Multitool.org Forum
Tool Talk => Cheap and Cheerful (or otherwise!) => Topic started by: Jothra on June 10, 2013, 03:20:23 AM
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Now begins the 30 Day Coghlan's Campers Tool Challenge!
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMGP0150-boxfront_zps932dac10.jpg) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMGP0150-boxfront_zps932dac10.jpg.html)
Is that a fish scaler? Aww, man...
This being Day 0 of the challenge, this post will be an explanation of the challenge, followed by my first impressions of the tool.
The 30 Day Coghlan's Campers Knife Challenge is simple. For 30 days, I replace myusual go-to multitool (my trusty and long-suffering Leatherman Wave) with the $6 knock-off version produced by Coghlan's Ltd. of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Unlike the Coghlan's Multi-Function Army Knife from my last challenge (http://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,42423.msg680138.html#msg680138), this tool is not simply a repackaged and rebranded common knock-off—instead, it's a unique knock-off!
I chose this tool because it's incredibly easy to find in outdoors stores across North America, not to mention all over the entire internet. The idea behind the challenge is to find out if, in a pinch, the Coghlan's knock-off can survive in place of a more popular piece of hard-used gear.
Most of the functions on the knock-off army knife survived,to my everlasting amazement. Can the Multitool version perform as well?
The Coghlan's Multi-Purpose Campers [sic] Tool claims to have 14 functions, as listed on the back of the package:
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMGP0151-boxback_zps0c583258.jpg) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMGP0151-boxback_zps0c583258.jpg.html)
The fish scaler has a ruler and wood file built in? Those things are both deal-breakers, which means they designed a useful fish scaler. I'm shocked.
The list seems accurate, though the "1 1/2 inch knife blade" is completely unsharpened, and will probably function well as a reamer, since the Punch/Awl is not very reamy. This beats the Coghlan's Army Knife box from the 30 Day Coghlan's Army Knife Challenge (http://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,42423.msg680138.html#msg680138), which had more mislabelled parts than a paint-by-numbers done in the dark by a baby mole.
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMGP0147-3pliers_zps0fd46174.jpg) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMGP0147-3pliers_zps0fd46174.jpg.html)
Clockwise from top left: Leatherman Skeletool, Leatherman Wave, and Campy the Campers Tool.
The pliers themselves seem sturdy and wobble-free. They aren't very fine-tipped, but most of the plier work I do is grasping and turning anyway. The lack of hard-wire cutters may be an issue, since there are two important tests these pliers are going to have to survive: cutting coat hangers (this happens with alarming regularity) and tying either sidewalk mats or door aprons on construction sites (which happens with even more alarming regularity). When I get back to construction near the end of June, we'll get to really mangle some plier heads. For the record, the Wave has been tying steel mats for years, anytime other pliers weren't available. As the picture shows, this has lead to no real damage at all. Will Campy the Campers Tool be so lucky?
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMGP0152-blades_zps3562ece8.jpg) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMGP0152-blades_zps3562ece8.jpg.html)
From left: Wenger Evo s18 SC, Campy the Camper's Tool, and Leatherman Wave.
The only serious problem I already see is the main blade. It did not come very sharp out of the box, and I'm having trouble putting an edge on it. It's finally utility-but-not-amazing sharp. We'll see how long that lasts on a blade so generic that it doesn't even sport the usual "Stainless China" tang stamp.
Everything else is nominal. All the tools open and close like they should. The whole tool is stainless steel, which I like just fine, though the edges of the handles aren't rolled in, so hard squeezing may be a tad uncomfortable.
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMGP0145-threetools_zps6d1d6176.jpg) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMGP0145-threetools_zps6d1d6176.jpg.html)
Campy, middle, about the same size as the Skeletool, left, but smaller than the Wave.
So now that the Day 0 preamble is over, let's get started with the 30 Day Coghlan's Campers Tool Challenge!
Edit: I almost forgot to mention that, like last time, the only way this ends early is if the tool absolutely does not work anymore. In this case, that means completely demolishing the plier jaws. Any damage to other functions ain't nothing but a thing.
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Thank you for your noble self sacrifice. :salute: :tu:
I hope it doesn't prove too painful and I look forward to your progress reports (I enjoyed reading about your last long-term "test drive").
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We salute your sacrifice :salute:
I hope this is as interesting as the last time.
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I think the plier jaws will be fine. It's the wire cutter and the main blade I'm worried about.
One of my resolutions for the next few months is to spend more time MacGyvering stuff, so hopefully Campy will spend a lot of time doing spectacularly goofy things.
The Wave I usually keep in my bag is working on six years of odious, heinous jobs. I don't use it nearly as much as my SAKs, but I have punished it more than any tool I have ever owned. It's unlikely Campy could survive quite that kind of torment. Fortunately, it probably won't have to, because I don't intend to carry it for half a decade.
I'm not sure I've ever thanked you guys for reading this stuff. There wouldn't be any point if I was just talking to myself. Thanks!
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Reminds me of that "Between a rock and a hard place guy". :facepalm:
I think I lasted about a day with mine and then went back to my :sak: turned me off the LM for years.
But still took a place of pride in my tool box untill it became more.... Actually it might still be there.
Anyway good luck Campy! Hang in there little guy.
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You are tougher then I am. I could never use it for two days in a row let alone a full month.
That is one tool that does feel like it is worth 6 bucks.
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Looking forward to reading the results from this one... :salute:
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I like your style Jothra, I am too looking forward to this review.
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:popcorn: Here we go again.....
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30 Day Coghlan's Campers Tool Challenge: Day 1
It's day one, and I've already needed to cut a piece of coat hanger. This may sound odd, but wire coat hangers are practically the most useful cheap and Cheerful multitool of them all.
Anyway, I needed my lighter to fix some shoelace ends, but the flint was too worn to push against the flintwheel properly. Campy graciously cut a tiny shim from a piece of coat hanger (one of the more unique items in the lockbox of my truck). Placed under the remaining flint, the shim created enough tension to force the flint and wheel to spark like the early pangs of unrequited teenage love.
Since I had the mangled hanger out anyway, I went ahead and made a few more cuts. Because there is no hard-wire cutter at the base of the jaws, the hanger likes to slide up towards freedom with each cut, but it didn't cause any real problems. I could probably fix that myself by filing a slightly wider cutter down there myself, but I think I'll see how I do without it instead. My hanger-cutting left no noticeable damage on the wire cutters at all.
Yes, I dug out a proper flint when I got home.
On an unrelated note, here's something hilarious I noticed today. It is hilarious because, as we all remember, Coghlan's is a Canadian company:
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMGP0155-scalerscale_zps5d6967b8.jpg) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMGP0155-scalerscale_zps5d6967b8.jpg.html)
I guess it is the fish scaler, not the fish scaleser.
I know metrification kind of stalled out in the mid-1980s, but Metric System. Seriously, the changeover was substantially finished by the time I was one year old. I think it may be safe to assume that including metric numbers on a tool manufactured for a Canadian company might work out somehow. Heck, Leatherman includes both scales, and they're American. Although I like rulers on multitools (I wish my Evo s18 had one on the saw or something), this isn't a big deal. I just find it funny.
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30 Day Coghlan's Campers Tool Challenge: Days 2 and 3
On Day 2 I used Campy's knife to cut rope and drill holes in a rectangle of ridgid insulatiom (the blue kind), then used the fish scaler to push the rope through the holes to make a sort of hanging platform attached to 10 feet of rope. Then I used this platform and a big lidless tupperware container full of water to demonstrate centripital force to a bunch of kids. Do it by spinning in a circles like a lunatic, and you become a rock god.
Sorry, no pictures of that one (not allowed), but I'll throw up a sketch later.
Day 3, today, was food prep. The knife did fine. Also: the pliers adjusted some very old bicycle cantilever brakes. Still shiny, though none of the tools even remotely lock.
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Do they make a nice "snap" sound so you can atleast pretend?
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Do they make a nice "snap" sound so you can atleast pretend?
There is no snap. there is neither slipjoint nor friction to hold them in place. There is nothing. The tools open from the inside of the handle, but even the Kick/Fuse/Blast-style dummy-lock is absent. With care it shouldn't matter, but criminy.
Anyhoo, Day 4 has been a bit of a workout. The pliers managed to take off a bolt on an under-the-chainstay U-brake, and temporarily bend the tension spring back into shape until the bicycle's owner can get the spring replaced. The plier jaws still look and feel like new. The knife, however, needs some sharpening after that styrofoam work from yesterday, which is hilarious.
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Wow sharpening already. At least the wire cutters are in tact. I thought they would be dented beyond use by now.
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Wow sharpening already. At least the wire cutters are in tact. I thought they would be dented beyond use by now.
Yeah, the wire cutters are still pristine, but the blade is very bad. I rarely use my MT blade, in favour of my SAK, but it's still too bad it dulls so fast. You CANNOT bank on the knife blade. I'm already giving that a fail.
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It took me a minute to figure out what you didn't like about the scale. No changeover here. We had a couple of metric scares but it never took.
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It took me a minute to figure out what you didn't like about the scale. No changeover here. We had a couple of metric scares but it never took.
Metric and I are buddies. But far more important to me is that I'm four days in, and one of the most vital tools on Campy has already biffed it.
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Another great hardcore cheap tool challenge! :tu:
:popcorn:
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That sort of knife is good as a scraper. There's no particular edge to dull by abusing it and you're unlikely to chip it either.
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Keep up the good with mate, we appreciate your hard work. :hatsoff:
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Serious thanks for another torture test on a very cheap tool. This tool is (as far as I can tell) identical to the High Uinta MT I reviewed here...
http://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,39450.0.html
I said it in that review, and I'd reiterate it... I'd prefer this to the cheap chinese SAK knock-off tool to throw in a emergency kit (for instance). Not super happy with EITHER for long term, though.
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Lynn's back. :woohoo:
We've missed you, Lynn. (http://edcforums.com/styles/default/xenforo/smilies/hug.gif)
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Thanks to an automatically set mouse button action, I have to rewrite this entire post. Argh.
Serious thanks for another torture test on a very cheap tool. This tool is (as far as I can tell) identical to the High Uinta MT I reviewed here...
http://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,39450.0.html
I said it in that review, and I'd reiterate it... I'd prefer this to the cheap chinese SAK knock-off tool to throw in a emergency kit (for instance). Not super happy with EITHER for long term, though.
I agreed with this sentiment at first, but the longer I go the less sure I am.
Day 5, only two days after I had to re-sharpen the knife (The Rigid Insulation Fiasco of '13), and having only used the knife on cheese, grapefruits, and one (1) orange, this is my result attempting to cut a grapefruit:
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMG_20130615_103725-1524958979_zps3a410279-1_zpseb0eeda7.jpg) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMG_20130615_103725-1524958979_zps3a410279-1_zpseb0eeda7.jpg.html)
It's like watching a train wreck! A citrus-flavoured train wreck!
This is officially the last test of the blade I will be making. I don't want its abject failure to dominate the next 25 days of reports.
Day 6 started out as part of a fun weekend of bicycling in a nearby large city with a friend of mine. It ended that way, too, but we had an interruption when a bolt came loose in the SPD cleat of his right bike shoe. Since the cleat wouldn't twist with the rest of his foot, he couldn't get it out of the pedal.
Things Campy could, could not, and need not do:
- Could: marlinspike the ridiculous double-knot on the shoe. (Phillips screwdriver)
- Need not: remove the pedal (neither of us would ever go cross-city cycling without a bike-specific multitool).
- Could not: unscrew the spindle for the rear SPD cleat latch thingy (without a lock, it's bloody knuckle time!) (Phillips screwdriver)
- Could: pull out the loosened spindle. It was super tight (go spring tension!) (pliers)
After that, it was gravy. So the pliers are still winning, but the lack of any slip-joint, friction, or...well...any lock makes the screwdriver a menace.
Day 7, we re-assembled the pedal. Campy's pliers helped get the pieces back in, but the screwdriver was incapable of turning the spindle back in. Here is a re-enactment of the nice pinch I got, since neither of us had a camera ready at the time:
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMGP0167-pinchy_zpsbf1631f2.jpg) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMGP0167-pinchy_zpsbf1631f2.jpg.html)
Pinchy pinchy!
...and here's what it felt like:
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/eatenby_zpsbfe61973.png) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/eatenby_zpsbfe61973.png.html)
So, the screwdriver is great, provided you want to use it as a marlinspike and not for the screwing or unscrewing of screws. Win? Maybe not.
So, as of Day 7, the only thing that's really impressing me so far is the plier part of the tool. I may as well have spent the same amount of money on a pair of actual, regular-for-real type pliers. But with 23 days to go, onward must we trundle![/list]
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One must suffer for his art...and thus...you are very brave. :D
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Jothra, do you think the SAK knockoff would have succeeded at any of the tasks the Camper's Tool failed?
It seems the blade on the SAK knockoff is better. What about the drivers?
Also... yeah, I've considered that instead of a super-cheap plier based multitool, a better inexpensive option might be a SAK or SAK-alike and a $2 pair of locking pliers.
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Jothra, do you think the SAK knockoff would have succeeded at any of the tasks the Camper's Tool failed?
It seems the blade on the SAK knockoff is better. What about the drivers?
Also... yeah, I've considered that instead of a super-cheap plier based multitool, a better inexpensive option might be a SAK or SAK-alike and a $2 pair of locking pliers.
The backside Phillips on the Coghlan Army Knife is far superior, mostly by virtue of having a proper slip-joint lock. Actually, that and the bottle opener driver are my two favourite components on Coghlan. They never once let me down, even during serious construction and demo.
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I just used my 'High Uinta' version of this tool for the can opener. It works quite well.
I suppose I need to test the blade on mine. I don't wanna... :dwts:
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Day 8 shall hitherto be known as The Day the Can Opener Worked!
It opens cans by punching, just like Jackie Chan. The lack of a lock makes no difference, since can openers only work in one direction.
I had Shrek Soup.
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:popcorn:
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Despite possible appearances, the challenge has not been abandoned. Rather, things have been pretty easy on young Campy, but that will change in two days. After the Monday stat, Campy gets a rude introduction to commercial construction in what may become known as the day the challenge really started.
In the meantime, I've still been using the blade for easier food prep (another couple of sharpenings, and still a little wary of the non-locking tools), and the pliers have actually stayed in my good books by continuing to...well...ply. The wire cutters have also not failed yet, though I've mostly only been using them on things like zip ties so far (as well as the Day 1 coat hanger job).
So far, I'm willing to call the pliers a possible victory, but we'll see what real abuse* brings!
*By real abuse, I mean something like tying rebar. I actually have pretty high hopes for this part of the challenge.
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Your wave just died... will campy be next? :popcorn:
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Your wave just died... will campy be next? :popcorn:
Not today!
Day 21 saw some real action! Campy spent most of the day cutting tie wire (the real stuff; not the stuff from the gardening section of your Home Hardware), without any damage to the wire cutters. The lack of a hard-wire cutter, which I had originally thought would be a drawback, was actually really useful here—the hard-wire cutter is usually too big to outright slice through tie wire, so having regular cutters all the way down (just like proper rodbuster pliers) was great. Granted, there are other situations in which I will want hard-wire cutters, but this time it's a win for Campy!
On what I already knew was an outside chance, I tried to ream a hole in an Emergency Contacts sign with the awl, but I don't think I can blame Campy for that not working. Those signs have an aluminum layer in them, and that's really a job for a drill (since I had one handy). Just for fun, though, I tried with my new Leatherman Rebar:
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMG_20130702_134543-awlthelivelongday_zps8fbaba66.jpg) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMG_20130702_134543-awlthelivelongday_zps8fbaba66.jpg.html)
Success!
Again, though, that's even more above-and-beyond than I would normally go. Even I wouldn't normally use a pocket tool for that one. Also, while it couldn't make the hole, Campy did, in fact, make the hole larger. I should have taken a picture of that, but I'm a bad person.
Today I also replaced the strap of my Superman watch (my teaching/dress one being my Clark Kent watch), and—the new strap being metal instead of fabric—I needed pliers and a paperclip to remove links to make it fit my dainty wrist:
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMG_20130702_190749-watchstrap_zps5accf78a.jpg) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMG_20130702_190749-watchstrap_zps5accf78a.jpg.html)
A little farther...a little farther...a lit...NO, BACK! BACK! Well, that works too...
Here is Campy celebrating with my watch! By actual regular-for-real coincidence, they match! Wow!
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMG_20130702_193529-watchon_zps5e1ec4fd.jpg) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMG_20130702_193529-watchon_zps5e1ec4fd.jpg.html)
I said I have dainty wrists...not dainty hands.
The takeaway from Day 21 is that Campy's pliers and wire cutters are still winners, and that I should really invest in an actual camera.
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Waiting for the next episode of this seriously entertaining 30 day Challenge. :tu:
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Day 22-23!
Still no rebar tying (more's the pity), but a lot more tie wire cutting. I'm still really pleased with the wire cutters. I had a grudge match between the awl and some metal signs, but had no better luck. It is worth noting that while the awl/reamers on my Leatherman Rebar, Victorinox Outrider, and even my Wenger Evo s18 managed to punch the holes, it was spectacularly difficult with all of them.
I'm working a rare late night this evening. We'll see what comes for Campy!
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Day 24-25
Two days of moderate work!
Day 24 ended up being a day of dry-packing columns. This means taking bagged grout (MBED, 212, or—this is the new one I'm trying—755), mixing in just enough water to make it pack together when I pound the crap out of it with a piece of wood, and then using this mix (and this piece of wood) to fill the space between a steel column and the concrete foundation to which it is bolted.
What does this have to do with Campy the Campers Tool? I needed to manufacture two things for this job: a packing stick, and a water cup.
The packing stick was a piece cut from a survey stake. Campy doesn't have a saw, so naturally it wasn't expected to do that part. But later, when I needed a thinner pounding stick for one particularly low-sitting column, I did use Campy's knife to cut the splintery pieces from a 4" long, 2" wide piece of scrap 1/4" plywood. I was tremulous about the lack of a lock (like usual), but it worked just fine. I'm sure it needs sharpening again already, but at least it succeeded!
The water cup was (obviously, I suppose) for scooping water from my big water bucket into my smaller grout bucket. I usually mix in small batches so I don't have half a bucket of grout left drying if I get called off to another task (or, worse yet, lunch!), so I don't like dumping, barely controlled, straight from the water bucket. So what do I have on site to use for this cup?
It's a new site, so...nothing! Wait, not nothing...pop cans! So I used the knife to cut the top from a can, and the pliers to fold the edge down so I wouldn't cut my careless self on the cup during use.
As I didn't have a camera on me at the time, I performed a re-enactment on my front lawn. Success? Twice? Well played, Campy!
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMGP0170-can01_zps525cad12.jpg) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMGP0170-can01_zps525cad12.jpg.html)
This can has no idea what's coming, but the Jaws theme is probably playing in the background.
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMGP0172-can02_zpsd8b26018.jpg) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMGP0172-can02_zpsd8b26018.jpg.html)
"Get it off! Get it off!"
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMGP0173-can03_zps604ef1d2.jpg) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMGP0173-can03_zps604ef1d2.jpg.html)
This is a bit like the ending of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMGP0173-can04_zps6859601c.jpg) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMGP0173-can04_zps6859601c.jpg.html)
This, too.
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMGP0175-can05_zps1dd00fcc.jpg) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMGP0175-can05_zps1dd00fcc.jpg.html)
Folding the edge down (safety third!)
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMGP0175-can06_zps87b351ee.jpg) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMGP0175-can06_zps87b351ee.jpg.html)
Finished! Lovely? Well, no, but effective.
I'll say one thing for the knife, which is that the blade dulls pretty fast, but only gets so bad before it seems to level out. While it's not good for edge retention, at least it won't get quite as dull as a ball of Silly Putty after a bunch of cutting.
Day 25 is, oddly, the first time I've tested the bottle opener. It works. Now I can enjoy something I don't see often where I live: a beer from Pacific Western Brewing! Honey Brown fun!
The "awl" (the one that looks like a rounded slot screwdriver) helped me marlinspike apart one of those Rocky S2V paracord Survival Grenades (http://www.rockys2v.com/Product-Details/15851/1600608941/Rocky_S2V_Survival_Grenade/) (I wanted the parts for my own mini kit). The awl is useful for something! Unfortunately, it was actually kind of a chore, because until I got the end of the awl worked into the knot, it kept trying to close on my fingers. This is like in that one M. Night Shyamalan movie in which we find out that the one character's superpower is Not Drinking Water—it might come in handy, but the circumstances sure aren't going to come up too often.
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Great work still. :tu: Maybe instead of using the knife blade you could use the can opener to open the can like a normal food can. I have turned soda cans into cups using the can opener on my wave before.
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Great work still. :tu: Maybe instead of using the knife blade you could use the can opener to open the can like a normal food can. I have turned soda cans into cups using the can opener on my wave before.
I liked this idea, so I tried it:
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMGP0181-canoncan1_zpseeab072d.jpg) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMGP0181-canoncan1_zpseeab072d.jpg.html)
Oh, the humanity!
The results are pretty clear. But good news:
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMGP0181-canoncan2_zpsc0129ffa.jpg) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMGP0181-canoncan2_zpsc0129ffa.jpg.html)
"And I said 'yeah, baby, yeah!' "
The Leatherman can opener did a great job, so props for that. It's just too bad that if I need to do this again next week, I'll still have to use Campy.
Both of them worked when I tried to open the can from the top (like a food-type can), but Campy was pretty slow, since the relatively unpronounced hook under the can opener had trouble latching under the lip of the can (Coke Zero this time, since I ran out of empty Orange Crushes).
Here are the two can openers, staring each other down:
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMGP0183-canoncan3_zps7fec961f.jpg) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMGP0183-canoncan3_zps7fec961f.jpg.html)
Only one of these is a can opener. The other one is a can't opener.
The Leatherman opener is sharpened. The Coghlan's one, however, is the bluntiest blunter in blunt town. Without hooking under the rim of a can for leverage, Campy's can opener...can't.
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Can't opener?
Try and say that three times fast! :whistle:
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instead of using the can opener to remove the entire top portion of the can, use it like you would when opening a food can... remove the top while leaving the top rim intact. See how that works.
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instead of using the can opener to remove the entire top portion of the can, use it like you would when opening a food can... remove the top while leaving the top rim intact. See how that works.
That's what I actually meant
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Both of them worked when I tried to open the can from the top (like a food-type can), but Campy was pretty slow, since the relatively unpronounced hook under the can opener had trouble latching under the lip of the can (Coke Zero this time, since I ran out of empty Orange Crushes).
It didn't really stand out in my post because I didn't get pictures.
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I see
-
Hilariously, I got it wrong, did it again, and forgot the pictures the second time.
For the record, from-the-top is a way better idea, so I'm doing that from now on. Thanks, Nhoj!
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:popcorn:
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:D You're welcome
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You are doing Gods work son.
(http://forum.multitool.org/Smileys/default/popcorn.gif)
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Loving your reports mate. :D
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Day 26
Today was Jothra Is A Meanie Day! I used Campy for all kinds of things, some of which I happen to know are very bad ideas, from a tool longevity point of view.
First thing upon arriving at work, I unlocked the most important door on site, which someone had locked overnight for some reason. This is the most useful the large screwdriver has been:
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMG_20130708_072808-porta_zpsf629b85d.jpg) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMG_20130708_072808-porta_zpsf629b85d.jpg.html)
If a Porta Potty door doesn't open, it's really just a smelly paperweight.
Then, after some dry-pack grouting (fun, if you're dumb like me), I had to break off a bunch of form pins from the original foundation pour. Normally this is as easy as hitting them a couple of times with a hammer—in today's case, a mini-sledge—but one pin was bent down so close to the wall that I needed to pry it up before I could even hammer it:
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMG_20130708_083701-pryers_zps8fcfe314.jpg) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMG_20130708_083701-pryers_zps8fcfe314.jpg.html)
See how bad an idea this is? This is a really bad idea.
But, maybe surprisingly, it worked, and I finally hammered off the blasted pin:
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMG_20130708_083816-pryerz_zps5dce6145.jpg) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMG_20130708_083816-pryerz_zps5dce6145.jpg.html)
I've only very rarely pried with the plier tips, because breaky breaky!
Next, while working on the pin-smashing, I found a column base I had grouted, but forgot to clean up:
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMG_20130708_091659grout1_zpscb220044.jpg) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMG_20130708_091659grout1_zpscb220044.jpg.html)
Maybe it's not important, but I like to leave a nice, clean-cut column base.
My margin trowel was way on the other end of site (and it's a big site). What to do?
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMG_20130708_091659grout2_zps4c5ae127.jpg) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMG_20130708_091659grout2_zps4c5ae127.jpg.html)
What to do? What to do!
You're not going to believe this, sports fans, but the fish scaler actually did something useful, like, for real.
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMG_20130708_091659grout3_zps2bfeb8e6.jpg) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMG_20130708_091659grout3_zps2bfeb8e6.jpg.html)
The picture doesn't really do its awesomeness justice.
Finally, someone remembered to bring the grinder, but it needed a blade change. So, do you think we had the special grinder wrench on site?
Bwa ha ha! No.
Good news, though! A time-tested trick performed by no fewer than three (3) of my different Leatherman tools:
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMG_20130708_134802-grinder_zpsdeae8f19.jpg) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMG_20130708_134802-grinder_zpsdeae8f19.jpg.html)
No grinder tool? No problem! Like a charm!
Don't worry. The grinder was unplugged at the time.
This was a pretty punishing but successful day for poor ol' Campy.
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You're not going to believe this, sports fans, but the fish scaler actually did something useful, like, for real.
:sa:
Also, still :popcorn:
We LOVE your writeups Jothra. You're our cheap-tool hero! :tu:
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You're not going to believe this, sports fans, but the fish scaler actually did something useful, like, for real.
:sa:
Also, still :popcorn:
We LOVE your writeups Jothra. You're our cheap-tool hero! :tu:
Wasnt that a song from the 80's? :think: :D :D
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:popcorn: I agree you have good write ups. And your added jokes in italics are very funny. :tu:
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You're not going to believe this, sports fans, but the fish scaler actually did something useful, like, for real.
:sa:
I still won't be running out to buy tools with fish scalers, but I guess the trick is to use the tools you have, not the tools you want.
Thanks, everybody! More grouting tomorrow? More steel tie-wire? More grinding? A nice panini? Stay tuned!
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I just tried taking the top off of a soda can with my can opener (on the same tool with different name plastered on it). Strange thing happened... after about 4 or 5 cuts, the top started to split cleanly along a seam, like the pre-scored area of a pop-top. The whole top came off freakishly cleanly. I'll see if I can get pics in the morning.
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Sorry for the double-post, but here's a pic of the can mentioned above.
The opener started in from the edge, and began creeping toward the rim. Then by the forth or so puncture, it started splitting cleanly along a seam. When I got back around to the start, it removed even most of the bits that I'd missed to start with. Very, VERY clean. Freaky.
(http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m208/lynnlefey/IMGP1555_zps12975b55.jpg)
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I'm having trouble replicating your results, though I still get a pretty clean cut if I poke into that little trench thing.
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I have no idea if my results were typical, or if it was just this canning facility, this particular batch, or what.
Also, if you just cut the lid off normally, you can use the handle of the tool to press down the jagged material inside the lip of the can to make it a little safer, if need be.
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Also, if you just cut the lid off normally, you can use the handle of the tool to press down the jagged material inside the lip of the can to make it a little safer, if need be.
Agreed!
Anyway, work got called on account of infinite mud after last night's torrential downpour, so Campy and I are off to do some bike repair.
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So... I tried to reproduce the top removal, only this time with some cheap 'Super-Chill Diet Cola', because, obviously, it wasn't going to work again... except it DID. :o
(http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m208/lynnlefey/IMGP1556_zpse557c574.jpg)
This time, I let the tool in question, my 'High Uinta' branded tool, creep into frame.
I... seriously... I have no idea what's going on. Okay. That is all. I won't hijack your thread any longer. Carry on with the fine work.
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First, this thread belongs to the world. Hello, world!
Second, we have an interesting development, can-wise:
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMG_20130709_194824-threecans_zps69f0bbff.jpg) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMG_20130709_194824-threecans_zps69f0bbff.jpg.html)
Clockwise from left: Diet Dr. Pepper, Coke Zero, and Diet Crush.
Both Dr. Pepper and Crush are doing exactly what you described, while Coke Zero is not. My earlier failures were with Coke Zero and Cherry NOS. If you look closely at the picture, you might be able to see the shallower angle of the can top immediately inside the lip of the Crush and Dr. Pepper cans. Since these two are both Pepsi products, while Coke Zero and NOS are both Coke products, I think we can assume it depends entirely on the plant or line the bottles are manufactured in/on. It has nothing to do with Campy's abilities after all.
Problem solved! Go team!
Anyway, back on topic: the large slot screwdriver helped me hold a tire off the rim so I could use another tool to slip off the rest of the bead. Easy-peasy, lemon-squeezy.
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Haha we are such thorough people here. Now I know the difference between the rims of coke and pepsi cans.
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Haha we are such thorough people here. Now I know the difference between the rims of coke and pepsi cans.
Yeah. I almost feel kinda dirty.
At least I know it wasn't some new and bizarre inadequacy of Campy's.
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I have had that experience with aluminum cans before. I think it is more to do with it tearing due to the strain put on it whilst you are using the can opener, (It is a can opener after all) kind of like how it is easier to tear paper towel semi-neatly along the perforations. Because some of he work has been done already.
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It's Day 28, and it's a very merry Grouting Day! Because of the bewildering variety of seated, standing, and squatting positions an entire day of grouting entails, the only thing in any of my pockets was Campy. Was Campy up to the challenge of doing...well...everything?
We were off to a good start with this rigid insulation, which made the mistake of being in front of the column base I was after.
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMG_20130710_075306-fishsaw_zpse169dbfb.png) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMG_20130710_075306-fishsaw_zpse169dbfb.png.html)
Wait, is that the...no. He wouldn't use that again!
Since the nearest saw was in my satchel, which was uncharacteristically far away, I decided to try the fish scaler. After all, the tool is shaped like one of those dull, saw-like pumpkin carving knives you give to your kids before you trust them with anything sharper than a boiled egg. It wasn't as clean as a saw cut, but it did the trick, and I used it like this for the rest of the day. This is, of course, the second time in the history of the entire universe that a fish scaler has been useful for anything.
Next up was a new water scooping cup...thingy. As per our earlier discussion, I hunted down a Pepsi can, which was easy to find, since someone is littering them around the site with alarming frequency. Seriously, someone out there must be drinking 30 litres of cola a day. Anyway, this ought to give some of you a thrill:
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMG_20130710_092148-pepsicoladebonaire_zps60087c84.png) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMG_20130710_092148-pepsicoladebonaire_zps60087c84.png.html)
Hey, there's a multitool in my Pepsi! I demand a refund!
As you can see in this picture, even before morning coffee Campy was rife with grout dust. Good news: it washed right off, and everything's shiny again.
Finally, here are some of the scarier things Campy had to do today. The first Scary Thing was batoning. This is something I usually don't do. I've done this while firestarting in the woods, because sometimes you stupidly forget your axe. My tamping stick was twice as thick as I needed for two different columns today, so I needed to thin it up:
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMG_20130710_112040-batonning_zps19495e9b.png) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMG_20130710_112040-batonning_zps19495e9b.png.html)
Bang! Bang! Bang! is the sound of my margin trowel's handle mercilessly smashing down on the end of Campy's blade.
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMG_20130710_110233-saw_zps5622b06d.png) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMG_20130710_110233-saw_zps5622b06d.png.html)
I had to use an actual saw for this part, so a big hand for the Outrider! Yaaaaaaaaaay!
So, batoning worked out. I wasn't sure how handily Campy's blade would survive it, but I don't see any damage. Good thing your blade doesn't have to be too sharp for this one.
Finally, I needed to flatten the point on the back end of my tamping stick (the thick part that I kept) so I could tamp in an odd corner. Pliers, I choose you!
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMG_20130710_075639-hokeysnappin_zpsd3ea22e9.png) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMG_20130710_075639-hokeysnappin_zpsd3ea22e9.png.html)
See? I choose them!
Then I cleaned it up a bit with the knife blade, which was only mildly terrifying without any kind of locking mechanism and an edge as sharp as a $30 suit:
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMG_20130710_075825-hokeysnappy_zps228c5f9b.png) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMG_20130710_075825-hokeysnappy_zps228c5f9b.png.html)
dontfoldupdontfoldupdontfoldup...
And thus ended Day 28!
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Go ! Campy Go ! you good thing !!!!! :tu: :salute:
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Wow! This thing is the Energizer bunny of cheap multis!
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Yeah campy!
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I admit readily that over the first couple of weeks, I didn't think Campy was going to make it. But, as it turns out, where it's really shining is in the really brutal stuff that no tool should have to face. It can't do fine work for anything, but it can chop survey stakes in half. Lengthwise. It's surprising me exactly the same way Coghlan the Army Knife did.
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Well if this tool can survive this...any tool made out there can.
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Well done Campy! :salute: Superb reading as always Jothra. :cheers:
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Thanks, all!
Now, I know this is only a 30 day challenge, but I'm going camping and scrambling this weekend, so I'm giving Campy two bonus days. What better way to end it all than on a camping trip?
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Going camping: Campy's reward for a job... emm... adequately? done. :D
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Going camping: Campy's reward for a job... emm... adequately? done. :D
:D
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I knew the fish scaler couldn't be completely useless!
Thanks for the great review, I had never heard of that Coglan brand before.
I hope you enjoy your camping time; I could use some right now. :salute:
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Okay, here's your only warning, and it's going to be in Rubric Red:
Near the end of this post, I do something absolutely unthinkable to this tool. Never treat a tool this way. I've done a watered-down, less ridiculous version of this with my Kick and Wave in the (somewhat distant now) past. There is always a better tool for this job. Don't do it.
There. Read on.
Day 29 was mostly more of the same at work, with a few familiar chores, and a few new ones. The one familiar thing Campy did over and over is cutting through that rigid insulation.
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMG_20130711_093954-29saw_zps49570276.jpg) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMG_20130711_093954-29saw_zps49570276.jpg.html)
It's no saw, but it's better than using my teeth. Or someone else's teeth.
At this end of the building, several column bases were filled with gravel and dried mud. These had to be cleaned out for the grout, because a hard candy grout coating with a soft chewy mud centre is bad news. My oddly versatile margin trowel could get most of it, but some spots were easier with the longest non-blade tool Campy holds:
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMG_20130711_105849-29scrape_zps185fec0d.jpg) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMG_20130711_105849-29scrape_zps185fec0d.jpg.html)
The fish scaler again? I'm as surprised as anyone, I swear!
The fish scaler is, after all, just a scraping tool, although it's normally for scraping an animal much less gritty than muddy concrete.
Wind? Well, I didn't realize it was in the forecast, but you work with what you can get. Why is this important? Because the door of the big job trailer was flapping ungracefully as it was buffeted by an unrelenting, invisible foe. I had to use some tie wire to make an Open Latch thingy for it.
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMG_20130711_125213-29tiewire_zpsc2803885.jpg) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMG_20130711_125213-29tiewire_zpsc2803885.jpg.html)
Hey, the cutters are still good! Also, the lack of hard-wire cutters is still fine with me.
I also used the pliers to double up the wire, twist it into a big loop, and twist one end onto a fastener under the trailer, but close enough to loop around the door's closure bar, holding the whole thing safely open. This may not seem important, but you might not think it funny when you suddenly get trapped in a trailer as the wind slams the door shut—with enough force to knock it into a locked position from the outside. Trust me, it's not something you want to do twice.
After wrapping up the last of the grouting, it was time for knocking off more leftover form pins. The problem is that some doofus, thinking he was being clever, had knocked them all flat against the foundation, so I couldn't hit them far enough to break. I couldn't even squeeze the claw of the hammer behind six of these bent pins. I needed something to wedge behind them, like a crappy chisel, or...you know what? Who am I kidding? You've already figured out where I'm going with this.
The faint of heart may wish to look away.
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMG_20130711_140557-29worstthingever_zps08aac5a2.jpg) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMG_20130711_140557-29worstthingever_zps08aac5a2.jpg.html)
Bang. Bang. Bang. Now you know why I wrote my warning in red.
There's a little scarring around the ends of the handles, because framing hammers have knurled striking faces. The plier/handle pivots loosened a bit, but were good as new after a little peening. Other than that, no new tool damage to report.
Try not to cry too much for Campy. It's in good company now, since my Kick (five years ago) and my Wave (three years ago) did something similar when I needed to peel layers of tin off of different surfaces. Neither of those cases, however, required this much force or this much hammer. This is the one task Campy has performed that I have never really asked of another tool. Ever.
What an end to Day 29!
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:o
:ahhh
Now that's torture testing. >:D
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Well campy is no elegant pearl scaled sak but he gets the job done!
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There are a number of downsides to the design used to make Campy, but the simplicity of it lends itself to being... emmm... 'mistreated' and surviving (mostly) unscathed.
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:o
I guess this is one of the good reasons to actually buy cheapo MT's.
You can mistreat them like you would not have the heart to do with a pricy one.
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Ironically, I just dented the handle nicely by dropping it two feet onto a hammer. Really.
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It's Day 30, and to start things off we find out that Campy's knife blade is still sharp enough to sharpen a big construction pencil, but not sharp enough to cut human flesh.
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMG_20130712_104000-sharpener_zps98ea5dc8.jpg) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMG_20130712_104000-sharpener_zps98ea5dc8.jpg.html)
You'll have to take my word for the human flesh thing.
I'm absolutely serious when I say this blade cannot cut skin, no matter how carelessly I handle the thing. The point at the end could do some pointy-type damage, but this knife is really as dull as it gets. Pencils sure are made of soft wood.
Further to my quick post earlier today, this:
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMG_20130712_104033-hammerdamage_zpsd8d4f740.jpg) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMG_20130712_104033-hammerdamage_zpsd8d4f740.jpg.html)
Oh mercy me! The horror!
I went to take Campy from my right front pocket, and it accidentally flew to the ground, landing on my 28 ounce Estwing. Now, if the Estwing had landed on Campy, I would have expected the damage, but this is ridiculous. I can hammer Campy like a chisel to no real ill effect, but I can't drop it two feet without causing a weapons-grade structural implosion? I was speechless. We're lucky I gathered my wits long enough to take a picture.
At home (about twenty minutes ago, actually), I used my Leatherman Rebar to bend Campy's handle back out. It was much harder than caving it in had been.
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMG_20130712_194401-benttocarp_zps00a81514.jpg) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMG_20130712_194401-benttocarp_zps00a81514.jpg.html)
Well, it could be worse. Probably. If I was on fire or something maybe.
The tools are all accessible again, though the only one I regularly use on that side of that handle is the can opener. Amazingly, there's no new pivot wobble anywhere. Campy really dodged a bullet on this one. In a stroke of luck, I didn't need any pliers today, so my Evo s18 took over Campy's duties for the afternoon. I had almost forgotten the joy of having a super-sharp, durable blade.
Coming up tomorrow...Bonus Day 1!
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Campy nooooo! I guess he finally met his match. :( He needs to be put in a special place where you can remember him forever! Wow, I liked your sak clone thread, but I actually got emotionally attached to campy!
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Campy nooooo! I guess he finally met his match. :( He needs to be put in a special place where you can remember him forever! Wow, I liked your sak clone thread, but I actually got emotionally attached to campy!
Campy's match was gravity. Ha ha!
No problem though, because it's back in (approximate) fighting form, and ready for camping.
FYI, it's still meeting my intial condition for success—the pliers are still working just fine. As a bonus, the oddest tools keep proving useful.
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30 Day Coghlan's Campers Tool Challenge: A Nightmare in Steel!
I'm going to approximate the review format from last time, because consistency is the key to consistency!
Overview
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMGP0147-3pliers_zps0fd46174.jpg) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMGP0147-3pliers_zps0fd46174.jpg.html)
Three multitool buddies? I'll bet they don't ever buy each other drinks.
Like my last (http://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,42423.msg696760.html#msg696760) 30-day challenge, this one felt like a million days. The tools I ended up testing regularly changed drastically from the beginning of the challenge to the end. For the first couple of weeks, I spent most of my time teaching, so Campy the Camper's Tool spent time on domestic, and often delicate, chores. For the last little while, it was CONSTRUCTION CONSTRUCTION CONSTRUCTION and there was no such thing as a delicate and dainty task anymore. This mix of work types has led to some interesting discoveries about the Coghlan's Campers Tool, for better or for worse.
I spent a lot of time on the pliers, blade, can opener, and (shockingly) the fish scaler. I made serious attempts with the Phillips driver, the awl, the small blade (more of an un-sharpened reamer), and the bottle opener/screwdriver, with varying degrees of success.
Like my earlier Army Knife, the Campers Tool tool cost $6 at Wholesale Sports, which, despite the name, still does not sell things wholesale.
Tool review
I may as well get this out of the way: Campy's tools do not lock. They don't friction lock, slip-joint lock, frame lock, liner lock, vapour lock, Jude Lawk, or lox and bagels. They are free to do whatever they want, whenever they want. I'm going to try not to dwell too much on this, because I'm announcing right here and now that many of the tools on this product are not safe to use.
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMG_20130615_103725-1524958979_zps3a410279.jpg) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMG_20130615_103725-1524958979_zps3a410279.jpg.html)
This grapefruit, though magically delicious, looks like it was cut by beavers.
The blade was very disappointing. I was hoping for the same shocking success I achieved with the same company's swiss army knife knockoff, but not a chance. On several occasions, I had to resharpen the blade after cutting fruit. I don't mean pineapples, coconuts, or the mystical Uru Rockfruit, but grapefruits, oranges and apples. This did not, however, keep the blade from performing feats of terrifying strength, such as cutting aluminum pop cans or batoning survey stakes. Unfortunately, these successes aren't enough to make up for a blade duller than a seven-hour movie about denture cream. You cannot trust this blade. Mission Failed!
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMG_20130710_112040-batonning_zps19495e9b.png) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMG_20130710_112040-batonning_zps19495e9b.png.html)
Being a good batoning tool is like being good at opening beer bottles with your teeth.
The last time I reviewed a tool with a fish scaler, all I could think to post was this:
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/Coelacanth-bgiu_zpse6f4dbac.png) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/Coelacanth-bgiu_zpse6f4dbac.png.html)
It's a coelacanth!
This time, however, I can also post a picture of the stupid thing cutting its way through rigid insulation, or a picture of it scraping crud out from under column bases, or some other lame but important task it actually did well. There were almost certainly better tools for these jobs, but the fish scaler was there, and it got things done! I never used the file or ruler on it, because the file was too rugged for fingernails and the ruler was short and in the wrong scale for most of what I do, but I don't think I can hold those against the fish scaler itself. Hilarious success!
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMG_20130711_093954-29saw_zps49570276.jpg) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMG_20130711_093954-29saw_zps49570276.jpg.html)
Anyone who thinks he or she saw this coming has never tried to think of a valid use for a fish scaler before.
The can opener is exactly what it says on the tin. Success? Sure, why not?
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMG_20130710_092148-pepsicoladebonaire_zps60087c84.png) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMG_20130710_092148-pepsicoladebonaire_zps60087c84.png.html)
Doesn't everybody open their Pepsi cans like this?
The small blade was a reasonable reamer, but the actual awl made a terrible...well...awl. I used it as a marlinspike once, but even that threatened Finger-Smashing Time without some kind of lock. Reaming-type success, awly-type failure!
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMG_20130702_134543-awlthelivelongday_zps8fbaba66.jpg) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMG_20130702_134543-awlthelivelongday_zps8fbaba66.jpg.html)
The reamer could ream this hole, but the awl sure couldn't punch it! Thanks, LM Rebar!
The Phillips driver was a smelly jerk. I never once managed to use it without this exact result:
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMGP0167-pinchy_zpsbf1631f2.jpg) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMGP0167-pinchy_zpsbf1631f2.jpg.html)
It felt like getting nibbled by a tiny little Daspletosaurus. Super-pinchy failure!
The bottle opener could open bottles! Yeah! But unfortunately, it was only good as a screwdriver when the object it needed to turn offered no resistance whatsoever. I know I didn't want to harp on the locking thing, but this time it was really a killer. Mostly failure!
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMG_20130708_072808-porta_zpsf629b85d.jpg) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMG_20130708_072808-porta_zpsf629b85d.jpg.html)
The only thing it successfully turned—the most important lock on the whole construction site!
I never once used the small slot screwdriver, since it was too large for glasses screws and too small for regular-type screw. Fai-diddly-ailure!
The pliers/wire cutters are a redeeming feature here. Instead of giving a play-by-play, let me just post a bunch of pictures of the pliers doing things:
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMGP0175-can05_zps1dd00fcc.jpg) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMGP0175-can05_zps1dd00fcc.jpg.html)
Folding aluminum can? Anyone can do that!
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMG_20130702_190749-watchstrap_zps5accf78a.jpg) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMG_20130702_190749-watchstrap_zps5accf78a.jpg.html)
Resizing metal watch bands? Okay, that's kind of useful.
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMG_20130711_125213-29tiewire_zpsc2803885.jpg) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMG_20130711_125213-29tiewire_zpsc2803885.jpg.html)
"Cutting how much tie wire? Okay, impressive...maybe..."
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMG_20130710_075639-hokeysnappin_zpsd3ea22e9.png) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMG_20130710_075639-hokeysnappin_zpsd3ea22e9.png.html)
"Wait, are you...are you cutting wood? Why would you..."
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMG_20130708_134802-grinder_zpsdeae8f19.jpg) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMG_20130708_134802-grinder_zpsdeae8f19.jpg.html)
"...What are you even doing here? Where's the grinder tool? Have you lost your..."
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMG_20130711_140557-29worstthingever_zps08aac5a2.jpg) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMG_20130711_140557-29worstthingever_zps08aac5a2.jpg.html)
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"
These pliers/wire cutters are Campy's greatest asset, bar none. These pliers are amazing. These pliers are so amazing that they are actually writing this sentence, and are doing so in the third person. Success, success, success!
Finally, down to fit and finish, we have a few problems. The first, and most obvious, is the lack of any locking tools. Another is the lack of folded-over handle edges, which make this thing a bit hard to squeeze too hard. On the other hand, while the plier/handle pivots loosened up a bit over time, they were easy to peen tighter, and only loosened seriously after that ridiculous hammer-and-chisel thing (which is the only test Campy received to a degree that most of my tools hopefully never will). As another nice bonus, the brand name (Coghlan's, remember?) is stamped into the handle for super durability, and the implements and handle came nice and straight in the tool. Unfortunately, there was a slight durability problem that manifested itself in a surprising way:
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMG_20130712_104033-hammerdamage_zpsd8d4f740.jpg) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMG_20130712_104033-hammerdamage_zpsd8d4f740.jpg.html)
Other multitools have survived falls from buildings, but this one bent like crazy-go-nuts from a two-foot drop!
With a bit more effort than I expected, and some help from another tool, the bent handle was fixed, though I don't know if it will ever quite be the same. Overall, fit and finish get a probationary passing grade, but only barely. Probationary passing grade, but only barely!
Takeaway
I'm going to admit to the same two things as last time, and then I'm going to add another comment.
The first is that if a single tool on a multitool doesn't work or has no conceivable use, I usually pick another multitool. A fish scaler? Please. More importantly, the scissors are a minor dealbreaker, and the saw is a huge dealbreaker. The fact that neither of these tools will work well in the long run gives me pause.
The second is that I beat the stuffing out of my multitools. Every pocket knife and multitool I carry is a user, and I treat them accordingly. My Leatherman Wave went through five years of basically the exact same hell as Campy (albeit not in quite the same compressed fashion), and only finally broke this year:
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/deadwave_zpsaa0d9b31.jpg) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/deadwave_zpsaa0d9b31.jpg.html)
Fetch me a bugle!
All of the Wave's tools are still functional, except for the now-broken pliers. Campy's tools, however, were mostly useless or even dangerous right out of the box. Campy, is down to one really useful tool, a tiny number of useable ones, and a whole lot of dead weight.
My extra comment this time is about how you use your tools. The real trick is to use the tools you have, and not the tools you want. Maybe a fish scaler will work just fine for cutting insulation, but a functional saw would work better. No saw? Scale away! The point here is that sometimes a tool only comes in handy because you don't have a better tool with you. In these cases it's hard to give too much credit to the less efficient but more available tool.
So what does all this mean?
A Coglan's Camper's Tool is absolutely not a suitable replacement for a higher quality multitool, especially with certain full-size multitools starting at less than $30. If you want a pair of folding pliers you can count on in an emergency, a tool like Campy will suit you just fine. If you want a function-laden tool to help you solve your everyday problems, look elsewhere. If you want a tool you can beat to within an inch of its life without worrying about its long-term survival, the Campers Tool might be for you. If you want a tool with a knife that can cut anything harder than Cheetos, look elsewhere. If you want a tool with a dull knife that can nevertheless baton wood, maybe this is the tool you've been looking for your whole life.
Honestly (again with the honesty!), I expected this tool to fail 100%. Tools started failing me on the very first day. I never expected to get any real use out of it, though in the end, when I really needed a total beater tool, Campy was there. So, credit where credit is due: I can't recommend the Coghlan's Campers Tool as a proper carrying tool, but it can certainly take a beating. As pliers or a blunt instrument on the wrong end of a hammer, yes, as anything else, no.
Regardless of its overall lack of quality, Campy the Coghlan's Campers Tool has earned its mission-end camping trip, and can now walk off into the sunset at the end of the historic Seige of Campy!
(http://i1287.photobucket.com/albums/a634/daikaijujothra/IMGP0188campyfinale_zps20194950.jpg) (http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/daikaijujothra/media/IMGP0188campyfinale_zps20194950.jpg.html)
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It's been fun reading up on Campy's adventures. :2tu: Thanks for doing this, it's been a great thread. :salute:
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In these cases it's hard to give too much credit to the less efficient but more available tool.
I agree with everything you've posted concerning tools, except this statement. Multitools are, almost inevitably the 'less efficient but more available tool'.
While I don't work construction (so haven't subjected mine to such heavy duty work), I found some use in the drivers, using the flathead to change the air filter on our lawn mower, for instance.
You have done us all in incredible service in testing this tool. It's really strange that it seems to work better at taking punishment than performing normal function. I think that speaks to the basic design, inherited from the PST. Now I'm wondering what kind of abuse a REAL PST could handle. :o
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Fair enough, but I think I meant that I still can't stand fish scalers. I'm not totally sure. I wrote all this at 2:00 a.m.
Edit: I really don't know what I was trying to say there. It bugs me, because misusing tools is basically all I do.
Autre edit: A PST would deserve better than I could offer it.
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Fair enough, but I think I meant that I still can't stand fish scalers. I'm not totally sure. I wrote all this at 2:00 a.m.
:tu: Right there with you.
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This was a fun read. I have one of these...and I must say , the sheet metal handles are super thin. Not surprised about the dent to the handles after falling on a hammer. :D
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We salute you campy :salute: :salute: :salute: :salute: :salute:
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For some reason, I now hear AC/DC singing 'For those about to rust, WE SALUTE YOU!' :rofl:
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Campy was the nearest multitool, so I used it to cut the tip off of a sewing needle. I freaked a little when the pliers stayed askew and wouldn't open, thinking I had unfairly doomed Campy after a well-earned retirement. Good news—there was just a bit of needle jammed in the wire cutters.
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Thank you for another great Hardcore review! :salute:
Like the last one it was a great read!
I look forward to future 30day trials! :tu:
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Thank you for another great Hardcore review! :salute:
Like the last one it was a great read!
I look forward to future 30day trials! :tu:
Thanks again!
As long as things stay on track, this will probably be the last summer I work in commercial construction, so I have two more challenges starting right away to make sure the tools in question get a serious beating. Warning: one of the tools is an exceptionally popular knife-based multitool, while the other is an almost universally reviled flashlight.