Multitool uses?

[LatinoHeat]

One thing I've noticed is that when I need a bolt removed or loosened, I don't reach for my multitool or dedicated pliers.  I reach for a wrench.  It made me wonder why then do I need a plier based multitool.  Well, the fact of the matter is I use the plier head as a bionic hand of sorts, used to grab all sorts of things I would not ordinarily be able to grab, be they hot or spiny, or even heavy.  Lately all I have been using is my LM P4, since I am on a maximum minimalist mode.  A small pocket knife like my Case Peanut and my P4, along with a little ingenuity, usually get me through the day.  Anyhow, I was just wondering if anyone else has an alternate use for their multitools other then to turn screws and loosen bolts?

[parnass]

I have used a multitool pliers to pick up pieces of trash I found which I didn't want to touch with my bare hands. One item was a small bag which looked like it was used for a street drug.

I have also used pliers tips to grab a splinter and to hold a lit match to avoid getting my fingers burned, e.g., when relighting a furnace pilot.

[WhichDawg]

one really smart idea for a plier based MT was to use it for handling/picking up hot things,
like a pot or cup while camping.

[donvito]

While outdoors you can take the lid off you pot/kettle not to get burned with the pliers. Pull on things in hard to reach places. I've cleaned a shredder at work with my sak (mechanic) pliers. Our shredder is industrial size and usually can handle 10-20 pages at a time, it got so clogged up a single page wouldn't go through.

[appletree_man]

Yeah I tend to use it more for holding, grabbing, extra large tweezers, etc. It's not good practice to use pliers (of any sort) for bolts anyway, it can damage the head.

[gafftapegreenia]

Thus my dream of quality a c-wrench based multi tool!

Till then, we will make do with combo wrenches. There are so many options out there, I find that you really have to consider what you expect to encounter and go from there.

[Sea Monster]

I still bear the scars of my upbringing, So I know better than use pliers to loosen bolts! (or, if I have no other choice, I make sure no one is watching)


I still use the pliers second most off all (knife first), for all the reasons people have already listed here.

[Mike]

I almost always reach for a dedicated tool, not a multi-tool ........ operative word being "almost". Just depends on what I'm doing and how close a dedicated tool is. Sometimes I use a multi in conjunction with a dedicated tool, again, it just depends on the situation. I don't have any set rules on when or where I use a multi, but I believe they are worth having.

Mike

[Sea Monster]

The best time for a multi is when you have put yourself in a situation with an utter lack of foresight for the requirements of said situation, and end up having to bodge something up* (or, as my accountant would say, "_______ it" which I thought was an excellent reference to the inventiveness and problem solving acumen of people in hard by circumstance, but would never repeat here amongst sophisticated folk. For the nautical amongst us (okay, for Dunc) we'll say "Jury Rig", being the ancient method of repairing a cracked mast (or Spar, that's right, I can talk technical with the best of them) with bubblegum and red rubber bands.)


*Often, I find, situations involving crawl spaces or heights, when it is an absolute b!tch to turn back and get the tool you should have brought the first time.

[J-sews]

.........*Often, I find, situations involving crawl spaces or heights, when it is an absolute b!tch to turn back and get the tool you should have brought the first time.

That's me right there. I hate like hell having to: holler at the wife/climb down off the roof/walk back to the toolbox in the garage just because I grabbed a flathead screwdriver instead of a phillips. Much better to just pack along a multitool and know I'm covered regardless.

[Sea Monster]

That's me right there. I hate like hell having to: holler at the wife/climb down off the roof/walk back to the toolbox in the garage just because I grabbed a flathead screwdriver instead of a phillips. Much better to just pack along a multitool and know I'm covered regardless

Unless you need a #3 Phillips, and your multi only goes up to #2! 

[NutSAK]

I don't use pliers to loosen or tighten bolts unless I absolutely have to.  That is what wrenches are for.

I use mine for many of the uses already mentioned--as a grabbing and manipulating tool.

[duckman1975]

Think of the pliers as an extention of your hands, read that somebody even use the pliers (leatherman pliers) as forks.

[Sea Monster]

Think of the pliers as an extention of your hands, read that somebody even use the pliers (leatherman pliers) as forks.

I use my LM Surge in the kitchen as tongs...