Which multi-tool in your BOB.

[Monocrom]

thats hard to believe i have an original leatherman and i also have 2 micras and they have all been through hell. actually one of the micras is no more because it was confiscated at the airport by the wonderful security people who took it out of my carryon opened it up with that official scoffing look and said "what about this knife!!!" so i said "what are you afraid ill peel grapes during the flight?" but they didnt see the obvious humor in the 3/4 inch grape peeling blade or whatever so i am minus one micra. anyway they hold up great and my sample of one original leatherman and leather sheath has been through everything and has not broken or rusted. for over 10 years i have been living on the mediterranean and if it doesnt rust here it doesnt rust. so i dont know what happened to yours but you ought to take pics and send them into the company and see what they have to say. i also had a gerber i used in the desert for years and it was ok and smoother on the hands the leatherman does bite you but it didnt have the character. bottom line definitely leatherman. definitely.

No secret that Leatherman leaves a slightly rougher finish on it's multi-tools. Mine isn't the only complaint of rust that you'll find. The tools work very well. Just not very rust resistant. And that's with several Leatherman tools I've owned. Big exception being the Wingman. But the much shinier finish is very evident on that one.

 

[dmanuel]

I'm with the ones complaining about rust. Loved my Leatherman Surge but got tired of cleaning rust off of it constantly. Then again I live in Philippines where I spend a ton of time on the beach and am from SE Texas/SW Louisiana where I spend a lot of time in brackish swamps/bayous and on beaches.

Finally took a friends advice and sprung for the Vic SwissTool and couldn't be happier. Just spent 3 days camping on the beach using my SwissTool for everything and not a spec of rust to be found. My Leatherman would form rust before the end of the first day. At this point you couldn't pay me to go back to a Leatherman.

 

[Toolboxkid]

+1 on leatherman rusting. That's my only complaint about the charge tti. Every time I turn around there is more rust!


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[RBR]

.....

 

[Ro_Laren]

Which brand is supposed to be more sturdy: Leatherman or Gerber? Or another brand?

 

[Swamplite]

I have a Swisstool Spirit and consider it the finest multi tool I have ever used and I have owned most every brand.I also have several Leathermans and never had a rust problem in over 15 years.I do maintain my multi tools by cleaning and lubricating every few months.Wiping down every once in awhile with a small amount of quality gun oil on a patch will take care of any rust problems.Multi tools are for basic light duty use and that's what I use them for.I have never broken one.

 

[Monocrom]

Which brand is supposed to be more sturdy: Leatherman or Gerber? Or another brand?

Victorinox.

 

[archimedes]

Victorinox.

Just got a Vic SwissTool CS ... very impressed with the quality, especially compared to other brands I've had in the past ... [emoji106]

 

[more_vampires]

Used to have Leatherman Wave in the BOB, swapped to Swiss Army Knife Huntsman for weight.

I feel the "Tru Bal Bowie Axe" or a copy of one is a great outdoors multitool. Chop, smash, dig, throw. It's a pretty tough field knife. I prefer it to the "Woodsman's Pal."

 

[markr6]

Used to have Leatherman Wave in the BOB

Over half a pound, that's one heavy SOB. Great tool to keep in the house or car though.

 

[Imon]

Are some Leatherman MTs really that heavy?

I actually EDC a Leatherman Charge AL (more or less identical to a Wave).
With the pocket clip carrying it actually isn't too bad. I guess I'm used to it though since it's been my EDC for three years.
Before that my EDC was a LM Juice S2 or a Victorinox One Hand Trekker.

I do own a Vic Swisstool Spirit, by the way, and the quality is fantastic plus it's lighter and sleeker than my LM but it doesn't have a pocket clip.
To put on a pocket clip seems like some difficult modding work too so I prefer to stick with my LM. That and the one-handed deployment of the blades is really convenient for me since I usually just find myself cutting boxes open.

I suppose it just depends on a persons particular needs.

 

[reppans]

Couple of stick-on Spirit clip options... the Clipdraw should still be available.

 

[Swamplite]

I also have the Clipdraw on my Sprit and it works great.It won't unclip unless you want it too.

 

[Imon]

Interesting.
I haven't seen that before. I guess if it can work for handguns it can work for MTs too.

The adhesive pad gives me some pause though. Doesn't it have some play after awhile or is it pretty solid?
I know the Wave/Charge clip wiggles around too but at least the clip is designed to fit into the MT.

 

[Swamplite]

My Clipdraw is solid and it's been attached for over a year.

 

[Milw light]

multimaster kutmaster. A well made USA tool, not quite the quality of my USA Schrade but still a fine tool.

 

[cland72]

My EDC is a Leatherman Wingman. Great for pocket carry w/ the built in clip.

My BOB has a Leatherman Wave. Little more substantial with a few other minor features. Need to get a bit kit...

Update - my Wingman pliers broke during Christmas 2014. I was crimping a piece of curved metal rod that holds one of the fake tree branches to the mast, and the jaw on one side of the pliers snapped clean in two.
I exchanged it at my local Academy (where I originally bought it) for a new one, but I was pretty disappointed in the lack of robustness/quality.

I now rely on my Surge when things truly count since the build quality seems to be much better (granted, it is 4-5 times the price of the Wingman). It is also able to cut through small sized chains that the Wingman can't.

 

[Monocrom]

Yeah, sadly the Wingman is now Leatherman's budget multi-tool. I bought mine for about $25 or $30 at Home Depot awhile back. Officially it's the replacement for the Leatherman Kick (which ironically was the replacement for the Leatherman SideClip model, since you could order [for extra money] a clip to attach to the Kick [even though the clip was never tight enough]).

I have a Kick. It's currently in my old work/Get Home bag. Of the two, the Kick is clearly superior in terms of quality to the Wingman. With a budget price, it seems we get budget quality to go with it.

Still rocking the Gerber mentioned earlier in this topic since it's bead-blasted finish makes it the only subdued multi-tool I own. In a real bug out scenario, last thing you want is reflections off of any piece of gear giving away your position.

 

[markr6]

I like the Sidekick. I wish the blade wasn't serrated, but not a deal breaker.

 

[cland72]

Yeah, sadly the Wingman is now Leatherman's budget multi-tool. I bought mine for about $25 or $30 at Home Depot awhile back. Officially it's the replacement for the Leatherman Kick (which ironically was the replacement for the Leatherman SideClip model, since you could order [for extra money] a clip to attach to the Kick [even though the clip was never tight enough]).

I have a Kick. It's currently in my old work/Get Home bag. Of the two, the Kick is clearly superior in terms of quality to the Wingman. With a budget price, it seems we get budget quality to go with it.

Still rocking the Gerber mentioned earlier in this topic since it's bead-blasted finish makes it the only subdued multi-tool I own. In a real bug out scenario, last thing you want is reflections off of any piece of gear giving away your position.

I have the same Gerber, I think - I believe it is the 600. It looks just like the picture below. Mine has been good - it stays in my kitchen drawer when I need to do something simple but don't want/need to go out into the garage to get a proper tool.