Has anyone got a ST 300 Yet?

Tested out the 154CM wire cutters a bit more and I'm very pleased with the performance. Cut through the finely stranded wires in lamp cord cleanly and without binding! :thumbup: Also cut through a nail (using the hardwire notch of the 154CM cutter)! :thumbup:

cutters.jpg
 
I'm anxious to hear your opinion of it!

I'm really pleased with the improvements. I'd like to see similar improvements trickle down to the other Leatherman multi-tools. In particular, I hope that Leatherman will upgrade the Surge with a similar plier head/cutter. I'd also like to see "edge safety clumping" on the next incarnation of the Blast.
 
Supratentorial, How does the ST 300 compare to SOG's power assist model, or are they too different to compare. Don't mean to high jack the thread but I just purchased the PA and now I see the ST300, just wondering if I jumped too soon on the PA. Which by the way I am liking very much.
 
Im really contemplating geting a ST300, but i pack a Tenacious for primary cutting tasks, so i cant justify getting a tool that has 2 blades and no scissors (which i use alot).

Im really digging the wire-cutters but besides that i dont feel like the ST300 has brought anything groundbreaking into the multitool world.
 
First time I'm seeing this design. I like it, the replaceable wire cutter blades is a very nice feature IMO.
 
cb4life_30,

That's a question that I've asked myself but its not easy to answer. Both the SuperTool 300 and PowerAssist are in the same price range but each has different benefits and drawbacks. Personally, I think that they are BOTH worth having around (the same goes for a few other multi-tools as well).

Pliers: The pliers on the Super Tool 300 are great but it's hard to beat the compound leverage of the SOG PowerAssist. I also prefer the fit and finish of the SOG pliers.

Wire cutters: I've been applauding the SOG cutters since the PowerLock 2.0 was released. The SOG cutter works just about as well as my Klein stranded/solid wire cutters. BUT Leatherman uses 154CM steel and a design that's replaceable/user serviceable. Both cutters are also designed to work a bit differently--the SOG cutter comes to a sharp point whereas the Super Tool has a square edge. At first I didn't think the Super Tool 300 would perform well but I was impressed by how well they work. The SOG cutters do cut a bit cleaner but the thick edge of the Super Tool 300 is less likely to be damaged... And if it ever gets damaged then you could easily sharpen or replace it yourself.

Drivers: SOG uses a #1 Phillips whereas Leatherman uses some hybrid #1/#2 Phillips that seems to fit everything really well. Both work fine but the Phillips on the Leatherman is longer and a bit more versatile. Although I really like the flat head driver on the tip of the file on the PowerAssist, it's other drivers are quite short. Although they're adequate, Leatherman gets the nod for it's longer and hollow ground flat drivers.

Blades: It's definitely not fair to compare the two but I prefer the blade geometry and the accessibility of the blades on the PowerAssist. It may be more fair to compare it with the PowerLock. Although, I don't like the bead blast finish of the blades on Leatherman multi-tools, I do like the larger blade (in comparison to the PowerLock) on the Super Tool 300 . Also its more easily accessible than the blade on the PowerLock.
 
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Here are some comparison photos and observations of the Super Tool 300 and the SOG PowerAssist/PowerLock pliers and wire cutters. The needlenose portion of the SOG pliers are chiseled to a very narrow point (less than half the size of the tip of the Leatherman pliers). Fully open, the SOG pliers open wider but with the pliers fully open the handles are too far apart for a comfortable grip--That's one drawback of the compound leverage design. The benefits are the one-hand opening pliers and the greater gripping strength. Opening the pliers is much smoother on the SOG. But fully open, the Leatherman pliers still have a comfortable grip. Fully closed, the Leatherman pliers touch mostly at the very tip whereas the SOG pliers make almost complete contact along the needle nose portion of their jaws. The Leatherman pliers have a slightly larger "regular pliers" (Leatherman's term) gripping area. The wire cutter on the SOG has an angled edge whereas the cutter on the Leatherman has a square edge (see second photo).

SuperTool300-l.jpg

SuperTool300-m.jpg
 
Here's a photo of a nail cut by the hard wire notch on the Core. The Core actually cut completely through the nail whereas the SuperTool 300 cut a little ways into it but mostly snapped it off. Both cutters were undamaged. I was going to also test the SOG's ability to cut a nail but the nail was too large to fit the hard wire notch on the SOG PowerAssist/PowerLock.

corecutter.jpg
 
The nail was also too big to fit the SwissTool Spirit hardwire notch. My early examples of the SwissTools don't have a hard wire notch. I'll see if I can find my later examples of the SwissTool. Also, I haven't tested the Gerbers yet. Some of the Gerbers have replaceable carbide cutters.
 
The Leatherman Charge cutter cut through the nail just as well as the Core. Eventhough the Charge has a much smaller plier head, the hardwire notch is about the same size.
 
I have no idea why, but I just had to order a Super Tool 300 after reading this thread. And I have probably 10 other multi-tools. Its a sickness.

:thumbup:
 
11 is better than 10... Only one more to a dozen. :) I'll be interested in hearing your opinion of it when you get it! :thumbup:
 
Any pics of the sheath? I would like a leather sheath but have noticed quality of construction is going downhill, if my Core sheath is any indication.
 
The 300 comes with either a leather or nylon sheath. I went with leather from NG. I think I read somewhere - maybe at NG - that the black Super Tool 300 has a molle sheath, though I'm not sure exactly how it is configured.

I prefer blades on the outside of the handle for ease of access, but that did not stop me from wanting to try out the 300.
 
Here are some photos of the leather sheath. The Super Tool 300 sheaths are the same ones that fit the Surge.
http://store.leatherman.com/shop/shop.aspx?category=60
I prefer the nylon sheath but I'd rather have a sheath with the same construction as the old leather Wave cases--those were nice! Unfortunately, the Super Tool 300 won't fit the old leather Wave cases or even the old leather Super Tool cases. I've been carrying mine in a Leatherman Molle sheath. Sadly, the leather sheath that I got with the Super Tool 300 looks sort of like a factory second. Leatherman is printed at an angle and there's a spot that was poorly dyed on the back--not a big deal to me but a little disappointing.


sheath1.jpg
sheath2.jpg
 
Thanks for the comparison Supratentorial. I really am enjoying my PA. Its funny you should mention the fact that the PA has its most its gripping force at the tip, because I think that it add to its overall gripping strength. After carrying mine for about a week now, My only complaint with the tool is the sliding safety lock because it feels loose and disengages when you slide it in and out of the sheath.
 
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