While pretty and well made Victorinox MTs don't seem well used or carried.

[Zed]

Not kooky as i prefer the og wave over a charge 

[Kampfer]

I like Wave more than Charge.

[Aloha]

Add me to the group that likes the Wave over the Charge and the Sprit 

[PTRSAK]

I have a Swisstool but it rides in my truck. To heavy for carry IMO. Wave gets more belt time and seeing I have a full tool kit here at work I often make do with my skeletool.

Having said that I believe the swisstool is an order of magnitude above even the Wave in quality.

[sjdep97]

I own four different Victorinox tools. I don't carry them on a regular basis either. They are beautiful and I consider them Grail tools. I carry  a small Leatherman on my keychain and another larger Leatherman on my belt at all times. Seems like the Leatherman tools are the worker bees of my collection due to the outstanding warranty and thenfact that the Vics are more expensive.

[glorn]

A Leatherman vs. Vic thread..

I carry one of each daily. Rebar and Compact.. or PST and Syph custom.

I own a Spirit I never carry. It is still in my top 5 best pliers MT list.  It is, like every good pliers MT, excellent and imperfect.  I hate the Phillips driver. Too soft, too slippery,  too round. I also am not terribly fond of the butterfly handle shape when closed. Just not as compact as I like.

The Rebar by comparison is also excellent.  And also imperfect.  Mine rattles. The saw side tools are floppy unless locked. One could argue that the lack of outside tools is a minus,  but not for me. I am in the camp that prefers the sleek closed box design of a classic LM.

If you ask my opinion,  the best multitools ever made don't exist for me anymore. That is because the best one was the one I owned and used hard without knowing any better. It was perfect. My naivety made it perfect. Knowing as much as I know now simply leads me to seeing flaws.

Both LM and Vic pliers MTs are terrific,  and if you own one, you are a lucky devil. If you own some of each you are spoiled.

Now, what is the very best? Old Leatherman, hands down. Neither Vic nor modern LM come close.

[Aloha]

A Leatherman vs. Vic thread..

I carry one of each daily. Rebar and Compact.. or PST and Syph custom.

I own a Spirit I never carry. It is still in my top 5 best pliers MT list.  It is, like every good pliers MT, excellent and imperfect.  I hate the Phillips driver. Too soft, too slippery,  too round. I also am not terribly fond of the butterfly handle shape when closed. Just not as compact as I like.

The Rebar by comparison is also excellent.  And also imperfect.  Mine rattles. The saw side tools are floppy unless locked. One could argue that the lack of outside tools is a minus,  but not for me. I am in the camp that prefers the sleek closed box design of a classic LM.

If you ask my opinion,  the best multitools ever made don't exist for me anymore. That is because the best one was the one I owned and used hard without knowing any better. It was perfect. My naivety made it perfect. Knowing as much as I know now simply leads me to seeing flaws.

Both LM and Vic pliers MTs are terrific,  and if you own one, you are a lucky devil. If you own some of each you are spoiled.

Now, what is the very best? Old Leatherman, hands down. Neither Vic nor modern LM come close.

Not at all.  This is simply, why own a so called Ferrari and never drive it thread.  I have nearly all the variants of both the Swisstool and the Spirit and yet they sit.  They sit in my situation because I am a collector of MTs and had to get them.  Yes they are lovely, yes they work for all intent and purposes, yes they are better fit and finish in most cases, and yet it seems they sit in most situations.  Mine sit mostly due to I collect however as I've mentioned I carry my Swisstool on Sundays for work.  I like the tool and take it out because I like it yet in no way will it ever replace my Surge. 

I gather there will be many other reasons than, "They are too pretty" or "They cost too much" but in the end they sit.   Keep in mind they have a lifetime warranty and Victorinox is as good as any in taking care of their customers.

I know many see this as a LM vs Vic thing but for me it was and is simply if the Swisstool and Spirit are the grail tools then why aren't they being used more.  It gets old saying they are too pretty in my book.  Its a flipping tool after all.     

[Top-Gear-24]

When I held my first Spirit (the Road Tour version) in my hand I knew I couldn't use it, because it was so ...   

I convinced myself to keep this one "new in box" for my collection.  So I got myself a regular Spirit, the one with the butterblade as a user, but it didn't take long for me to, once again, convince myself that I should have one of those "new in box" in my collection as well  . 

So I got myself a third Spirit and that's the one I've been using almost every single day since I got it, and I must say that I was very surprised to see how well the Spirit handles daily use, a few tiny scratches aside it still looks and feels like it did on the first day I got it.

Since then I've bought myself a BO Spirit (yes, one for the collection ...  ), and a third Spirit (the plus version) which was on sale at the local outdoor shop and it was so cheap I just couldn't resist it, they also had a Swisstool on sale so I bought that one as well.  But since I didn't own a Swisstool yet, this one had to go in the collection, and when I saw that Tim (EDC Source) had two Swisstool X's in his shop at a great price, I bought them both, another one for the collection and one to be a real user. 

After using both the Swisstool and the Spirit  for some time now, I think it's safe to say that they are more than "just pretty tools", they can take a beating just as well as a Leatherman (or maybe even better, because I did have a Leatherman fail on me once ...).

And just for those who are wondering why I got myself two Swisstool's and two Spirit's for my collection.  I have two sons and I'm thinking ahead  .

P.S. My favorite Leatherman is the ST300 (and the Rebar), and if I had to choose between the Wave and the Charge, the Wave will win every time  .

[Singh]

When I carry an MT, it's a Spirit.

[Kin-Luu]

Where does all this love for the Spirit come from? IMHO it is a scaled down version of the standard Swisstool, with slightly worse pliers and ABSOLUTELY atrocious scissors. And it still is one of the more heavy multitools.

[Zed]

Going on this poll I'll stick with my wave and 91mm Vic's 

[Top-Gear-24]

Where does all this love for the Spirit come from? IMHO it is a scaled down version of the standard Swisstool, with slightly worse pliers and ABSOLUTELY atrocious scissors. And it still is one of the more heavy multitools.

The tools on the Swisstool often have a bit of play while locked, on the Spirit they all lock very firmly, with no play whatsoever. 
The tools on the Spirit are about the same in length as the ones on the Swisstool, while the Spirit itself is 1cm shorter in length.
The flat screwdriver/pry bar tool on the Spirit is a lot beefier than the one on the Swisstool (two separate "thin" tools on the Swisstool).
I have not noticed the pliers on the Spirit being slightly worse than the ones on the Swisstool, only difference I see is that the ones on the Spirit are a bit more needlenose (still not like the ones found on a Leatherman).

I just placed them on my electronic scale, and the Swisstool weighs 290gr. while the Spirit weighs 210gr. If you compare that with a Wave (240gr.) I wouldn't call the Spirit "one of the more heavy multitools" .

Edit: the scissors on the Spirit.  Well, you either love them or hate them it seems, I like them a lot more than the ones on the Swisstool and I'm not the only one, but there are also a lot of people here who really hate them as well so ...

[Aloha]

TG24 thank you for your thoughts and experience, great post btw  . 

For the collectors of these wonderful tools I totally get it.  What I don't get are the praises from the positions of........ It's a fantabulous tool yet I carry a Wave, It's fit and finish are sublime but for my day to day I carry a Gerber, etc.

It almost seems these tools have reached "rolex" like lusting and albeit warranted some of it sounds like regurgitated rhetoric.  If your precious sits unused while your LM or whatever other tools go work then I personally am back to why?  Pretty, shiny, cost to much to use, etc, etc, ok I got it.         

I had a goal and it wasn't to compare tools against tools, makers against makers, but to maybe help someone realize their Swisstool or Spirit is as awesome in action as it is on the shelf.  I've never driven a Ferrari but if I ever won the lottery and decided to buy one you better know I'd drive the smurf out of it rather than let it sit in the garage.                 

[Mr. Whippy]

My wife carries a Spirit every day on the farm.  She loves it.   Everything about it.  I notice that she's really beat up the blade, but that's from hard use.  All the tools are otherwise in excellent shape.

For me, I don't really care for the Spirit because:

1.  I like OHO blades
2.  I like the exchangeable bits
3.  I like the pocket clip

What I really miss from the Spirit is

1. The scraper/corner blade
2.  The long Phillips (although it doesn't bite as well as a bit)

The biggest deal breaker for me is this:

The smooth finish.  When I'm working on tractor hydraulics (mower hydraulics etc) or diesel fuel lines (including filter changes), the Victorinox Spirit is so slick, I continually drop it in the dirt, forcing me to stop, clean off the grit (and my hands) before continuing on with my work.  Grit in a hydraulic system or diesel fuel line could be a very expensive problem.  I just don't need that from a multitool.

[Kampfer]

I think Wave / Charge / Surge series are far more advance than Swisstool, OHO blades, Bit system, T-Shank blade exchanger, Replaceable cutter, optional pocket clip. 

[Top-Gear-24]

I think Wave / Charge / Surge series are far more advance than Swisstool, OHO blades, Bit system, T-Shank blade exchanger, Replaceable cutter, optional pocket clip.

It all depends on personal preferences ...

I have no real need for OHO blades, and in some countries around here they could get you into serious trouble.
I don't like the bit drivers, 99% of the time a flathead or Phillips is all you need around here, and it's very annoying when your stubby bit can't reach the screw ... (which is why the ST300 and the Rebar are my favorite Leatherman tools at the moment  ).
T-Shank blade exchanger isn't my cup of tea either, I still think they (Leatherman) invented this because they didn't have enough room on the Surge for a file and a saw after placing those (very nice) big scissors in one of the outside slots.  With the T-Shank Exchanger you end up with a pretty small saw/file compared to the size of the Surge itself.
I never use a pocket clip, except on my Leatherman Crater/Expanse knives, all my other "tools" are carried in belt sheaths.

The replaceable cutters are the only thing I would really like to see on Victorinox tools (and on all Leatherman tools), that's why I always mention this in topics like this.  In fact, I like the whole Leatherman plierheads more than the ones on the Swisstools and Spirits.

Like I said, it all comes down to personal preferences, and everything I said here is just my own humble opinion, as always  .

[Cupboard]

I have a Spirit, it stays in the drawer because it can't cope at work.
The pliers are too blunt to open electrical cabinets and the wire cutters don't work.

I fixed something today using my Rebar that I couldn't have done with my Spirit, simple as that.

[Etherealicer]

So roughly 1/3rd of the members carry Victorinox Plier Tool (any variant) and 2/3rd carry LM. Thats quite a lot. I also would have guessed that more people carry a Gerber / SOG.

Anyway, here is my take not really touching tool load but looking more at the design:

PST
Pro: Small, smooth when closed, excellent for pocket carry.
Con: Inside tools, non-locking, no-OHO, small tool-load
Pocket-friendliness: Champion

Charge / Wave
Pro: OHO, Pretty (Charge only )
Con: Some inside tools, lots of edges and corners, ugly (Wave only )
Special: Bit-holder ("Useless" without bit-extender / Super-versatile with bit-extender / extra bits = extra bulk)
Pocket-friendliness: 3rd

Spirit
Pro: All outside tools, Smooth when closed, most comfortable handle when using pliers, shiny
Con: No-Oho
Pocket-friendliness: 2nd

[hiraethus]

I've just used my Spirit to wire in a new interlock on the milling machine here at work and I must say I'm very happy with how it performed.  The wire strippers on the chisel tool worked very well to remove the insulation and while the wire cutters on the pliers weren't much good, the scissors worked beautifully to snip individual strands of wire once I'd got through the bulk of the wire (and worked very well on the zip ties too).  A decent pair of side cutters would be better though.  The machine was quite oily and so were my hands after a short time but I never felt it was too slippery.  I guess a Wave might have been a little more grippy but I feel the handles aren't quite as nice a shape as the Spirit.

[Aloha]

The Plier MTs from Victorinox are pretty thats no doubt.  I polished my Wave, JPST, and Old Surge,  the edges on the Wave were very rough the other two I polished because I liked how the Wave turned out.

Look what Babalo did to his,

http://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,55725.msg979900.html#msg979900

Nite Ize makes a clip that has worked on the Spirit.         

[styx]

One thing that is a huge thing seems to be the OHO blades. But that depends on the local laws and on what else we're carrying

[Top-Gear-24]

One thing that is a huge thing seems to be the OHO blades. But that depends on the local laws and on what else we're carrying

I can't think of a situation where I absolutely needed a OHO knife, but I do remember looking up the knife laws from different countries when I was planning my vacation.  And turns out that your best bet is to go for the tool without the OHO knife, I always go for the ST300 combined with the Spirit, or the Rebar combined with the Swisstool.  And that's also why I go for the two handed opening versions of the Vic RangerGrip knives.

The reason why I take two plier-based tools with me on vacation is simply to have the replaceable (and I must admit, superior) wire cutters on the Leatherman Tools.  I carry the Vic tool in a sheath on my belt, and the Leatherman sits in my photo bag (safe from rain and damp conditions).  I've had a Leatherman Kick with brown rust spots from sitting in my pocket during a completely wet hiking day, while the Spirit or Swisstool can be soaked and still there's no rust to be seen.

It's been said before, there's no such thing as the perfect tool, but either tool you have on you will always be better than no tool  .

[Zed]

One thing that is a huge thing seems to be the OHO blades. But that depends on the local laws and on what else we're carrying

I can't think of a situation where I absolutely needed a OHO knife, but I do remember looking up the knife laws from different countries when I was planning my vacation.  And turns out that your best bet is to go for the tool without the OHO knife, I always go for the ST300 combined with the Spirit, or the Rebar combined with the Swisstool.  And that's also why I go for the two handed opening versions of the Vic RangerGrip knives.

The reason why I take two plier-based tools with me on vacation is simply to have the replaceable (and I must admit, superior) wire cutters on the Leatherman Tools.  I carry the Vic tool in a sheath on my belt, and the Leatherman sits in my photo bag (safe from rain and damp conditions).  I've had a Leatherman Kick with brown rust spots from sitting in my pocket during a completely wet hiking day, while the Spirit or Swisstool can be soaked and still there's no rust to be seen.

It's been said before, there's no such thing as the perfect tool, but either tool you have on you will always be better than no tool  .

2 full size mt's  i find 1 too heavy for edc,but then if it wasnt for uk laws i would pouch carry my wave like i use to 

[Top-Gear-24]

One thing that is a huge thing seems to be the OHO blades. But that depends on the local laws and on what else we're carrying

I can't think of a situation where I absolutely needed a OHO knife, but I do remember looking up the knife laws from different countries when I was planning my vacation.  And turns out that your best bet is to go for the tool without the OHO knife, I always go for the ST300 combined with the Spirit, or the Rebar combined with the Swisstool.  And that's also why I go for the two handed opening versions of the Vic RangerGrip knives.

The reason why I take two plier-based tools with me on vacation is simply to have the replaceable (and I must admit, superior) wire cutters on the Leatherman Tools.  I carry the Vic tool in a sheath on my belt, and the Leatherman sits in my photo bag (safe from rain and damp conditions).  I've had a Leatherman Kick with brown rust spots from sitting in my pocket during a completely wet hiking day, while the Spirit or Swisstool can be soaked and still there's no rust to be seen.

It's been said before, there's no such thing as the perfect tool, but either tool you have on you will always be better than no tool  .

2 full size mt's  i find 1 too heavy for edc,but then if it wasnt for uk laws i would pouch carry my wave like i use to 

Only on vacation mate  .

I like to have the best of both worlds when I'm abroad, and ... I also like to have more than 1 tool with me on vacation so I have a bit of variation in my pics afterwards  .

[Zed]

One thing that is a huge thing seems to be the OHO blades. But that depends on the local laws and on what else we're carrying

I can't think of a situation where I absolutely needed a OHO knife, but I do remember looking up the knife laws from different countries when I was planning my vacation.  And turns out that your best bet is to go for the tool without the OHO knife, I always go for the ST300 combined with the Spirit, or the Rebar combined with the Swisstool.  And that's also why I go for the two handed opening versions of the Vic RangerGrip knives.

The reason why I take two plier-based tools with me on vacation is simply to have the replaceable (and I must admit, superior) wire cutters on the Leatherman Tools.  I carry the Vic tool in a sheath on my belt, and the Leatherman sits in my photo bag (safe from rain and damp conditions).  I've had a Leatherman Kick with brown rust spots from sitting in my pocket during a completely wet hiking day, while the Spirit or Swisstool can be soaked and still there's no rust to be seen.

It's been said before, there's no such thing as the perfect tool, but either tool you have on you will always be better than no tool  .

2 full size mt's  i find 1 too heavy for edc,but then if it wasnt for uk laws i would pouch carry my wave like i use to 

Only on vacation mate  .

I like to have the best of both worlds when I'm abroad, and ... I also like to have more than 1 tool with me on vacation so I have a bit of variation in my pics afterwards  .

On vacations i usually carry my wave in my backpack and swisschamp in my pocket,although last trip i just carried the champ,it will change though 

[Top-Gear-24]

One thing that is a huge thing seems to be the OHO blades. But that depends on the local laws and on what else we're carrying

I can't think of a situation where I absolutely needed a OHO knife, but I do remember looking up the knife laws from different countries when I was planning my vacation.  And turns out that your best bet is to go for the tool without the OHO knife, I always go for the ST300 combined with the Spirit, or the Rebar combined with the Swisstool.  And that's also why I go for the two handed opening versions of the Vic RangerGrip knives.

The reason why I take two plier-based tools with me on vacation is simply to have the replaceable (and I must admit, superior) wire cutters on the Leatherman Tools.  I carry the Vic tool in a sheath on my belt, and the Leatherman sits in my photo bag (safe from rain and damp conditions).  I've had a Leatherman Kick with brown rust spots from sitting in my pocket during a completely wet hiking day, while the Spirit or Swisstool can be soaked and still there's no rust to be seen.

It's been said before, there's no such thing as the perfect tool, but either tool you have on you will always be better than no tool  .

2 full size mt's  i find 1 too heavy for edc,but then if it wasnt for uk laws i would pouch carry my wave like i use to 

Only on vacation mate  .

I like to have the best of both worlds when I'm abroad, and ... I also like to have more than 1 tool with me on vacation so I have a bit of variation in my pics afterwards  .

On vacations i usually carry my wave in my backpack and swisschamp in my pocket,although last trip i just carried the champ,it will change though 

Forgot about the Swisschamp ... I also take my Swisschamp with me on vacation (and sometimes my Wenger Evowood 14 or 17, or a pioneer, just because they are so great for taking pics of a knife with a nice scenery in the background  ). 

I carry all of these "extra tools" in my camera bag, so the extra weight isn't really a problem.

[Aloha]

I feel like taking the Swisschamp is like taking your wallet.  You wouldn't want to leave the house without your wallet now would you? 

[babola]

The Swisschamp is OK. Great tool load and variety of options although I only used mine for light to medium duty work in the past. This is one of those tools I wouldn't push too hard.

[comis]

I actually love and carry my Spirit, and when a plier based MT is not needed, probably a SAK.

The reason why Spirit is my top choice for EDC carry is:

1) Every tool accessible from the outside, and their fit and finish are best in industry
2) I like the idea of a self-contained tool, and considering its weight and dimension, it's a top performer
3) It's shinny, and less chance of leaving it somewhere and losing it.

I also do like Wave/Charge line of LM, mostly because of its OHO.  The bits kit is an interesting idea, but I just don't have that much variety of things to fix on a daily basis; and with all the weight and excess, I felt like I am preparing for a 2% occasional fix which I don't mind getting the real tools to get the job done.

[Jothra]

We'll see. I got a Spirit X for Christmas.