The Spirit has Landed!

[Douglas]

Oh but there are so many Swisstools and Spirits out there a propper collection will take a while, Keeping the rest in the back seat.
But seriously I've been so reliant on and so trust the Swisstool to never fail it's hard for me to consider any thing else seriously for EDC.  May try just the Spirt in a couple of months but I'll have to work up some serious courage.  I'm sure there will be major withdrawls.

I don't feel lacking in having just one SwissTool and one Spirit. I don't have the old and new lm waves in my collection for example(just one of the two). One of each model is fine for me with my limited income. Unless I run up on a top notch example for cheap. Plier differences and slightly different tool selections don't warrant the financial investment of things I may or may not need/use. For instance, I may never put a scratch on the Spirit, so in my mind, I have any of the spirits made. If I let myself get deep into the idea again, that I need every different variation, I'd go broke.....quick.... I've been down that road with antique/vintage cameras. Had 300 cameras before I knew it and don't even do photography. Spent years paying off debt from that(gotta keep myself reeled in until the day I make real money). 

   UNDERSTOOD   

[gerleatherberman]

   UNDERSTOOD   

TY Sir!
And yes, you will have withdrawal from the bigger swisstool. The Spirit for me seems best fit for maybe an IT job. I cannot say for certain, but I know I wouldn't try two handing the pliers or really torqing the handles. The handles are considerably thinner for weight reduction and the opening of the plier jaw would allow for maybe a decent grip on a 3/8 nut/bolt. The flathead/phillips driver is nice, and the tools seem to be top notch quality, but Vic did sacrifice a little on strength to cut weight down. However,  with that said, the VIC warranty should take care of it in case something happens. The weight is awesome and ride nice on belt or in pocket.
I guess it would come down to what you intend to use it for. For my job, the spirit would not be ideal. The old swisstool you sent me has been awesome though. The only issue I had was the large plier teeth.  My old LM had really hard jaws, but the softer swisstool (more rust resistant and less prone to shattering) pliers have shown slight damage to the teeth in the short time I've used it, but a few minutes with a set of micro files and it has been taken care of. I kind of prefer the jaws getting some slight damage to actually breaking or shattering. I've busted my knuckles quite badly on tools made of really hard steel. So the swisstool is safer to use in that respect! Which is a plus in my book!


Edit: I should note that the plier damage was really my fault. I tries to remove a corroded steel square nut from an antique rusty cast iron lathe. The only tool that ended up working was a pair of curved jaw 10" vise grips. No MT I have used in the past ever stood a chance.

[aluminated]

Definitely a nice score.
I just recently had the opposite auction result. That looked to be a great little Spirit was filthy, with some sort of glue or brain matter substance filling between each ridge of the file (on both sides) and in between each saw tooth. Another greasy substance enable me to not only see, but feel the fingerprints of the seller or vendor. The back of the nylon sheath is similarly dirty. More disappointing is that one handle folds exponentially more easily than the other and the pliers joint is loose, allowing a very sloppy misalignment of the jaws. However, there is no obvious source of this damage.
I have therefore decided to take advantage of the Vic lifetime warranty, sending it winging its way northeast to the VSA Repair Center for a grand total of $3.75 shipping and $5.00 handling.
Thoughts?

Today I asked for and received confirmation that the Connecticut repair center has my Spirit. This was the only information I really required from the very helpful rep. She also gave me their repair number, which for some reason is nothing like the repair order number I was given on the packing list. I was a little surprised at the estimated six-week turnaround time, but I have a Swisstool  and a bunch of SAKs and LM tools to keep me content, so no problem.
However, and not to be a downer, I will say that while any MT - including the Swisstool - in my hand is my favorite for that moment (with the understandable exception of the damaged Spirit), the Vic offerings hold no more attraction for me than the LM offerings. Call me Locutus.

[Douglas]

Doubt they will take 6 weeks but you will be taken care of by "La Forge" 

[aluminated]

Doubt they will take 6 weeks but you will be taken care of by "La Forge" 

I think you may be correct on the time frame.  In any case, I'll be sure to let y'all know.
Can anybody tell me if it's possible to fix a sloppy pliers pivot?
In any case, any new observations, glbm?

[gerleatherberman]

Doubt they will take 6 weeks but you will be taken care of by "La Forge" 

I think you may be correct on the time frame.  In any case, I'll be sure to let y'all know.
Can anybody tell me if it's possible to fix a sloppy pliers pivot?
In any case, any new observations, glbm?

Yes, the pivot can be tightened,  but it is NOT for the light of heart. And it will cause some cosmetic damage.
Two ways I have done it are:
Find a small 1/4 socket, and place a piece of leather or rubber on one jaw of a large vise. Make sure the socket end is slightly smaller than the moving side of the pivot and line it up on the moving side and shut the vise jaws on it. Before you crank,  check and make sure the non-moving side is safe from the vise teeth with the rubber or leather and check to make sure the moving pivot side has the socket lined up inside of the pivot circle. Clamp is shut and use a 2' steel pipe or other cheater bar to aid in cranking down on the plier pivot. Check and replace periodically for tightness. Start lightly, and work the pressure on the vise jaws up, checking each time you increase pressure. Stop as soon as the tightness is just right with little or no play. Remember, a minuscule amount of play is better than over tightening. Workibg out over tightness will take eons to work out!
Second method is for a person without a big vise and iron balls.
Find a steel punch(with the tip slighlty smaller than the moving plier pivot side) and a sledge hammer. A 2.5lb or bigger will work. I used a 8lb sledge myself, but it can seriously screw up the tool if you jump the punch over onto the rest of the tool. Make sure the non-moving side is on a flat steel surface, and the flat part is not raised anywhere. Place the punch dead center of the moving pivot side. Hit it with the sledge starting with lighter hits progressing to serious bangs on the punch. But, periodically check tightness of the pivot and recenter the punch each time, making sure to pull the punch away when you hit it.
The second method is not as accurate, but is something most people can do with what they have at home.
I prefer and recommmend the vise personally, but make sure the socket you use is not valuable, because the big vise will ruin anything that is not at least chrome vanadium.

IF YOU KNOW ANYONE WHO HAS A METAL PRESS, ASK THEM TO HELP. A PRESS IS THE EASIEST WAY.
I don't have a friend with a metal press, so I use my 6" vise.

Someone may know an easier way, so please chime in if you do.

Also, call and ask the company who made the tool if they will press it for you. I know LM has done this for people before, but don't know about Vic. I have only done this to tools I knew would not be repaired under warranty, because they are discontinued and I wanted to keep the specific tool. Most recently I did the pivot on my SuperTool200.

Thanks for asking about impressions! I will write a post as soon as I get to mess with the Spirit some more.

[gerleatherberman]

A short bolt may work instead of a socket, but I have not tested that. The bolt grade would need to be 4 plus. Grade 6 would be ideal.

And please wear safety glasses and gloves to attempt any of this. And try your first time on a less valuable tool!

[Douglas]

Spirit had to come out and play........
Kinda remins me of Aloha, maybe a cousin? 

[Mechanickal]

Ok, I can't take this no more!!

My BO Spirit S is going outdoors with me tomorrow. And yes, it'll be on the, hard to come by, rotating belt sheath.

[Douglas]

Ok, I can't take this no more!!

My BO Spirit S is going outdoors with me tomorrow. And yes, it'll be on the, hard to come by, rotating belt sheath.

 Did some one say BO, Hope that means Black Oxide  , if so I want one. 

[Mechanickal]

Ok, I can't take this no more!!

My BO Spirit S is going outdoors with me tomorrow. And yes, it'll be on the, hard to come by, rotating belt sheath.

 Did some one say BO, Hope that means Black Oxide  , if so I want one. 

To be honest....


It does...

[Mechanickal]

Ok, I can't take this no more!!

My BO Spirit S is going outdoors with me tomorrow. And yes, it'll be on the, hard to come by, rotating belt sheath.

 Did some one say BO, Hope that means Black Oxide  , if so I want one. 

To be honest....


It does...

[Douglas]

OOOHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! That Hurts. 
What a Beauty.     

[Mechanickal]

OOOHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! That Hurts. 
What a Beauty.   

[Mechanickal]

The coating seems to be partialy gone on the pic, while in reality it's completely black

[ThePeacent]

wait till it wears, scratches and dings