Multi tool for sailor

dewingrm

dewingrm

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Oct 23, 2001
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My son is in the Navy, currently on board an aircraft carrier. He’s an aviation boatswains mate (moves aircraft). I planned on buying him a knife before he gets deployed but I think a multi tool might make more sense. I’m not well versed in multi tools. I was thinking about buying the Leatherman Wingman. I think it’s fitting due to the name.

Are there any others I should consider?
 
I suggest the Victorinox Spirit with the serrated "butter knife" blade.
The Victorinox Skipper comes to mind also, but the Spirit is far more capable, save the marlin spike.
There is also the MXBS version which I like a lot.
 
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I don’t recommend the wingman. It has really weird flat drivers that never work with anything (either too thick or too narrow). Get a full multitool like the rebar mentioned above or even better Wave+.

Good call with the multitool though!

Edit: fixed typos
 
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The wingman I had a few of. It got me started carrying a multitool and proved a multitool is most certainly useful enough to take up pocket space. But it's not a good model. On all three I had the pocket clips broke. The tools are much cheaper and poorly implemented.

Going to a flagship model from leatherman is night and day quality difference, those are the models leatherman is known for. I carried a wave for years and its a much higher quality and more useful tool. But that being said, I think the rebar, or supertool 300 or surge would be better suited for him. The rebar is the same size as the wave with stronger pliers and phillips screwdriver. The wave just doesn't have the most useful tools for what I'd imagine he's doing, the scissors are very small and an eyeglasses driver might not help. The supertool and surge would both be awesome and even more useful for him than the rebar, but are a little bigger and heavier. I carry my surge in my pocket everyday, but some folks don't like carrying much in their pockets.

A stand alone knifes still a very good idea. Especially if picking the rebar or supertool. Hogue is making a copycat of benchmades design in a magnacut (very tough stainles) blade for a good price, called the Deka. A spyderco delica/endela/endura etc are all also pretty affordable high-quality knife options too.
 
dewingrm said:
My son is in the Navy, currently on board an aircraft carrier.
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Salty ocean air, eh?

If you go with a Leatherman then I advise getting it in black oxide because Leatherman tools are not as corrosion resistant as a Victorinox. The oxide layer helps by acting as a barrier to further corrosion.
 
I have a Rebar, and it has the basic tools, but it's as stiff as my 4th grade teacher and is pretty cheap.

This guy is going to be protecting my country, and I'm spending your money, so I say buy him the new Leatherman Arc with the Magnacut blade.

It's got the best steel and is the flagship Leatherman at this time. U.S.A stamped all over it.
 
Thanks for all of the replies, they are very helpful. The Arc is a bit too pricey. I want to keep it around $100. I didn’t know Victorinox was making multi tools but I would prefer made in the USA. I think a Rebar is a good option but I wish it had scissors. What’s the difference between the Rebar and Wave?
 
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Mostly the one handed opening tools on the wave are a big plus, makes the knives, and file much more usable. The pliers on the rebar are a little bit stronger, more resistant to flexing, but theres no scissors and getting to and using the knife would be a PITA. The pliers on my wave have held up fine for 5 or so years so in use no problem there. If scissors are important and you are trying to stay around 100 the wave is a hard to beat option.

Yes, I do think the leatherman would be a higher quality tool over the victorinox tools. Look at the very good replaceable cutters in the plier jaws. They work great, can be sharpened a couple of times and if needed replaced without ruining the tool.
 
dewingrm said:
I think a Rebar is a good option but I wish it had scissors.
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There is a knifeless version of the Rebar. It has scissors, and the plain and serrated edge knife blades have both been omitted. A good option is to carry the knifeless Rebar and add your own dedicated knife carry to it. This way you can have whatever style knife you want in whatever steel you want, in a more useful and comfortable form factor.

I just don't know whether they offer the knifeless Rebar in black oxide. I know that they offer the regular Rebar in black oxide and black/coyote tan colors.

What’s the difference between the Rebar and Wave?
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Four of the tools on the Wave can be opened from the outside without opening the pliers first. It also has a bit driver, a micro bit driver, and is missing an awl. Unless you have one arm injured or missing, outside opening tools are mostly a convenience thing. It should also be noted that the bit driver on the Wave only uses flat proprietary bits from Leatherman. They can sometimes be difficult to get and you can't buy them from third party manufacturers. There are none. The bit selection is limited only to what Leatherman makes. You need an adapter to be able to use regular bits.
 
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I like the Wave+ but I'd look into Victorinox's offerings as well. Might be better to ask would work for him and not surprise based on forum suggestions. He'll know better what would work for him.
 
CSG said:
I like the Wave+ but I'd look into Victorinox's offerings as well. Might be better to ask would work for him and not surprise based on forum suggestions. He'll know better what would work for him.
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THIS!

Also, be very careful with military gift knives. Depending on the CO, there can be very stict rules on what bladed tools are allowed. Generally, multitools get a pass, but still, be careful. There is little real need for a knife onboard modern ships.
 
jackknife said:
Also, be very careful with military gift knives. Depending on the CO, there can be very strict rules on what bladed tools are allowed. Generally, multitools get a pass, but still, be careful. There is little real need for a knife onboard modern ships.
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Okay well now you are making the knifeless Rebar sound perfect. It's just a pity because I don't think there is a black oxide version of it.
 
Thats a great choice. I'm sure he'll get alot of use out of it and be reminded of you when he sees the engraving.
 
Fantastic choice! I would really be interested to see some pics of possible when it arrives.
 
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