What Multi tool should I get???

Jedula · **on:** April 04, 2016, 11:44:32 AM

Firstly I want to say hello!! I have been browsing and finally decided to register. I am planning on getting a multi tool in a couple of months and I'm stuck as to which one to get! I can spend about $120 CAD and I'm planning on keeping it on my person at all times. I'm currently working at a hotel so won't be using it too hard, but come September I will be going to college to take a welder/fitter course to start a career. So I want the tool to be able to stand up to a lot of hard use for as long as possible. I will of course have dedicated tools that I will be using but I would like to feel that if for whatever reason they weren't accessible I'd still be able to get a lot done with what's on my belt. I would like scissors for mundane stuff like opening clam packs and whatnot, and a strong Phillips and flat head screwdriver, and maybe a Robertson but that looks like a rarity. A good metal file and wire cutter would be needed also. I would like a saw and knife too but I would say they are less important since I'm a knife nut and would end up carrying one of my folders regardless. Thanks for reading! Any suggestions would be helpful. I like to feel that the tools I buy are of a good enough quality that I could pass them down to any future children I may have.

magentus · **Reply #1 on:** April 04, 2016, 11:47:13 AM

Welcome to the forum! I would recommend a Victorinox Swisstool or Spirit. Top quality, built to last and a lifetime guarantee.

zoidberg · **Reply #2 on:** April 04, 2016, 12:21:35 PM

Great, another Canadian.

Welcome to the boards mate.

Mags took option A so I'll go with option B, a Leatherman Surge.

Or more correctly, a modified Leatherman Surge.

Easy to customize, repair or replace if needed and you can also get that Robertson bit happening.

hiraethus · **Reply #3 on:** April 04, 2016, 12:38:16 PM

+ 1 for the Surge. Replaceable wire cutters, Robertson bits in the bit kit, external scissors, great file (and you can leave the saw at home).

Or if you want something smaller, knifeless Rebar. Only loses out on the Robertson bits, but you can carry the removeable bit driver.

ducttapetech · **Reply #4 on:** April 04, 2016, 01:55:04 PM

Another Surge fan. One of the best and toughest multis out there.

That's us mobile

Demel · **Reply #5 on:** April 04, 2016, 02:10:03 PM

Welcome aboard.

short answer all of them.

Wave, Surge, mp600, Spirit, Powerlock.......this list can get long

because of your work maybe a super tool 300. Good luck on your hunt. And

SteveC · **Reply #6 on:** April 04, 2016, 02:30:56 PM

Welcome to the forum.

I would also suggest the Leatherman Surge.

Poncho65 · **Reply #7 on:** April 04, 2016, 03:54:29 PM

I guess I would go with the LM Surge or a Vic Swisstool X

Both are of the bigger variety and if you would want to go to the mid sized range without sacrificing anything really then LM Wave or Charge TTi(most expensive because of the titanium scales) or Vic Swisstool Spirit X

Any of these tools will deal with a great amount of use and give you plenty of option and probably the most bang for your buck

Poncho65 · **Reply #8 on:** April 04, 2016, 03:55:36 PM

Owe and welcome to the forum

Padre · **Reply #9 on:** April 04, 2016, 04:20:41 PM

Option 1: Leatherman Wave + bit extender + bit kit (has Robertson as well).
Option 2: Victorinox Spirit.

I don't like swisstools scissors. Spirit is better and way more comfortable.
Surge is heavy.

Demel · **Reply #10 on:** April 04, 2016, 04:52:09 PM

I missed the part about scissors. Go with a surge.

Alan K. · **Reply #11 on:** April 04, 2016, 05:03:28 PM

Another option would be the SOG Power LOCK S-60 with scissors. Compound leverage for grip and cutting power, scissors or V cutter, and easily replaceable parts that SOG sells so you don't have to go begging around for someone else's left over parts.

Aloha · **Reply #12 on:** April 04, 2016, 05:06:38 PM

IMO don't let scissors be the deciding factor when picking a MT. You can always add a SAK to your pocket which has terrific scissors across all sizes.

As far as clam packages the cut/picker blade used in 58mm SAKs is a beast when opening those or the orange peeler blade found on 74mm models.

Ok now thats out the way,

Rebar, this tool is feature rich. Lots of interior tools to get you through a day.

Wave, IMO this is the top dog. Lots of options when adding the bit kit or just the bit extender. Using the bit extender alone allows you to use any 1/4" bit you currently have.

Surge, this is next level tool. All the greatness found in the Wave but on steroids. Adds the blade exchanger which allow you to add in a variety of cutting blades. Wood saw only is nice but having a hack saw is nicer. Unlike the Wave if you wear out your file just buy a new one.

Swisstool, Beast mode in a classy design. There really is nothing like this tool. It may not have the versatility of the Surge but it doesn't need to. Get the one with scissors if they mean deal breaker.

If you buy online from auctions sites you may be able to procure 2 of the above tools

Jedula · **Reply #13 on:** April 04, 2016, 05:16:44 PM

Oh boy...This might be harder than I thought! How sturdy are the bit drivers on the leathermans? I seem to remember having a wave with one a long time ago that I ended up getting rid of more for financial reasons than anything to do with the tool. I like the look of the Victorinox, very classy! Definitely not a fan of the rivets though. Glad I have a couple months to decide! lol. Weight isn't a factor at all honestly. Well then! Thanks for all the replies and warm welcomes so far gents!

Poncho65 · **Reply #14 on:** April 04, 2016, 05:33:34 PM

Quote from: Jedula on April 04, 2016, 05:16:44 PM

Oh boy...This might be harder than I thought! How sturdy are the bit drivers on the leathermans? I seem to remember having a wave with one a long time ago that I ended up getting rid of more for financial reasons than anything to do with the tool. I like the look of the Victorinox, very classy! Definitely not a fan of the rivets though. Glad I have a couple months to decide! lol. Weight isn't a factor at all honestly. Well then! Thanks for all the replies and warm welcomes so far gents!

The MTO motto is to get both

or you your case all

All the above choices are really good IMO and you could go with anyone of them and be happy

As Aloha said you can always add a SAK if you really need scissors (I carry a Rebar and a Vic Executive) the Vic covers the scissors and couple other things and the Rebar covers everything else also the bigger version of it is the Supertool 300 and it is a very hard to beat MT if you don't need scissors on it specifically

Poncho65 · **Reply #15 on:** April 04, 2016, 05:35:43 PM

You can also get a bit adapter that has the LM flat bits with it that goes over the square phillips and turns any of the LM that have the square shafted phillips (ex Rebar, Supertool 300, Blast, Fuse, Kick etc) into a bit driver

The bit kits and such are a big draw on LM as well on those that have the bit driver

Aloha · **Reply #16 on:** April 04, 2016, 05:53:54 PM

Vic Executive for the WIN

. This little powerhouse is such a great compliment to any MT without scissors or with for that matter.

Here are a few shots of the Surge, ST300, Wave, Swisstool X.

I didn't fan out all the internal tools sorry. I like the ST300 well enough and adding the adapter that slides over the phillips, wow now we are talking extended functionality.

Good luck and Welcome.

Demel · **Reply #17 on:** April 04, 2016, 06:04:33 PM

A LM ST300 paired with a Vic Compact can cover almost all your bases.

anditsgone · **Reply #18 on:** April 04, 2016, 06:26:08 PM

I am a welder and i use the swisstool X. I can bet on it that you will hear a lot of: swisstool, wave, spirit, surge etc... In fact those are all great tools that will do the job. In my opinion the Swisstool scissors are better than the leatherman scissors.

One thing you will only hear from a welder is that due to the swisstool's clean design it is pretty easy to get all the welding splatters of it. Believe me, after a couple of days your tool will be under the brown and rusty coloured splatters. On the swisstool's clean design you can easily pop those of with a chisel and a hammer.

Because i am a vic fan (who comes from leatherman) i would say go for the swisstool x or spirit x (x are model with scissors, great for daily use) depending on the weight and size you would need for your daily use make the desiscion between the spirit or regular swisstool.

Most people classify them as this:
Swisstool = belt carry in a sheath
spirit = pocket carry

But me personally i can easily carry my swisstool x in my jeans pocket.

Jedula · **Reply #19 on:** April 05, 2016, 04:44:27 AM

Thanks for the helpful picture comparison! That bit extender for the philips looks pretty sweet! takes regular bits too I see, not just the flat ones. Is there any similar adapter for the swisstool spirits philips? I'd probably carry it on my belt regardless, pockets are usually pretty full due to the knife problem

jerseydevil · **Reply #20 on:** April 05, 2016, 05:53:14 AM

Let me just add my favorite to the list, the Gerber MP600 Pro Scout. Real screwdrivers rather than bit drivers, though one is available for it. Excellent pliers, fantastic scissors, and built like a tank.

Welcome to the forum!

Grant Lamontagne · **Reply #21 on:** April 05, 2016, 12:48:32 PM

Welcome to the forum! Pay no mind to the rest of the people here, they know that being Canadian is awesome and are just jealous!

I'd strongly suggest that whatever you decide to go with (and all of the above are great suggestions) that you buy from the US. The Canadian dollar is in pretty sad shape right now, but even so you are going to get a much better deal ordering online than buying anything at Canadian Tire, Home Depot or anywhere else locally. I don't know what your actual plan for buying was, but local is not the answer in this case.

Let me know if you need any help sourcing whatever tool you want and I'll see what I can do to help you find one at the right price.

Def

Rossko07 · **Reply #22 on:** April 05, 2016, 01:28:54 PM

Lets not muck about. The Surge !!......!

twiliter · **Reply #23 on:** April 05, 2016, 05:14:12 PM

Spirit

The small SD on the Spirit works for #2 square drive if not too much torque is needed, and the scissors are second only to the standard SAK ones IMHO, and better for push cuts as they don't fold backwards. I do some welding also and the pliers, file, and chisel all come in handy, and the cutters are fine for wire feed snips. Fair warning though, the Spirit has ruined me for any other MT. In all fairness, the Surge or Wave/Charge would be good choices too, but the quality and compactness of the Spirit is preferable (to me anyway). The only real choice would be standard or spearpoint blade (X model).

colt 1911 · **Reply #24 on:** April 05, 2016, 08:53:36 PM

Welcome, I'm going to say St 300 just bacause that's what I am carring today, don't forget to get an Opinel also.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

peterfeldman777 · **Reply #25 on:** April 05, 2016, 09:07:52 PM

Quote from: Padre on April 04, 2016, 04:20:41 PM

Option 1: Leatherman Wave + bit extender + bit kit (has Robertson as well).
Option 2: Victorinox Spirit.

I don't like swisstools scissors. Spirit is better and way more comfortable.
Surge is heavy.

I like my leatherman, but it was too tigh, and in other joints not tight enough, not simmetrical, overall lower quality than my swisstool spirit. if you fall in love with any of the leatherman tools, be ready for these small nuances.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk

ToolJoe · **Reply #26 on:** April 05, 2016, 09:15:50 PM

I'd say Super Tool 300 or Swisstool..

Jedula · **Reply #27 on:** May 01, 2016, 02:07:44 AM

Well I made my mind up and am now the proud owner of the Leatherman Rebar, I think this is the perfect size for a backup and edc tool to go along with full size tools, for me anyway. I've already found a bunch of uses for it and am happy with my decision! I really appreciate all of your suggestions. Thanks all! Now to get a bit adapter and modify this sheath

maximus0723 · **Reply #28 on:** May 01, 2016, 02:41:24 AM

No, pics?!?

Poncho65 · **Reply #29 on:** May 01, 2016, 07:56:48 AM

The Rebar is a good choice

I use it at work everyday and have used it for close to the 3 1/2 years that it has been out

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