Maximum Vs Bibury

[Grant Lamontagne]

I recently decided to have a look at a couple of highly recommended tools that aren't our typical name brands- and unfortunately I don't have many pics at the moment, so you'll have to bear with me while I just talk about them.   

Tool #1 is the Maximum 19 in 1 stainless steel multitool exclusively from Canadian Tire.  I am sure it is available elsewhere under another name, but mine is branded Maximum, which is a Canadian Tire owned brand.

https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/maximum-19-in-1-multi-tool-with-safety-lock-stainless-steel-0570430p.html?rq=multitool

There isn't much special about this particular tool except one thing I have been wanting to see on a multitool for a long time- a one piece tool style fold out multi-wrench.  I'm not sure I agree with the placement, but as it is a feature I have wanted for a while I am just happy that it seems to have finally happened.

Other than that, the Maximum 19 in 1 tool has a one handed opening blade (right hand users only), a short wood saw, a short file and a decent sized set of scissors similar to the Leatherman Surge on the outside.  The fold out wrench doodad folds over the saw and file, meaning there's an extra step to getting them out, but as there are very few wood saw emergencies where every second counts, that shouldn't be too big a deal.

Inside one handle is a can opener, bottle opener (each with screwdriver tips similar to Victorinox or older SOG designs) and a V style strap cutter. 

Inside the other handle is a proper, 3D Phillips and an awl with a sewing eye.

Flip the whole thing open and you have a robust plier head with replaceable cutters that looks to be on par with the second generation Leatherman Surge/MUT/Signal head, except that this one is sprung, a feature I personally hate.

I know many of you are going to tell me how wonderful sprung pliers can be, and you are probably all right- but unless there is a reason to have them, I hate them.  They just seem cheap to me, which is weird because mostly the cheapo models have them and they very likely cost more to make than unsprung pliers.   

Other than that, they seem good- I haven't used them for much yet, but I wonder about the replaceable cutters- as this is a store brand, with no real direct support (Maximum is a brand name they put on halfways decent but inexpensive products ranging from Otter style boxes to power tools) I am not sure where I would go or whom I would talk to about getting replacements.  I am going to have to have a closer look as these may be similar enough to a LM cutter that they could fit.

Overall the quality isn't too bad- I would place it at just below a Leatherman level of fit and finish, pretty close to being on par with the better Chinese made Gerbers like the Diesel.

The second tool I want to talk about is one that comes as no surprise to the folks here- the Bibury 13 in 1 tool that kind of looks like the Surge.  I got the cool one that is half BO and half stainless.

Unfortunately I have yet to take it out of the package (it arrved late last night while I was out walking the dog) and I haven't had a chance to open it up yet.  But, there are more than a few threads about it already, like this one:

https://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,92495.0.html

I'm kind of looking forward to putting these two tools head to head and see what they do and how they compare.  I'm not sure it is fair to put one against a Leatherman model, as these both cost $50 Canadian on sale.  That's about $30-35 USD, and considerable better priced than virtually anything from Leatherman these days.  Even at full price I think they are $70 or $80 CAD, so just over $50 greenbacks, which doesn't break the bank either.

For the sake of a comparison, the Rev at Canadian Tire is $90, the Skeletool is $130 and the Wave is $190.  The Maximum tool is, at full price, cheaper than the Rev, which is a tool I absolutely hate and I think the folks at Leatherman should be punished for foisting that hunk of crap on us.  I'd rather take my chances with the Maximum than carry the Rev.

Of course, if $$ is an issue, the Gerber Suspension NXT, the Truss, a couple of Armbar models and the Victorinox Huntsman are all listed as cheaper than the Maximum (at least at full price!  ), and I feel better recommending any of those over this one, if for no other reason than I know after sale service is much higher with a known brand.

Still, this would be a pretty boring forum if we all played it safe, so I'm looking forward to putting some mileage on each of these!   

Def

[Grant Lamontagne]

Here are the pics I have so far.  I know, not terribly impressive yet!   

Def

[BPRoberts]

That wrench is pretty cool. Would definitely trade the 3rd flathead some companies cram in or an internal lanyard ring for it (I guess it could be the world's biggest lanyard ring...)

Good to see companies still mixing it up with new tools.

[Grant Lamontagne]

Yeah, it's a feature I'm surprised hasn't been used in the past.  I have only ever seen that kind of thing once, on another cheapy called Mountain Gear:

https://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,36424.0.html#msg586327

That was actually a really nice tool, and I wish one had been made like it by a quality manufacturer, and I really liked the wrench cutouts.

I have (finally) managed to open the Bibury tool and have a quick look at it, and it definitely looks very Surge like.

It gets rid of the flat bits that I despise with Leatherman tools and it doesn't have the spring pliers either, so I'm happy for both of those things.

It also doesn't have a pocket clip option and is too big to drop in a pocket, so it's definitely a sheath only kind of tool, which I don't mind but I know turns a lot of others off.

But, the proof is in the pudding and we will see what I think of it after I've used it some.

Def

[Grant Lamontagne]

Oh, and the sheath might be a good idea with this one- as you can see it comes with enough add-ons to sink Noah and two of every kind of animal.   

Def

[BPRoberts]

Those Biburys are my go to reccomendation for people who don't want to put out for a Gerber/LM.

[Grant Lamontagne]

I am impressed by how well built it is for a non mainstream manufacturer.

I'm pleased to see it, and I hope this forces the big manufacturers to drop their prices.  Some of them have had free reign to do whatever they want and charge whatever they want for a while.  I have to agree with Chako in that other thread, a Surge may be a better tool overall, but it's not worth three times the cost of this one.

Def

[Grant Lamontagne]

I have a quick observation about the Bibury tool.  I haven't used it much yet, but it's worth pointing this out.

With each new tool there is always a "breaking in" period where I have to get used to how that tool works, where everything is and so on.  Since I have reviewed and carried literally hundreds of different tools, it is a situation I am very familiar and comfortable with.

I haven't had it with this tool.

Because I have carried the Surge so much, and because this one resembles the Surge so much, I have been able to instinctively draw the tool and use the blade without having to give it even the slightest thought, just as I would when reverting to a tool that I already have.

The feel, the function, everything about the Bibury feels just like the Surge so I don't need to think about it- I just simply execute the Surge, Generation 2 protocols in my brain and go with it.

It's kind of freaky how similar it is.

For example, if I was blindfolded and you handed me the Crunch and that Crunch clone (I don't recall what it's called) I could instantly tell you which was which.  I don't feel the same about the Bibury and the Surge, other than, of course, the additional cutouts.

It's a very interesting!

Def

[BPRoberts]

So, with the sale that's on right now, I was eyeballing a Surge. Should I just take the 75% discount and get the Bibury instead of the 25% LM is offering?

[Grant Lamontagne]

I haven't got enough time on this tool to properly answer that.

On the one hand, Leatherman has a proven track record, and we know what the quality is like across the board.  That's worth something for sure, as I am not sure how long this tool will last or whether the quality of this one is consistent along the whole line.  I am also not sure what the warranty service is like if it was required.

On the other hand, at a third of the price, you can replace the Bibury several times before you equal the cost of the first Surge, so there's value in that.  Even if you don't break it there is always the possibility of having it lost or stolen, or simply falling somewhere that it is irretrievable (say, perhaps off the side of a boat, as SURGE!!!! models often did in the old days), so the much better price isn't really that big of a deal.

In short, it's a bit too soon to tell, but so far I am really liking the Bibury tool. 

My biggest complaint about it is that it does not have a slot for a pocket clip and so it has to be carried in the sheath.  The sheath is also jam packed with other accessories like an Allan key, an extensive bit set and two extra T shank saws, so it's a little on the bulky side.

While the Surge is a bit large for pocket carry, at least it has that option.

Def

[Grant Lamontagne]

While I was at our camp last weekend I decided to snap a few shots of the Maximum and Bibury tools.

Half the reason I agreed to buy this camp was for all the cool rocks in the woods that I could take knife and tool pictures on!   

Def

[Grant Lamontagne]

And a couple more.

Def

[Antti Lammi]

That Bibury looks great    and Maximum doesnt look bad at all. Those looks serious competion to LM

[Grant Lamontagne]

Honestly, I still believe that Leatherman is still a better tool- at least some of their line.  The less said about the Rev or the Free series, the better.   

But given the vast price difference, I am not sure that the slight increase in quality is worth paying so much more, particularly if you are in a position to lose a tool.  The Leatherman warranty is great, provided you have a tool to send in.  If it's lost, stolen or simply gone somewhere you can't get it back, it's a lot easier to spend $50 on a new tool than it is to spend $200.

Def

[BauerMobileToolSystms]

Both tools look awesome!  Do either have pocket clips? I have that Bibury & a Surge. Both are great. Not sure if the Bibury has a pocket clip option like the Surge. The tool changer concept using the T-shank jiggsaw blade shape is a game changer.  The fold out wrench thing looks very innovative on the other multitool (forgot name) . Now Im wondering who did the tool changer first? , im thinking Gerber or Leatherman.   

[Grant Lamontagne]

The Bibury does not have the option to add a pocket clip like the Surge.  It may look very similar, but it isn't an exact copy.  There is no small, pop out lanyard ring, nor is there a spot to put the removable lanyard ring or pocket clip.

The Maxximum tool does indeed have a built in pocket clip and is surprisingly pocketable despite it's size.



We see the T shank tool changer first on the original version of the Surge which was released in 2004.  Gerber's MP600 variant called the Pro Scout also has the T shank tool holder, but I don't know when it was released.  I think it was before 2004, but I have no documentation to back that up unfortunately, so I can't say definitively who was first.

Maybe one of our serious multitool historians will pop in and clear that up.   

Def