Leatherman recomendations

Gerber / Fiskars presumably has stuff manufactured in China like everyone else, but they seem to keep up the QC. The Gerber "Suspension" I have I got perhaps 8 months ago and it's seen plenty of use and is holding up well.

On the airport thing, they have to maintain an illusion of security to pacify the general public. Certainly anyone with the slightest bit of improvised weapons knowledge can see the gaping holes in security.

Pete C.

the latherman is held together by a 5 sided security bit that i think is a leatherman proprietary one

they claim the tool has a 25 year warranty but as far as i know it is a SHIP AWAY warranty. It takes a lot to hurt one. I own a WAVE and use it extensively and the only think i've needed to ao di resharpen the knife blade

Bill wrote:

As much as i like the look of the Charge series the LAST thing i want is a tool whose usefulness is limited by not having a dozen specialized outside bits

Charge bits are not normal hex bits they are thin and easy to lose and are stored offboard the leaatherman

the last one that was a 1 peice unit was the WAVE. I'd love a wave with the titanium handles but i'll take the Stainless handles over the new anodized aluminium ones

I'd rather have a slightly larger lump of tool than to have to have people listen to the outburst i'll let out if i was missing the right bit for a CHARGE.

By the same token though in my car there is a leatherman tool adaptor that will let me use NORMAL HEX BITS in the leatherman. I have a couple hundred hex bits and i'm NEVER going to run out of them so i have a smattering of the important ones hiding everywhere

Up here in Canada Number 2 Robertson (Square) is a very popular fastener size too and so its good to have the ability to deal with it if needed

I swear by the Wave and was disappointed by the Charge ti and xti series. I think i've used everything including the lanyard at one time or another

Though admittedly i looked at the new ones before i finished spouting off this post and a Charge TTI with a phillips bit left in is pretty close to my old wave. So if i need to investigate a replacement it might be it.

Brent Ottawa Canada

Bill wrote:

Reminds me of the classic British Bike Joke

Q.Did you hear that the Triumph factory solved its oil leak problems? A.Yes - they bought a tube of Silastic...

Andrew VK3BFA.

Chuckle..I DO carry both. In fact..there is a needle nosed Leatherman on my belt at the moment. But I prefere the Gerber.

I left it out in the truck somewhere...so needed to go to brand X until I find the Gerber

Gunner

"Deep in her heart, every moslem woman yearns to show us her t*ts" John Griffin

The Gerber I normally carry..is at least 10 yrs old..pre plastic thingies on the handles. Still works fine, and no finger pinch like most of the older Leathermen.

I also tend to carry Gerber knives. And have the very rare Gerber meat carving set for the dining room table. Second hand store...$1.00 for the pair.

"Deep in her heart, every moslem woman yearns to show us her t*ts" John Griffin

Indeed...

Gunner, once owned a Bonny and a Daytona

Gunner

"Deep in her heart, every moslem woman yearns to show us her t*ts" John Griffin

"Greg O" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@corp.supernews.com:

Looks like I'm leaning toward the new version of the Wave, wally-world has it for 68 bucks free shipping if it is shipped to a store, might even have it in store in normal stock I'll have to check. With 10% employee discount its about 62 bucks. I like the look of the Leathermans a bit more than the Gerbers, I compared the Gerber Scout and Multi-plier against the Wave and think the Leatherman looks a bit more durable and substantial. Does anyone know if the belt case included with the tool is any good or should I spring for something better?

Thanks for all of the input, I'd never even heard of Gerber or the Swiss versions of these tools and it was nice to have something to compare to.

Bill

Gunner wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

I've kinda decided to go with the Leatherman Wave but I was wondering why you like the Gerbers? Since I have not been able to as yet handle either tool I've had to go by the pictures and the Leatherman looks to my uneducated eye to be a bit more beefier and sleeker at the same time if that makes any sense?? ....... I just went back and compare the three again, the Scout, Multi-plier and the Wave and it just looks to me that the Wave has more gentle curves and rounded corners than either of the two Gerbers and more substantial looking pivit pins. The plier pivit also seems to be a bit beefier than the Gerbers. The whole package just SEEMS like it is slightly more sohisticated, design wise, than the Gerbers. Like I said this is just from a comparison of the adverts on the Gerber pages and the Leatherman/Walmart pages. By the way Walmart's page has a nice 3 picture spread for all of the Leatherman tools, open like the ones shown on the Leatherman page, closed, and open to show all of the blades.

Bill

According to Bill :

I'm not Gunner -- but I already posted what I consider to be the things which make the Gerber (which I own) better than the Leatherman (which I have used, but don't like as much as the Gerber.

This is perhaps because you can't *see* the pliers pivot pin on the Gerbers in the photos. What you are seeing is the separate handle pivot pins, which are noticeably smaller.

With the Gerber, the whole pliers body slides into and out of the handles, and when in the extended position the pivot is hidden under the pivots of the handles. However, when the pliers body is slid back into the handles, you can see most of the pin between the handles.

FWIW Mine are the matte finished stainless steel version with needle nose pliers body. And they are stamped "USA" on the handles. No visible markings on the pliers body.

Handle both and you will see the difference. *Use* both and it will be totally clear.

Enjoy, DoN.

According to Brent :

My Gerber has a square shanked Phillips bit as one of the ones in the handles. In a sub-pocket on the pounch is a rubber holder with six standard hex bits (I've swapped in a security torx for the larger Phillips), and a cylindrical adaptor which slides over the square Phillips and accepts the hex bits.

And (of course) that adaptor can be used as a 1/4" hex nutdriver at need.

Enjoy, DoN.

Sounds like your preferences are about like mine. Years ago I brought home an imitation Leatherman, a Wave ( the original design), a sliding-jaw Gerber, and a side-hinge jaw version (can't remember the make). I played with them all for a few days before choosing the Wave. After breaking a jaw tip (abuse), I later switched to the Charge since it offered a number of improvements. I have the version *without* the crimper, and wear it on a clip inside my pocket. The Titanium thing is pure hype, but the textured handles are nice. I don't carry any of the spare screwdriver tips, and don't miss them, but YMMV. All of the brand name versions are overpriced, but well worth the extra over the imitators IMO.

Wayne

Bill wrote in news:Xns98B95FCF82B5Dfredbarneybigmailbox@216.196.97.142:

it in my front pants

I use an SOG power plier (now called power lock).

The compound leverage really works. This is a very heavy duty tool. All blades lock open and the phillips can lock at 90 deg. The cutters are very, very tough, I have cut steel wire where I had to use two hands and the cutters are undamaged. It can be disassembled with regular tools. This bigger and heavier than a standard leatherman. It comes with a nice leather sheath.

File is good. Saw is good but I never use it. Screwdrivers are the same as everyone else. Can opener is victorinox style, the best! The scissors are not as good as victorinox. I don't like the serrations on the blade but they are almost completely sharpened off.

I used to carry a standard leatherman but there were too many occasions where the pliers just weren't strong enough.

What are the odds....I still do. thruxton500 VMT692 :)

i have the very small leaterhman proble i have is that the knife is super sharpe and colapses very easy--i hve cut open my thumb so many times i really do not reccoim en t the very small one ( i think called squirtp)

hope this helkps--ps try ebay seems people are buying ton s of them from airlines that confiscate them

hth peter

I have the Leatherman WAVE. It's a big brute but the blades lock open. I like it a lot.

John

I have the Charge. I've had the Wave, SOG, original and second generation Gerber. Also the big Victornox Swiss Army knife. Any work well. I like the one handed opening on the Gerber pliers. I like the one handed opening on the Charge and Waves knives. Pick one. I can open the Charge or Wave one handed. It's just not as slick as the Gerber. The flat bits on the Charge annoy me but they're always on my belt. I can probably grind down a hex bit if I need something special to carry. If you think you'll need the other bits get the Charge. It comes with them. The locking plier tool has always tempted me but I've never used one. Yes sometimes you need two. I've cut through a two and a half inch ironwood sapling with the Swiss Army saw. You want the sissors. None of them are as good as the purpose built tool but they are adaquit. Last comment: Ken Onion knives by Kershaw. You want one. I met him the one time I went to the local knife club meeting. He seemed like a nice guy. This was about 20 years ago. His design working within realy stupid laws is excellent. Karl

I have a cheap Chinese import that my wife sold for a mfr. We ended up with about a dozen of them, all in snakeskin covered black mesh belt holders.

What I like best about them is two things:

One, all the blades lock.

Two, there is a fold out socket that fits the 1/4" bits. It comes with about ten bits, but you can buy and use any that are particular to your trade.

Those screwdriver bits on most espensive multi tools bend or break easily. With the socket, it is easy to carry extras, and cheap cheap cheap to replace.

STeve