While pretty and well made Victorinox MTs don't seem well used or carried.

[Aloha]

It seems the Swisstool and the Spirit always come up as the "Tool to get" when newbees or even seasoned MT users come about and ask "What tool should I get?".

I remember reading about these mythological tools when I first became aware of EDC and in MTs circles.  The shiny bodies of these works of art, the precision craftsmanship, the authoritative click when a tool opens or closes, and the lore that comes along with such a tool yet it seems they sit.

I often hear "It's too nice to use".  I initially thought the cost associated with these tools was a big determining factor for the non usage but a LM Charge TTi or MUT can be as costly.

I finally got one and yes it is a wonderful tool and all things said were true, except I was hell bent on using mine and I did.  It performed, not to some magical level or to an extent above and beyond my Wave or Surge that had to sit at home as a result of this new tool. 

I then got a Spirit and as with the Swisstool carried it and it performed as expected tho the scissors did disappoint me.  IIRC Enki did a wire cut test and the Spirit actually didnt do so well in that test.

So what I'm saying or asking is simply if these tools are so great then why aren't hte majority of MTo using them?  With the vast experience and tool knowledge here it seems these tools are the "One and Done" tools.

I have been thinking simply that these tools are like the Ferrari or Lamborghini that one finally obtains and while one cherishes these cars only drives them on special occasions.  Heck one rarely sees cars like these with high mileage even tho they are so called cars to be driven.

So if you have either of these tools why don't you carry them? 

Me, I carry the Wave or Surge or ST300 because they IMO are really that much better and more versatile in what I do.  I do take my Swisstool out from time to time however.         

[Corwyn]

My favourite tool is by far the Spirit and I use it for most work around the house or in the woods. For heavy usage and edc I don't carry it, not only is it too pretty, but it is far more expensive than the alternative...

For heavy duty I use the Surge (I'd be sad if breaks, but no biggie), and for scary stuff the MP400 (really not sad if it breaks).

For edc I carry a SkeleTool, very light, cool looking, cheap to replace if lost, using it mostly as OHO blade, but it still has other nice tools. Together with a Compact and my Midnite Rogue on the keychain, there is nothing the city can throw at me and I can;t handle...

[parnass]

I have several multitools of various brands, including a Victorinox Spirit and Swisstool.  I almost never carry the Swisstool due to its weight.

I carry the Spirit often, but only as part of a rotation, because I enjoy the variety of using different tools from time to time.   The Spirit covers more bases than other tools, although I'm not a fan of the half-serrated, "Moby Dick" shaped knife blade.

If pragmatism was the sole order of the day, I would merely own just one tool.  But, tools have always been a hobby so I have a bunch of them and avoid the monotony of using the same one.

[enki_ck]

Just to clarify, the Spirit fails in cutting stranded electrical wire. On standard wire or even fencing wire it works great but stranded wire it fails every time, chews it up instead of cutting.

More on the rest in a later non phone post

[Aloha]

Just to clarify, the Spirit fails in cutting stranded electrical wire. On standard wire or even fencing wire it works great but stranded wire it fails every time, chews it up instead of cutting.

More on the rest in a later non phone post

Yes thank you Enki, thats the one. 

[Millhouse]

Spirit X has been my work carry since 2009.

[Syph007]

90% of the time I only have a SAK on me.  But I did EDC a swiss spirit x for over a year in 2009.  The only reason I stopped was that it didnt get enough use and the lighter SAK did most of what I needed.  The only LM I ever carried daily was a skeletool and that was only a month.

The odd short scissor do cut pretty well though, they can cut heavier cord than standard vic scissors, and probably can cut small stranded wire ok.

[AimlessWanderer]

I can't use the poll as it only allows one option 

Lately, I have most frequently carried one or more of the following:

Vic Spirit X
Gerber MP400 (Modded - Knifeless)
Leatherman Kick (Modded - Knifeless)
SAKs (Various)
Gerber Dime
Gerber Octane (Modded - Knifeless)
Gerber Diesel
Leatherman PST/PST (Modded)
Leatherman Mini Tool

Sometimes a Swisstool CS Plus or Leatherman Charge AL or Leatherman Fuse (Modded) is bag carried
Leatherman Core and Vic Cybertool are in the car
This weekend, I am carrying a Vic Tourist and a Gerber Dime

I love the Spirit and think everyone should at least try one, but that doesn't mean I should carry it exclusively and not enjoy carrying and using other tools  Swistool CS Plus is also fantastic, but too large for all day every day use, so I save that for when I need to bring out the big guns.

[kkokkolis]

I EDC a Spirit for over a year and I even lost interest to MTO temporarily when I got it, until I bought a Skinth that took me months to fill, were things are balanced, two Victorinox and two Leatherman (Spirit, XLT, Charge TTi and Crunch). From all four the Spirit is the one that comes out first and gets back in last, like Lt. Col. Hal Moore.
I am not a handyman by profession, I am a hobbyist, a multitool lover (that means I many times use them just to use them, for the fun of it), so I rarely have ultra heavy tasks in front of me, that's why I leave Swisstool and Surge home. From all tools I have, only the Surge has a sranded wire cutting area, so I don't expect the others to do very well on that task.
In Greece all Leathermans cost more than Victorinox. The Charge TTi costs twice the proce of the Spirit, both new. So, since the Spirit is prettier, better built, with all outside accessible tools, all screwdrivers on board, whith the best handle shape, the awl, the chisel etc, it is a no brainer, buy the Spirit, use the Spirit. I only have the Charge because it is one of my hobbies to play with such toy and it is a nice toy. Having the Vic ratchet you overcome the Leathermans bit system and having a 91mm SAK you have the best scissors whith you. You might use a Squirt but anyway, the Charge scissors aren't the and best there are and it takes time just to get them out and functioning anyway.

[greenbear]

I have both a SwissTool and a Spirit X.  Whilst the Spirit X is certainly the more ergonomic (and beautiful) of the two I like the slightly larger, more rugged, body on the old SwissTool and hence it get used most of the time.  Really nice products IMO 

[Zed]

Confused  posts say spirit poll says lm ,for me its my og wave if laws allowed and xe6 in my backpack as non locking,love the look of the spirit but due to locks ive never gone for one,plus lm's warranty here in the uk has been spot on,so i dont mind seriously using my lm's,but mainly carry a 91mm vic like a explorer or handyman or swisschamp

[sir_mike]

I have a Spirit X but never carry it!  I usually just carry a 91mm sak in my pocket using a P-7 clip and with a keychain tool like the Rambler I have all bases covered for me being in the urban environment/city life!

If I am planning on going somewhere special that I think I might need more than I will throw in the Spirit X or a Leatherman into a bag, jacket pocket or even on my belt.  Havent needed to use one yet!

I am like kkokkolis in the sense that I am not a handyman by profession, just a hobbyist or one of those "just in case" kinda guys but  none of my stuff really gets used much.  Some carry but very, very little use!  I know I need to work on that! LOL

[styx]

Oddly I didn't notice this. However I carry my Spirit X almost all the time during the colder months and a go to tool in the warmer months. To be fair I don't have much of a collection.

On the wire cutting subject, for stranded wire the scissors work amazing. Honestly I think the tool has 2 wire cutters and no scissors

[Kin-Luu]

I normally do not EDC a full sized MT - only a Style or a Rambler on my keys.

But if I would carry one, I would go for the Swisstool X. My favorite tool, the Surge, is only getting carry time in special situations, like helping a friend move.

[Kampfer]

Good question A007! 
I heard a lot of praise on those tools but I don't see them in pocket dump as often.

[enki_ck]

Good question A007! 
I heard a lot of praise on those tools but I don't see them in pocket dump as often.

That's cause folks who generally carry a Spirit don't need to change their carry that often to update the EDC dump threads. The Spirit does it all.

[Kampfer]

You have a way to explain everything in your favor, that is a super power I like to have.

[Crow]

Most i carry my Spirit. Great tool no matter what. Second comes LM.

Question on "What do you carry instead", makes me confused. Do i answer Vic that i carry most, or something i carry when Vic is not with me?

[enki_ck]

So to the question at hand. I love the Spirit. Since I got it it's been my go to tool for most of the tasks and the most carried and used plier based multitool by a long shot. All the tools on it are excellent except the knife blade, which I wish was just a that bigger, beefier, and the scissors that don't do so well on scissor related stuff due to the small size and fat blades but do excellent as small shears. The before mentioned stranded wire, tin if you need to cut out a shim or something like it, cut a gasket out of some thick rubber, no problem. The thick strong bottle opener, flathead screwdriver, prybar tool rocks and I have yet to see a broken one. And the file, oh the file is by far the best out of any used in mull sized multis. Yes, it doesn't have a diamond coated side, but how often do you really need that in real life tasks. I rarely do.

My Charge hardly ever sees actual use and it's mostly when I expect to be needing the knife a lot as mentioned before. The Spirit for me is the king of the mid sized multitools, closely followed by the Wave.

Now the full sized Swisstool however I never learned to like. And it's not just the size and weight. For instance I love the Surge, the big, overweight beast. But the Swisstool ... There's something that never sat right with me. The straight, smooth handles are difficult to control even with dry hands, it always tries to slide forward. And the jaws just don't open up as wide as a tool of its size should. A big brute than can't even grip a mid sized nut.

[Zed]

LM still ahead 

[enki_ck]

LM still ahead 

No, it's not. 5+6=11 which is higher than 10.

[Zed]

LM still ahead 

No, it's not. 5+6=11 which is higher than 10.

   2 against 1 

[AHB]

LM still ahead 

No, it's not. 5+6=11 which is higher than 10.

   2 against 1 

LM 12... 

[Zed]

LM still ahead 

No, it's not. 5+6=11 which is higher than 10.

   2 against 1 

LM 12... 

 

[enki_ck]

LM still ahead 

No, it's not. 5+6=11 which is higher than 10.

   2 against 1 

LM 12... 

Well considering we have a fight between a Spirit and a Swisstool against .. ehm ... Wave, old Wave, PST, Supertool, ST200, ST300, Core, Flair, Juice, Charge, Pulse, Crunch, Fuse, Blast, Kick, Rebar, Sidekick, Wingman, Sideclip, PST2, and so on and so on ... it isn't really a fair fight. And I haven't even listed the variations of the models.

So if we're comparing the quantities of models carried and shown by people, one must surely account for the vast number of different models for instance LM has or had while Vic is content with refining the two. And does a great job at it too.

[Zed]

LM still ahead 

No, it's not. 5+6=11 which is higher than 10.

   2 against 1 

LM 12... 

Well considering we have a fight between a Spirit and a Swisstool against .. ehm ... Wave, old Wave, PST, Supertool, ST200, ST300, Core, Flair, Juice, Charge, Pulse, Crunch, Fuse, Blast, Kick, Rebar, Sidekick, Wingman, Sideclip, PST2, and so on and so on ... it isn't really a fair fight. And I haven't even listed the variations of the models.

So if we're comparing the quantities of models carried and shown by people, one must surely account for the vast number of different models for instance LM has or had while Vic is content with refining the two. And does a great job at it too.

   


They should make more models   

[AHB]

LM still ahead 

No, it's not. 5+6=11 which is higher than 10.

   2 against 1 

LM 12... 

Well considering we have a fight between a Spirit and a Swisstool against .. ehm ... Wave, old Wave, PST, Supertool, ST200, ST300, Core, Flair, Juice, Charge, Pulse, Crunch, Fuse, Blast, Kick, Rebar, Sidekick, Wingman, Sideclip, PST2, and so on and so on ... it isn't really a fair fight. And I haven't even listed the variations of the models.

So if we're comparing the quantities of models carried and shown by people, one must surely account for the vast number of different models for instance LM has or had while Vic is content with refining the two. And does a great job at it too.

When Vic makes a nonlocking plainblade Spirit with a pocketclip I'll never carry anything else..    The fit and finish of Vics MTs are far superior to LMs.. 

[enki_ck]

LM still ahead 

No, it's not. 5+6=11 which is higher than 10.

   2 against 1 

LM 12... 

Well considering we have a fight between a Spirit and a Swisstool against .. ehm ... Wave, old Wave, PST, Supertool, ST200, ST300, Core, Flair, Juice, Charge, Pulse, Crunch, Fuse, Blast, Kick, Rebar, Sidekick, Wingman, Sideclip, PST2, and so on and so on ... it isn't really a fair fight. And I haven't even listed the variations of the models.

So if we're comparing the quantities of models carried and shown by people, one must surely account for the vast number of different models for instance LM has or had while Vic is content with refining the two. And does a great job at it too.

   


They should make more models   

And put all the other manufacturers out of business? Neh, they're classy that way.

[kkokkolis]

I would like to know some sales facts, including Victorinox SAKs and Gerbers, SOGs etc.

[enki_ck]

When Vic makes a nonlocking plainblade Spirit with a pocketclip I'll never carry anything else..    The fit and finish of Vics MTs are far superior to LMs.. 

I think that might be doable. At least the non locking plain blade with very little modification and maybe even without disassembly. Just some slight grinding around the locking notch. CaBob did say he'd try it out at some point as he has one that's screwed together but he might have forgotten.