'Les Stroud' Engage Multitool TEST TO DESTRUCTION!

[Lynn LeFey]

I'm still rather impressed that you stood on the Sidekick to up the force and suffered no ill effect.

Yeah. Me too. 

There's a border between 'bold' and 'stupid'. I'm not sure which side of it I was on when doing that, but Tim Leatherman would do the same stunt to cut through nails (standing on one handle while pressing the other on the ground). IF HE can do it...

Wait, how much did he weigh?

[Lynn LeFey]

I'm not defending the Engage, but it looks like the saw gave a much cleaner cut, than the saw of the Sidekick.

Keep up the carnage

It did. I think that was as much about my bad sawing as the saws. But it's cut definitely didn't have the ragged course-change that the Sidekick did.

[JAfromMn]

I love threads like this.

There a great reminder to me why I carry a quality multitool.

[kirk13]

I do wonder if it doesn't need to be on the main page,rather than just here in the forums. Joel's very right,it's a great advert as to why you should stump up for a half decent tool,even if it is only a Sidekick

[Lynn LeFey]

Okay. I know you've ALL been waiting for a REAL test of the can opener on this thing.

So I'm going to make this thing open... a CAN! Yeah, I know. It's asking a lot. Particularly if you remember that in my initial testing of this tool, it COULDN'T DO IT!

So... here's the problem (sorry about the blurry)...


The can opener is WAY the smurf over on the right of the tool, which has thick handles. It needs to be a good deal farther to the left, if it is ever going to be able to engage the lip of the can to function.

Also, if anyone recalls, the 'Mountain' Multitool I reviewed some time back, and mentioned earlier in this thread, had the exact same problem. And the solution is the same. Take the tool apart and move the can opener into a better position.

So, here's the solution...


The flathead and can opener have swapped places. Taking the tool apart only required one alan wrench. Reassembling was just a matter of playing the 'washer stacking game' and overcoming a bit of force from the backspring. This ALSO allowed me to increase the friction of retention, and now the scissors don't automatically pop out of the handles unbidden.

Right. Great, but does it work?

Ta-Da!


Can is OPEN! Refried beans for lunch!

Hey... wait... I didn't want refried beans for lunch. Ah... smurf it!

So, with only ten minutes of fiddling, I made it function, and as I said, the Mountain tool had the same problem. However, the Mountain tool cost $7 and didn't have a major company and named backer. Just Sayin'.

Open can after some bull-smurf modding required: PASS!

[Lynn LeFey]

A bit more on the previous nail cutting test.

I have been looking at the tool, trying to figure out what's wrong, to make the handles touch. It's not the plier backstop, which is what I've seen a lot in past. I think I figured it out. The main pin holding the plier head to the handle is bent, bowing out toward the plier head, I think.That means that it's swinging farther before engaging the backstop. At least, that's what it looks like to me.

[enki_ck]

Have you used it as a hammering implement yet?

[Lynn LeFey]

Not yet, but I will add it to the 'to do' list.

So, yeah, I took the tool apart at the pivot where I thought the pin might be bent...



"Well, there's yer problem, right there!"

I put the pin on a cinderblock, and delicately ( ) beat the smurf out of it with a hammer, trying to straighten it out, then reassembled the tool.

Some improvement, but it's obvious to me that BOTH of the pins connecting the plier head were bent. The other one just wasn't as bad. No such sign of damage to Sidekick.

The above pic also has an interesting view of the underside of the Engage's plastic scale.



Still pretty wonky, but now the pliers close before the handles touch.

EDIT to add: I noticed it a bit when changing the location of the can opener. The screw heads on this thing 'shed metal' when you use them. The alan wrench got jammed into the screw when i was reassembling the plier head, because the screw head was so soft it let the alan wrench turn halfway across it's sides. Just a moment ago, I tried tightening the other handle opposite the can opener, so the tools didn't flop open, and had a piece of metal come off the screw head. Smurfing cheap-smurf metal!

[Megan]

Oh Les Stroud how could you!?!? HOW COULD YOU PUT YOUR NAME ON THIS?

Signed,
 

[derekmac]

Oh Les Stroud how could you!?!? HOW COULD YOU PUT YOUR NAME ON THIS?

Signed,
 

He was just trying to one up Bear since he has the ULTIMATE SURVIVAL TOOL!  I don't think it worked. 

[Toolslinger]

Oh Les Stroud how could you!?!? HOW COULD YOU PUT YOUR NAME ON THIS?

Signed,
 

That about sums it up. Shame really. I like Les Stroud.

[Cupboard]

I guess being such a wide tool, more strain is put on the pivots. It's not so much of a shear force as a bending force.

[Lynn LeFey]

That seems reasonable.

Okay, so, in regards to it being hammered...

I drove the big nail that wasn't used in the nail-cutting test into a piece of scrap lumber, about half way, then bent it over. I then used the plier head and hammered it under the bent nail, to pry it up. This is something similar to Jothra's test with his PST-clone.



This pic is after pulling the nail out the first time.

The only thing I can notice is that I had tightened the screws on the side with the scissors and can opener, and had it so the scissors wouldn't pop up on their own anymore. After the hammering, they popped up... and I immediately stabbed myself in the palm with their blades.

[Lynn LeFey]

And because the scissors are both useless AND dangerous, they are now gone.

[Lynn LeFey]

I'm not sure if any of you can really appreciate how cathartic it was snapping those scissors off.

It felt SOOOOoooooo good.

[AimlessWanderer]

Drop test? From upstairs bedroom window? tool and peripherals 
Pry test with the drivers ... or fish tickler for that matter?


or the ultimate test ...


... meet Mr Stroud himself and seeing how long you can last before throwing it full force at his head and telling him what a total waste of money it is 

[Grathr]

Try hitting it with a hammer repeatedly while you shout "take that you piece of smurf!" ?


Sent from a device made from star dust using tapatalk

[Lynn LeFey]

Have you used it as a hammering implement yet?

I think I misread this the first time, and hammered ON it, not using it AS the hammer. So...

So, using the same size nail pictured in the first nail cutting test post, I drove it into a 2x10 with the tool, and managed to get it nearly flush.



These aren't particularly huge nails, and I will save trying to drive monster nails for later, but for light duty... PASS!

[Lynn LeFey]

I've talked about this before, but I have a weird psychological issue where if a single implement on an MT sucks terribly, then the whole tool seems like total crap to me.

Removing the scissors on the tool was like pulling a rotting tooth for me. Now, the rest of the tool can be seen in a better... or at least less terrible, light.

Sure, the philips still sucks, and the can opener only worked after taking the tool apart and reassembling... and cutting a nail wrecked the main plier pivot... and the whistle sucks, but...

Uhh...

I was going somewhere with this.

In all seriousness, it has functions that work. Cutting a roofing nail might reasonably be considered outside the realm of reasonable use. It DID cut the lighter nail, and i'm sure would handle stuff like 12 gauge copper wire quite well. The blade didn't come sharp, but took an edge reasonably, and held up to batoning. The saw worked as well as most in its price range. This tool isn't a complete fail, and I want to be clear about that. I want to be honest in this appraisal.

Also, the sheath, while bulky, is turning out to be reasonably good.

More testing ideas appreciated!

And, if you find this thread to be more fun than cable TV, maybe consider donating to the site. Grant threw in money to pay for this destruction test. The least you cheap-smurfs can do is help him keep the lights on here.

[styx]

2 words - blow torch. you know for those times when your MT falls in a volcano and you have to fish it out

[Syph007]

I gave up on Les after I watched his bigfoot special.   

Now this sad tool isnt helping his case.  The Brits have the survival show concept won for me, as Im a big fan of both Ray Mears and Ed Stafford. 

[kirk13]

You people are sick,just suck i tell you!

Keep up the good work

[Lynn LeFey]

There might not be a lot more testing this evening, but I'm all for hearing other folks' ideas on what to try next.

Come on, guys. Let's hear those wickedly brilliant tortures!

[JAfromMn]

Wire cutting test.

How thick of wire can it cut.

Coat hanger wire I'm betting but nothing much thicker

[HarleyXJGuy]

Send it to me here in Afghanistan and I will seeif it can survive the Grenade test.

Yes it is exactly like it sounds. 

[Lynn LeFey]

Do we need to name this tool 'Whipping Boy?" 

[Lynn LeFey]

Wire cutting test.

How thick of wire can it cut.

Coat hanger wire I'm betting but nothing much thicker

It cut a roofing nail earlier today... with 'some' deformation, so I'm pretty sure it can handle coat hanger.

[JAfromMn]

So... I went out into the garage, to get MORE nails.

(Image removed from quote.)

Both the Engage and Sidekick cut through the trim nail.

Then I got to that roofing nail.

I had to press the Engage against the floor of the garage to generate enough force to cut the roofing nail, bit it DID IT... kind of.

The result is that now, when the handles are fully pressed together, the plier head doesn't close. FAIL!
(Image removed from quote.)

And just so you all know, I ALSO cut the roofing nail with the Sidekick. The anvil cutters of the Sidekick required even more force than the Engage's. I was LITERALLY standing on the handle of the plier to push it closed. I was applying probably 150 lbs of force when the Sidekick cut the nail, and something more like 100 or less when the Engage cut through.There is absolutely ZERO damage to the Sidekick. While I would consider this test abusive, it also makes me REALLY appreciate how well the Sidekick is made. Not so much with the Engage.

I didn't bother trying the largest nail, since the Engage is pretty well done with any nail cutting, or fine plier work, from now on.

I don't know how I missed this 

[Lynn LeFey]

I don't know how I missed this 

Blame Kirky.

[JAfromMn]

2 words - blow torch. you know for those times when your MT falls in a volcano and you have to fish it out

I'd like to see how it deals with some heat.

I use my pliers to pick up hot things often.