Rare Sheffield Multi with slip jointed pliers

[MultiMat]

Thanks to Dennis/WH867 I am now the proud owner of this Sheffield MT(PAT.6578221).It has slip jointed pliers & unique wire cutters. I have not seen this style of wire cutters on any other MT & I know of only one other MT that has slip jointed pliers , the Schrade ST5E Tough Tool.


Sheffield MT at top with the Schrade ST5E Tough Tool bottom , visually similar & with the slip jointed pliers they are functionally similar .


Both MTs set up for narrow plier opening.


Both tools adjusted for wide/maximal plier opening.


Schrade at left , it's plier construction is quite unique in that they are laminated/layered making them quite sturdy & a lot more complicated to manufacture when compared to most other MT's pliers including the Sheffield.


The Sheffield is quite a large & wide tool. Tool set includes ; serrated blade,small screw driver, phillips head,medium screw driver, large screw driver & file in one handle. In the other handle ; PE main blade, can opener,cap lifter+extra small screw driver, chisel/scrapper tool,small sheep foot blade & saw. Tools are non locking.


The ST5E has ; file,saw(locking),CE main blade(locking),sheep foot blade(non locking), chisel/scrapper tool(locking) & can opener. The sheep foot & chisel are unusual tools for the 2 MTs too share  .Schrade's Tough Tool's range are unusual in that their tools deploy from the top of the handles & not the normal practise of deploying from the handles sides, this makes them quite wide & a bit awkward to use.


ST5E has a unusual bit holder & a odd hook blade next to it.


The Sheffield is a bit crudely finished , the Schrade is finished to a much higher standard. The ST5E's odd hook blade can be seen better in this shot.

A bit agricultural is the finish on the Sheffield  those fasteners look vaguely familiar  .


Now the Sheffield's unique wire cutters  . I was dead keen to see how they went  .


I started off small 1.2mm/0.04" light duty wire then up to 2mm/0.07" wire & then the dreaded coat hanger wire. The Sheffield did fine  , the same coat hanger wire shattered one of my Gerber carbide wire cutters.I cast my eye upon some nails & gave them ago  , the Shef had no probs with the 1.7mm/0.06" nail  next came the 2.7mm/0.10" nail, I was a little worried about doing this  . Again the Shef cut the thicker nail but required a fair bit of pressure. The sharp handle edges dug into my palm reminiscent of early LMs.

Post cutting pictures;

No damage  .Note the solid but some what rough plier pivot.

The wire cutters groove makes them self limiting to about 2.7mm(the diameter of the  nail I cut).
I figured the Sheffield MT was a bit of a copy of the Schrade ST5E in much the same way the Sheffield Crocodile is a copy of the Kershaw A100 MT  . But looking at the patent info here---> Sheffield 6578221 patent the Sheffield's patent was lodged in 2001 & issued in 2003. The Schrade ST5E was released in 2003 but Schrade had made the ST5E for Craftsman in 1999. So I reckon Sheffield could well have been inspired by Schrade  .Both these MTs had a short model run & are not very common. Thanks to Dennis for my rare Shef 

I used info from Bob's excellent work on the ST5E it can be found here --->Bob's ST5E review



 

[Chako]

I have never seen one of those before. Dennis sure knows how to find them. 

[scrappy]

Dennis sure does!,
Mat, congrats on the great score. I think it is one of the toughest tool out there. I carry the sheffield and the craftsman often. I just scored another craftsman on ebay so I now have one with the small drivers and one with the 5/8 driver, and one shcrade with the 5/8 driver. Now if only I could find some spare small bits. I didnt know the scrade model was sold with the small bits.
You have some rare beauties there!