Swisstool Spirit X vs Leatherman Charge TTI picture comparison.

[sjian]

Victorinox Swisstool spirit X on top, Leatherman Charge TTI at bottom.

I'm going to compare the tools that both the Spirit and Charge have.
For those who don't know, Charge also has a serrated blade with gutting hook plus ruler and the Spirit X has a chisel/scrapper and awl. 


Blade
The Charge blade is quite a bit bigger than the spirit X blade.


Pliers
The Charge includes cap crimper, comes to a finer needle nose point and opens wider.  The spirit X has more surface area in the needlenose due to the lack of a cap crimper and appears to be heavier duty than the charge pliers.


File


Saw


Scissors
The Charge scissors open wider and have more cutting area than the Spirit X.  The Spirit X scissor seem to be more heavy duty again.


Philips bit driver
The Charge bits are interchangeable, the Spirit X bit driver have longer reach.


Large flat head (+bottle opener on the spirit)


Can opener/bottle opener on the Leatherman, Can opener/medium flat head on the Spirit X


Small flat head bit driver

[sysbox27]

Thanks sjian.
I enjoyed that comparison.

I actually like both of those multis very very much. I am a swisstool fan, but just on the tools themselves the tti is probably a better fit for me.

[sjian]

I am a swisstool fan, but just on the tools themselves the tti is probably a better fit for me.

The Charge TTI does feel bulkier and heavier though.

[sysbox27]

The Charge TTI does feel bulkier and heavier though.

I think the TTi is bulkier but for me the toolset options are better - I wish the swisstool had a built-in bit driver and diamond-coated file.
I'm not saying the quality of the tools is better, just the options available. In my opinion the swisstool overall quality may be a bit better (aside from the phillips screwdriver) and offers better rust protection for those in wet/damp climates.

[sjian]

I'm not saying the quality of the tools is better, just the options available. In my opinion the swisstool overall quality may be a bit better (aside from the phillips screwdriver) and offers better rust protection for those in wet/damp climates.

After using the philips driver for a few weeks, I'm surprised at the versatility of it, it seems to fit quite a range of philips heads.  However, I'm finding the small scissors annoying, and there's nothing that I want to take out of tool to mod a bigger one in.

[Andy Griffith]

Very helpful thread as these are two multitools I'm considering as the next purchase.

A couple of questions.

I'm kind of fond of the v-notch/scrape type wire strippers that are part of the can openers on the LM's. The Spirit does not offer this style of stripper?

One thing that is important to me is the ease of use of the lock release mechanism, as I work on a farm and oftentimes am wearing gloves, or my hands/fingers are cold/wet, etc. I have to remove my glove in order to deploy many of the tools and then put the glove back on, but it would be really nice if I could collapse the tool and get it back in the sheath with my gloves on after the job is done. Hit the lock release and fold the tool back in by pressing in on the back of my leg, which is how I close my spyderco knife.

I much prefer the long #2 Phillips bits over the bit-driver type concept, but of course it's not as easily replaceable on the Spirit like on the LM. If by chance the #2 bit gets worn out via normal use, will Victorinox replace it?

Thanks

[Lynn LeFey]

The Spirit X has a chisel tool which includes both a large round and small v-notch wire stripper on the tool.

The lock on the Charge and Wave are, I suspect, a great deal easier to use when wearing gloves or when manual dexterity is decreased. You just press a button. The Spirit requires you to slide a mechanism. The grip knurling is pretty good on mine, and it's on both sides of the tool, so a sort of pinching action could be used, but I suspect it'll be somewhat harder in adverse conditions.

On the other hand... ALL of the spirit X tools except for the plier head are external access. So, with the Spirit X, getting a tool closed is just a matter of unlocking and folding, where with a Charge, some of the tools would require you to open up the handles before allowing you to fold the tool back in.

I just tried closing the tools on the Spirit X with gloves on and had no problem. I'll try it with cold hands and gloves and see how that goes.

As for wear and replacement. I know they will fix tools that are manufacturer defect, but if it's from wear, you may be charged a repair fee, I'm not sure. I will tell you that if they repair it, you should expect multiple weeks for it to return (5 weeks in the case of a Victorinox Explorer I sent in).

Hope this helps.

[sjian]

With the exception of the blades on the wave/charge, I find the rest of the tools on both multitools hard to get out when wearing gloves because they use a nail-nick.

The spirit is rather slippery compared to the charge as well, but the wave seems to be on par with the spirit.  Hope this helps.

[Outback in Idaho]

  Tempted trying the SpiritTool X ... but it's the price and that I've carried a Leatherman for decades and the Victorinox version seems odd in its various parts. Wished could find a deal on a SpiritTool X around $45... then maybe I would try it.

  Think for the push type can opener I'll have to stick with the Wenger 16520 Original Issue, although it is a rather large pocket knife. Need to do something about that bail too ... have closed the knife and had that stupid bail get in the road of the blade's edge. The Vic version doesn't have the bail, but I already purchased this one from the MTO store, so might as well get to using it.

[magentus]

I never understood the problem with the bail - you make sure your fingers are out of the way before you close the blade - it's no different to make sure the bail is out of the way too.