Leatherman stainless steel too soft

I don't think stainless steel really gets *that* tough.

I sell a ton of driver bits at work. They're available as steel, coated steel (for corrosion resistance) or carbide tipped. No stainless is available. I can only assume this is because of its less desireable mechanical properties.

Similarly, *good* knives are made of tool steel - not stainless.

Just my $0.02 worth.

Regards,

Robin

The new Wave and Leatherman Charge have interchangeable non SS bits. They're not standard bits so if you buy one get the Charge as it comes with a set of double ended bits. The bit set alone costs $19 or so . Also you get to tell people it's got titanium scales. Cheapest price I've found for the Charge is $99.95. Karl

"AL" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@comcast.com:

My Gerber has been an excellent tool for quite a number of years, under considerably more stressful situations than computer work.

Try Victorinox. I haven't used their multitools, but their knives are hard to beat.

Steve

AL wrote:

John

The Gerber which is on my belt has yet to have a blade bend. And if you need different torque limits, or different bits, mine comes with a square shafted Phillips blade (forged, from the looks), with an accessory pack containing a cylindrical piece which has a square hole in one end (with a spring to increase the friction), and a 1/4" hex hole in the other end, which accepts the short bits for magnetic handle screwdrivers. They all fit into a rubber "organizer" housing which fits a second pocket in the belt pouch. It normally comes with three straight-blade bits and three Phillips blade bits, but I have removed the one which matches the fold-out Phillips blade with a Torx bit (No.

FWIW, I prefer the Gerber ones anyway -- as you can open them single-handed with just a flick of the wrist (if you grip it properly). Leatherman always seems to require two hands to unfold it.

And aside from that, the Gerber has the folds on the handles such that while gripping it, you are faced with two shapes like this: (Think of the '(' and ')' as being your palm and fingers.) ([ ])

Instead of the Leatherman handles which present the following to your hand:

(] [)

Note that there are sharper edges presented to the hand by the Leatherman, so you can't use as tight a grip before things get painful.

Enjoy, DoN.

I got several that are made in China probably. I do believe they are stainless. My wife sells them for a distributor. I have sold some on ebay.

What makes them better is that the screwdriver part has a hex head, and takes those bits. You just put any bit in there you can name......... phillips any number, straight, square, torx, specialty, you name it. If you strip it, you just chuck it, and get another.

I gave one to a friend of mine who is a union electrician. He loves it over his Leatherman and Gerber because of the replaceable bits.

I hate the Leathermen and Gerbers for this exact reason. The screwdrivers don't last at all, and that's what you use the most.

I'll keep my cheapo Chinese one in its snakeskin case. Those bits are cheap, and you can get specialty bits for whatever it is you do.

Steve

I like the Gerber but I have the Leatherman Charge because the knives open and close one handed it does take practice to open the pliers one handed quickly. I miss the speed of the Gerber pliers. Karl

Perhaps the best solution is to use the right tool instead of a univeral tool. Since this is your job, it seems to me that you should have the appropiate toolkit to go with it. Ask your supervisior to buy you the right tools for the job.

I can't imagine being in the electrical/computer fields and not having decent phillips and slot drivers. I'm almost tempted to buy a Wiha P2 driver at work (about $6) just to work on my computer at home. Besides, buying tools is half the fun of being in the trades...

Regards,

Robin

Having the right tools is one thing, but having the right tools on hand when I need them is the problem. Getting the right screwdriver means running back to my desk (sometimes 10 minutes away) rather than fixing the problem on the spot, especially since the job requires few tools. This is why I use the Leatherman. It is always on my belt. I used to carry a small toolbag (about the size of a pencil case) but I frequently set it down somewhere and then forgot about it. Factoring in the amount of time I wasted going back to the location of the last job, it just wasn't worth it.

I love the 6-way screwdrivers they sell at the home improvement stores

I carry a leather wave a lot, but when you push them past practical limits, they do tend to fail

for a daily knife, I bought one they carry at wal-mart (gawd I hate that store, but they have THIS KNIFE)

It is a Kershaw, American made, designed by Ken Onion. Spring assist open, locking, black plastic grip with black blade, either combination straight edge/serrated, or stright edge only.

Perhaps you can find a something that attachs to your belt that will carry a couple of the most frequently used screw drivers.

Just make sure it will carry a lot of tools and weighs enough to pull down your beltline to show that cute butt crack of yours.

Steve ;-)

The EMT holsters,, which are commonly available at gun shows, is light, handly, will hold a couple screwdrivers, needle nose or whathaveyou plyers, a mini-mag flashlight, knife, etc, without being in the way or adding much weight.

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