Honestly a surprise to me as well. Total SAK/Wenger newb....but do the blades lock on the mini grio?
Quote from: NKlamerus on January 19, 2015, 02:03:06 AMHonestly a surprise to me as well. Total SAK/Wenger newb....but do the blades lock on the mini grio?No locking blade on the Minigrips
Quote from: Mr. Whippy on January 19, 2015, 02:27:07 AMQuote from: NKlamerus on January 19, 2015, 02:03:06 AMHonestly a surprise to me as well. Total SAK/Wenger newb....but do the blades lock on the mini grio?No locking blade on the MinigripsI'm guessing the drivers don't lock either right? Think that may be a con to add? Also, is it true The newer versions had a better plier lock?
Just reading around here, I guess the pocket grip plier lock got better than the mini grip?? Hmmm. Anyway back to reading in the vaults....
Quote from: JBW1 on January 19, 2015, 03:02:49 AMJust reading around here, I guess the pocket grip plier lock got better than the mini grip?? Hmmm. Anyway back to reading in the vaults....If you mean the larger Swissgrip, there's no pliers lock at all, but also they're not sprung like the Minigrip.Nate, I'm really surprised but very pleased at the outcome. I don't know of anyone else who carries the Minigrip wih any regularity. Nice to hear on one regularly "working for a living", rather than sitting on a shelf looking pretty I'm with you completely on the pros and cons of both tools. The thing I never quite got on with with the Wenger was the carry, it never seemed to have a right way and wrong way for sitting anywhere. Being about the same size both ways made it good as a hand tool (particularly as a driver), but less so for carry purposes.I still have an IronGrip here (plain edged blade), and the pliers lock is about the same. It does get a little more secure if you put the lock on, then try to open the pliers a bit. Almost as if it latches into something. However, when using the tool, you invariably put some pressure on the pliers anyway, so accidental lock release would be about the same in real terms. It loses the T&T from the scales but has a very nice fitted sheath (and a right and wrong way for putting it in ).Thanks for the comparison and pics
Nice write-up man! I'm sure not many people expect that one.
Honestly, my biggest concern is what will happen if/when there's a failure with the Minigrip. What will Victorinox/Wenger do?
As many of you know, I have always been a huge fan of the Leatherman Wave/Charge. I EDC one regularly on the farm and beat on it like nobody's business. Recently I picked up a Wenger Minigrip with the blunt nose pliers and was very keen to try it in the same EDC spot that I normally reserve for the Charge.The short version: The Minigrip frequently ends up as the multitool of choice on the farm.So first: Size.(Image removed from quote.)The Wenger is a little longer, but a little slimmer than the Charge. In reality, the Charge is carried differently because of the excellent pocket clip. The Wenger gets tossed in the same pocket, where it sinks to the bottom. In this respect, the Leatherman has an edge.Next: The pliers.The blunt nose Minigrips are amazing. They're smaller than the Charge, but due to their shape, the jaws don't deform when twisting stuff, in actual use on the farm, they have functioned better than the Charge pliers despite being smaller. Anyone who's tried to twist off something with a Leatherman will be familiar with the tips of the jaws distorting in a disturbing way. Never a problem with the Minigrips. As a side note, the Minigrips pliers are better than the Rangergrip 90/Mike Horn Ranger pliers too, and for the same reason. This one goes to the Minigrips(Image removed from quote.)Bit drivers.The Minigrips wins hands down. Standard 1/4 bits and storage of 6 bits on board vs. the Leatherman special (and not quite as good) bits, with 4 bit ends on board (with limits as to what is on each side of the specialized Leatherman bits). In every application I used the Minigrips drivers, it was as good as my Snapon driver (mostly because I'm carrying Snapon bits on board). Significantly better than the Leatherman bits when working on a less than perfect screw. The only down side with the Minigrips is this: The pliers lock isn't robust and it is very easy to accidentally open the pliers when using the driver. Overall, this goes to the Minigrips.(Image removed from quote.)The saw, and file are basicallly a wash although the Leatherman diamond coat file is extremely nice. I give a tie to the saws and the Charge wins on the files, but only because of the diamond coat (which is outstanding). As an aside, I give the Wenger the advantage on rulers. The scales on the Charge are surprisingly hard to use accurately. Having it on the face of the saw makes it much easier to accurately use.(Image removed from quote.)(Image removed from quote.)Blades:Leatherman wins this one outright. Excellent PE, good SE with that awesome guthook vis a serrated standard spearpoint SAK. And as a bonus, the Leatherman blades are OHO. No contest.(Image removed from quote.)Additonal tools.My modified ALX also has scissors and large flat blade. The Minigrips has can opener, bottle opener/flat blade and awl. It's sort of a wash.(Image removed from quote.)(Image removed from quote.)So other thoughts:The Leatherman Charge does have some advantages by having the outside opening tools open in such a way that the handles don't interfere with use. Actually it's one of the big things I notice between the Wave/Charge lines and the Supertool/Rebar/PST lines. The pliers handles do somewhat interfere with the saw on the Minigrips, but not horribly.The biggest drawback on the Minigrips is really the rather weak pliers lock, such that the pliers spring open accidentally when using other tools. It is a bit annoying.So:Wenger MinigripsPros:1. Excellent, strong pliers2. Excellent bit driver and 6 onboard bits3. Good ruler4. AwlCons:1. Annoying pliers lock2. Serrated SAK blade only (not OHO)Leatherman ChargePros:1. Outstanding OHO blades and guthook2. Diamond coated file.3. Excellent pocket clipCons:1. Bits are less effective than 1/4 bits2. Flexy pliers tips3. Ruler is a little hard to use accurately.No real winner here. For me, which I choose is a little capricious and has as much to do with weather. If it's cold and miserable, I'm more likely to get the Charge, since it is easier to deploy with gloves on. If I know I'm going to need screw drivers or work with wires that need twisting, I go with the Minigrips.