4.5 Inch Leatherman vs. Victorinox

[Rs217]

Hi Friends,

So I recently received an excellent SwissTool CS Plus as a birthday gift. It's perfect in every way and will probably become my all-time favorite multi. Within a couple weeks of that, I also won a Leatherman Core here on MTO in a giveaway. I absolutely love my new Core - and may also consider it a top contender for "most favorite" (cheesy I know).

Now I have two 4.5 inch heavy-duty tools from our top competitors.

I picked the CS Plus because I really needed a tag-along bit kit (no real use for the actual cork screw, really – except to hold the tiny screwdriver). When I got the Core, I rushed out and got a full Leatherman bit kit and adapter for the same reason.

Back when I was in the market for a 4.5 inch tool, I actually considered and nearly got the Super Tool 300. After much research here, I ended up choosing the SwissTool - mainly because I've never had a SAK before, I needed scissors included, and I didn't like the feel of the Surge (no offense to anyone). The great news is that now that I had the good fortune of winning the Core, which is very similar to the ST300 in my opinion, I can now do a physical comparison.

So, they're both 4.5 inch, they both have bit kits, so how do they stack up? I haven't stress tested either of these, so I'll focus on features offered.


*Please forgive the lack of Photobucket. Multiple posts.

[Rs217]

So, straight away you can see that both the Core and ST are identical length (excluding the plier head). The Core plier head is much longer and pointed. Both have non-removable wire cutters. I included a picture of a Wave for a few comparisons.

You all know the basics, of course. The CS comes with a bit kit and extra “L” shaped bit driver. A cork screw comes fitted with their standard mini-screwdriver. The leather pouch fits all nicely together.

The Core doesn't come with any extras standard, but you’ll see in subsequent posts, that the premium sheath that comes with can hold a bit adapter, extender, and both cards (albeit pretty bulky).

Let me point out my first Core vs. SwissTool pro/con – the lanyard. Although I don’t have a good picture, the Leatherman lanyard hole is pretty much useless unless you have a very thin cord. It folds out next to the file, and it is pretty much impossible to open the file if you had something like paracord inserted. The SwissTool brilliantly overcomes this issue by having the lanyard fitted halfway up the tool – where I have the lanyard fitted currently. I will note that the Swiss Tool sheath has a very hard time fitting even this very small lanyard I have attached in it’s tight-fitting sheath.

Lanyard – Win for SwissTool.

[Rs217]

Straight away I noticed something very interesting comparing the Core and SwissTool. They are both 4.5 inches exactly – and you would expect their tools to be the same size – but they aren’t.

Look at the knife. The Core’s knife is noticeably longer. The SwissTool knife is about the same size as the Wave’s knife. The Swiss’s knife came out of the box much sharper than the Leatherman’s – but the LM knife -I feel- is much thicker and feels tougher. I would feel more comfortable going through a sheet of vinyl siding with the Leatherman knife and not worry about it snapping. An opinion – because I haven’t actually done this – but that’s how it feels. And that’s going to be a common theme.

Look at the saws. The Leatherman saw is much longer. The SwissTool’s saw is again the same size as the Wave’s. I haven’t sawed anything with the Swiss, but I have with the Wave – and it’s too short. I’d have a much easier time sawing with the Leatherman because of it’s longer blade.

Knife & Saw – score Leatherman.

[Rs217]

I’ve included a few pictures of the various tools of both the Core and Swiss Tool.

Phillips – Core longer. Win: Core simply because of length. There's absolutely nothing wrong with the SwissTool's Phillips - and they are both brilliant.

Awl – Core's is longer and wider. SwissTool's is much sharper and “pointier”. I actually have used these awls and would say the Leatherman is better at boring and the SwissTool is better at simply poking through with more precision. I’d say Leatherman Win because of the bore ability. If I'm poking holes, and I need something precise, I'd use a drill - not the SwissTool's precise awl - weirdly - because the drill would be better. But, in a pinch, I need to make a rough hole, the Core's awl is it. They're so different in size I almost have a tough time comparing them. Because of the size difference, the uses end of differing in my opinion.

Medium & Small Screwdriver – Surprisingly in this case the Swiss screwdrivers are longer. The small screwdriver is narrower than Leatherman’s and that’s a good thing. Swiss Win in this category simply because the medium screwdriver has 3 functions and I absolutely love the wire bending notch!

Big screwdriver / crate opener. I’d say it’s a draw here. They’re both very bulky and sturdy. I've used the Core’s to do some very heavy screw-driving and it fared very well. I haven’t used the SwissTool's yet, but I'm sure it's equally tough in any situation.

[Rs217]

The first picture shows what each tool differs. The Core does not have scissors, which is a huge loss in my book. The SwissTool doesn't have a second blade, but does have a chisel thingy, which I may or may not use. Although not having a second serrated blade is a huge downer for me, missing scissors is even worse – so ultimately I would say the SwissTool’s overall collection of tools is better (variety-wise).

As you can see in these pictures, the bits kits are very different. The Swiss Tool only comes with 6 bits, but they are full 3-d and seem very high quality. The Leatherman has a huge collection of varied bits – but are all 2-d –which is a downer. They are simply tougher to use - but very compact which can make all the difference for you.

Fitting the Leatherman bit adapter is a hassle, but the SwissTool’s bit tool is essential an adapter as well so it doesn't win in that argument.

Overall I would say it’s nicer to have a separate driver in case you need to do a plier / screwdriver combo – something that comes up more often than I expect.

Who win’s the accessories battle? It’s a very tough call. On one hand, Leatherman has many, many more bits, albeit the difficult to use 2-d bits – which very much ups the convenience-in-a-pinch scenario. But, the Swiss bits I would expect would last longer. Also, you get a separate driver, which can be a life saver. But, keep in mind you get a much longer driver if you use the Core, especially coupled with the bit-extender (see length comparison picture).


Well, overall these two tools are very interesting to compare. They each have their pro’s and con’s. What do I think? I think the Swiss Tool is better made, more precise. Like a watch. The Leatherman is more tough. I wouldn't worry about using the Core for something that would absolutely abuse it – because it feels like it could handle it. The Swiss Tool I’m sure could do very tough jobs…. but it’s so nice… so shiny… has such nice movement… and clicking sounds…. I end up babying it. Know what I mean? The Leatherman is like a reliable pickup truck. The SwissTool is like a precise sports car. And for that, they’re both completely even in my book.

[ducttapetech]

Good review and comparative.

sent from my mobile

[markonvs]

The Leatherman is like a reliable pickup truck. The SwissTool is like a precise sports car. And for that, they’re both completely even in my book.

Nice comparison   

And I know what u mean, I use my LMs all the time and taking good care of my Vics not to scratch by any chance

[Aloha]

great comparison 
I felt the same way about the swiss tool and spirit ( too nice and shiny to scratch ) before I got mine.  I got a ST used so I put it straight to work no problem then I got a NIB ST plus and didn't hesitate to do the same.  I finally got a spirit and while its my off day carry I have no problem now putting it to work should the need arise.  The used ST I have is with a 98 plier head and looks to have had a hard life but surprisingly it looks fantastic.  These tool hold up very well with the exception of the red painted surface on the ST.   

[Top-Gear-24]

Straight away I noticed something very interesting comparing the Core and SwissTool. They are both 4.5 inches exactly – and you would expect their tools to be the same size – but they aren’t.

Look at the knife. The Core’s knife is noticeably longer. The SwissTool knife is about the same size as the Wave’s knife. The Swiss’s knife came out of the box much sharper than the Leatherman’s – but the LM knife -I feel- is much thicker and feels tougher. I would feel more comfortable going through a sheet of vinyl siding with the Leatherman knife and not worry about it snapping. An opinion – because I haven’t actually done this – but that’s how it feels. And that’s going to be a common theme.

Look at the saws. The Leatherman saw is much longer. The SwissTool’s saw is again the same size as the Wave’s. I haven’t sawed anything with the Swiss, but I have with the Wave – and it’s too short. I’d have a much easier time sawing with the Leatherman because of it’s longer blade.

Knife & Saw – score Leatherman.

Nice review  .

But I do have one thing to say about the saw (and the file) length.  At first sight, when you line up the tools it does look like the saw/file on the Leatherman is a lot longer than the one on the Swisstool, but when you compare the actual saw-teeth length you'll notice that the difference is a lot smaller. 

And I also noticed while using both of them, that even though the one on the Leatherman is still about 0.5 cm longer, the one on the Swisstool is a bit easier to use because of the fact that the saw is on the outside of the closed tool (hope you guys understand what I'm trying to say here ...  ).

Anyway, both tools will get the job done, which is still the most important thing right  .

[3rdpig]

Great comparison, thanks!

I've had both tools, and still have the Swisstool.  Unfortunately I traded the Core and wish I hadn't.  One thing that has always bugged me, and Vic is a prime example, is putting the same tools from their 91mm SAKs into larger tools.  I had a 111mm Vic tool gifted to me and was rather annoyed to find that with the exception of the main blade, the other tools were the same as in a 91mm tool.  It annoyed me so badly I put it back in the box and gifted it to someone else.  Another dumb move on my part.   

[enki_ck]

Very nice write up and good pictures. I quite enjoyed reading this.

[CanadianLMfan]

Good job!

[Rs217]

Thanks everyone. I had been thinking about writing this up for a while.

[SolomonKane79]

Very nice comparison/review, thank you!