Tool perception - have we got it wrong?

[MeadMaker]

I've had some amusement testing various bits on MTs. I don't think I have a bias, with one clear and notable exception. I have a positive bias toward the Crosscut from years of EDC. I understand that most of that is the 'it was the tool that was there when I needed it' thing, but there's no getting over that sometimes.

I always tie cost to the value of a tool, but try to realize a tool's potential even ignoring that. It doesn't always work. As Mr. Whippy just pointed out as well, a tool's perceived worth is also closely tied to the user's needs. The Juice might not do him any good, but his wife loves it for EDC.

+1 

[Mercury]

I've decided, since Vic's are all just combinations of a fairly small number of tools, they need to just make a set you can take apart and slap together in any combination you want, like the Quirky Switch. Bam... the perfect tool.

Nope, still wouldn't be perfect. Because the implements you need tomorrow could be different from the implements you need today. And if you add every implement you might need, you end up with a SwissChamp XL; you'll never find a perfect combination of size/weight vs. utility.

Again, that's what keeps Vic/Wenger churning out SAKs by the tractor-trailer-full!

 

This is why we keep buying new tools, and keep rotating them.  I'll have days where I only want to EDC my sideclip because I just don't want the extra weight, but by the end of the day I miss the utility of my full sized tools and I slap on back on my belt.  Then I have the problem of deciding which tool to pick, do I want OHO or not?  Do I want replaceable cutters?  What about the bit kit?  Sliding pliers sure sound cool, what SAK should I pair with that Gerber? 


So basically 

[Gryffin]

So basically 

BTDTGTS. I've trimmed my flashlight/knife/tool rotations down a LOT, for that reason. I've tried to limit my choices to two or three favorites, plus whatever is new and shiny and in need of testing. And defined a few "use cases" with favorite go-to load-outs, so I don't have to think about it much.

[Zed]

I still remember the days when 1 MT was enough and i was happy with it  iam trying to get back to that as i like to bond with a tool and hard if too many choices, my tinker and opinel #5-6 i have this kind of feeling for, oddly ive had the ppp in my shorts pocket this afternoon and havnt really noticed it there, a good sighn 

[Gryffin]

I still remember the days when 1 MT was enough and i was happy with it 

I know whatcha mean! I bought the original Leatherman shortly after it came out (wasn't even called the PST yet), and it was the only tool I owned for almost ten years. I only bought my second, the PST-II, because Ol' No. 1 took a swim in Great Egg Harbor one afternoon. The PST-II was my one-and-only for another four years or so, until I fell for the siren charms of the old-school Wave. Then, several years later, a Squirt... and then... let's just say things got more complicated.

Same with knives. I carried a Schrade LB-7 on my belt from age 18 until I bought that first Leatherman. The only other knife I owned was an old Vic Super Tinker, which I carried when the Schrade was a bit much. Then a buddy turned me onto this cool knife called a Delica... 

[Zed]

I still remember the days when 1 MT was enough and i was happy with it 

I know whatcha mean! I bought the original Leatherman shortly after it came out (wasn't even called the PST yet), and it was the only tool I owned for almost ten years. I only bought my second, the PST-II, because Ol' No. 1 took a swim in Great Egg Harbor one afternoon. The PST-II was my one-and-only for another four years or so, until I fell for the siren charms of the old-school Wave. Then, several years later, a Squirt... and then... let's just say things got more complicated.

Same with knives. I carried a Schrade LB-7 on my belt from age 18 until I bought that first Leatherman. The only other knife I owned was an old Vic Super Tinker, which I carried when the Schrade was a bit much. Then a buddy turned me onto this cool knife called a Delica... 

yep i was the same, my dad got me a wave for my birthday in 98 i carried it untill 09 the rest is MTO history 

[Chako]

I hear you. My first multi-tool was an American Camper that my father and I bought to aid us out on the 3D range in the mid 90s. After that, he bought a Schrade tough tool and a Leatherman Pulse. I thought I had to have something fancier, and because I couldn't afford a more expensive tool, found a Coleman Pro-Lock at one of the local big box store. It looked somewhat like the Schrade ST1 which at the time, I thought was way cool. I was happy with that.

Then my father passed away a few years ago. While cleaning his room out, i found I had a nice collection of 20 odd multitools if I included my 2 into that equation. Seeing that an MT was a big part of his life as a tradesman, I got into collecting them in his memory. Well everyone here knows how crazy that got.

Even with the many multi-tools I do have, I still only carry the one most of the times due to work restrictions. Mind you, I am the only person at work that wears one. I had to explain myself a few times when I first started to wear it. Now it is not uncommon for other people to ask me for my multi-tool to aid in a job. Regardless, I do try out many multi-tools on weekends, and holidays. I still gravitate to the Knifeless Fuse as it does everything I need in a nice package and weight. I guess I am still that one multi-tool sort of guy...but I do have one heck of a choice list when I need it.