*Something Clever*: sLaughterMed's January Power Challenge

[sLaughterMed]

Day 28
Pocket Power Plier saw some action today! He trimmed up an envelope for a trade, trimmed my sons nails, and even assisted in the capture and execution of this guy:

Im gennerally not a fan of killing spiders, as the kill the other nasty buggys, but Mrs. sLaughter cant stand them, and was convinced this one was a Brown Recluse (to be fair, I can't ID one, and they do live in this area).

Later on, my Pocket PowerPlier assisted in welcoming a different kind of spider today.



My first Spydie,  a Native in S30V! So far, I love it!

[sLaughterMed]

Day29

Not much to report, but I bought another knife.


In my defense, it was $6.50. For Titanium scales! I have some plans for this guy...

[sLaughterMed]

Day 30

Pocket PowerPlier assisted with tinkering with some Rebar bits. Ill post the results if I finish tonight.

Oh, and I got some if this stuff to help me tinker:

[sLaughterMed]

Day 31
Its the final day of the challenge, and my Pocket PowerPlier saw some action unscrewing a broken gate from a wall

And opening a new carton of eggs. If you pay attention to the right of the scissors, you might see wherethe wirecutters failed to cut the thick plastic. i was a bit auprised atthis result, as the wirecutters are otherwise excellent, but its not what they are meant for, so I wont count this against the tool.


And finally, here are all 5 reasons why I decided to drop out of the SwissChamp challenge. New tools!
 

[rdub934]

Day29

Not much to report, but I bought another knife.
(Image removed from quote.)

In my defense, it was $6.50. For Titanium scales! I have some plans for this guy...

Sweet M16! I can't wait to start playing with my ER version.

[sLaughterMed]

Day29

Not much to report, but I bought another knife.
(Image removed from quote.)

In my defense, it was $6.50. For Titanium scales! I have some plans for this guy...

Sweet M16! I can't wait to start playing with my ER version.

I really like the look of the ER version, specifically the satin blade. Im not a big fan of DLC coatings (better than bead blasting though.), so im going to try and sand off the coating on this blade, and possibly get rid of the serrations.

[sLaughterMed]

Now that the 31 day challenge is over, I am ready to leave some final remarks.

Before I start, I want to say that I still love my Pocket PowerPlier. It will remain a valuable member of my arsenal, although I suspect it will continue to evolve over time. So lets start with the Pros:
1. Pocketable. This is the slimmest multitool i own, and paired with a pocket dangler (#0 Nite Ize S-biner with one gate removed), is NOT a pocket ripper. In fact, worn in this manner, it is the most comfortable multi to pocket carry I own (although it requires occasional adjustment, as it tends to open in pocket)
2. Pliers. The compound pliers are awesome. They cut wires, grip and crush more easily than anything else. This, combined with their smooth operation, makes the pliers a dream to use.
3. Scissors. These are Victorinox scissors, with a widened pivot, but hey, my Pocket PowerPlier still gets the credit here. The scissors are great, and that's all there is too it. Easily my most used implement. I will admit, if they were SOG scissors instead, I would probably be less pleased with them.
4. Warranty. The best part of it all, is that if I break a SOG implement, or the tool itself, nothing I added to it will void the warranty. If I snapped the handle in half tommorow, I can just remove the modded parts, add some washers, and ship it to SOG, who will fix or outright replace everything, for free. That is a major win in my books, and no one offers a warranty like that anywhere else.
5. Technician Driver. This started life as a can('t) opener, and as a can opener it isn't very good. But with the cutting part removed, it makes for a pretty good small flathead. My only complaint on this is that I wished the nail hole was a nail nick, but that hole hasn't proved an to be an issue in practice.
6. Can Opener. Gotcha. I meant the one I stole from a SideKick. I mostly did it for the wire stripping part, but the can opener does still work fine, even if the tool is really only held in place by friction (due to Leatherman's slightly lower profile pivots). Much like the Vic scissors, this is still a win for the Pocket PowerPlier.
7. Bottle Opener. It's a bottle opener, and it does indeed open bottles. Also is this tools go to large flathead, as this one doesn't fold in use.
8. Blade. It's a blade, it cuts stuff, and it comes sharp. Much like every other multitool blade out there, edge retention is ok, but is very easy to sharpen. You would think that since SOG is primarily a knife company, their multi blades would be better, but then again, so would Gerbers. Still, it works, so its another win for the Pocket Power Plier.

Moving on, the Mehs. This is the stuff that isn't bad, but isn't necessarily good either.
1. Awl. The shape and function of the Awl is actually awesome. I love it. It's sharp, it's pokey, and it can make holes with the best of them. But, it folds in use. This is pretty annoying, as using the awl requires some bearing down on the tool, which is also what causes the folding. Not an issue on the PowerLock, but that didn't survive this challenge (not that it saw much action anyhow. It got traded).
2. Phillips driver. It's a a #1, and actually works perfectly on #1 Phillips head screws, even ones that are pretty badly stripped, which was a nice surprise. But, it doesn't really work on anything larger. #2 Phillips are hard to  unscrew without damage, and #3? Ha, forget about it. I would like to note that I experienced none of the deforming of the driver that others have experienced. This one also had some issues with folding during use, but that isn't necessarily the fault of the driver.
3. Large Flathead. Actually a very well formed flathead screwdriver, but again, falls victim to folding during use, which is why the cap lifter is the go to flathead on this tool.

And finally the Cons.
1. No Locks. This is actually my biggest complaint. If SOG produced this exact tool, but with blade locks, I would be the happiest camper in the world. Did you notice the common trait of all my Mehs? Its tool's folding in use. Locks would solve this. Come on SOG! Give me a Pocket PowerLock already!
2. Exposed gears. pretty straight forward, this tool is uncomfortable to use in driver mode. the most frustrating part is that SOG has actually addressed this issue already, on the Paladin PT-510. It is literally a Pocket PowerPlier, with gear covers. I mean, seriously, what is going on in SOG's R&D department? They've literally already done all the hard work on this one.

Stock, the PPP is pretty lacking, but I has a lot of potential, and is actually pretty good the way I have it now. If SOG makes a Pocket PowerLock, I will be pushing old ladies and small children out of the way to get first in line.

And with that bombshell, I wish everyone the best of luck in the drawing!

[Fortytwo]

I wonder if it's the trapezoid shape that makes the tools fold in, I haven't really seen it in the PST despite the springs being stiffer on the P³?

[sLaughterMed]

I wonder if it's the trapezoid shape that makes the tools fold in, I haven't really seen it in the PST despite the springs being stiffer on the P³?

If you have a "newer" PST, the drivers pivot "out" meaning that when force is applied directly toward the drivers, the driver will want to fold towards the outside of the tool, where the spring will keep it in place. The PPP on the other hand, has its drivers on the inside, in order to make room for the pliers. However, when force is applied to the drivers, the drivers will have a tendency to fold inwards, where there isnt anything to stop it. since changing the drivers to outside pivoting would get in the way of the pliers, the easiest solution is locks.

[Fortytwo]

I wonder if it's the trapezoid shape that makes the tools fold in, I haven't really seen it in the PST despite the springs being stiffer on the P³?

If you have a "newer" PST, the drivers pivot "out" meaning that when force is applied directly toward the drivers, the driver will want to fold towards the outside of the tool, where the spring will keep it in place. The PPP on the other hand, has its drivers on the inside, in order to make room for the pliers. However, when force is applied to the drivers, the drivers will have a tendency to fold inwards, where there isnt anything to stop it. since changing the drivers to outside pivoting would get in the way of the pliers, the easiest solution is locks.

Yeah, that's it. It's a difficult trade-off between space inside and risk of folding.

[sLaughterMed]

I wonder if it's the trapezoid shape that makes the tools fold in, I haven't really seen it in the PST despite the springs being stiffer on the P³?

If you have a "newer" PST, the drivers pivot "out" meaning that when force is applied directly toward the drivers, the driver will want to fold towards the outside of the tool, where the spring will keep it in place. The PPP on the other hand, has its drivers on the inside, in order to make room for the pliers. However, when force is applied to the drivers, the drivers will have a tendency to fold inwards, where there isnt anything to stop it. since changing the drivers to outside pivoting would get in the way of the pliers, the easiest solution is locks.

Yeah, that's it. It's a difficult trade-off between space inside and risk of folding.

Yep. I dont really feel like I need to say it but....
Thats why I want locks.

[zoidberg]

Nice thread mate, badge awarded.      

[sLaughterMed]

Nice thread mate, badge awarded.      

Thanks Zoidy!

[ducttapetech]

Great thread and I got Rick Rolled by a month old thread! LOL! Great stuff.

That's us mobile

[sLaughterMed]

Great thread and I got Rick Rolled by a month old thread! LOL! Great stuff.

That's us mobile

Thanks! I was wondering if you would get to see these threads. I thought it was a shame you were absent during the SOG forums most active period in a long time.

[ducttapetech]

Yeah, but life just kinda got real hectic there for awhile. Still it is nice to see that the SOG forum got some love and there seems to be a few more SOG users now.

That's us mobile

[Fortytwo]

Yeah, but life just kinda got real hectic there for awhile. Still it is nice to see that the SOG forum got some love and there seems to be a few more SOG users now.

That's us mobile

I'm bidding on my second one tonight, it's an older one and I hope that will fix some of the troubles I had with mine (and it opens up to switching tools between them to improve the PPP).