Rebar pictures

[AimlessWanderer]

I went on Photobucket looking for something (which I couldn't find), and stumbled across a load of pics I took back when I (very briefly) had a Rebar. I was obviously planning to do some form of review/comparison and probably didn't get round to it  (I certainly don't recall posting these pics before anyway)

I'm actually really glad I stumbled across these as I had been half tempted to get one to try again as you lot always seem so enthusiastic about them - bloody enablers but the piccies have reminded me why a Rebar probably isn't for me ... so hooray for Fartobucket 

Anyhoooo ... piccies ... taken along with a MP700, MP450, Core and Vic Spirit ... for some reason 
(Judging by the qualities of some of the pics I'd guess I was under the affluence of incohol at the time )

Closed





The Rebar is certainly a good sized and good looking tool when all closed up, though I wouldn't consider any of these tools to be particularly ugly

Blades





Looks like the drunken photographer forgot to capture how thin the blades are on the Rebar  . Otherwise they're a good size.  I also notice that this is a standard Spirit (which got sold/traded to Kirky). All my current Vic Spirits (S, X and RT) all have the plain edged blade, which I feel much happier with and which feels noticably more substantial than the Rebar. I do tend to prefer outboard knives/saws as well as I think they are much better performers. The diminutive blade on the 700 is surprisingly good for most cutting tasks in an urban setting. It's also quite "people friendly" and doesn't lead to the barrage of "are you actually allowed to carry that?" type questions that other blades can.

Pliers



The Rebar is my least favourite of all these plier heads. As I have already mentioned countless times, I don't do much wire cutting and I hate the way the cutters impede on the main gripping area. The MP700's have a very fine point and are spring loaded which is very nice, but the pivot also wears quicker and isn't as robust.

Phillips



Noticably better reach than the Gerbers, though fractionally shorter than the Vic. Every one of these drivers is perfectly adequate for most jobs though IMHO

Flat Drivers



The Rebar actually has the least number of these, but the two it does have are quite good. I have heard complaints about the Rebar's not being suitable for a lot of electrical (terminal block type) jobs, but mine didn't stop with me long enough to find out. The Vic has the edge here for electrical connections and also for prying tasks with the extra fat "crate opener" tool.

Saw & File





Both Gerber's are missing from the saw pic, and of them only the MP450 can offer a file. The MP450 is certainly bringing up the rear in this line up, and all the others do a very good job. The Rebars saw is very thin, just like the knife blades, but serves as a benefit in this case as less metal needs to be removed. The Vic saw is still the winner for me though. It cut's on both fore and aft strokes unlike the Rebar's pull saw config, it's outboard which enables better access and sets the knuckles further back from obstacles, and the lack of height to the blade is actually quite usefull for being selective which branch to remove and getting nearer to the trunk/joint to make the cut.

Awl



The "urban" Gerbers can only offer a small driver for the role, and the Vic foregoes the sewing eye in favour of a hook. The Vic's profile is also a lot slimmer giving a better choice of hole size to be created.

Openers



Gerber opted not to bother with a can opener on the MP700 despite being the Urban Legend. Both Leatherman's have their standard combo tool with wire stripper (which I've never found particularly useful when doing wiring jobs). The Leatherman and Vic offerings both work well, as do the Gerber bottle openers, though I can't remember ever trying a Gerber can opener  The Vic also offers a wide range of stripping and scraping tools on the chisel tool

Others



Not 100% sure why I took this pic, but I'm guessing it's to rub the Rebar's nose in it for not offering scissors, tweezers, chisel, pry tool, or flicky pliers 

Overall the Rebar isn't a bad tool, but for me the Vic offers better tools, better looking tools, more tools, and better ergonomics in a similar sized package. In fact I'm struggling to find one thing that the Rebar offers that is better (for ME) than the Vic though I do like the fact that they have made a pocketable Core/ST300 for those who prefer that loadout. Yet despite all that, it's still the two Gerbers that are more likely to find pocket time with me day to day - albeit with the MP450 it would actually be the MP426 mod I built. For days when carrying more capabilities than those Gerbers offer is a smart move, I think I'll stick with the Spirit. After rediscovering these pics, I just can't find any justification for me to try the Rebar again.

Irrespective of what my opinions and preferences are, maybe these pics will prove helpful to someone shopping for a new tool and weighing up their own tool needs 

[kirk13]

Very interesting Al.

Like yourself I'd bought a Rebar and moved it on pretty quickly( although TaxiDad lavishes love and attention on it). And likewise,I'd felt the pressure to get another one. Or at least I did til this years Meet. Having had a play with Cupboards modded one,it was a reminder of two or three things....

1) while there's nothing wrong with the Rebar( and I could see me loving one with a different tool load) I just don't feel the love

2) to make it truly useful to me,I'd need to spend to much to put in the parts I need,and even then,the scissors might be compromised

3) Having had the BO Blast arrive( thanks again Detron),it was a nice reminder that I like both my modded Fuse,and the stock Blast better!

[rdub934]

Good pic review. It made me really want a Spirit

[enki_ck]

I'm in the same camp, Al. Though I love the ST300, I never got the appeal of the Rebar.

Good pic review. It made me really want a Spirit

You still don't have one?

[AimlessWanderer]

Good pic review. It made me really want a Spirit

I'm a strong believer that everyone interested in multitools should try a Wave, Spirit and MP400/600 

[AimlessWanderer]

Very interesting Al.

Like yourself I'd bought a Rebar and moved it on pretty quickly( although TaxiDad lavishes love and attention on it). And likewise,I'd felt the pressure to get another one. Or at least I did til this years Meet. Having had a play with Cupboards modded one,it was a reminder of two or three things....

1) while there's nothing wrong with the Rebar( and I could see me loving one with a different tool load) I just don't feel the love

2) to make it truly useful to me,I'd need to spend to much to put in the parts I need,and even then,the scissors might be compromised

3) Having had the BO Blast arrive( thanks again Detron),it was a nice reminder that I like both my modded Fuse,and the stock Blast better!

Can't argue with any of that, John  I'd certainly agree in liking the stock Blast more

[AimlessWanderer]

I'm in the same camp, Al. Though I love the ST300, I never got the appeal of the Rebar.

Good pic review. It made me really want a Spirit

You still don't have one?

The ST300 is a strong tool, but a bit too big in my hands. Shrinking it down to the Rebar size they seem to have lost some of it's clout. Vic managed to retain most of the integrity when they scaled down the Swisstool to the Spirit frame, but LM didn't appear to be as successful with that here.

They also don't seem to have followed their track record with the scissor equivalent. By that I mean the PST and Supertool had the PST II, the ST200 had the Pulse, the Core had the Fuse ..... we're still waiting for the Rebar/Pulse hybrid

[hiraethus]

Good review, and about right I reckon.

I'm a strong believer that everyone interested in multitools should try a Wave, Spirit and MP400/600 

I don't like the Wave - messy looks and that silly little bit driver don't work for me.  I do like the Rebar but prefer the Spirit.  Better tool selection and higher quality feel on the Vic but the proper phillips driver and clean lines of the Rebar are good.  I think I agree with you about the Rebar pliers head - while the replaceable cutters are nice, a Wave or Kick style head would suit me best.  I do like the look of the Blast, and I think that the same tool load on a Rebar would suit me quite nicely.  Once my sacrificial Wingman arrives I'll probably build a Rebar with pocket clip, Wave scissors and a Kick (or maybe the the Wingman) head.

I probably should get a Gerber to try too...

[AimlessWanderer]

Thanks mate 

Fair play on your feelings for the Wave. I did say it's one everyone should try, not everyone should like  Good luck with the Rebar mod, and yes you should check out the MP400/600 too. Not the same intensive loadout, but good tools all the same IMHO 

[zoidberg]

Good review, and about right I reckon.

I'm a strong believer that everyone interested in multitools should try a Wave, Spirit and MP400/600 

I don't like the Wave - messy looks and that silly little bit driver don't work for me.  I do like the Rebar but prefer the Spirit.  Better tool selection and higher quality feel on the Vic but the proper phillips driver and clean lines of the Rebar are good.  I think I agree with you about the Rebar pliers head - while the replaceable cutters are nice, a Wave or Kick style head would suit me best.  I do like the look of the Blast, and I think that the same tool load on a Rebar would suit me quite nicely.  Once my sacrificial Wingman arrives I'll probably build a Rebar with pocket clip, Wave scissors and a Kick (or maybe the the Wingman) head.

I probably should get a Gerber to try too...

Let us know how you go mate. I've also been thinking about trying the Wingman pliers in the Rebar handles.

[hiraethus]

 

The security bit set arrived yesterday, hopefully the Wingman will be here today and then I can start dismantling stuff.  I want to join this club.

[zoidberg]

The security bit set arrived yesterday, hopefully the Wingman will be here today and then I can start dismantling stuff.  I want to join this club.

[Monrogue]

Excellent pic comparison/review Al   I love stuff like this.  I can understand your feelings on the Rebar, even though it's one of my favorites.  I also understand many here loving the Spirit and its versatile tools, but oddly, I don't carry it much compared to my other regular carry MTs.  I really don't know why either  

Oh, and now thanks to this, I'm eyeballing the Core.  It doesn't look much thicker than the Rebar, and I really like my original Supertool, so I'm now curious about the Core.  My only concern would be the weight, which looks to be over 10oz.  That probably wouldn't do as well in my back pocket. 

[AimlessWanderer]

Thanks mate . If you're tempted for the Core, you might actually be better considering the ST300 instead. Whilst it still has the infernal indexable cutters (primarily to minimise warranty claims by pushing replacement costs onto customers IMO), the main gripping area is less impaired. The other benefit is that being a current model, it's going to be supported on a like for like basis, whereas the core would just be replaced with a ST300 anyway.

Turnsouth was the King of the Core, but isn't as active as he used to be. He was a huge fan of the Core, but I believe he encountered some problems with breakages in the locks. It's also been demonstrated to me that the handles aren't as "legs akimbo" on the ST300 as with the Core when the pliers are in the closed position (you need a large grip or two hands for using the Core's pliers to their potential).

All that said, for some reason I found the Core slightly more to my suiting than the ST300 (maybe I should compare them again at some point) - though both are too large for my hands (and pockets) so tend to not see action very often.

[Monrogue]

I think I just have a thing for the retired LMs   The ST300 looks so thick in comparison to my Supertool, and that is a factor for me.  However, if it wasn't too bad with the weight (I'm thinking somewhere between 9-10oz is my limit), then it's an option.  The original ST is just so sleek and thin in comparison, and after seeing the Core in your pics, it looks like it's not much thicker.  The size grip is also a factor as I have smaller hands, so I possibly shouldn't even bother with either.  Is the ST300 grip size not as wide as the Core?  I would love to see a comparison between them if you ever want to take the time to do so

[AimlessWanderer]

There's probably one around here already somewhere ... probably from when the ST300 first appeared. Piccies I could arrange, but I'm not really the best guy to ask for "in use" comparisons of them

[AimlessWanderer]

I know what you mean about retired tools too - they do tend to feel more "tool like" and less "gadgetty" in some respects. My favourite SOG is the tank-like Toolclip, and I quite like using the ye olde non-locking Super Bear Jaws occasionally too. I've also been carrying one of my three PST variants (one is a mod) fairly often too

[Monrogue]

There's probably one around here already somewhere ... probably from when the ST300 first appeared. Piccies I could arrange, but I'm not really the best guy to ask for "in use" comparisons of them

Pics would be fine with me really.  I don't use my MTs heavily at all, so the in use aspect wouldn't matter much to me.  They're both basically the same tools within a different body for the most part, so I would expect they'd both perform similarly.  I think I just have been re-bitten by the MT bug lately.  Getting into Gerbers has got me wanting more MTs it seems

[AimlessWanderer]

There's probably one around here already somewhere ... probably from when the ST300 first appeared. Piccies I could arrange, but I'm not really the best guy to ask for "in use" comparisons of them

Pics would be fine with me really.  I don't use my MTs heavily at all, so the in use aspect wouldn't matter much to me.  They're both basically the same tools within a different body for the most part, so I would expect they'd both perform similarly.  I think I just have been re-bitten by the MT bug lately.  Getting into Gerbers has got me wanting more MTs it seems

I've been the other way. Didn't buy anything for ages as I figured I'd got everything I wanted. A link for cheap Wingman appeared and I succumbed, and was very underwhelmed when it arrived. I then discovered I don't have the torx drivers to take apart the tool I wanted to fit the Wingman's scissors too. Threw the lot in a draw and went back to feeling content with what I already had 

[AimlessWanderer]

Oh ... and i'll try to sort a comparison at some point. Probably throw in the Swisstool and Diesel for good measure too 

[Monrogue]

I think in a way that I'm content overall, but my curiosity gets me every so often.  I enjoy them from as gadgets really, and so I get curious when one appeals to me.  I wish I could try them out first hand before buying, but I have no stores anywhere near me that let you handle these things. 

Speaking of the gadget aspect, my new Flik is one of the most gadget-y MTs I have, and it's a joy to fiddle around with   Now if LM could do something similar with the Charge quality, that would be sweet.  The Flik seems fairly solid though, and especially for my level of use. 

[Monrogue]

Oh ... and i'll try to sort a comparison at some point. Probably throw in the Swisstool and Diesel for good measure too 

Oh yes, the more the merrier   I've been interested in the Swisstool before, but have yet to pull the trigger on one.  And as you know from my Gerber thread, the Diesel was a contender that had (and still has) me interested.  Oh it never seems to end...

[AimlessWanderer]

Piccies taken 

Coming soon ... Core vs ST300 vs Swisstool vs Grappler vs Diesel vs Swissgrip 

[Monrogue]

Piccies taken 

Coming soon ... Core vs ST300 vs Swisstool vs Grappler vs Diesel vs Swissgrip 

Oh goodie, and you even threw in a couple others I see

[AimlessWanderer]

Thought there would have been more replies to this ... maybe I upset the LM faithfuls .... again 

[babola]

Thought there would have been more replies to this ... maybe I upset the LM faithfuls .... again 

Sorry mate I totally missed this post...yup, there should be more replies to posts like these, of course - this is some indispensable info you just shared with the rest of us.

Keep up the great work and please keep posting stuff like this!