Can you suggest a basic but tough tool?

[Alexander Ling]

Hi everyone!

Can you help a new guy out?
I am looking for my first serious multi tool for work purposes (I work on a farm/ranch).
The only things that i really need are:
- a good strong set of pliers. I would regularly need them for pulling and yanking all sorts of things, tightening/loosening bolts and nuts etc.
- a large knife accessible from the outside without having to open the tool out.
- great durability.
Bonuses would be something like a hammer or something that i might be able to use to bash something like a steel peg with.
I would preferably like to be able to carry it on my belt horizontally if possible, either in a case or belt clip, so it doesn't dig into my side when i'm moving around like a vertically carried tool sometimes does.

I've looked at things like:
- leatherman wave, surge (more elaborate than i really need)
- leatherman signal (was attracted to the hammer end but it has a lot of unnecessary tools on it for me)
- SOG power assist, power lock, powergrab (I quite like the idea of the compound leverage. The powergrab has been the current winner but perhaps i am getting fussy as the carry case only seems to carry vertically. Perhaps i can modify the case.)

Any suggestions? Thanks for the help!

[pfrsantos]

Welcome!

 

I'd say take the Wave and get a small/medium hammer if it's really indispensable. Using a multitool as a hammer, even if it's "prepared" to be used as one, would always impact in all the other tools. I'd keep it separated.

[dks]

Leatherman MUT - has a hammer

Most multitools will not have supper strong pliers. Even the heavy duty ones have relatively thin pliers.

[italophil]

If you want an outside knife and don't need one handed opening, you should also take a look at the Victorinox Swisstool Spirit. It has a great durability.

In case you need to cut fencing wire, I'd go for the surge, its longer handles and replaceable wire cutters give it the edge for this task.

[JP]

+1 to LM MUT.

Have you considered carrying a pair of pliers or a fencing tool and a fixed Blade knife?

How far away from a tool box are you?

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[Sazabi]

I'm going to give a less-suggested tool: the Utica Multimaster has a sturdy pair of pliers, an easily opened tool set, and can definitely be used as a hammer. Just be sure to get a US-made model, as the almost-identical foreign-made models have one less rivet on the pliers head, making it weaker.

[AimlessWanderer]

I would suggest a blunt nosed MP600 without the carbide cutters for the pliers, but this leaves you needing to carry a separate OHO knife, or sheath knife.

If we focus on outside opening one handed blades instead, that gives us the following:

Leatherman: Wave, Surge, Signal, MUT, OHT
Gerber: MP1, MP800, Centre Drive, Freehand, Grappler
SOG.... personally, I wouldn't recommend any

The MP1 has forged pliers, whereas the rest are cast. However they will be less rust resistant.

The Grappler can be fiddly if you just need them to grab something quickly, but it does come with a decent pry tool, and you can open the jaws to grip larger bolts or other items without having the handles too splayed.

Wave and Surge offer the diamond file which may come in handy, plus have the bit drivers for non-standard fastenings.

Surge and MP800 offer jigsaw blade compatibility

The Centre Drive "promises" everything you need, but I am not convinced it would be durable enough. Might be worth a try though, and we would certainly appreciate a review of how well the tool does in that setting and what tasks it excels/struggles with 

I think overall, the MP600 would still be my top recommendation. Not only is it rugged, reliable, and bombproof, it's also less likely to suffer from mud and grit and general gunk. When stowed, the blunt ended pliers might even offer you enough of a "knocking stick" so you don't need to carry a hammer.

[cody6268]

First of all,  I live on a farm with my grandparents. I do a lot of fence repairs, and have basically came down to the fact that MT's can withstand that kind of work. I own a few Multimasters (I got a pretty good deal, 3 of them new, for less than $15), but since I live on a farm, and do a lot of fencing, I decided to ask Kutmaster if they designed the tool with hard wire in mind. They told me that it was designed with 10-14 gauge electrical wire in mind, and if I chipped the cutters, the warranty is void. However, they do a good job of cutting electrical wire of all sizes, and they have the toughest pliers in the industry, blunt or needlenose.

I prefer carrying linesman's pliers and a Victorinox 111mm along with a 4 or 6 inch adjustable wrench when tough work is concerned. These old 7 inch Protos (267)have seen extreme abuse (being used as a hammer, hammered on, and cut stuff they shouldn't have, and are still relatively intact (rubber grips came off an old dollar store pair I had laying around). I'm looking at replacing them with these Knipex since the cutters are worn out almost on the Protos.  Go insulated if you can afford the up charge, that way if you accidentally cut into live wires, you won't get electrocuted.  More of a requirement to me, as I'm studying to be a plant engineer.  Cushy grips aren't really needed, but when you're putting a lot of force on them, they help, a lot.

http://knipex-tools.com/index.php?id=1023&page=group_detail&parentID=1357&groupID=1359



2017-07-06_09-52-02 by cody6268, on Flickr

[gregozedobe]

If you are willing to buy s'hand my suggestion is the older (non-locking) Super Bear Jaws MT.  Robust, outside accessible tools.  Doesn't look fancy, but gets the job done.

Crescent also marketed this tool as the Toolzall Pro XL.

http://wiki.multitool.org/tiki-index.php?page=Super+Bear+Jaws+156

[carboncopy101]

What do you do on your farm? I suggest that you take a sak for the knife its pretty compact and it will work. Have a dedicated pliers if you're gonna do a lot of plier based actions, the need to unfold leatherman's to get to the pliers is honestly time consuming in the long run. An added bonus is if the hammer needs is not that much demanding you can use the pliers.

I help back in the farm and i carry a bolo, a plier, and a sak and so far it works. Most of the people i know there only carry a bolo and they manage great but IMO the small blades of the sak do help a lot for fine work.

[Poncho65]

First off welcome to

I think if you need a hammer/plier combo then you might want to look at the fencing tool i know its not exactly pocket or sheath friendly though This pic is a channellock branded one but there are several different brands of these and it seems to fit a lot of what you want Just throw a folder with it and your set



If you are wanting a set of folding pliers with a hammer and pliers then I will mirror the suggestion of the Leatherman MUT or the Leatherman Signal

Good luck in the search

[Zed]

I agree on dedicated pliers,Most MT pliers are not the strongest,saying this  4 favourites of mine are the Wave ,surge,supertool,and sog powerlock.all great MT's but the waves and surges blades are on the outside,plus you could just use the surge as a hammer 

[theonew]

When I worked on a farm, quite a long time ago, a pair of vise grips always seemed to come in handy, especially when out in the fields or woods and away from a toolbox. So my recommendation is a Leatherman Crunch and a decent folding knife.

[ironraven]

Another voice saying dedicated pliers are better than any of the multitools. What a multi brings is portability- if you know you've got to do real work, get dedicated tools. You bring your multi the days you didn't think you'd need real tools. From your description, my first choice would be the right pliers for what you do and a Victorinox One Handed Trekker/Soldat/GAK.

The hammer HAS to be a dedicated tool with no moving parts. The little toy hammer multitools are about up to driving a thumb tack, and the one on the MUT and Signal are basically hammers the same way a steel buttcap on a knife is. If you're tacking up fencing, maybe, but I'd rather have a real hammer, better tool

The Wave isn't a bad tool. I don't like the angle on mine when I'm opening a blade and always feel like I'm about to slice off my thumbprint. But it's also a first gen Wave, and is a little smaller. If you like the ergos, good choice. The Signal looks good on paper, but you either love it or hate it, no middle ground. This is a case of go to a store where they let you handle the tools. Then buy it there, don't be that guy who fingers it in the shop then saves 3% online.

[Chako]

For fence work, get yourself a dedicated fencing tool such as what Poncho65 indicated above. See the beauty with that...its a multi-tool. 

For the other various smaller tasks, by all means, a larger Leatherman such as the SuperTool 300, Surge, and MUT will help you not have to get your toolbox all the time. Likewise, all the other suggestions from members would do in a pinch. These folding compact multi-tools are light duty tools that really help you when you are far away from your tool-shed or tool box...but they wouldn't hold up for the heavy duty work required for fencing etc.

 

[Gerhard Gerber]

First of all,  I live on a farm with my grandparents. I do a lot of fence repairs, and have basically came down to the fact that MT's can withstand that kind of work.

+1 

Real pliers, real knife 

[pfrsantos]

For fence work, get yourself a dedicated fencing tool such as what Poncho65 indicated above. See the beauty with that...its a multi-tool. 

For the other various smaller tasks, by all means, a larger Leatherman such as the SuperTool 300, Surge, and MUT will help you not have to get your toolbox all the time. Likewise, all the other suggestions from members would do in a pinch. These folding compact multi-tools are light duty tools that really help you when you are far away from your tool-shed or tool box...but they wouldn't hold up for the heavy duty work required for fencing etc.

 

Sorry to say this, but I'm not sure you know enough multis to make an informed suggestion...

 



 

[Zed]

For fence work, get yourself a dedicated fencing tool such as what Poncho65 indicated above. See the beauty with that...its a multi-tool. 

For the other various smaller tasks, by all means, a larger Leatherman such as the SuperTool 300, Surge, and MUT will help you not have to get your toolbox all the time. Likewise, all the other suggestions from members would do in a pinch. These folding compact multi-tools are light duty tools that really help you when you are far away from your tool-shed or tool box...but they wouldn't hold up for the heavy duty work required for fencing etc.

 

Sorry to say this, but I'm not sure you know enough multis to make an informed suggestion...

 



 

   Yeah what does Dan know about MT'S   

[Chako]

Dang my secret is out!

 

[Aloha]

I'll add my 2c tho the fellas have given you some great advice already.

Since you know what type of work will be done then a dedicated plier and hammer would be best.  As for a MT that can offer some additional function while out an about, I'd say don't worry to much about the sheath.  You can always buy one that will meet your needs.  The sheath shouldn't be the deal breaker if the tool you like ticks all your boxes.   

A MT will offer some tools in addition to a real plier and hammer.  Wearing a small tool belt will hold all items easily.  Lastly I'd say go for a fixed blade instead of a folding knife.  A fixed blade is the ultimate OHO edged tool vs a folder. 

I know we're a MT site but sometimes the best tool for the job is a REAL tool  .     

[Alexander Ling]

Thanks for all of the advice!

To clear a couple things up.
- Yes i do carry dedicated tools when i am going to do some fencing or any other job that i will need them for.
- I am more after a multi that i can just carry with me every day so when i am walking around and see something that i need to do then i can pull the tool out and do it. This is because i am forever doing a job and see something that i tell myself i will get back to and of course, i dont! either because i forget or cant remember exactly where the issue is to get back to it.

So for this i need a tough tool that i can trust to do most jobs. Eg. cut off a loose end of fencing wire, do up a nut on the end of a bolt, cut open a box that has come in the mail.

[gregozedobe]

Given the extra detail on requirements I'm now suggesting a LM Crunch with whichever 1/4" drive bits are most useful for you.  But I'd be wary of cutting fencing wire with the wire cutters on pretty well any multitool - they just aren't designed for that sort of heavy wire cutting.

[ironraven]

With the updated information, I'd go with whatever full sized of good quality feels good in your hand.

Keep in mind, some LM models have replacable wire cutters. I've got a divot in my origional Supertool from cutting some tempered wire.

[LoopCutter]

I carry a LM SuperTool 300 for similar tasks you updated your OP, it is stool box in a sheath and heavy duty enough to take on real work.   A Gerber Diesel is another I trust at getting things done so a MP600could fill the need along with a good separate knife, fix or folding like a Buck 110 or Ranger.   
All the best. 


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[AimlessWanderer]

I'm sticking with my original recommendation of MP600 blunt nose (without carbide cutters) 

[King_Gorilla]

Thanks for all of the advice!

To clear a couple things up.
- Yes i do carry dedicated tools when i am going to do some fencing or any other job that i will need them for.
- I am more after a multi that i can just carry with me every day so when i am walking around and see something that i need to do then i can pull the tool out and do it. This is because i am forever doing a job and see something that i tell myself i will get back to and of course, i dont! either because i forget or cant remember exactly where the issue is to get back to it.

So for this i need a tough tool that i can trust to do most jobs. Eg. cut off a loose end of fencing wire, do up a nut on the end of a bolt, cut open a box that has come in the mail.

I would get a Signal if I were you.  I carry one 5 days a week.  I love the hammer.  it's not nearly as good for hammering as a real hammer but I find myself using it from time to time. 

Other people said this already, but if the pliers were your number 1 priority, I would go with the crunch.  It doesn't satisfy some of the other stuff you were looking for by itself, but you really can't beat the locking pliers. 

[Alexander Ling]

I'm sticking with my original recommendation of MP600 blunt nose (without carbide cutters) 

Your reason being that the carbide cutters would be fairly useless for hard wire? I seem to only be able to find them with the replaceable carbide cutters unless theres an older model somewhere.

[gregozedobe]

I'm sticking with my original recommendation of MP600 blunt nose (without carbide cutters) 

Your reason being that the carbide cutters would be fairly useless for hard wire? I seem to only be able to find them with the replaceable carbide cutters unless theres an older model somewhere.

Yep, the carbide cutters are known to shatter sometimes on hard wire.  It may take some effort to find an MP600 with blunt nose pliers without carbide cutters (and watch out for sellers using stock photos rather than photos of the actual MT they are selling).

Here's one:  http://www.ebay.com/itm/311885923857
NB: I have no connection with the seller, cannot vouch for them, do your own research etc etc.

[AimlessWanderer]

Greg beat me to it  The carbide is harder wearing, but brittle. I have had tools with and without, and I prefer without. Replacements are available if you break them, but they aren't cheap.

The blunt nosed pliers don't have a hard wire cutting notch, so the first few times you use them, they might bruise a little, and you might need to tickle up the inside faces with a file a bit. If you keep cutting the wire in the same spot, eventually a notch will form on it's own, and the bruising will occur less. Gerbers are fairly easy to modify too, and you could always add a remgrit blade holder later if you find yourself facing wire/rod too thick for the pliers to handle

[SteveC]

I'm sticking with my original recommendation of MP600 blunt nose (without carbide cutters) 

Your reason being that the carbide cutters would be fairly useless for hard wire? I seem to only be able to find them with the replaceable carbide cutters unless theres an older model somewhere.

Yep, the carbide cutters are known to shatter sometimes on hard wire.  It may take some effort to find an MP600 with blunt nose pliers without carbide cutters (and watch out for sellers using stock photos rather than photos of the actual MT they are selling).

Here's one:  http://www.ebay.com/itm/311885923857
NB: I have no connection with the seller, cannot vouch for them, do your own research etc etc.

Here's a much better deal

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gerber-USA-MP-600-Multi-Plier-Multi-Tool-Knife-Pliers-/253040643179?epid=558032290&hash=item3aea65cc6b:g:LL4AAOSwjiFZZSbk

Or here's a Scout model with the Remgrit cutter.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/US-Military-Issue-Gerber-MP600-Multitool-Needlenose-Pliers-Stainless-Scout-07563-/311885919316?epid=1300038343&hash=item489dd97454:g:XpsAAOSwcB5ZL5Jq