multitool :stage hand edition

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phil000

Joined
May 21, 2006
Messages
815
howdy all and thanks in advance for the advice it really is invaluable to us noobs and I find myself answering more and more questions to my friends and try to help out with other people's questions on here as best i can...
now to the question...

As a theatre electrician and college student and general badass :jerkit: I want a multitool that has in this order: Wire stripper, strong wire cutter/crimper, one hand open and no clumping when getting tools out...I like knives/tools that deploy fast (I own a butterfly and several speedy autos and manuals and hold all my other tools to that standard of quick access), sometimes friends/designers/professors/choreographers ask the question 'anyone got a knife/leatherman?' and it's a fun game between us rather competitive group of people who gets their tool for them first...

with this massive amount of words for a non-massive amount of specs, I have looked at the SOG powerlock and really like that one, also one of my friends has a 'gerber standard', whatever the hell that means...I think it's a gerber 400...I like that one somewhat just for how fast it is to get the phillips head out...I tried a gerber diesel and really disliked the way it opened, almost impossible to do with gloves on...

stjames, any thoughts ( i woulda just pm'ed you but that doesn't seem to be working so good...)

thanks all!
 
My daughter is in theater and I was drafted to work behind the scenes for a large production. I don't recall exactly what I was carrying at the time, but it came in handy the whole time I was there. The Gerber 800 Legend is a possibility, although if that's what I was carrying at the time I could have gotten by with the Compact Sport.
Whatever tool you're most used to will be the most valuable in my opinion. Things get pretty hectic during a show and being able to use a tool is more important than what brand it is. Definetly get something with scissors, I recall doing alot of trimming;)
 
I've done quite a bit of stage work and I always had an old style Leatherman Wave. The tools clump but I don't mind that since all I have to do is pull one out and they all come out rather than picking at one tool and not getting it because I trimmed my nails a bit to short. The knife blades open one handed which was always convenient for me and I could open the pliers rather fast as well. I've never had any problem cutting a wide range of wire with the wire cutters either. I've piano string with the wave. I didn't think it could do that but boy was I ever wrong.

As far as deploying the pliers quickly a SOG or a Gerber may be the way to go. SOG pliers have the compound leverage gears that allow the tool to act similar to a balisong. Gerber has their wrist flick method on most of their tools. Gerber also has a tool called the Recoil which, at the press of a button, the plier head springs out from the body. It always seemed kind of neat to me but I have never used it.

I have not used a SOG either so I cannot comment on their quality. I have used a Gerber (a 600 series I think and a 800 Legend). In general I wasn't a fan of them. I didn't like that the jaws of the pliers didn't open wide on the 600 series. Also I had some difficulty extracting a tool from the handle. The 800 was actually a great tool because the tools could be extracted without opening the tool up. It was simply too big and clunky for my needs. YMMV.
 
houdini28 said:
I've done quite a bit of stage work and I always had an old style Leatherman Wave.
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Good choice! I have a Charge Ti now, but I still carry the old Wave when I wanna go lighter, and don't foresee a need for all those bits.

houdini28 said:
The tools clump but I don't mind that since all I have to do is pull one out and they all come out rather than picking at one tool and not getting it because I trimmed my nails a bit to short.
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LOL!! Great mental image there. :D

I always wondered myself why everyone disses the clumping... like you, I'd rather pull 'em all out, spread 'em with thumb & forefinger, and grab the one I need. I can do that at least as fast as fumbling to get out one single implement with a too-small nick, or pulling out the wrong one a couple times because I can't see down into the handle!

houdini28 said:
The knife blades open one handed which was always convenient for me and I could open the pliers rather fast as well.
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Same here. Again, I don't see why people get worked up over "stiff" handles that won't open up, cos I've never had that problem. Grab it by one handle, either flip it or use your thumb to separate the handles a bit, then catch the end of the free handle on your leg (or arm or whatever's handy) and open it the rest of the way. Do it a few (hundred!) times, and it becomes second nature.

houdini28 said:
Gerber also has a tool called the Recoil which, at the press of a button, the plier head springs out from the body. It always seemed kind of neat to me but I have never used it.
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I bought one out of curiousity, but was ultimately underwhelmed.

The spring thing is kinda cool to play with, but of dubious utility in actual use. yeah, it deploys a little faster, but stowing it can be awkward. (You have to close the handles fully but not tightly, press the release button, then push the tips of the plier jaws back into the handles against spring tension. If you try it one-handed, and don't have anything suitable to push against, you can use your body, but those pointy pliers kinda hurt!) Also, the spring mechanism takes up all the room inside the handles, so all the implements (a whoppin' four) are mounted to the outside of the handles, making for a very bulky tool!

houdini28 said:
The 800 was actually a great tool because the tools could be extracted without opening the tool up. It was simply too big and clunky for my needs.
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Roger that on the 800. Tried one of those, too. :jerkit:

That seems to be a theme with Gerber tools: too much weight and bulk for the utility they provide. :thumbdn:
 
I like the SOG Powerlock. I have a Powerlock and a few older Leatherman multitools. It is easier to crimp electrical connectors using the SOG Powerlock S60 versus other tools which lack compound action.

The Powerlock pliers open smoothest of any tools I've owned. There was a little "clumping" together of individual blades when I first bought it. To eliminate most of the clumping, I merely loosened by a tiny amount the screws holding the blades to the handles. You can't do that with tools which use rivets instead of screws.

I like the SOG's blade locking mechanism, but I wish some of the individual tools (e.g., file) were larger.

The biggest drawback to the SOG Powerlock is that the exposed gear teeth are sharp so you should carry it in a holster instead of a pocket.
 
alright well thank you everyone I just landed myself a powerlock (with v-cutter) on ebay for 49$, thanks to everyone who put in esp. parnass who answered the big question of clumping...
 
Great choice I love my powerlock especially the leather case. I am very critical and can find fault with just about anything. That being said one of the things that I wish were a little bit more thought out is the tools, to me they seem like an afterthought. That may be because the pliers and everything else are so over built (Thats a good thing by the way). Also I noticed someone mentioned that it was too bulky and gears hurt when you try to carry it in your pocket. Well I don't think any multi tool is comfortable carried in the pocket, and besides the leather case is a great fashion accessory.
 
I just got it about 5 minutes ago, the first thing i notice is the weight and size. DAMN this is a handful of metal to put it lightly...anyone taken off these hand guards without regretting it?
 
phil000 said:
I just got it about 5 minutes ago, the first thing i notice is the weight and size. DAMN this is a handful of metal to put it lightly...anyone taken off these hand guards without regretting it?
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I used the SOG PowerLock with the guards for a while, but took them off and have been keeping them off. Removing the guards makes the PowerLock lighter, easier to fit in a different belt sheath, and faster to deploy the individual tools.
 
I also work in theatre and carried a Powerlock for a while. I used it without the handguards, one less thing in the way when getting to the tools. Except for the saw blade which was not sharpened evenly, it was a good tool and held up fine. But before you get too attached to yours, drive some screws with it. I couldn't take the gear teeth digging into my palm when I had to really bear down on a screw, so the Powerlock was eventually traded.
 
I mainly use it for lighting so i'm not usually like having to DRIVE it into wood or anything usually just disassembling things, the only issue i have so far is if you're really bored and tossing it in the air and twirling it around like a jackass, the handle covers are sharpened on the end...ow

jackass phil
 
If you want fast pliers, get a Gerber (I love the CS 400 model), but if you need strong pliers and wire cutters, the Leatherman has superior strength compared to Gerber's design. I prefer the Gerber but I carry a Leatherman Kick (the cheapest model) in my bag if I have to cut heavier wire. The tools clump on the Leatherman, though. No comment on SOG as I've never handled one.

I think your best bet is to pair a Gerber with a good set a needlenose pliers and/or wirecutters.
 
carrot said:
I think your best bet is to pair a Gerber with a good set a needlenose pliers and/or wirecutters.
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I don't follow... the main reason for carrying a pliers-based multi-tool is the pliers.

If you're gonna carry a pair of pliers too, why carry another? Why not save weight and pair the pliers up with a SAK or similar instead?
 
I found that there was no perfect multi tool, so over the years I carried:

1. SAK and Gerber MP600

2. Gerber MP400 and Leatherman Wave (old style)

Currently Spyderco UKPK and Leatherman Charge Ti.
 
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