have a hard time paying $100 for a MT, flashlight or knife. Call me cheap.

[hunter63]

Ya know I do have several Leathermans, and a Gerber or two, found them too heavy to wear all the time, so carry them around in vehicles...except the little el-cheapo in the belt pouch:
http://www.wilderness-survival.net/forums/showthread.php?19087-Just-a-little-belt-pouch

That being said, I have carried a SAK for as long as I can remember..........

It's one of the 'this one has 5 tools....and this one has 7 tools etc etc...."

http://compare.ebay.com/like/251007638969?var=lv&ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar

[Daniel Nighteyes]

That being said, I have carried a SAK for as long as I can remember..........

It's one of the 'this one has 5 tools....and this one has 7 tools etc etc...."

A long-time friend of mine carries ONLY a particular SAK with a separately-purchased "attachment" containing other special tools (e.g. small sockets, Torx drivers, etc.) that fit onto said knife. He's in technology (movie/television cameras, lighting, audio, mixers, editors, etc.) and he found that this one SAK/attachment set dang near replaced his entire tool box.

For many years I carried a red-handled SAK Super Tinker in my right front pocket because it would do practically everything I needed to have done. I stopped when I began work in a threat-sensitive environment. It paid VERY well for nearly 8 years, and my vehicle was just outside. Now that job is over, I'll have to re-establish the habit.

And a big ol' "AMEN!" to most multi-tools being too heavy to carry on your person -- belt, pocket, etc. -- every day. IMO, the only substantive difference between SAKs and multi-tools is the presence of pliers, the requirements of which mostly cause the significant increase in weight. If one doesn't really need pliers, one doesn't really need a multi-tool.

-- Nighteyes

[randyt]

LOL "too heavy" a fella totes a handgun or sheath knife on a belt and a teeny weeny little leatherman is too heavy LOL. May I suggest suspenders AND a belt LOL. Actually I carry a leatherman supertool on my belt at all times except when I'm sleeping and even then it's right handy. I would be lost without it. I wish they were made tougher. Mine last me less than a year, granted they are still usable but are considerably looser than when new. I like the wire cutters and pliers. There is a model out that is a vise grip style, this sounds handy to me. I would like to try one.

[hunter63]

I do wear a belt AND suspenders to hold my pants up.....have for a long time.....seems I laughed my a$$ off one too many times...

[randyt]

ya, I knew you used a belt and suspender, that's why I threw that in there LOL.

[hunter63]

I guess I did bring up the dispatch girl a couple of times.......

[natertot]

I have a hard time paying $100 for a MT, flashlight or knife. Call me cheap.

Cheap! :whistling:

I don't see how a MT is too heavy to carry! Try wearing a duty belt with a pistol, two mags, a baton, OC spray, two pairs handcuffs, glove pouch with gloves, radio, and a taser for eight hours! I'm not including the pockets either!!!!! MT? Heavy? Pffft. :smartass:

[Simple Survivor]

I was issued a SOG in the Army and when I got out I bought a Gerber. I like the Sog slightly more but both brands are good to go. It'll come down to personal preference and nit picking.

[Ugaldie]

Leatherman TTI without any dude. My expectations were high, but it performs better.

http://www.amazon.com/Leatherman-830685-Charge-Nylon-Sheath/dp/B000LG823K/ref=pd_cp_hi_0

[hunter63]

Cheap! :whistling:

I don't see how a MT is too heavy to carry! Try wearing a duty belt with a pistol, two mags, a baton, OC spray, two pairs handcuffs, glove pouch with gloves, radio, and a taser for eight hours! I'm not including the pockets either!!!!! MT? Heavy? Pffft. :smartass:

Batman was my hero, all sorts of cool stuff on his belt, (BIF)....so thought I would try it (BAM).....and after a while I came to the comclusion that Batman had a big butte to hold up all that stuff (POW)....and look good....(Donuts).....LOL

[Rick]

Okay....let's clear up one thing right now. I never look at men's butts. Especially if they are wearing tights. So Batman or Robin, I wouldn't know. I'd just vote on suspenders.

[finallyME]

I have a Victorinox MT that I love. I bought it in Poland 12 years ago and still use it all the time. I have also bought a few gerber suspensions. Like those as well, but not as much as the Vic. I would say, if you stay with Leatherman, Gerber, Victorinox, or SOG, you should be fine. Just pick the one that has what you want. Whatever you do, don't spend less than $30 on one, unless it is normally priced at $30 but is on sale.

[crashdive123]

FM - thanks for getting this back on topic. I was starting to get concerned about the direction it was taking. Thought for sure that a utility hong was next.

[finallyME]

Hey, it's what happens when you read the post for the first time....7 days later.

[Sourdough]

My Multi-tool is a Ford F-350 Dullie w/12 flatbed, has all my tools and 5 chainsaws, 110 Gal. Diesel, 55 Gal. Gasoline, logging chains, etc.

[crashdive123]

Yeah, but does it have them little tweezers and plastic tooth pick?

[Rick]

Those are always the first things lost.

[NightShade]

I used to have an old gerber that I loved. I lost it as it plummetted a few hundred feet of a mountainside one time. I had a few different leathermen. I liked them, but I often broke the tools on them (they're lifetime guaranteed though) and as they got older they got harder to open.
I now have a SOG and I love it. It's taken a beaten and is still sturdy. Also, it has easy one hand opening, which is important to me. If I was to lose my SOG, I would certainly buy another.

[postman]

I have a Shrade multi tool, has all of the gear including a saw, and was relatively cheap at $40.00. I've had it for about a year and so far it's held up pretty well. My all time favorite go to tool though is my swiss army knife, I always carry it, have for 20 years, its never let me down. I think it is the camper model. Best 30 bucks I ever spent.

[Geek]

I'm looking for a new multi-tool. My current goto one is probably 15 years old and just isnt getting the job done anymore.

Anyone have any experience with SOG? I like the look of this one... http://www.falconsurvival.com/sog-eod-powerlock-wv-cutter-black-oxide-nylon-pouch-1.html

or maybe a Gerber? http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/GERBER-Blunt-Nose-Multi-Tool-1XEZ6?Pid=search

I just need one for day to day use in the garage/hiking/camping. I dont think I wanna spend more then $100. Can anyone here make any suggestions? I haven't bought one of these in YEARS.

Time to revisit the question. :-) Since you have 15 years of experience with the one you have, you must know which tools you use the most. If you're like most people out of the dozen or so tools, you probably use 2 or 3 a lot and the rest occasionally. Those tools should drive your choice. I think it is also worth asking what is it you find unsatisfactory with the one you have. Is it just worn out? If you used it for 15 years why not just buy another? If it lacks some feature you feel you need, then what is it missing?

I don't think the same choice would be right for everyone, or necessarily every day. I have a bunch of these that I like for different reasons. I have a cheapo in each of the car tool kits. I have accumulated a bunch of swiss army knives over the years. I recently bought a Spyderco Byrd because it is very flat and I keep it in my luggage when traveling. I have a Buck that is a pretty conventional design but just seems to keep on working.

[Delta 5168]

Leatherman Wave Don't leave home without it.

[hunter63]

Time to revisit the question. :-) Since you have 15 years of experience with the one you have, you must know which tools you use the most. If you're like most people out of the dozen or so tools, you probably use 2 or 3 a lot and the rest occasionally. Those tools should drive your choice. I think it is also worth asking what is it you find unsatisfactory with the one you have. Is it just worn out? If you used it for 15 years why not just buy another? If it lacks some feature you feel you need, then what is it missing?

I don't think the same choice would be right for everyone, or necessarily every day. I have a bunch of these that I like for different reasons. I have a cheapo in each of the car tool kits. I have accumulated a bunch of swiss army knives over the years. I recently bought a Spyderco Byrd because it is very flat and I keep it in my luggage when traveling. I have a Buck that is a pretty conventional design but just seems to keep on working.

Thanks for kinda getting back to the orginal question....

This is actually good advice....I tend to find something that works and stick with it.
I would really play heck trying to choose a new one, you can get talked into the ...one more tool, syndrome....And a lot of times it just gets too big and you don't carry it any more.

For now I'll stick with with my el-cheapo I got for free for signing up for a Cabelas credit card...cost about $4 bucks....and my SAK.
These handle what ever I come accross in the course of a normal day.