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Sheffield 12012

us Offline ChopperCharles

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Sheffield 12012
on: August 14, 2018, 04:54:14 PM
So I snagged one of these off of eBay, because it seemed unique and it was $14. I like the unique tools. This one was apparently made to circumvent Leatherman patents back in the early days of multi tools. It takes some getting used to opening and closing these, because if the plier jaws open a little bit, it catches on the underside of the handle, which prevents the pliers from deploying. It's not a big deal though. The tool itself is rather small all folded up, at only 105mm (4.13") long, It reminds me of the Schrade Tough Tool or the Coleman Pro Lock in appearance and operation.... however the quality does not match either of those tools.  Handle splay is excellent, but unlike the Pro-Lock and Tough Tool, the handles bend and flex when I really squeeze them. They're also easily dinged and marked - a problem neither the Tough Tool nor the Pro Lock has. The handles also have "Sheffield" with the logo, and "China" printed on them. Not etched. Printed in some kind of ink. They're not printed very evenly either. The handles themselves are very comfortable to hold and use. The edges are rounded and the tools are on the inside. The only sharp edge to be found is on the end of the backspring flap on each handle. It's a very comfortable tool to hold.

The tool load is pretty decent. It has two phillips drivers, a can opener, and a knife blade in one handle, a metal file, bottle opener, and two flat blades in the other. The bottle opener and metal file both have screwdriver tips though... so essentially there are four flat head screwdrivers on one side. This is overly redundant. I'd have preferred a scraper blade or scissors or something instead. The tools do not lock open, and they're inside tools, meaning i have to open the handles to deploy a tool.

The file is pretty decent. It can file mild steel, though it does leave some small marks on the file when doing so. It's reasonably aggressive and I deem it worthy. The screwdriver tip on the end is reasonably well formed, but has rounded edges. The other three flat drivers are well formed, but very short. No rounded edges here. The can opener is small and on the wrong side of the tool, but it's still effective. It's more comfortable for lefties, but it works for righties as well. The phillips drivers are well-formed, but stubby. They're also 3/4 drivers. One side is flat, the other is a regular phillips driver. The large driver is mostly useless, it doesn't fit any household screws. The smaller driver is a little too small, it would have been better if they aimed right in the middle of the two. That said, neither driver cams out when force is applied. The worst tool in the whole deal is the plain edged blade. It arrived butter-knife sharp. Which is to say, not sharp at all. I could grab the blade hard with my fingers and slide it back and forth and do no damage to my skin. It wasn't just dull, it either never had an edge, or it was purposefully blunted. It was so bad i had to resort to one of those carbide field cutters to put the initial edge on the blade, and even that took about 10 minutes. I usually only use that on my axe.

The cutters are where these pliers really shine. Most multis have bypass style cutters. These have lineman's style side cutters, and they work on every wire I've tried. Smooth, clean cuts every time. The only thing they struggled a bit with was thin gauge bare stranded wire. Heavier gauges were not a problem.

For a $14 multitool, this isn't bad. It doens't have the overly-polished and rounded-off problem that all the current chinese models have. The drivers are well formed and don't cam out. While the tool has some flex, it's far better build than most of the Chinese leatherman clones out there. It's a little raw and unrefined, but somehow in a good way instead of a "this is a piece of junk" way. The tool doesn't feel like junk, that's for sure. It doesn't feel as nice to use as my Coleman Pro Lock or Schrade Tough Tool. It's definitely below that level of quality. It's better quality than the old Coast Pocket Pliers leatherman clone, though.

The sheath is reasonably nice. It's ballistic nylon, though not as thick as a Coast sheath. It is double-stitched. It seems to be of good quality.

Overall, I give this tool a pass. For $14 new in the blisterpack, it's not a bad deal. Once the blade has an edge, every tool is usable. It's a very USABLE tool. It's not really that high quality, though. It wouldn't be my EDC, that's for sure. Mostly it's just a fun, unique opening method. I see it more of a collector's piece than a user... that said, mine is going in the pickup I use to haul trash to the dump and buy old motorcycles with. Just nice to have something in the truck just in case. So mine will be a user.

Charles.

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au Offline ReamerPunch

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us Offline NetsNJ

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Re: Sheffield 12012
Reply #2 on: August 14, 2018, 06:34:26 PM
I have some Sheffield PST / original Supertool knockoffs.  They are surprisingly good for off brand -- thick tool stock, real phillips head, etc.  Honestly the files are better than most files I see on SOG and Chinese Gerber.   :rant:

I personally hate the Buck multitools, I find them very awkward.  What a weird design to copy. 


us Offline ChopperCharles

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Re: Sheffield 12012
Reply #3 on: August 14, 2018, 06:53:38 PM
Oh wow cool. I didn't know about the Buck. Hrm, I'd rather have the Buck, it seems. I wasn't aware this was a copy of something. Dern, learned something new. I will have to get the Buck, and this copy may disappear into the for sale eather :)

Charles.


us Offline gerleatherberman

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Re: Sheffield 12012
Reply #4 on: August 15, 2018, 04:55:13 AM
Oh wow cool. I didn't know about the Buck. Hrm, I'd rather have the Buck, it seems. I wasn't aware this was a copy of something. Dern, learned something new. I will have to get the Buck, and this copy may disappear into the for sale eather :)

Charles.
The Bucktool 360 is an incredibly cool MT. Not very practical compared to modern tools, but well worth having.  :)

I didn't know Sheffield made a copy. Very cool. Looks like a copy of the 355 Bucktool, but the 360 Bucktool is the one worth buying. Thank you for the review, Charles! :cheers:

Edit: oh. And the Bucktool 360 has all locking tools as well. :tu:
« Last Edit: August 15, 2018, 04:57:49 AM by gerleatherberman »
Pontificating particularly pious positions pertaining to polymorphic paraphernalia. G-Man.


us Offline ChopperCharles

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Re: Sheffield 12012
Reply #5 on: August 15, 2018, 07:06:32 AM
I have some Sheffield PST / original Supertool knockoffs.  They are surprisingly good for off brand -- thick tool stock, real phillips head, etc.  Honestly the files are better than most files I see on SOG and Chinese Gerber.   :rant:

I personally hate the Buck multitools, I find them very awkward.  What a weird design to copy.

I don’t know anything about Leatherman models or history. The only Leatherman I’ve ever owned is my current ES4 squirt. That said, I’d like to hear about the Sheffield versions. I have a Sheffield 12020, which is the slip-joint plier head MT. It’s overall pretty good, except for the rudimentary and unreliable locking mechanism. It’s the tool that got me looking a little more at their other multi tools of the past.

Charles. 


ca Offline Chako

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Re: Sheffield 12012
Reply #6 on: August 15, 2018, 12:41:54 PM
In the multi-tool world, the most sincerest form of flattery is to copy...that and it is a thing the Chinese factories are very wont to do. Your Sheffield is a copy of the Buck design. As mentioned before, the Buck Tool came out in an interesting period of time when manufacturers raced to see what sort of designs they could come out with after Leatherman took off the ground running with a decade of success under its belt. Thus, you get weird tools like this, and the Schrade Tough Tool. There were plenty of odd opening designs back in the 90's

As for Sheffield the multi-tool brand, their tools overall tend to be not high quality wise. At one time, Sheffield was a very good name. It still is if you are inclined to high quality silver cutlery for the dinning room. Nowadays, they just stamp the name on cheap Chinese clones for the most part. This does not make them any less significant to a multi-tool collector however. Over the years, they have stamped their names on all sorts of designs which makes them a bit interesting to collect. They won't gain much value over time, but just like your example here, they have copied some interesting stuff. I myself always find it  interesting to compare these cheap clones/knockoffs to the real thing. I would hold onto that Sheffield and wait at least until you can get a Buck Tool to compare them together.  Comparison between the cheap and the good quality always is illuminating, and teaches the observer something more than just buying a quality item in the first place. With that said, it is unfortunate that for centuries, Sheffield was/is a center for cutlery production renown the world over...much like Soligen in Germany, to name a competitive spot on the Globe. It is unfortunate that that good name is being sullied these past decades by a low quality branding of mostly Chinese produces multi-tools.

Some history on Sheffield UK:

http://www.sheffieldcutlerymap.org.uk/history-of-the-cutlery-industry/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Sheffield

A little Leatherman information.

Leatherman series articles


au Offline ReamerPunch

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Re: Sheffield 12012
Reply #7 on: August 15, 2018, 02:22:49 PM
I agree with Chako. I would not sell it. It is a very interesting piece, and not common to find, I think.
You got it for cheap, so If I were you, I'd count my blessings for getting it at a low price, and keep it.


 

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