Victorinox vs Leatherman?

Hashishiin

Hashishiin

Joined
Dec 29, 2021
Messages
4,115
I have seen lots of opinions on Victorinox and Leatherman. A lot of people regard them as venerated classics, I know to some extent, I do. Some have said that carrying a SAK or multitool has made them not even miss their knife! Others say, you know, "Victorinox are gift knives" with the sharpness and edge-holding capability on par with Tru-Sharp (I hope not, as Tru-Sharp has been the only underwhelming steel I've had). And others still, knock the 420HC of Leatherman in comparison to say, Buck's. But, Buck has a better heat treat of S30V and S45VN than Spyderco, so Buck is kind of a gold standard.

Which brand of the big two do you guys on the Multitool forum prefer? Why do you use one over the other, if you do? Is it all logical reasons or is some of it love for the model based on growing up with it, etc? Leatherman Surge/Charge or SwissChamp XL?
 
I prefer Victorinox Swiss Army knives. I've spent years carrying both Leatherman...s? Leathermen? and SAKs, and there's rarely the occasion when I find myself lamenting not having the Leatherman. I prefer the knife blades of Vics over the Leatherman, particularly the thin pen blade. They are light weight, small in size, comfortable to carry and add so much capability for relatively little cost.
 
EngrSorenson said:
I prefer Victorinox Swiss Army knives. I've spent years carrying both Leatherman...s? Leathermen? and SAKs, and there's rarely the occasion when I find myself lamenting not having the Leatherman. I prefer the knife blades of Vics over the Leatherman, particularly the thin pen blade. They are light weight, small in size, comfortable to carry and add so much capability for relatively little cost.
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Leathermen 😂
Thank you for your take! I recently got my first Leatherman, a Wingman, and am going to send my girlfriend's grandfather's SAK up to Victorinox for a fix as it is jacked up and I couldn't repair it, going to be happy to compare the two.
 
Hashishiin said:
Leathermen 😂
Thank you for your take! I recently got my first Leatherman, a Wingman, and am going to send my girlfriend's grandfather's SAK up to Victorinox for a fix as it is jacked up and I couldn't repair it, going to be happy to compare the two.
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I have the same model to replace a Leatherman that was broken- it's more pocket friendly than some, but the partial serrations drive me nuts. I'd rather have a fine edge. I've heard great things about the job Victorinox does servicing SAKs (Chris Lubkemann has a good story), so when you get your SAK back in hand take a picture and post a picture of your shiny SAK!
 
SAK multi purpose knives (with the venerable 4 blade Scout/Camp/Demo knife a close second. I prefer their can opener, and the location of the punch/awl better than SAK's.) For pliers based multitools, Leatherman. They are more budget friendly.
I inspected a friend's Victorinox multitool, (don't know whick model) It seemed nice, but I did some trading with him for his (now mine) LM Charge+TTI. I liked it a bit more.
 
afishhunter said:
SAK multi purpose knives (with the venerable 4 blade Scout/Camp/Demo knife a close second. I prefer their can opener, and the location of the punch/awl better than SAK's.) For pliers based multitools, Leatherman. They are more budget friendly.
I inspected a friend's Victorinox multitool, (don't know whick model) It seemed nice, but I did some trading with him for his (now mine) LM Charge+TTI. I liked it a bit more.
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I love my Wingman for its spring-loaded pliers but am definitely eyeing a Charge+ for the 154CM or S30V blade and some of the extra tools! My only gripe with LM is no awl.
 
Hashishiin said:
I have seen lots of opinions on Victorinox and Leatherman. A lot of people regard them as venerated classics, I know to some extent, I do. Some have said that carrying a SAK or multitool has made them not even miss their knife! Others say, you know, "Victorinox are gift knives" with the sharpness and edge-holding capability on par with Tru-Sharp (I hope not, as Tru-Sharp has been the only underwhelming steel I've had). And others still, knock the 420HC of Leatherman in comparison to say, Buck's. But, Buck has a better heat treat of S30V and S45VN than Spyderco, so Buck is kind of a gold standard.

Which brand of the big two do you guys on the Multitool forum prefer? Why do you use one over the other, if you do? Is it all logical reasons or is some of it love for the model based on growing up with it, etc? Leatherman Surge/Charge or SwissChamp XL?
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Both. I carry a Victorinox Swiss Army Knife (usually a four-layer Explorer model, but currently a seven-layer Champion) in my pocket as my default EDC knife. When I’m not at work, I add a Leatherman Wave or Curl to my belt.

I don’t even own any modern folding knives from the big names like Benchmade and Spyderco; my SAKs and multi tools take care of all my cutting needs and a lot more besides.

Victorinox steel isn’t amazing at holding an edge, but it’s also easy to get razor sharp. Leatherman’s 420HC is a bit harder than Vic’s steel, but it’s also fairly easy to dull and resharpen. But then again, I’m not a snob when it comes to knife steels.
 
Hashishiin said:
I love my Wingman for its spring-loaded pliers but am definitely eyeing a Charge+ for the 154CM or S30V blade and some of the extra tools! My only gripe with LM is no awl.
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That's a good umm ... excuse ... errr ... reason ... justification ... to carry a SAK, Scout/Camp/Demo Knife, Harness Jack, Punch Stockman, or other knife with a punch/awl with the LM. 😇
 
EngrSorenson said:
I prefer Victorinox Swiss Army knives. I've spent years carrying both Leatherman...s? Leathermen? and SAKs, and there's rarely the occasion when I find myself lamenting not having the Leatherman. I prefer the knife blades of Vics over the Leatherman, particularly the thin pen blade. They are light weight, small in size, comfortable to carry and add so much capability for relatively little cost.
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I agree that Vic blades (with their thinner grind) are better cutters than the thick blades on most Leatherman tools.
 
hsherzfeld said:
Both. I carry a Victorinox Swiss Army Knife (usually a four-layer Explorer model, but currently a seven-layer Champion) in my pocket as my default EDC knife. When I’m not at work, I add a Leatherman Wave or Curl to my belt.

I don’t even own any modern folding knives from the big names like Benchmade and Spyderco; my SAKs and multi tools take care of all my cutting needs and a lot more besides.

Victorinox steel isn’t amazing at holding an edge, but it’s also easy to get razor sharp. Leatherman’s 420HC is a bit harder than Vic’s steel, but it’s also fairly easy to dull and resharpen. But then again, I’m not a snob when it comes to knife steels.
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I like a combo of both, got an expensive Spyderco in my right pocket and a Leatherman in my left right now! But, everyone here has definitely got me interested in trying more Victorinox in the future, as well!

I've got to admit I look at that Swisschamp XL with the same eyes I look at my Espada XL...
 
afishhunter said:
That's a good umm ... excuse ... errr ... reason ... justification ... to carry a SAK, Scout/Camp/Demo Knife, Harness Jack, Punch Stockman, or other knife with a punch/awl with the LM. 😇
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It very much is! 😁
Thanks for the recs, by the way! I love the style of some of those models, the full knife/tool combos are quite cool too.
 
Victorinox only offers a few multitools that I'm aware of.


Leatherman makes a good full sized multitool that I consider the gold standard because that's what I'm used to in form and implements.
The Victorinox swiss tool and spirit...ect look well made but just aren't what I'm after.
The only Victorinox multitool I've ever had is the jetsetter , which has no competition from leatherman so I really can't compare.



If I want a pocket knife with some extra tools it will be a Victorinox or occasionally an old scout knife.
I'm not going to buy one of those half a multitool afterthought things leatherman offers, it's just not the same or as good as a true multi function pocket knife like the Victorinox cadet or recruit.
 
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Hashishiin said:
I like a combo of both, got an expensive Spyderco in my right pocket and a Leatherman in my left right now! But, everyone here has definitely got me interested in trying more Victorinox in the future, as well!

I've got to admit I look at that Swisschamp XL with the same eyes I look at my Espada XL...
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Don't be fooled by the almost silly look of a swisschamp. I bought one last summer after having a pioneer in my pocket for about a year and a half, and was blown away by all of the work arounds for life's little problems I've contrived.

Answer to the OP: I was a Leatherman guy for years, and I still like them. However, I switched to carrying a small pair of pliers and a Swiss army knife in the early part of 2020 and don't regret that decision one bit. All of the utility of the Leatherman in a more compact and budget friendly package.
 
Wild Willie said:
Don't be fooled by the almost silly look of a swisschamp. I bought one last summer after having a pioneer in my pocket for about a year and a half, and was blown away by all of the work arounds for life's little problems I've contrived.

Answer to the OP: I was a Leatherman guy for years, and I still like them. However, I switched to carrying a small pair of pliers and a Swiss army knife in the early part of 2020 and don't regret that decision one bit. All of the utility of the Leatherman in a more compact and budget friendly package.
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Oh, no, I love the Espada XL in case it was not clear! I have the plain one and the fancy decorated S35VN version. And I suspect I would absolutely love the SwissChamp. I am lucky to be in a position where I can carry what I want, within reason of a few pounds, I only do light-carry for fun, but I have no problem carrying some ounces and do not mind that it is a bit overkill. It is not more overkill than any Medford or Strider, and it has a ton more functions!

About the pliers, I am just so in love with the springload pliers of the Wingman that I can't see myself going to regular pliers! I feel you though, sounds like a good carry.
 
Hickory n steel said:
I'm not going to buy one of those half a multitool afterthought things leatherman offers, it's just not the same or as good as a true multi function pocket knife like the Victorinox cadet or recruit.
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Ha! Yeah, I agree with this. Who buys a knife with a couple of tools from Leatherman instead of the multitools? It's like buying a one-hand-opening "modern" knife from Case, it's just odd, why would you go to them, for that?
 
Just an FYI, the leatherman bond blade is thinner than other leatherman blades.
Not as thin and thinly ground as a Victorinox blade, but it should be a better slicer than any other leatherman blade.
I don't use my multitool as a knife do I couldn't say how much better it'll cut but it's gotta be some better.
 
When you say "Victorinox vs Leatherman" are you comparing the pliers? If you are comparing a SAK to a Leatherman, they are two different animals.

I carry a Victorinox Super Tinkerer on my one side, and a Leatherman Wingman on the other side. If I need pliers, the Wingman comes out (another big fan of the spring loaded pliers). If I need scissors or a screwdriver for something simple, then the Super Tinkerer comes out. For a quick slicing job I lean towards the Wingman, because it has one-handed opening for the knife blade, but its scissors are so-so. If I have to free a rusty screw or nut, then it is over to the tool box for a better tool. In my opinion, both Leatherman and Victorinox make great stuff and you can't go wrong with either one for most simple tasks. Have done some repairs using the SAK tools to tackle the screws in a pinch, but end up dropping the tool or I can't fit the Phillips head in the spot with as a T-handle. The Victorinox Swiss Tool sits in a bicycle bag, because it is kind of heavy to lug around on the belt if used infrequently. If you have to tackle something more complex, it saves time getting the bigger, more robust, tool to do the job.
 
I had two Squirts and the scissors spring broke spontaneously on both, while not even being in use. In time I lost both and never replaced them.
I also had a Rebar, which I liked, but IME pulling out a tool caused the neighboring tools to deploy also, which drove me crazy, the reason I sold it. Also, I find the fit and finish nicer on the Spirit than on the Rebar.
So now I am left with two Spirits (both blade types), with the original Swisstool X and with a bunch of non-plier based SAKs. Pretty happy with my collection, not planning adding anything, might sell the Outrider. I EDC the Alox Minichamp on my keychain. The collection:
IMG-1830.png
 
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I'm a contractor and weekend warrior, so I find myself needing a set of tools like those found on the LM over the SAK. There isn't a day I don't head out my door with at least a basic LM tool on my belt. My need for pliers and a set of longer handles for better leverage outweigh the compactness of the Vic knives. A LM multitool would be the only knife/tool I would grab if I were forced to only choice one item to make due with.

That said, I think I have 5 or 6 SAKs spread throughout my house. I keep one in every bathroom, one in the kitchen, one in the junk drawer, my daughter has 2 or 3 in her room. I have about 30 in my knife drawer. They are super handy and one always makes it into my travel kit as a back up.
 
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