What do you consider to be the best offerings from the heavyweight contenders?

[Rux]

When I say best offerings, I'm asking in regard to the following criteria;

Overall usefulness.

Quality of materials.

Quality of craftsmanship.

What say you? What is the best from the big 4?

Leatherman
SOG
Gerber
Victorinox

Since Victorinox is limited to only the Swisstool or Spirit in regard to multitools, any Victorinox offering is eligible.

Curious what everyone's opinion is.

[powernoodle]

Overall usefulness:  all are pretty much equal; they each have pliers, main blade, phillips, etc., and they all work.  Some excel a little here or there, and that's what makes it fun.

Quality of materials:  I'm not a metallurgist, but they are pretty much in the same boat here too.

Quality of craftsmanship:  Victorinox Swisstool easily wins this one; Leatherman and SOG tie for second; Gerber last.

Addendum:  while the Gerbers get the job done, they are loose and rattly, and (in my view) the tool deployment is unnecessarily cumbersome and some of the tools themselves are not that great.  I still own and use them, but you have to embrace their quirky design and deployment in order to enjoy using them.  And there are some fine MTO members who prefer Gerber, so you really have to decide this one for yourself.

I consider the Swisstool, ST300, Surge and SOG Powerlock to be pretty much on par with each other, with certain differences in design and executions that allow you to pick the one that suits you.  I would have a difficult time picking a winner from this bunch.

[comis]

I only have a few tools from SOG and Gerber, so I can't say I know much about their offerings.

But for the other two:

Leatherman - Supertool 300
I always like self-contained tool with no accessories, and this large size tool is a good representation from LM.

Victorinox - Swisschamp
Very different from a plier-based multitool, but I think it is one of the most classic MT that SAK has offered.  Most 90% of the tool are quite useful, friendly to carry in almost all countries, and the consistent quality of SAK is always great.

[DazMechanical]

IMHO the Victorinox Swiss Tool is 95% perfect, which is pretty smurfing good, if it had OHO Blade it would be 100%.

[Aloha]

While I carry my Surge primarily for work I'll say Swisstool best matches all 3 criteria. 
Now that being said I have come to enjoy carrying my ST300 lately and find it to be as good as my Surge in overall usefullness yet I just prefer my Surge.

I use my Swisstool for my Sunday job just so it can get some carry time and have to report it can be pretty slippery when wet.  I do enjoy no tool clumping and the bluntish plier tip. I don't believe issues related to the Swisstools ever effected performance.  Most issues were handles on the Spirit not being even.

I use my ST300 for my Saturday job and so far it's been great. I didn't think I'd get along without OHO tools but I actually have no issues what so ever. I like the hand feel and weight when I need a big tool yet prefer a "lighter" weight.

I'd rank my tools as
1. LM Surge ( I really like this tool and that's hard to measure  within the criteria)
2. Tie between the ST300 and Swisstool
Both these tools will take a backseat to my Surge but it takes nothing away from their ability to perform. 

[Rux]

Hrmm.... Maybe I should've worded it differently.


Perhaps I should've asked what ones favorite tools are from the big 4? I'm unfamiliar with a lot of MT's so was looking to see what people enjoyed the most from each company.

Either way, a failed thread is fail.

[comis]

IMHO the Victorinox Swiss Tool is 95% perfect, which is pretty smurfing good, if it had OHO Blade it would be 100%.

Sincerely my hope for Spirit, a right-hand oriented OHO blade will make it the perfect pliers-based MT for me. 

[sawman]

The only "heavy-weight" tool I would carry is an MP600. It may not pack all the tools of a ST300 but does provide some of the important ones. What it does, it does well

[jerseydevil]

The only "heavy-weight" tool I would carry is an MP600. It may not pack all the tools of a ST300 but does provide some of the important ones. What it does, it does well

+1  The MP600 is my go-to heavyweight tool.  I've never once had an issue with it.

[AimlessWanderer]

Hrmm.... Maybe I should've worded it differently.


Perhaps I should've asked what ones favorite tools are from the big 4? I'm unfamiliar with a lot of MT's so was looking to see what people enjoyed the most from each company.

Either way, a failed thread is fail.

Sooooo .... you're not looking for heavyweight tools, just fave tools from the "heayweight" companies 

OK ... 

Vic: Spirit X and Swisstool CS plus .... plus of course whichever SAK best suits your needs

Leatherman: Wave/Charge AL, Fuse/Blast, PST/PST II

Gerber: Balance, MP400, Dime (and the discontinued MP700)

SOG: .... I'm going to say "not applicable" as I don't have much faith in their current offerings

[Rux]

Hrmm.... Maybe I should've worded it differently.


Perhaps I should've asked what ones favorite tools are from the big 4? I'm unfamiliar with a lot of MT's so was looking to see what people enjoyed the most from each company.

Either way, a failed thread is fail.

Sooooo .... you're not looking for heavyweight tools, just fave tools from the "heayweight" companies 

OK ... 

Precisely!

I fail at making threads apparently.

[Cupboard]

Victorinox: I'd probably say the Cybertool 34, but if it has to be an MT then the Spirit X. I have both, carry neither because the CT is too big (I prefer the 29, but the 34 is "better") and the Spirit's wire cutters are useless.

Gerber: I've only got MP600s (2) and an MP700. I think I'd say the best was the MP600 but my I do have rather a soft spot fr the MP700. Again I don't carry a MP600 because Leathermans work better for me.

SOG: I think I'd say the best was the PPP. Light, compact, moddable and with good pliers. Shame about the rest of the tools but the guts are good.

Leatherman: I think the "best" is the Wave/Charge, or if you like 'em big, Surge. Again that's not my favourite though, that's the Rebar (and in particular my knifeless one).

Others: CRKT make lots of bits and bobs, and they're pretty well known so should they be included? Anyone else maybe? They may not be the big 4 but that's not to say they aren't big, significant in some way or make MTs.

[DazMechanical]

IMHO the Victorinox Swiss Tool is 95% perfect, which is pretty smurfing good, if it had OHO Blade it would be 100%.

Sincerely my hope for Spirit, a right-hand oriented OHO blade will make it the perfect pliers-based MT for me. 

 

[TheDude]

Overall usefulness Leatherman (The AR-15 of tools)

Quality of materials Victorinox (The G3)

Quality of craftsmanship SOG (The Barrett .50)

If you had a value for money category. I'd say Gerber. (AK 47)

I have more LM's than anything and they get all the pocket time. Best tool for the money?
LM Wave hands down.

[DazMechanical]

Best tool for the money?
LM Wave hands down.

  totally agree!

[scattergun13]

Overall usefulness Leatherman (The AR-15 of tools)

Quality of materials Victorinox (The G3)

Quality of craftsmanship SOG (The Barrett .50)

If you had a value for money category. I'd say Gerber. (AK 47)

I have more LM's than anything and they get all the pocket time. Best tool for the money?
LM Wave hands down.

This was brilliant! I own them all but I have to say that once another member introduced me to my first Swiss Spirit, that was a game changer for me. They all have a purpose but I do love the feel and craftsmanship built into the Spirit.

Stew...

[Lynn LeFey]

The quality of the Spirit is undeniable, but I have to say the Wave has won #1 for me. The usefulness of the OHO blades and ability to add a pocket clip turned out to be things I needed.

I know most folks always thing big when talking about MTs, but I'm going to start small.

Best small MT might be a tie between Vic Rambler and Leatherman Micra. SOG Crosscut is no slouch, and a near contender to the Micra. Gerber doesn't really have a stand-out keychain size tool. I think Leatherman's Squirt beats the smurf out of the similarly sized Gerber Dime.

For 4" tools, I think Leatherman owns the competition. From the original PST, to PST II, to the current budget Wingman and Rebar, to my favorite, the Wave. I've never had a number of the bogger tools, like the MUT and OHT. Otherwise, if you avoid the Juice line, it's pretty much all good. The Wingman and Sidekick have their haters, but for entry level tools, I think they're pretty excellent value for money.

Vic's Swisstool and Spirit are both excellent, and the precision is undeniable, but the cost difference for little or no actual functional difference makes me wonder if they're worth it. If the money is there, I would say they are well worth looking into.

I am NOT impressed with SOG's full size MTs. I've only ever had the Pocket Powerplier and Powerlock, and only a very old made-in-America Pocket Power Plier was comparable with the Leatherman PST. The others were... crappy, with tools that either failed to work entirely or were seriously sub par. The compound pliers ARE awesome though.

Gerber. Man... Gerber has a lot of tools. A lot of BAD tools, but in there are a few pretty good ones. I'm actually happy with the Bear Grylls Survival Tool Pack MT, which is essentially a Gerber Strata with no replaceable wire cutters. The MP 400, 450, and 600 are rock solid tools, with no finesse. They rattle, and they're weird, but the flicky plier head is strangely addictive. I'd rather have a Gerber MP600 than a SOG Powerlock.

Swiss army knives. Pretty much right across the board are great. The only place they lose is pliers. The smallest leatherman keychain tools (like the Squirt and Style PS) have better pliers than the 91mm SAKS. In every other way, they are excellent. And it's very likely that you can find a model with the tool combination you want. For the money, you get awesome tools that, if well treated, will last a lifetime. Before I joined the boards, I'd never owned a Swiss Army Knife. Now, I have a LOT of them, of various sizes, with various scale types and tool combinations.

[TheDude]

I guess I got lucky or I am listening to you people after all. The only SOG's I own are the Power Assist, Paratool and the Crosscut. I have heard all sorts of criticisms about SOG. Its a shame they are not made in the USA anymore thats for sure. I think their main fault is how the tools deploy. But in that respect I think it falls in the same pit Gerber finds itself. Being, everything is built around the pliers. Where as VIC and LM take a more holistic approach to tool making. Still, being able to come up with your own tool set without modding is pretty good.

Funny what you said about the micra. You know if I bought that first I may not have bought a number other mini tools, except perhaps the PS4.

[sawman]

Overall usefulness Leatherman (The AR-15 of tools)

Quality of materials Victorinox (The G3)

Quality of craftsmanship SOG (The Barrett .50)

If you had a value for money category. I'd say Gerber. (AK 47)

I have more LM's than anything and they get all the pocket time. Best tool for the money?
LM Wave hands down.

I'm going to have to disagree with the SOG comment...

I just can't see them being the best in any category 

[Mercury]

Overall usefulness Leatherman (The AR-15 of tools)

Quality of materials Victorinox (The G3)

Quality of craftsmanship SOG (The Barrett .50)

If you had a value for money category. I'd say Gerber. (AK 47)

I have more LM's than anything and they get all the pocket time. Best tool for the money?
LM Wave hands down.

I'm going to have to disagree with the SOG comment...

I just can't see them being the best in any category 

I agree Steve.  IMHO SOG is failing to produce the best of anything.  If the standard PPP had gear covers like the paladin pt510 then I would buy one in a heartbeat. 

I like Gerber's just fine.  I miss my mp450 like crazy.  At least I traded it to someone who uses the hell out of it. 

Vic is solid and awesome and I will always have plenty of them in my house.  I got my dad a minichamp for his birthday and he loves it.  I also got him a spirit, and even though he carries the same juice s2 I got him 9 years ago everyday, he still says the spirit is his favorite.

I am a big leatherman fan.  Other than the new rime and hail, I pretty much like everything they make.  I grudgingly accepted the wingman and sidekick as good low cost alternatives, though I still don't love them.  I do love the juice line for the most part, and I carry a rebar every day without fail. 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[TheDude]

The SOG Power Assist has gear covers. Sadly the inside tools are a pain to deploy.

[Steinar]

I love the Swisstool, but either the tool is too big or my hands are too small.

In general I go for Vic of the Big 4, I like the polished, precise impression their products give. Never really became a friend with the Spirit, though. To me, the knife is an important part of an MT, and using that knife is annoying. Guess that's why I like the LM Skeletool and generally just EDC a SAK. (Don't try making me pick a favourite, that's impossible.)

[Dem]

Leatherman: Rebar

It performs well above its weight class. The design is rock solid (especially when you use the can opener to 'lock' the handles,) there's nothing to lose or carry, the small flat works in #2 Robertson screws in a pinch, and the wire cutters are stellar. I originally just got the Rebar to add to the collection, but I've fallen in love with the thing. I do manage to pinch myself with it occasionally, though not while using it, oddly. Just opening and closing the thing. I think it's my favourite MT right now. Though I would be very bitter about the lack of scissors if I hadn't taken to carrying a CT around.

4.5/5 in usefulness (scissors!)
5/5 in quality of materials
4.5/5 in craftsmanship --it's not the most complicated design in the world but it's a solid one executed nearly perfectly. LM has certainly figured out the classic inside-tool using MT. A clip would make the design perfect.

Victorinox: Spirit

So very nearly perfect. The elegance of the design belies just how capable it is --the pliers will bite through a penny, for example. Marred only by missing out on classic SAK scissors and pliers that don't open wide enough (and, for some, one-hand-opening blades.) I love the chisel.

4.5/5 in usefulness (please, Victorinox: make the pliers that open as wide as LMs do)
5/5 in quality of materials
5/5 in craftsmanship

SOG: Powerlock

I had a Powerassist first, and gifted it. It was nice but I wanted scissors. The Powerlock is definitely all about the compound leveraged pliers and user serviceability. It's a shame that the inner tools aren't built as well as what you find in LM or Vic (or Gerber, IMO,) but they do all work sufficiently well to do their job. Except that stupid can opener. What the heck, SOG? Can openers aren't rocket science, just fix it already or replace it with a dedicated small flat driver. Bit driver loses springs very easily, file isn't aggressive enough, scissors are too large for the leverage you can apply with their arm (which is ironic, or something.) Tool flaps pop off too easily. I leave the flaps off.

The tool does work. It's not like it'll ever let you down on a job (unless your job is to get into a can.) And the pliers really shine. But there's so much room for improvement otherwise that it's a little disappointing that SOG hasn't bothered to tackle the flaws.

4/5 in usefulness
4/5 in materials
3/5 in craftmanship

Gerber: MP600 series

I have the Pro Scout variant. I agree with the people who call it the AK47 of multitools. The thing rattles and clicks and has awkward bulges and little pokey bits. There's lots open space in the tool, but the thing just keeps working and doesn't jam up, no matter how much dirt and gunk and debris you get in there. I find the blade to be disappointing if functional, but I like everything else. I think the handle shape and flicky pliers add up to the best plier-use in a multitool, and I happen to think the bit adapter is the simplest and best for MTs (though I haven't used one of the older style LM bit adapters yet.) I wish it had a three sided file and a more sensibly designed blade.

5/5 in usefulness
4/5 in materials
4.5/5 in craftsmanship

For fun, the tool that I should really hate but don't:

Gerber Dime:

I really like the design for a keychain tool. The backspring on the package opener broke in the first five minutes I owned the tool. The spring for the scissors broke randomly one day. The Phillips and Flat should trade places. I firmly believe the file was designed by someone who had never in fact seen a file before, and based their creation on a second-hand description.

Even so, I gifted my Squirt PS4 and kept the Dime. I really like the blade (after sharpening it,) the Phillips and Flat are adequate, and the bottle opener is good. And while it's silly, the tool has taken on a personality in my mind, especially as it's become more scuffed and worn in my pocket.

Dem

[Styerman]

1) Swisstool

2) Surge

3) for wow factor , Leatherman MUT .

Chris

[cedricada]

Im gonna go one small, one large from each company, as I usually have a small abd a large on me most days:

Victorinox - Pioneer for light tool, Swisstool X for large.


Pioneer is alox, nice and thin with no superfluos tools. Except can opener. STX has my preferree selection of tools.

Leatherman is Skeletool for light, Wave for larger.
Skeletool CX for its materials and build quality, Wave for being such a great introductory MT.

Sog is Pocket Powerplier and Powerlock. I dont like spring assisted knives on the Powerassist. Both of these are tough and simple.

Gerber is Dime and MP1.
Dime is full of great ideas and I love the looks. The MP1 looks like a proper contender to stand up to LM and Swiss, if they get the QC downpat.

[nervium]

lm skeletool cx with bit set rules the world, pair it with a micra. rules twice.