Leatherman Super Tool 300 vs. SOG Powerlock w/ V-Cutter
Last month I bought a Powerlock off of a friend, but a few days ago I was browsing when my interest was piqued by the Super Tool.
I'll post some more hard use details later, but for now, here are my thoughts and first impressions of these two multi-tools.
Right off the bat, they are a very similar size and weight. The Leatherman is 4.5 in closed, the SOG is 4.6 in closed, and they both weigh 9.6 oz. Both feel very solid and well constructed.
Open shot of the Leatherman Super Tool 300.
Four main tools are a straight blade, serrated blade, saw, and file.
Smaller tools are an array of flat blade screwdrivers, a Phillips screwdriver, awl, and can/bottle opener.
Open shot of the SOG Powerlock.
Four main tools are a half serrated blade, v-cutter, saw, and file.
Smaller tools include a similar array of flat blade screwdrivers, Phillips screwdriver, awl, can/bottle opener, and quarter inch socket drive.
One thing that struck me about the SOG - I was immediately not a fan of the handle covers.
They have a very flimsy feel to them, and add an extra step when trying to get at one of the inside tools. They do pop right off if you don't like them, though.
The SOG and Leatherman have similarly shaped pliers, but here is the first advantage for the Super Tool - removable/replaceable wire cutters.
You can sharpen them yourself, or put in a new pair yourself if they ever become damaged beyond repair.
However, the Powerlock does have a major advantage here - SOG's patented compound leverage system.
This actually adds a ton of useability and functionality to the tool. You can more easily apply a ton of force when using the pliers or wire cutters. In addition, the Powerlock opens and closes more smoothly than any other multi-tool I have ever seen.
Yet all that added functionality comes with a tradeoff. It makes it so that you can only use the SOG in two positions - open, or closed.
Unfortunately, the gears make it impossible to manipulate the handles to get better leverage or reach when using the other tools like the Leatherman can.
Next up, the tools.
Leatherman Super Tool 300
One thing to note about the Leatherman - no scissors! Now, for some, this might be a complete dealbreaker, but it doesn't concern me too much. I've always got a pair of decent scissors on my keychain (Style CS), so for me at least, that is not a feature that I absolutely need in a multi-tool.
SOG Powerlock
You might note in these pictures that the SOG has a v-cutter. Very nice to have, but I don't do much cutting of cords or webbing, so for me this was not a big value add. As I mentioned earlier, the lack of scissors on the SOG doesn't matter to me either.
One thing I feel that must be mentioned about the Leatherman is its great design of what they call "Edge-safety clumping."
What that means is that if you want to use one of the four main tools on the Super Tool, they are designed so that when you pull out, for instance, the knife, you get only the knife. The rest of the tools won't come out along with it. Similarly, if you try to pull out the middle tools, they all come out without pulling up either of the nearby larger tools. This is great because you don't have to use a fingernail to carefully select which one you want. Just pull out the entire middle section, and put the rest back that you don't want. It was tough to take a photo to illustrate this - below you can see where I tried to pull out one of the center tools. On the Leatherman, only the center tools came out. On the SOG, basically all of the tools came out all at once in one large clump.
The final point I would like to mention is a doozy. Flat out, every single one of the Leatherman's tools feels larger, thicker, and more well made than the ones on the SOG. And I mean everything - all of the blades, the file, the awl, each of the screwdrivers. Just look at the following pictures - I can't for the life of me figure out why SOG restricted all of their tools to three inches or less.
In conclusion, I think you could tell from my review that I much prefer the Leatherman Super Tool 300.
I just prefer the overall construction and feel, and when looking at the differences between each individual tool, the Leatherman just seals the deal for me.
However, I'm not going to throw the SOG in the garbage or anything. Basically these two were competing to see which one would ride along with me in my truck. The Super Tool came out on top, but the Powerlock definitely has a place in my toolbox at home.
Thanks for reading, gentlemen! Let me know what you think, and please feel free to share any other impressions you have had about either of these fine tools. :thumbup:
Last month I bought a Powerlock off of a friend, but a few days ago I was browsing when my interest was piqued by the Super Tool.
I'll post some more hard use details later, but for now, here are my thoughts and first impressions of these two multi-tools.
Right off the bat, they are a very similar size and weight. The Leatherman is 4.5 in closed, the SOG is 4.6 in closed, and they both weigh 9.6 oz. Both feel very solid and well constructed.
Open shot of the Leatherman Super Tool 300.
Four main tools are a straight blade, serrated blade, saw, and file.
Smaller tools are an array of flat blade screwdrivers, a Phillips screwdriver, awl, and can/bottle opener.
Open shot of the SOG Powerlock.
Four main tools are a half serrated blade, v-cutter, saw, and file.
Smaller tools include a similar array of flat blade screwdrivers, Phillips screwdriver, awl, can/bottle opener, and quarter inch socket drive.
One thing that struck me about the SOG - I was immediately not a fan of the handle covers.
They have a very flimsy feel to them, and add an extra step when trying to get at one of the inside tools. They do pop right off if you don't like them, though.
The SOG and Leatherman have similarly shaped pliers, but here is the first advantage for the Super Tool - removable/replaceable wire cutters.
You can sharpen them yourself, or put in a new pair yourself if they ever become damaged beyond repair.
However, the Powerlock does have a major advantage here - SOG's patented compound leverage system.
This actually adds a ton of useability and functionality to the tool. You can more easily apply a ton of force when using the pliers or wire cutters. In addition, the Powerlock opens and closes more smoothly than any other multi-tool I have ever seen.
Yet all that added functionality comes with a tradeoff. It makes it so that you can only use the SOG in two positions - open, or closed.
Unfortunately, the gears make it impossible to manipulate the handles to get better leverage or reach when using the other tools like the Leatherman can.
Next up, the tools.
Leatherman Super Tool 300
One thing to note about the Leatherman - no scissors! Now, for some, this might be a complete dealbreaker, but it doesn't concern me too much. I've always got a pair of decent scissors on my keychain (Style CS), so for me at least, that is not a feature that I absolutely need in a multi-tool.
SOG Powerlock
You might note in these pictures that the SOG has a v-cutter. Very nice to have, but I don't do much cutting of cords or webbing, so for me this was not a big value add. As I mentioned earlier, the lack of scissors on the SOG doesn't matter to me either.
One thing I feel that must be mentioned about the Leatherman is its great design of what they call "Edge-safety clumping."
What that means is that if you want to use one of the four main tools on the Super Tool, they are designed so that when you pull out, for instance, the knife, you get only the knife. The rest of the tools won't come out along with it. Similarly, if you try to pull out the middle tools, they all come out without pulling up either of the nearby larger tools. This is great because you don't have to use a fingernail to carefully select which one you want. Just pull out the entire middle section, and put the rest back that you don't want. It was tough to take a photo to illustrate this - below you can see where I tried to pull out one of the center tools. On the Leatherman, only the center tools came out. On the SOG, basically all of the tools came out all at once in one large clump.
The final point I would like to mention is a doozy. Flat out, every single one of the Leatherman's tools feels larger, thicker, and more well made than the ones on the SOG. And I mean everything - all of the blades, the file, the awl, each of the screwdrivers. Just look at the following pictures - I can't for the life of me figure out why SOG restricted all of their tools to three inches or less.
In conclusion, I think you could tell from my review that I much prefer the Leatherman Super Tool 300.
I just prefer the overall construction and feel, and when looking at the differences between each individual tool, the Leatherman just seals the deal for me.
However, I'm not going to throw the SOG in the garbage or anything. Basically these two were competing to see which one would ride along with me in my truck. The Super Tool came out on top, but the Powerlock definitely has a place in my toolbox at home.
Thanks for reading, gentlemen! Let me know what you think, and please feel free to share any other impressions you have had about either of these fine tools. :thumbup:
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