List of multitools with vise grip, crescent wrench or wire stripper heads?

[HaChayalBoded]

I was looking at the the Leatherman crunch & the Irwin vise grip multi tool and was wondering what else was out there. I have seen multi tools with the Mammut name brand that looked interesting but can't find the specific one I saw anywhere online. This one also looks great providing needle nose vise grips and a one handed partially serrated blade. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330191132627 For $15 I think I'll get one and check it out.

I would be using it in my EDC motorcycle toolkit so I prefer locking grips over pliers. Can someone who owns a crunch actually measure the opening, it says 1 inch which is ~25.5mm but perhaps I might get lucky and it actually opens to 1.5mm bigger giving me a 27mm opening. Which is the size of my rear axle nut.

It doesn't need to be great, my EDC toolkit and road trip tool kit are different. For road trips I have a full set of tools on me with real vise grips and a craftsman 6" stubby beak jaw crescent wrench which opens wide enough for my rear axle.

I was also looking into the Byrd knife, the Shrade multi tool and the CRKT but none of those seem to fit the bill. At least to me.

Any info would be appreciated, so far it looks like the crunch will be the way to go unless I hear differently from you guys. thanks in advance.

Eddie
PS I'm a SOSAK member.

[Roadie]

Here's a pic of the crunch's jaws open, but locked shut (if that makes sense!) so they will open 1 or 2 mm further but you won't be able to lock onto anything bigger than the pic shows.

Hope this helps
Roadie

Edit..helps if i actually attach the pic!

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Welcome to the forum mate , I'd leave the multi you found on ebay well alone, I doubt it'll be much good for anything too demanding, and would probably turn you off multitools altogether

Felinevet should be able to get you a Crunch at a very reasonable price, why don't you drop him an email mate

http://felinevet.sosakonline.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

[felinevet]

Welcome to the forum mate , I'd leave the multi you found on ebay well alone, I doubt it'll be much good for anything too demanding, and would probably turn you off multitools altogether

Felinevet should be able to get you a Crunch at a very reasonable price, why don't you drop him an email mate

http://felinevet.sosakonline.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

Thanks Micky, yep I have them.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Welcome to the forum mate , I'd leave the multi you found on ebay well alone, I doubt it'll be much good for anything too demanding, and would probably turn you off multitools altogether

Felinevet should be able to get you a Crunch at a very reasonable price, why don't you drop him an email mate

http://felinevet.sosakonline.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

Thanks Micky, yep I have them.

I have my use's, not many, but some

[I'm Still Bison]

Welcome to the forums! This topic got me to thinking about Kershaws  multi-tool.Did anyone EDC it,was it good?

[Grant Lamontagne]

I don't have one (still) but the head on the Kershaw tool didn't fold, making it somewhat more bulky.

Since everyone seems to be avoiding the wire stripper head multi that was also asked about, there are a few.  Bear Cutlery offers one, as does SOG (PowerCut and Kilowatt and Leatherman had the E4, which is a keychain model but has a nice variety of wire sizes available.  Of course they are more electronics oriented and so may not be terribly handy on a motorbike.  Paladin Tools, made by SOG also has the PowerPlay 540 model, but as these are intended for professional use they can be kind of pricey.

Good to see more SOSAK members making the jump over here!  I hope we see more of you in the future.

Def

[Benner]

Welcome to the forum buddy. 

[HaChayalBoded]

Welcome to the forum mate , I'd leave the multi you found on ebay well alone, I doubt it'll be much good for anything too demanding, and would probably turn you off multitools altogether

I usually carry standard pliers on the bike, locking would give me an extra hand when I need to hold a wire in place to wrap, connect or solder, so for that particular need it doesn't need to be a "quality" tool. I have $500 worth of other tools if I need something better. It would also supplement to a second multitool anyway. I'm familiar with felinevet's shop, but thanx for the reminder.

I don't have one (still) but the head on the Kershaw tool didn't fold, making it somewhat more bulky.

Since everyone seems to be avoiding the wire stripper head multi that was also asked about, there are a few.  Bear Cutlery offers one, as does SOG (PowerCut and Kilowatt and Leatherman had the E4, which is a keychain model but has a nice variety of wire sizes available.  Of course they are more electronics oriented and so may not be terribly handy on a motorbike.  Paladin Tools, made by SOG also has the PowerPlay 540 model, but as these are intended for professional use they can be kind of pricey.

Good to see more SOSAK members making the jump over here!  I hope we see more of you in the future.

Def

Thanks Def, I really like the SOG's one handed opening feature, it's the one thing that annoys me about multi tools, usually I need to grab one out of my pocket because I'm holding something I can't let go off. I should pick up an E4 to keep in my tankbag for those roadside electrical repairs. I'm quite handy using an ultrasharp knife to strip wires but sometimes those wires are in a place I can't use both hands for so a real stripper is better for that. It's funny I have $50 and $100 strippers, but 99% of the time I reach for my $5 radioshack stripper because it seems to cut much better and cleaner than the others..

Looks like I'll pick up an E4, possibly a crunch if I can find a place local that has it so I can fondle it and the cheap eBay special. I'll have to see the SOG in person before I drop that kinda dough on it.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

So what do you ride mate, there are a lot of us bikers here, both active and retired

[HaChayalBoded]

So what do you ride mate, there are a lot of us bikers here, both active and retired

2000 Shadow ACE Touring Edition w\Hard bags
1990 Honda Hawk GT (NT650 or Bros to those on the other side of the pond)

Both are for sale, I'd like to move on to a BMW.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

So what do you ride mate, there are a lot of us bikers here, both active and retired

2000 Shadow ACE Touring Edition w\Hard bags
1990 Honda Hawk GT (NT650 or Bros to those on the other side of the pond)

Both are for sale, I'd like to move on to a BMW.

A mate of mine had a bros 400cc, wicked little bike, and they make a lovely noise on open pipes

So what beemer are you after then mate

[NeitherExtreme]

While we're on the subject (sorta), does anyone know if the Paladin tool can be dissasembled and take the SOG replacement parts? I think it's a great frame, but I'm not too keen on the tool selection. I've used those punch-down tools before, but probably only about 4 or 5 times in 3 years of electric work...

Edit: Nevermind, I found this page:
http://www.powerplaytools.com/Care.php
Looks like they don't mind you changing things around.

[SoDak]

I bet I'll go down on the record as one of the biggest visegrip fans on this site, but to be honest I've never found a visegrip tool I've really liked. The crunch is neat and I'd like to get one someday, but for everyday carry I thought that the tool selection was too limited. I've got several schrade ST6's and since they are made partially out of a real visegrip, they are pretty tough. However, they have a limited tool selection and I've been pinched by them when I'm gripping down on something. I've always felt that if schrade had done some more refining to this tool,it could have been a big hit. I've only handled the kershaw once, but it looked like a pinchiner as well(could be wrong though). Sorry to be so negative, but for the work I do, I never felt that these were ideal.
My solution has been to carry a normal vise grip(irwin 5wr) along with a standard multitool. The visegrip has been indespnsible for working on my family's ranch. The nice thing about carrying a separate set of vicegrips to augment my multitool is that a vise grip can do many things that the set of pliers on a multitool can't do. For example it can handle bolts better, MUCH better wire cutters for heavier wire, is a handy fencing tool, plus it only costs $10-$14. It does add some weight to my edc, but I have found it very useful and well worth it.

[Anthony]

A Crunch paired up with a SAK can cover every tool on any standard pliers based multi...What is the Crunch missing?  A plain blade, saw, awl, scissors, can opener; and the Crunch file isn't the best...but all those can be covered with a pretty standard SAK.

[NeitherExtreme]

I like the Crunch, but mostly because its just so darn cool. But IMO it doesn't have the full function of a standard MT or a standard Vice-Grips, its a comprimise of them both. If I was in a situation where a locking-plier was often useful, I'd definetly just bring a "real" one. I just don't think you can get close to packing the functionality (including ease of use) of a regular vice-grips type pliers and a good multi-tool into one neat little piece. I think the same goes for most any tool that I'd use a lot in a day (except maybe needle-nose pliers), ie. if I used a screwdriver all the time I'd carry a screwdriver and a MT.

That said, I think the Crunch is one of the coolest engineering jobs I've seen on a tool.

[Anthony]

I'd like to see a Crunch "II" that's bigger...maybe the size of a Swisstool or Powerlock.  I do like the jaw design of the Crunch though, I don't think that needs a change.

[NeitherExtreme]

I'd like to see a Crunch "II" that's bigger...maybe the size of a Swisstool or Powerlock.  I do like the jaw design of the Crunch though, I don't think that needs a change.

+1 on everything you said...

[SoDak]

A Crunch paired up with a SAK can cover every tool on any standard pliers based multi...What is the Crunch missing?  A plain blade, saw, awl, scissors, can opener; and the Crunch file isn't the best...but all those can be covered with a pretty standard SAK.

I'll agree that a crunch paired with a sak would work as well, but for my work, having a cheap and durable vise grip is preferable to a crunch that cost 4-5 times more. An example is how earlier this year my dad was using his visegrip to work on a water tank the was leaking. Well the visegrip slipped out of his hand and fell 25feet down a water filled pipe that surround the water line. Thankfully by using a long piece of twine and a magnet we were able to retieve it, but if we hadn't my dad would have been out of only $13. If he had been using a crunch instead, he might have been out of a lot more money. I'm not say the crunch is a bad tool, but for me I need a visegrip often enough and use it hard enough that a crunch would not be be better than my 5wr vise grip. That's not to say that the crunch wouldn't work better for some people.

[Anthony]

That's true...and also why I don't carry the Crunch regularly...I've always got a variety of Vise Grips a minute away.  A small needle nose pair in the center console of my car and a large regular pair in the trunk...at work there's about five various pairs laying about in various states of decomposition