Did you ever stop carrying a plier-based tool?

[Old Boy]

Over the years of collecting I've stashed all sorts of dedicated tools as well as MTs in my house, work, cars etc. so no don't really need to carry a pliers based MT with me. But there has been rare occasions when I need tweezers, wire cutters (great for zip ties and twisties), stronger grip, etc. which is like 2-3x/year.

The way I kinda see it is that the edc philosophy is to be prepared. Kinda like an extra band aid I carry in my pocket. I may rarely ever use it but when I do I'm sure glad I have it.

[ThePeacent]

Never more than a week since I upgraded from my SAKs, in fact I carry 2 today. Work days up to 2 + SAK, weekends and holidays is 1 MT + SAK,even a light duty one like the Skele or Squirt if going outside for dinner or dressy occasions

[Marc_in_NS]

I stopped carrying anything on my belt when I retired. SAK pocket carry is all that sees action nowadays. LOL

[Manny Sanchez III]

I know I can honestly just carry my SAK Farmer and not need anything else, but somehow having a full blown MT along with an edc folding knife just works better for me. I rarely use the pliers, but when I need them I'm glad I have them. Although, I probably wouldn't have a hard time finding some, since I work around a lot of auto techs! I will say that I wouldn't carry any of those heavy MTs though. I carry a modded Kick and I love the weight. The one thing I can't do without is my EDC folder, my waved Delica.

(Image removed from quote.)

I love your choice in blades! I love the Salt series, and that Matriarch is sick! 

[Reese]

I've been carrying all manner of plier-based MTs for a long time - mostly via belt carry, but sometimes a smaller flavor like a Juice S2 in my pocket.

I've figured out that I almost never use the dang thing.  I carry it not because I need to, but just in case.  I work from home (on a  laptop at the kitchen table) so I am never far from an MT.  I have an MT in the Man Sack in my Suburban, so thats not an issue either.

I don't really need to carry an MT.  I do it just because it makes me feel good.

But I'm stretching my wings and am trying to go without an EDC MT.  Instead I've reverted to my trusty Leatherman Explorer Plus.  I actually do use the magnifier and tweezers from time to time.   I've gone for a whole day now without a plier-based MT on my belt, and I actually survived. 

I carry a bunch of EDC stuff, from a Blackberry to a pistol, and one less thing on my belt is sorta nice.

So have any of you MT addicts who carry a plier-based MT regularly tried going without one for a while?  I'm not talking about you guys who actually use the things at work, but the rest of us who carry one just for the heck of it.

I may well revert to a belt carried MT, but for now I'm getting by one day at a time without one.  What about you?

i would feel under gunned without one close by

[G-Dizzle]

I sometimes don't "carry" one (like today), but there is always one with me in a bag, vehicle, or desk if not on my person. I feel comfortable carrying only a SAK if I know my plier based MT is nearby and can be retrieved if necessary. I am going out to a nice valentines day dinner tonight, and will leave the plier based mt in the truck, but will have a Pioneer X with me as well as a swisstech "plier tool" which I carry when I'm not carrying a plier based tool. So if you consider the Swisstech tool a plier mased MT, I guess my answer would be a definitive no. I am never without one (for the most part). For me, one of the most important functions of my pliers (for edc, not working on something) is grabbing something and pulling, which the swisstech is adequate for in most every day circumstances. I do frequently pocket carry or belt carry plier based MTs though depending on my attire/mood. Good topic!

[powernoodle]

Whoever started this thread was a genius.  Or an idiot.  I'm not sure which. 

After all of these years, I still have mixed feelings about carrying a medium to large pliers-based MT on a daily basis.  I love to be equipped for whatever happens, but then there is the weight, space and bulk issue.  So I go back and forth depending on the mood.  Recently I've begun carrying a Swisstool Spirit in the pocket without a sheath, which works.  When not that, at least a PS4 in the pocket.

I ordered a Leatherman OHT for the March Challenge, but its really the antithesis of what I look for in an EDC MT as it has a relatively low utility to size/weight ratio.  But flicking that sucker open for 30 days will be fun.  I can't really imagine carrying an OHT on a daily basis unless there was a real need for the one-hand feature.

[ducttapetech]

Whoever started this thread was a genius.  Or an idiot.  I'm not sure which. 

[Ron Who]

Whoever started this thread was a genius.  Or an idiot.  I'm not sure which. 

Maybe both, there's not that much difference.
 
To answer the question: No, I never stopped carrying a plier-based tool. Better yet, I didn't even start carrying. I'm 54  years old and have always carried a Swiss Army Knife, adding larger blades and dedicated tools as needed. Most of my work is outdoors and I guess I don't need pliers. I never did.

[ducttapetech]

Plier based Multi (Surge) is the reason why I don't hardly ever carry a SAK anymore.

[SteveC]

A Multitool isn't really fully functional without pliers   

[powernoodle]

Steve, I agree with you for semantic reasons. In my view all "multitools" have pliers.  If it does not have pliers, I won't call it a multitool.  Its a SAK or a whatever, but its not an MT.   

I know that others will disagree, and I respect their right to be wrong. 

[MadPlumbarian]

See, I'll disagree. When working in the plumbing field you needed pliers, and I used to carry leatherman's, but with such heavy work when you needed pliers, you went back to your tools and got a full size pair! I took a LM crunch an broke the jaw off, but since I'm no longer in field I really don't need pliers, and really wouldn't use them anyway, unless working at my little workstation where I have my tools, so a sak for me is just fine as a edc.

Now if as an electrician, I think a LM would be fine,,
JR

[Sneider]

About 20 years ago I had a Leaterman Wave but I gave it away.
There is a Swisstool SpiritX in my car. Since this Leatherman the only plier-based tool that I own,
but I use it very rarely.

[aurabattler]

I used to carry only a SAK but then I came across a few times I need a pair of pliers badly while I didn't have. That made me start carrying a pliers based MT.  I carry a Skeletool now for normal working day.  The pliers are not strong but they are always handy when you need them.

[kaput]

A Multitool isn't really fully functional without pliers   

To be completely truthful with myself, you are indeed correct.

Plier based Multi (Surge) is the reason why I don't hardly ever carry a SAK anymore.

I've been carrying my SAK this week, first time in quite sometime. Due to the same reasoning. I really do like my SAK, but if I had to pick one... easy choice 

[Aloha]

For work I am never without a MT plier based.  Off days is where things get fun.  I had times when I didn't carry a MT plier based and needed it so the very next day off I carried it and then never used it.  I can go on and on how this determined if I carried one or not but why bother?  I carry one cause I enjoy carrying one regardless if I use it or not that day.  I carry one not because the eventuality of me using.  I carry one  because I enjoy having a MT plier based on my person.

I have tried to carry just my Squirt P4 but having a medium or full size MT plier based for me is what I tend to like and prefer.   

 

[Brock O Lee]

There was a period about 12 years ago where I received a LM Juice as a gift. I carried it daily for a few months, but I rarely needed the pliers, so after a while I went back to my first love since about '93, the alox Pioneer.

Nowadays I usually have a pliers based MT closeby in a bag, just because I like to be prepared, but I still have a Pioneer (X) on my person. Happiness!

[tosh]

I never really started 
I realised back then as much as I loved the MT concept in all its various forms, they were/are ALL a compromise lacking in one way or another.
This is personal edc, not work edc.
I tried a few, but the bulkiness and major limitation they all offered resulted in leaving them at home.

BUT, I never tried the SideClip maybe I'll give it a go this weekend. 

[The Lone Wanderer]

I'm downsizing my EDC, and going to a smaller SAK pliers, good knife and flashlight, that's all I need usually. Works well in an urban environment.

[Outback in Idaho]

EDC the Flair still, though rather have the Charge TTi; LED Lenser M5; Piranha; SAK Climber - No one's complained about me carrying them at work.

[plowjockey1]

Yes I stopped carrying a plier based multitool about 6 months ago. But it wasn't by choice, I lost my wave and the amount of time I reached for it in my pocket when it wasn't there is unbelievable. I'm not a collector, so I went and bought a kershaw a100 for the vise grip feature. Liked it so much that I've since bought a kershaw emerson cqc 7k for EDC.

[ThePeacent]

Yes I stopped carrying a plier based multitool about 6 months ago. But it wasn't by choice, I lost my wave and the amount of time I reached for it in my pocket when it wasn't there is unbelievable. I'm not a collector, so I went and bought a kershaw a100 for the vise grip feature. Liked it so much that I've since bought a kershaw emerson cqc 7k for EDC.

gotta love the 100 additional uses of a locking-pliers MT...I got this one today for that very reason!   

[David Bowen]

I'm actually to the point where I may stop carrying a plier tool everyday.  I think a sak and a larger folder would handle most of my needs. Maybe a sak with a small pair of pliers for those rare situations when I need to grab something small my fingers cannot get.

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[Mr. Whippy]

Yes I stopped carrying a plier based multitool about 6 months ago. But it wasn't by choice, I lost my wave and the amount of time I reached for it in my pocket when it wasn't there is unbelievable. I'm not a collector, so I went and bought a kershaw a100 for the vise grip feature. Liked it so much that I've since bought a kershaw emerson cqc 7k for EDC.

Where did you find a Kershaw A100?  Those have been long gone!  I used to carry mine in the days before MTO and it was an awesome EDC.  It even went to Peru with me for mountain climbing! 

[Mr. Whippy]

At work, I don't carry a pliers based MT, although the Cybertimer 41 has vic pliers in it that I use a fair amount.  On the farm, I virtually never step out of the house without a pliers based MT, usually a Charge ALX.

[plowjockey1]

Yes I stopped carrying a plier based multitool about 6 months ago. But it wasn't by choice, I lost my wave and the amount of time I reached for it in my pocket when it wasn't there is unbelievable. I'm not a collector, so I went and bought a kershaw a100 for the vise grip feature. Liked it so much that I've since bought a kershaw emerson cqc 7k for EDC.

Where did you find a Kershaw A100?  Those have been long gone!  I used to carry mine in the days before MTO and it was an awesome EDC.  It even went to Peru with me for mountain climbing!

I was lucky on ebay, a seller in Israel found a carton of them in a closed down shop. There is still one or two used ones on ebay every week, but mine was brand new in the box with a leather sheath, cost more than $100 though.  http://www.ebay.com/sch/pentheon/m.html?item=332101529152&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562 I think it's time Kershaw had a look at making them again. 

[ThePeacent]

Yes I stopped carrying a plier based multitool about 6 months ago. But it wasn't by choice, I lost my wave and the amount of time I reached for it in my pocket when it wasn't there is unbelievable. I'm not a collector, so I went and bought a kershaw a100 for the vise grip feature. Liked it so much that I've since bought a kershaw emerson cqc 7k for EDC.

Where did you find a Kershaw A100?  Those have been long gone!  I used to carry mine in the days before MTO and it was an awesome EDC.  It even went to Peru with me for mountain climbing!

I was lucky on ebay, a seller in Israel found a carton of them in a closed down shop. There is still one or two used ones on ebay every week, but mine was brand new in the box with a leather sheath, cost more than $100 though.  http://www.ebay.com/sch/pentheon/m.html?item=332101529152&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562 I think it's time Kershaw had a look at making them again.

I also got my (first) A100 from eBay, you just have to be patient and search for deals with enthusiasm and frequently. It took me 2 years to finally catch mine, but it was well worth it!



A real bummer that Kershaw discontinued this tool, it's a true one-of-a-kind among multitools and everything available today.

[zrxoa1]

I just stumbled across this thread and had to laugh...I was just thinking of starting such a thread for myself. 

Back in 1990 I started working at a Ford factory. We made the AC components for many Ford vehicles, plus some fuel rails for some of the engines.

I quickly moved into a TIG welding job there and found I needed a mutlitool in my job. I went right out and bought a Leatherman PST.  Back then I abhorred wearing a belt, so carrying the PST was a pain. I soon welded a pocket clip onto the tool.  Awesome and I carried that tool for the next ten years.

Soon after the Gen 1 Wave came out, the outside knife blade won me over and the PST retired and a shiny new Wave took its place. I got a Supertool nylon sheath with a belt clip, packed some paper in the bottom and used it to carry my Wave for the next six or seven years.

Along that way, I had been given a new Supertool as a gift. It was great, but too big and no outside access knife blade, so it was kept in my tool box.  A buddy borrowed it and broke it, so off to Leatherman it went for repair.  A new ST200 returned back to me and it went back into my tool box.

The factory I worked at shut down in 2005 and I soon made the move to KY to go to work for a Toyota business. Not the factory, but we deal with the factory.

The new job really didn't require any tools, and they didn't want anything on me that could scratch a new car, so I stopped carrying my Wave.  After a few years I had the need for a knife here n there and the occasional plier need or screwdriver need.  So I started carrying again.  About that time I came across this forum and got hooked on Leatherman stuff again. It wasn't long before I had bought a butt load of Leathermans and a few SAKs.

Soon though, I realized I had been carrying my various LM tools but only ever needed a knife. So the Leatherman tools went back into a drawer and I started carrying one of my many knives, usually either my Kershaw Clash or Whirlwind.

I was happy.  But one day I whipped the Whirlwind out to cut up a cardboard box while over at the plant and a manager over there kind of freaked out on me.  While I did not get into trouble, it was told to me that knives were not allowed in the plant.

The Toyota business I work at does allow them, but I was concerned over possibly scaring some overly sensitive manager again, so I made the decision to order up a Wenger SI in silver ALOX.

It immediately replaced all.  It has been my constant companion since, every day.  I have not really had a need for anything more.

So, as I near my 50th birthday this year, I find that I no longer have a need to carry anything more than my SI.  I still have LM tools in every vehicle, under the seat of my motorcycle and in many rooms thru out the house, just in case.

Now, there's a chance something might change in the future that requires I carry more than my trust SAK, but I don't foresee that happening.



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[Kev D]

I still carry one but find I need it less and less in my current job. I use the knife most of all which isn't actually on my plier based tool as I carry a knifeless rebar to skirt the uk knife laws.  I could easily switch to carrying just a sak for probably 95% of my work now.