Multitools From A Blind Perspective

[BlindFarmer]

Hello everyone. Time for some fun. I was born with optic atrophy and a very mild cerebral paulsy. I am not black blind, but can not drive a car, very nearsited, etc. I live on a small rural farm with family. A multitool comes in handy. Yet, some of them while a quality tool, are simply hard for me to use. I do not collect anything, I tend to use what I buy. Sorry folks, but anything Victorinox is just not for me. The tight tolerences, strong springs, tiny nail nick. Great tools, but hard for me to use. The same goes for the Leatherman Wave. Wrong choices for me. These knives are the same way. Simply too stiff to open or a stiff hard to move lock. This is a dextarity issue, not the fault of the tool.

What do I use and prefer you might ask? A Leatherman e33t, Buck 110, Buck Advantage s30v, and that ball bearing Case. Leatherman clearly shines in my choice of multitool. One word, clumping. There is enough gap, enough slop and play, that makes the Rebar and Super Tool simply great. The Arc? That is simply on another level. Nothing can touch it for ease of use and smoothness. The Gdrber is easy to use because it is just sloppy. In my case, that is great. Also the Rebar and Supertool can bs used by feel. Run a finger over the closed tools. If you feel the file on the right, that is your knife on the left. Works great on the Rebar.

A fun and different perspective. Hope this was interesting.

[IMR4198]

   Interesting personal story.  I seem to recall that the Gerber was an unexpected gift from someone you met.  A Leatherman could be a time saver for farm work.  Every farmer I ever knew had boxes of tools.  More tools stationed around the various buildings, equipment, etc.  Problem is they might be some distance from where you are working at the time.  It is good to have you back.
Best wishes,
Gary
 

[nate j]

Good write-up!

Though my vision is pretty good (not perfect, but don’t even wear glasses), I still appreciate a tool that can be brought into action by feel.

[BlindFarmer]

   Interesting personal story.  I seem to recall that the Gerber was an unexpected gift from someone you met.  A Leatherman could be a time saver for farm work.  Every farmer I ever knew had boxes of tools.  More tools stationed around the various buildings, equipment, etc.  Problem is they might be some distance from where you are working at the time.  It is good to have you back.
Best wishes,
Gary
 

Yes, the mp600 was a gift. I tried to post pictures but file size is too large. Doh. This is a great forum.

[ReamerPunch]

The Rebar is my favorite Leatherman. I love the size/tool density ratio. And it is very comfortable. I got the SuperTool 300 and it's also excellent. Very interesting to hear why the Rebar and Arc work for you.

[Grant Lamontagne]

I read this just after you posted and I wanted to wait for a chance to reply properly with a keyboard- and finally I've got that chance.

Stories like yours are the reason I started this forum.  There are a lot of different tool designs because everyone's needs are different, and it's great to hear these kinds of perspectives.  What's important to one person and their needs is very different from those of the next person and learning about other perspectives definitely helps us appreciate the nuances of different tools and where they may excel, even if they aren't for us.

Except the Leatherman Rev.  That's not a good tool for anyone.   

Def

[BlindFarmer]

I read this just after you posted and I wanted to wait for a chance to reply properly with a keyboard- and finally I've got that chance.

Stories like yours are the reason I started this forum.  There are a lot of different tool designs because everyone's needs are different, and it's great to hear these kinds of perspectives.  What's important to one person and their needs is very different from those of the next person and learning about other perspectives definitely helps us appreciate the nuances of different tools and where they may excel, even if they aren't for us.

Except the Leatherman Rev.  That's not a good tool for anyone.   

Def

Thank you, that means a lot. I tend to find what works and then stick with it. I use a Maglite Spectrum warm white LED xl50 for the same reason. The 2700k output simply works better for me. Due to the mild dextarity issues, I play a guitar on its back rather than the traditional style. I like how we can share an interest in the multitool, no matter which make or model we prefer. Thanks for the reply.

[Grant Lamontagne]

One of my favorite guitar players, the late, great Jeff Healey also played the guitar sitting down, and he was awesome.  Nothing wrong with doing what works for you!

And we are here to champion the different things that work for different people- I just like hearing about it.  If someone on the internet craps on what you have been using and works for you, well then either they are a complete idiot or you are visiting the wrong sites!   

I'm not trying to call you out on your visual impairment, but it is very interesting to hear your preferences.  I realize that you still have some vision (a friend of mine's father suffered a similar affliction years ago and got a medical discharge from the military because apparently you need to see to drive transports!) but your perspective would be very different from mine, as I have been known to buy things simply because they are pretty.   

It really does put a lot into perspective, as if I was asked what tool to buy a visually impaired person, my first impression would be a Victorinox Spirit because it doesn't clump and the ergonomics and over all build quality is exceptional- miles ahead of Leatherman or anyone else, and I would think that someone who relies on feel would get more out of it. 

Failing that, I'd have probably gone for something brightly colored like a Leatherman Juice model, which also is very ergonomic, but the bright colors may also be beneficial to someone with vision issues as it would be easier to spot/orient immediately.

And I would be wrong on both counts.   

I'm okay with that, because I now know that clumping can be important- usually I consider it a negative issue, but like anything else, there's more going on than my own interpretations. 

Thanks for broadening my horizons.  I'd love to hear about your farm as well.  We have a few farmers here (as you can imagine on a group full of tool users!) and I grew up on a military base surrounded by farms.  I've always dreamed of being able to make a life doing that kind of work!

Def

[BlindFarmer]

One of my favorite guitar players, the late, great Jeff Healey also played the guitar sitting down, and he was awesome.  Nothing wrong with doing what works for you!

And we are here to champion the different things that work for different people- I just like hearing about it.  If someone on the internet craps on what you have been using and works for you, well then either they are a complete idiot or you are visiting the wrong sites!   

I'm not trying to call you out on your visual impairment, but it is very interesting to hear your preferences.  I realize that you still have some vision (a friend of mine's father suffered a similar affliction years ago and got a medical discharge from the military because apparently you need to see to drive transports!) but your perspective would be very different from mine, as I have been known to buy things simply because they are pretty.   

It really does put a lot into perspective, as if I was asked what tool to buy a visually impaired person, my first impression would be a Victorinox Spirit because it doesn't clump and the ergonomics and over all build quality is exceptional- miles ahead of Leatherman or anyone else, and I would think that someone who relies on feel would get more out of it. 

Failing that, I'd have probably gone for something brightly colored like a Leatherman Juice model, which also is very ergonomic, but the bright colors may also be beneficial to someone with vision issues as it would be easier to spot/orient immediately.

And I would be wrong on both counts.   

I'm okay with that, because I now know that clumping can be important- usually I consider it a negative issue, but like anything else, there's more going on than my own interpretations. 

Thanks for broadening my horizons.  I'd love to hear about your farm as well.  We have a few farmers here (as you can imagine on a group full of tool users!) and I grew up on a military base surrounded by farms.  I've always dreamed of being able to make a life doing that kind of work!

Def

Here is another Rebar feature that helps me use it without looking at it. On the knife side of the tool are the inch markers. More spaced out than the cm marking on the other side. I use my thumb and if I feel more spaces, it is the knife side. I live with the parental units. It is a small 5.5 acre farm. These days we keep animals....parents pets. It is not a working farm for profit now. More of a relaxing place for the parental units while I do the work to help them enjoy the animals. I can not drive on the road. I do drive the compact tractor, riding mower, and utv. That is all within a controlled space. Two horses, three alpaca, a few hens, two ducks, three mini pigs, some white geese that showed up. The multitool lets me do repairs in the moment without going for a tool. The tear strip breaks on a feed bad....use the knife. A screw is loose on the hay hanger, use the Rebar. The limb is too long to fit in the fire pit for camping in the field, use the saw. The multitool for me is for that fast 30 second task. Cutting twine off hay bails or removing a big stapple from a cardboard box. Same with carrying a Zippo. I use it for lighting the burn barell or the campfire. I tend to use the correct tool such as a wrench or socket rather than the pliers for turning tasks.

[Farmer X]

It's always good to seek out different perspectives. Your needs may differ vastly from mine, but your story goes to show that something that is perceived as having little value (such as the ruler) can have a latent function that is very valuable. Thanks for sharing your insight!

[Grant Lamontagne]

Just because it's not a working farm doesn't mean there aren't just as many jobs that need doing on a daily basis!  Livestock is harder than plant based agriculture as potatoes don't constantly try to burst out of pens, so I can imagine those alpacas keep you busy!   

Def