Swisstool VS leatherman

btw, I think both tools are very nice, I like the look of swisstool, but I just find I pick up the wave most often, but both are my favorite.
 
I own several Leathermans and one original Swisstool (though I own probably dozens of Victorinox SAKs). IMO the Swisstool is more solidly built and most probably has better tolerances, but the multi I carry on my belt is the Leatherman Blast. It seems the right balance of weight and number of tools I will use. I only wish instead of the tiny screwdriver it had an awl.

I also had a problem pulling out several of the tools on the Swisstool. It would beat the hell out of my nails, at least when trying to open the shorter tools. That was probably more than anything the deciding factor on my carry choice.

I was thinking of getting a new Wave, but decided to stick with the Blast. I already carry at least one one-hand clip knife in my pocket, so I don't need the one-hand blades on my multi. And I like the screwdrivers on the Blast better than the short stubby ones on the new Wave.

So besides the Blast and a one-hander, I always carry a Vic SAK in my pocket, as well. And also a Micra. :D That seems to cover my bases.
Jim
 
Leatherman123 said:
No. SwissTool sucks. I say this because the needlenose are blunted, wirecutters cannot cut shit, tiny blades, hard to access blades, cheap locks, screw drivers are rounded off, and not a true serrated blade more like the top of a steak knife that you see at a resturaunt. I own almost every multitool available. From my expertise I would indeed reccomend the leatherman surge, but if that is too heavy for you then may i suggest the wave. If you need extreme wire cutters and a replacable jigsaw I would reccomend the gerber 800 legend that is my personal favorite and it does not rust the 800. What works for me is a legend on my belt and I black buck sirus on my pocket, btw that is a true knife the sirus
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You have still failed to tell us what you use your tools for ? Or perhaps for security reasons you cant tell us , are you a mall Ninja :jerkit: I recently posted a thread about using a multitool 8 miles out to sea in 5-6 feet waves , it was cold , windy and we lost all steering :eek: I would say that could be called a harsh environment .http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=458947

Maybe you can use the info for your school project ;) I dont hate Leathermans and as I've said before I have owned a few .I also understand that most of you guys are from the U.S.A and are very patriotic to your country . Its all boils down to what suits you as an individual. We come on here to discuss multitools and help and show each other what tools we have and use and to ask / answer peoples questions . This is a friendly place . How about showing us some pics of your tool collection and any stories you might have ?

Dunc
 
both are great. for the plier tool I would get the LM, and for a small edc folder the vic
I wouldnt recomend the juices, juice=girly knife :D . Also I dont really trust LM's corrosion resistance. I once got a LM soaked in saltwater by taking it to the beach, I know, Im a freakin genius :D . It only developed a few tiny spots of rust, but the spring behind the knife blade broke so now it flops around and the knife is now unusable. The lesson I learned is dont take lms
to the beach :p
 
penls said:
both are great. for the plier tool I would get the LM, and for a small edc folder the vic
Click to expand...

Its funny because I really like the Victorinox ( steak knife )serrations , they can be sharpened to hair shaving sharpness ( sharpmaker works great for this ) and because of the small serrations they do not snag or catch while cutting . One thig I noticed on Leatherman and Gerber serrated blades was the angle was really way out to use on a sharpmaker :( So I had to do this

27052005.jpg


I'm hopless at sharpening serrations freehand

Dunc
 
I have the swiss tool x and the spirit as well as 7 different leatherman models .Buy the swiss tool,I would gladly trade any of my leatherman tools for a swiss tool.The leatherman tools are junk or anything but they do tend to rust very easily and the swiss tool is just made to tighter tolerances,everything is polished and rounded and they do not rust.
 
I have an interesting LM model. The Flair, says its discontinued, no surprise sinc its so weird. It has a corkscrew, a large bottleopener, a coctail fork, and a butter knife. I guess its meant for picknics/parties. Got it from a yard sale, thought i'd share since its such a funky Leatherman. :D

and maybe leatherman123 works for LM, and they pay him to slander other multitools :D
 
o yeah, I like vic's serrated blades too. I dont own a swisstool, but I have a lockback picknicer with se. Great knife, its become my new edc. LM makes good blades too, so I say get vics and LMs. both are cool so why choose only one :)
 
As far as quality, design, ease of use, Victorinox Swiss tools win hands down for me. The other brands I have tried feel more flimsy, weaker, are clunky, tools clump, things stick and jam, tools are hard to access and may dig and cut into you while trying to get at them, etc. I find the Swiss Tool and Spirit to be comfortable to use, the tools are accessible without folding the tool open, they lock securely and are easy to unlock, they feel strong and solid, etc.

I've been cut by leather man products trying to get tools unjammed because they are poorly designed. They just want to slap a bunch of tools in there and not worry about them jamming up. I never had any jamming problems with a Victorinox multi-tool.

If I have any gripes about the Swiss Tools I would agree with others that some of the tools are to smooth, like the Phillips driver, but it's never been such a big issue that I couldn't get the job done.

I also like my SOG PowerLock, but I find the tools to be thinner and weaker and much harder to get at. You have to open the tool, the tools clump when you try to get them out, you have to swing the handle cover open to get at the tools (unless you remove it, making the handles uncomfortable), and I just find it to be to cumbersome to bother with compared to a Swiss Tool.
 
I used Leatherman for years before switching to the Swisstool in 1999. I have never gone back to Leatherman. I don't EDC my swisstool anymore though.
 
LM, SwissTool Champ XTL for the office, less intimidating. Would be LM for both but have to be considerate.
 
znapschatz said:
You think the Swisschamp XLT is not intimidating??? Scares the hell out of me. :eek:
Click to expand...

Why? It doesn't even look like a knife. To me it looks like something from the sewing kit. A Civilian or a LM Charge looks more intimidating than the XLT.
 
If I had to pick, it'd be Leatherman (old Wave or ST200), though they screwed up a bit when they tried to 'improve' the later models.

For what it's worth, I think the SA 'Farmer' is possibly the best pocket knife ever made, but Swisstool/Spirit? Too polished for my taste; feels like fancy dinnerware.
I prefer a 4WD truck in the woods, not a Mercedes Benz with a cheese knife! ;>)

Dave
 
Well then... this thread curtainly didn't help me choose between which multi-tool to BUY!!!!!! ARGH... lol
 
James Y said:
I own several Leathermans and one original Swisstool (though I own probably dozens of Victorinox SAKs). IMO the Swisstool is more solidly built and most probably has better tolerances, but the multi I carry on my belt is the Leatherman Blast. It seems the right balance of weight and number of tools I will use. I only wish instead of the tiny screwdriver it had an awl.

I also had a problem pulling out several of the tools on the Swisstool. It would beat the hell out of my nails, at least when trying to open the shorter tools. That was probably more than anything the deciding factor on my carry choice.

I was thinking of getting a new Wave, but decided to stick with the Blast. I already carry at least one one-hand clip knife in my pocket, so I don't need the one-hand blades on my multi. And I like the screwdrivers on the Blast better than the short stubby ones on the new Wave.

So besides the Blast and a one-hander, I always carry a Vic SAK in my pocket, as well. And also a Micra. :D That seems to cover my bases.
Jim
Click to expand...

I totally agree! :thumbup:

IMO, the Blast is probably Leatherman's best tool in production.
Not because it has the most tools, but because it has just the right selection and balance of tools without being too much to EDC.
And it is very affordable.

The SwissTool is nice but it's just too heavy, too difficult to access the tools, and too expensive.
 
i love my charge xti. i can recommend it, but you have to check if u like the tools. I haven't compared the weight, i dont think the titanium saves a whole lot of weight, but it looks/feels kool. Another tool I really liked was the Leatherman surge, it felt tough, it was slightly bigger than the charge, not so big my small(ish) mantastic hands couldnt manouvre it. the pliers were chunky and the rest of the tool in terms of design, build and feel, I could feel my faith in it, like I could depend on it.
 
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