Did you ever stop carrying a plier-based tool?

parnass · **Reply #60 on:** April 11, 2012, 05:26:46 PM

I have tried to do without a pliers tool. However, I always return to carrying a pliers-centric multitool or a separate pliers and knife and something else.

I use a knife most frequently. Tied for second place are scissors and a pliers.

The pliers are an extension of my fingers. I use them for the normal fastener tightening and bending jobs, but also to grab hot items from the oven and pick up trash found in the yard which I don't want to touch with my fingers. They also fit in tight places my fingers won't reach.

Lynn LeFey · **Reply #61 on:** April 11, 2012, 10:09:18 PM

Quote from: parnass on April 11, 2012, 05:26:46 PM

but also to grab hot items from the oven and pick up trash found in the yard which I don't want to touch with my fingers.

I hope there is some serious cleaning between those two uses.

ducttapetech · **Reply #62 on:** April 11, 2012, 10:17:52 PM

Quote from: Lynn LeFey on April 11, 2012, 10:09:18 PM

Quote from: parnass on April 11, 2012, 05:26:46 PM
but also to grab hot items from the oven and pick up trash found in the yard which I don't want to touch with my fingers.

I hope there is some serious cleaning between those two uses.

Heat from the oven should sanitize it.

Lynn LeFey · **Reply #63 on:** April 11, 2012, 10:20:42 PM

One certainly hopes.

Gareth · **Reply #64 on:** April 12, 2012, 03:02:47 AM

You mean casually wiping them on the leg of my trousers isn't an effective disinfectant?

Time to get the hot soapy water out perhaps. $:-\$

Lynn LeFey · **Reply #65 on:** April 12, 2012, 03:12:30 AM

Well, that's all you had to say. Wiping things on your trousers is shown to be 42% more effective than the '5 second rule' in sanitizing equipment.

Gareth · **Reply #66 on:** April 12, 2012, 03:32:51 AM

Phew, that's a relief.

Mercury · **Reply #67 on:** April 12, 2012, 03:53:11 AM

I too use my pliers for general grasping tasks. I pulled a piping hot piece of melted sippy cup out of the dishwasher element today with my Blast's pliers. I couldn't get my hand in there and even if I could it would've burnt me. To be honest, I have actually been thinking of dropping the Blast out of my at home EDC, but things like this keep popping up so I guess it's here to stay. Doesn't bother me, it's been there for years and I honestly don't think I could leave it out of the setup. If I don't have my blast on me, you can bet something will happen that the blast would have taken care of easily.

N_N_R · **Reply #68 on:** April 12, 2012, 09:03:39 AM

Quote from: Lynn LeFey on April 11, 2012, 10:09:18 PM

Quote from: parnass on April 11, 2012, 05:26:46 PM
but also to grab hot items from the oven and pick up trash found in the yard which I don't want to touch with my fingers.

I hope there is some serious cleaning between those two uses.

I'm new to the MT stuff and all I've carried so far was scissor-based. I've considered many times buying a plier-based MT, but always discouraged myself, thinking I don't really need it daily and it was too much money to spent on it. Now that I've started using my bike again, though, I'm again facing a dilemma...

Sometimes there are some parts there which I can't (un)do with my fingers, so I need sth stronger .. but still this wouldn't be daily use. If I could think of more daily routine jobs to do with pliers, perhaps I'd get one and won't leave it alone.. lol.

Coert · **Reply #69 on:** April 17, 2012, 11:17:44 AM

I have many times. I cycle between the Leatherman Fuse and the Core. My wife has the Juice S2 in her purse and sometimes lets me carry it. I keep on going back so either one of my SAK's or just a single blade knife. Much too often i get into this whole self-debate about which is better to have with you, a knife of an MT. Who knows.

Mr. Whippy · **Reply #70 on:** April 17, 2012, 05:48:06 PM

Quote from: Coert on April 17, 2012, 11:17:44 AM

I have many times. I cycle between the Leatherman Fuse and the Core. My wife has the Juice S2 in her purse and sometimes lets me carry it. I keep on going back so either one of my SAK's or just a single blade knife. Much too often i get into this whole self-debate about which is better to have with you, a knife of an MT. Who knows.

We do.

We're MT.O

Mercury · **Reply #71 on:** April 17, 2012, 06:17:09 PM

We do know. I would have to say if it came down to the wire and i was given a choice for EDC between a full sized multi and a knife roughly the same size and weight, i would always choose the MT. Survival would be a different story because the environment outside urban areas has shockingly little in the way of phillips screws that need turning.

Sent from my myphone using Crapatalk

Steinar · **Reply #72 on:** April 17, 2012, 09:38:33 PM

The single biggest problem for me with MTs is actually I hate using most of them as knives. Perhaps that's somewhat heretic here, but they're clumsy, have horrible ergonomics, etc. I'm a big fan of the Swiss, so for me it's a pretty big admission that as a knife, the Skeletool is the best multi I've tested. The asymmetric design make it less clumsy as a knife than other multitools I've handled. The tools where the blades are on the inside, at the opposite end of the pliers, like the original PST are IMHO the worst when used as knives. Therefore I really like to have some kind of knife in addition anyway when I carry a multitool, this has made me look extra when people present their bladeless mods.

Mercury · **Reply #73 on:** April 17, 2012, 09:45:01 PM

I have to agree, I am not a huge fan of using the knives on MT's that much. I do use them for stripping wire and other rough tasks, but they stay in the tool most of the time. I carry a folder now all the time, it's my main knife.

Mr. Whippy · **Reply #74 on:** April 17, 2012, 10:05:08 PM

Quote from: Steinar on April 17, 2012, 09:38:33 PM

The single biggest problem for me with MTs is actually I hate using most of them as knives. Perhaps that's somewhat heretic here, but they're clumsy, have horrible ergonomics, etc. I'm a big fan of the Swiss, so for me it's a pretty big admission that as a knife, the Skeletool is the best multi I've tested. The asymmetric design make it less clumsy as a knife than other multitools I've handled. The tools where the blades are on the inside, at the opposite end of the pliers, like the original PST are IMHO the worst when used as knives. Therefore I really like to have some kind of knife in addition anyway when I carry a multitool, this has made me look extra when people present their bladeless mods.

Completely agree. Because the sharp edge opens the way it does on PST (and Fuse, Blast, ST etc), the opposite handle is often in the way of cutting, or at least limiting cutting in tight spaces. That was one of my biggest complaints about the PST.

Heinz Doofenshmirtz · **Reply #75 on:** April 18, 2012, 12:00:34 AM

Quote from: Steinar on April 17, 2012, 09:38:33 PM

The single biggest problem for me with MTs is actually I hate using most of them as knives. Perhaps that's somewhat heretic here, but they're clumsy, have horrible ergonomics, etc. I'm a big fan of the Swiss, so for me it's a pretty big admission that as a knife, the Skeletool is the best multi I've tested. The asymmetric design make it less clumsy as a knife than other multitools I've handled. The tools where the blades are on the inside, at the opposite end of the pliers, like the original PST are IMHO the worst when used as knives. Therefore I really like to have some kind of knife in addition anyway when I carry a multitool, this has made me look extra when people present their bladeless mods.

Add me to the club on this one. I agree with your assessment of the blade on the Skeletool. In comparison, the blade on my Juice S2 is garbage. It's nice the tool has one, but couldn't they have done better than a hollow ground 420C blade?

I know it's not that pricey of a tool, but couldn't they at least have given it a flat ground 8Cr13 blade? Heck, I'd be happy with a flat ground 420 blade...

I usually do have some kind of knife on me other than anything that's in whatever MT I might have available, but still. If Leatherman or Gerber want the blade in an MT to be a reasonable substitute for a folder, they could be doing a lot better. But a SAK meets the vast majority of my EDC needs, and their blades are far more functional, at least in my experience so far.

ToolJoe · **Reply #76 on:** December 08, 2014, 08:07:48 PM

This might be a thread jack but I am considering going without a pliers based mt. I had a Wingman in the past and didn't care for it. I had a Juice and it didn't do much for me. I had a Skeletool recently and didn't like it so I sent it packing. Plier based mt's look good on paper to me but I dont find them that comfortable when using them. I have been carrying a Micra with me and have a pair of Knipex pliers and a Super Tinker in my car glovebox and have been doing just find with that combo. I am considering going with a Crater C33T/pair of slipjoint pliers/pair of electrician scissors to suit my daily needs. Just the basics and nothing extra.

Lynn LeFey · **Reply #77 on:** December 08, 2014, 08:24:21 PM

I've determined a couple things about pliers myself.

1) I don't need pliers very often at all on my person.
2) When I DO need them, it's a 50/50 toss-up if the Victorinox 91mm version would be good enough.
3) My two lightest options as a 'break away' tool are the Leatherman Style PS, and IDL T10.

I'm currently carrying the IDL T10. Much sturdier pliers than the Style PS (or Juice for that matter), but not as fine tips.

So, the answer to this is... sort of no. I still carry a plier based tool, but it's a supplement to a non-plier based tool.

powernoodle · **Reply #78 on:** December 08, 2014, 08:41:57 PM

Three years later, and I still rarely carry a plier-based MT. When I do, it is a PS4 or Gerber Dime, and that is mostly just to make me feel good. But as time goes on, I'm really honing in on minimizing my EDC and focusing on those things that actually get used regularly - light, mini Sharpie, knife, and scissors (Vic Manager, Explorer Plus, Compact, etc.). Anything else is mostly in my pocket for emotional support.

kkokkolis · **Reply #79 on:** December 08, 2014, 09:10:16 PM

Very often my atomizers are stuck or very sipppery (because of glycerine) that I need a pliers to open them. If I had no other reason I would need a pair of pliers for that. Now, why I carry three, I am still working on that question (up to the moment "because I like them" is the only reasonable answer).

Zed · **Reply #80 on:** December 08, 2014, 11:16:51 PM

Well kind of,I've carried a 91mm vic for sometime now,mainly my explorer or swisschamp,I got a handyman recently and its working out well,the pliers on the swisschamp are small but good for smaller jobs,I've still got the xe6 in my backpack as backup but don't carry it all the time,

Caranthanus · **Reply #81 on:** December 08, 2014, 11:23:09 PM

Elementary, my dear powernoodle , elementary ...

Ryo Saeba · **Reply #82 on:** December 10, 2014, 01:28:56 AM

After I lost my PST I carried a Buck Xtract for a couple of years. Sure it did have pliers but if you've ever used one you'll know that it's nowhere near pliers based. I finally gave up on it when I kept running into spots where the little pliers on it just couldn't hack it. Moved on to a wave and then a wingman when I lost the wave.

Even with small kind of uncomfortable pliers the Xtract is one of my all time favorite multi tools. I find myself missing the easy one hand opening of all the tool a lot.

Higgins617 · **Reply #83 on:** December 10, 2014, 02:15:16 AM

Quote from: Ryo Saeba on December 10, 2014, 01:28:56 AM

After I lost my PST I carried a Buck Xtract for a couple of years. Sure it did have pliers but if you've ever used one you'll know that it's nowhere near pliers based. I finally gave up on it when I kept running into spots where the little pliers on it just couldn't hack it. Moved on to a wave and then a wingman when I lost the wave.

Even with small kind of uncomfortable pliers the Xtract is one of my all time favorite multi tools. I find myself missing the easy one hand opening of all the tool a lot.

ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US.
Monrogue.....

NKlamerus · **Reply #84 on:** December 10, 2014, 03:14:36 AM

I'd have to agree with most. I'd really like to carry a blade and a plier based MT.

Just because mainly if I forget one somewhere....I have some type of backup.

bmot · **Reply #85 on:** December 10, 2014, 06:09:07 AM

I haven't been carrying a plier-based MT for month's, now, at least not as EDC.

I dislike having one in my pockets, and I don't get around in environments belt pouches and knives are very accepted (school, and/or internship in a psychiatric nursing home). Besides, I don't actually need them much. At school I do carry a small SAK (under 4 layers), or a small folder. I always carry my Manager.

I do have a plier-based MT with some other goodies in a bag though, which I carry often.

Monrogue · **Reply #86 on:** December 10, 2014, 06:15:00 AM

Quote from: Higgins617 on December 10, 2014, 02:15:16 AM

Quote from: Ryo Saeba on December 10, 2014, 01:28:56 AM
After I lost my PST I carried a Buck Xtract for a couple of years. Sure it did have pliers but if you've ever used one you'll know that it's nowhere near pliers based. I finally gave up on it when I kept running into spots where the little pliers on it just couldn't hack it. Moved on to a wave and then a wingman when I lost the wave.

Even with small kind of uncomfortable pliers the Xtract is one of my all time favorite multi tools. I find myself missing the easy one hand opening of all the tool a lot.

ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US ONE OF US.
Monrogue.....

Lol

Monrogue prefers a pliers based MT to compliment his SAK carry, which is the Rogueneer most (ok, all

) of the time. Monrogue originally started with MTs and then started getting SAKs to compliment them. As time has gone by, Monrogue has come to realize that a SAK is all he normally needs in a typical day, with pliers only being an occasional need, along with tools like drivers and whatnot. Still, the X-Tract is a nice carry, especially if your pliers needs are light. Unfortunately, most of Monrogue's plier needs require those on a full size MT, and the X-Tract's just don't quite cut it. Monrogue loves the OHO blade and the fact that everything is OHO though.