The multi-tool Holy Grail

F

Foilist

Joined
Dec 20, 2004
Messages
3,863
Although I like my original LM Wave, it is irritatingly loose, the screwdrivers are twisted, and the pliers are chipped at the tip and wobbly (after five years). I also wish it had an awl.

Although I like my Vic Spirit for its build quality and most of its tool selection, I dislike the knife blade, the dinky scissors, and lack of the diamond file.

Now I'm thinking of getting a new Wave or a Swisstool, but it still isn't exactly what I want.

Wouldn't it be great if a company had "blank" multitools, and you could select from a large list which tools you wanted installed, thus designing your own? SOG seems set up best for this, but I can find no list of available tool blades, nor does there seem to be enough variety to choose from.
 
Here is a link with some of the avalible tools for the SOG powerlock, it's old so there might be more. ;):thumbup:

Also, I have heard of some people "canabalizing" other multitools by taking off their tools and modifying them so they can be placed on the Powerlock.
 
For a very short time a few years back, Gerber had a web page where you could "build your own" multi-tool. Not sure, but it was like a Gerber 600 that had various options...I wish I had done it when it was available :(
 
The Victorinox swisstool has three version

the original

X which has scissors instead of a serrated blade

RS which has a curved serrated seat belt cutter instead of a file .

i know the files arent diamond coated but the awls are very sharp and very usefull .They are bigger and heavier than the spirit .They also have a handy ruler on the outside of the handles.

Dunc
 
I bought a Kick to replace my Sideclip that disapeared. I hated it. So I e-mailed Leatherman, Customer Service line out my gripes. I shipped it off and in a week I had it back with all the upgrades including Scissors, and an eyeglass size flathead. Sans stupidly redundant lanyard loop.

I guess that means you could complain...and get what you want. :p

Eddie
www.k5tactical.com
 
ekillian said:
I bought a Kick to replace my Sideclip that disapeared. I hated it. So I e-mailed Leatherman, Customer Service line out my gripes. I shipped it off and in a week I had it back with all the upgrades including Scissors, and an eyeglass size flathead. Sans stupidly redundant lanyard loop.

I guess that means you could complain...and get what you want. :p

Eddie
www.k5tactical.com
Click to expand...

There's an idea! Why not start a petition to ask LM to offer custom setups for an extra charge, if enough people signed maybe they'd listen.
 
i have the swisstool (i love it) and the original LM Wave which i found tat it is loose, and it wobbles, plyer chipped off. The worst part it that i hardly use the Wave and didnt subject the WAve to any abuse. While the swisstool seems to be able to take all the abuse. I have another Wenger SAK but it is with me for 10 years and i could not even remember which model. Well it really survived all the abuse

I am going to send the Wave back to LM for warranty and perhaps asking them whether it is possible to upgrade to the Wave 2004.

Now waiting for the arrival of the vic swisstool spirit + rotating ratchet and LM squirt P4. ( waited so many months for the online shop to re-stock) sigh!!
 
The Swisstool X is promising, although I'd like to gain a scissors without losing the serrated blade.

The new Wave looks good too, but only if it isn't as wobbly at the pliers joint as the original. The looseness of the old one became intolerable after awhile. And in spite of the damage I listed in my first post, I really wasn't using the tool all that abusively (I think). I could probably add a sort of awl by making the end of the can opener sharper. I find awls useful to have.
 
Foilist said:
The Swisstool X is promising, although I'd like to gain a scissors without losing the serrated blade.

The new Wave looks good too, but only if it isn't as wobbly at the pliers joint as the original. The looseness of the old one became intolerable after awhile. And in spite of the damage I listed in my first post, I really wasn't using the tool all that abusively (I think). I could probably add a sort of awl by making the end of the can opener sharper. I find awls useful to have.
Click to expand...

You could always go for swisstool RS which have a plane edge blade scissors and a serrared curved blade but you loose the file :(
I have a X and its great and would reccomend it

Dunc
 
I've just discovered the Leatherman Surge. It seems to be a Wave, but with a couple of the extra implements that I want.
 
Foilist said:
I've just discovered the Leatherman Surge. It seems to be a Wave, but with a couple of the extra implements that I want.
Click to expand...
it will be bulkier too, be careful.
 
Foilist said:
I've just discovered the Leatherman Surge. It seems to be a Wave, but with a couple of the extra implements that I want.
Click to expand...


Yes im keeping my eye on the Surge and Core but i will wait and see how they peform and wait for reviews and feedback .The swisstools have been about for a few years and have been tested all over the world and in some funny old conditions .
I dont want to look as though im forcing you into buying a victorinox but for me they are the one , i do have two leathermans ( Charge Ti and Supertool 200 ) and they do get used but the vics seem to take more abuse while the leathermans tend to look a bit tired after a while and you see alot more posts about leathermans being sent back for repair .
Dunc
 
I have one of the new Wave II's and I was actually surprised at how much bulkier it was than my PST. I've used my co-worker's Wave a bit and liked the handle a lot better than my PST. It didn't seem that much bulkier at the time :) Mostly, I use the pliers, larger screwdriver and Phillips for the majority of my EDC type things (I test software and work in a test lab full of PC's- upgrade/stage machines on a pretty regular basis) and it's been working fine for that. I've had it a couple of weeks now and so far so good. I do feel that the sissors feel very flimsy, maybe for cutting paper? I picked up that bit set that comes for it this weekend and noticed that it had a spare eyeglass screwdriver/mini-phillips bit. I didn't know it was even removable :eek: So....I took mine out, just to play. It took a bit to get it back in tight. For me, I doubt very much if I'll ever use it, just too small, but then again, if that sucker gets lost........ I don't think LM sells these individually.

- gord
 
gordonk said:
I picked up that bit set that comes for it this weekend and noticed that it had a spare eyeglass screwdriver/mini-phillips bit. I didn't know it was even removable :eek: So....I took mine out, just to play. It took a bit to get it back in tight. For me, I doubt very much if I'll ever use it, just too small, but then again, if that sucker gets lost........ I don't think LM sells these individually.

- gord
Click to expand...
To me, this is an example of a big goof up. You need a tool to work the tool.Try getting the lanyard ring out and putting it back! I picked-up a Leatherman Kick to work "along side" the new Wave. :thumbup:
 
Big goof-up is right. I think Leatherman is going in the wrong engineering direction. (ie:the Juice line, and the bulky low end tools w/plastic lining :( ) We still buy their tools becuase of name or features(which leads them to believe they are doing things right) but we are all having to compromise on tool choices.

I would pay $25 to $30 extra to be able to configure a tool to my tastes. Maybe they should start a custom shop...then they could keep track of all the things people want on thier tools and start making them that way in production.
Plus no multi-tool should cost over $100 MSRP When I lose one My wife gets more upset than me cause she Knows I have to spend more money than I did on the last one.

Eddie
 
dunc5 said:
I dont want to look as though im forcing you into buying a victorinox but for me they are the one , i do have two leathermans ( Charge Ti and Supertool 200 ) and they do get used but the vics seem to take more abuse while the leathermans tend to look a bit tired after a while and you see alot more posts about leathermans being sent back for repair .
Dunc
Click to expand...


My dilemma is, I prefer the build quality of the Vic tools (if the Spirit is any indication), but I like many of the Leatherman features. I really need to go handle all of these in a store somewhere.

I might send in my old Wave to LM just to see what happens. Maybe they'll be generous and upgrade me. :cool: At the worst, they'll refurbish my tool.
 
Foilist, same as me. i will be sending the original wave back to LM and request for the upgrade as see what is their response. :D
 
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