Ok. I think I've found my main farm EDC (maybe ice climbing too)

[Mr. Whippy]

This Charge ALX is unbelieveable.  I've been carrying on the farm for a couple days now and I am impressed!.  The gut hook is perfect for cutting baling twine.  Better than any other option I've tried.  The problem with a knife blade is the twine tends to roll when a blade is inserted from underneath.  Cutting down on the twine runs the blade over lots of hay which dulls blades FAST.  I've used the wire cutters, but it is suboptimal unless the cutters are tight and sharp.  The twine is pretty big for most MT scissors.

Then, working on some fencing, the saw was extremely handy.

Finally, the pocket clip makes the weight virtually unnoticable .

A huge improvement over the Wave and more versatile than the Skeletool.

This could be the beginning of a beautiful relationship. 

[Leatherman123]

Yeah, the ALX is a great MT! I'm glad it's working for you! Yeah, the cutting hook is my favorite part of the Charge series too.. 

[Gadget Guy]

I'm loving my ALX as well.    It is very comfortable to use and has a nice tool selection. It will be my edc multi for a long time...

[Leatherman123]

The only thing is,I find the bit drivers to be extremely redundant! They could have added two other implements instead of an extra bit driver...like an awl and a large flat bladed driver!

[Gadget Guy]

The only thing is,I find the bit drivers to be extremely redundant! They could have added two other implements instead of an extra bit driver...like an awl and a large flat bladed driver!

That's the reason I like it. I use the bit drivers more then anything else, so it works for my needs. I can leave my bit drivers setup the way I like them. I almost never use scissors and If I need then, I have my trusty alox classic. 

[Leatherman123]

That's true.. As a matter of fact, whenever I carry an XTi/ALX I always have a Micra on me, and I keep an awl in one of the bit drivers!  Plus, LM's scissors are quite small!

[DaveK]

Interesting. The XTi / ALX are my least favourite Charges, simply because the two bit drivers seem like a bit of a waste to me. Having said that, if the Ti, AL or TTi didn't exist, the ALX would be my favourite tool still.

I'm still wary of how hard wearing the Al scales might be, but I'm thinking of swapping an AL for my TTi to find out.

Mr. W - it sounds like you're using you ALX pretty hard - have you noticed any wear on the scales yet?

[SoDak]

Congrats on the new charge. Even though the gut hook sounds great for cutting twine, have you considered getting a utility knife with a replaceable blade? My dad uses one daily multiple times on my family's ranch and it works great since you can just replace the blade when it's dull.

[Mr. Whippy]

Congrats on the new charge. Even though the gut hook sounds great for cutting twine, have you considered getting a utility knife with a replaceable blade? My dad uses one daily multiple times on my family's ranch and it works great since you can just replace the blade when it's dull.

Sharpmaker corner or round file should sharpen it up nicely.  I have a Kobalt box cutter/utility knife, and I could use that, but that's just another thing in the pocket.

Hey!  In South Dakota, I thought you guys used the huge bales with baling wire?  (The 150-200 lb square bale).  Y'all using round bales out there?

[SoDak]

On my family's ranch we use round bales only as do most people in my neck of the woods. A few use small square bales, but I think they use them mostly for their horses. Once in a great while though, I will see larger square bales out in someone's field.