Brand loyalty

[Dunc]

13th August 2006 , thats when I made my first post on here  doesn't time fly .At the time I had been EDCing a Victorinox Swisstool for 6 years. It wasn't my first mutlitool . I actually started out with a used Leatherman PST then traded for a Gerber 600 and then the Swisstool. I liked this tool the best  It was big , shiny and very strong and even the Leatherman Charge Ti I bought couldn't win a place on my belt for long and soon fell by the way side.
   I was truelly bitten by the Victorinox bug    Why Leathermans where just tools that had wobbly handles , exploding bit drivers and rusted as soon as you looked at them , Gerber where crap and Sog was just something people bought to be different .I was by no means on my own in this way of thinking and soon several threads where popping up all over the forum about which brand was best .The Vic LM debate was the worst and some members even fell out over it  Threads got locked , people left then came back ( then left again ) but the question still remained ( and still does ) "Which is best ? "

 I probably think it was the first UK meetup that got me thinking  It was seeing all those different tools and being able to try them out .I remember being impressed with a LM Wave which I thought was a more sensible option then the Charge and that kind of stuck in my mind .
  I started getting some older retired LMs for my collection , Supertools , PSTs and SideClips and although I did EDC them for a while ( mainly for articles for the forum ) I continued with the Swisstool .

  It wasn't until I changed jobs and bought a LM Wave that I really started to consider LM as a viable option to my EDC , in fact it was so good it replaced my Swisstool as my work EDC 

Now lets get to the point ( at last  ) , so here I'm am sporting my new LM Wave on my belt and I'm as happy as Larry    Does this mean I have to denounce Victorinox and join team LM and start saying things about slippy drivers ? Hell no  I now have the best of both worlds and can pick and choose as I want . Hell I'll even take the other brand in the car incase I feel like a change during my working day or maybe I'll have a Vic on my belt and a LM in my coat pocket and as far as I know not one single Swiss Fairy has died as a result 

So all you die hard fans why not give the "Other " brand a chance in 2010 and you too may find the answer to the question "Which is best ? "

Dunc

[zepla]

I do not really care what brand to carry. I just look at what I need and that leaves not much choice. For me, good quality and one hand opening and closing blades is a must so that rules out a lot of options if I'm not mistaken. But I'm open to suggestions 

I do enjoy the LM-Vic debate from time to time, but that's just because to see how wired up some people get 

[cliosguy]

i rarely stick to one brand/model...i usually switch from one to another even twice a day, i honestly dont see the point of picking "the best" when having them all is way more fun

[Medic82]

I am every companies dream, I am very brand loyal. But then again I usually put in LOTS of research when buying stuff so I am sure that I will get the stuff that I like.

I love SOG and they have a special place in my heart, but if I find something that works, like the Supertool 300 and Swisstool, then I will use it. It’s not like you stop loving your daughter because you just got a son.

[Dunc]

It’s not like you stop loving your daughter because you just got a son.

I like that    So Vic is my Daughter , LM my son , Sogs my Neice and Gerbers my nexdoor neighbours teenage brat 


Dunc

[Medic82]

It’s not like you stop loving your daughter because you just got a son.

I like that    So Vic is my Daughter , LM my son , Sogs my Neice and Gerbers my nexdoor neighbours teenage brat 


Dunc

 

[DaveK]

Does this mean I have to denounce Victorinox and join team LM and start saying things about slippy drivers ? Hell no  I now have the best of both worlds and can pick and choose as I want . Hell I'll even take the other brand in the car incase I feel like a change during my working day or maybe I'll have a Vic on my belt and a LM in my coat pocket and as far as I know not one single Swiss Fairy has died as a result 

Nice piece Dunc! I've highlighted a question that you answered already, just to agree with you really.

People know that I have a preference for Leatherman gear, and any disagreements I've had with people on here have often wrongly been attributed to "brand loyalty". That does frustrate me at times, because I have no real allegiance to the Leatherman brand per se, I simply find that their tools work best for me - it really is that simple. I'm fortunate enough to have been able to amass a good selection of tools, and have given most brands a good go by now. I always come back to the same tool because it's pretty well perfect for me - I could have designed it myself! It just so happens to be a Leatherman, but that's incidental really.

Some of the generalisations that people trot out about the different brands (rusting, slippy drivers etc) just come across as a bit stupid IMO, and the lengths that some will go to justify their preferences (exaggerating perceived flaws or stereotypes) actually just seems pathetic sometimes. I've become quite frustrated about it at times, because I think some of the things that are said just devalue the wealth of information on this site, and I'm not really the type to suffer quietly

Put another way, there are a number of posters on this site that speak from a position of experience when discussing tools and brands, and they share one simple characteristic that makes me take notice of them. (You're one of them btw). That characteristic is the ability to rise above the "brand loyalty" thing and provide simple, factual, non-emotive thoughts about a tool regardless of where it was made or by whom. The flip-side of that coin is that there are some posters comments that I generally just skim-read or even ignore, because you know what their going to say as soon as you read the topic title, and there's only so many times you want to rebut the same old, same old...... especially of that point is inaccurate in the first place 

I'm really pleased that you can divide your tool-time between different brands. It means that your opinion is worth more to me, as you have practical experience and I know I can believe the things that you report.

Good for you mate 

[Poncho65]

It’s not like you stop loving your daughter because you just got a son.

I like that    So Vic is my Daughter , LM my son , Sogs my Neice and Gerbers my nexdoor neighbours teenage brat 


Dunc

Nicely put old bean

I am not big on Vic MTs but I always have a SAK in my pocket LM multis happen to work better for me as well but I gave a Swisstool X a round or 2 before I put it down but that doesn't mean I won't pick it back up again someday as it's not going anywhere I am brand loyal to a degree due to my first MT being a LM (and it holds a special place for me) but I like to try different stuff out to see if it is gonna work for me and most of the time I end up going back to LM though I have also been carrying a varying different number of slippies with me as well and have been enjoying that very much as well

[Dunc]

Does this mean I have to denounce Victorinox and join team LM and start saying things about slippy drivers ? Hell no  I now have the best of both worlds and can pick and choose as I want . Hell I'll even take the other brand in the car incase I feel like a change during my working day or maybe I'll have a Vic on my belt and a LM in my coat pocket and as far as I know not one single Swiss Fairy has died as a result 

Nice piece Dunc! I've highlighted a question that you answered already, just to agree with you really.

People know that I have a preference for Leatherman gear, and any disagreements I've had with people on here have often wrongly been attributed to "brand loyalty". That does frustrate me at times, because I have no real allegiance to the Leatherman brand per se, I simply find that their tools work best for me - it really is that simple. I'm fortunate enough to have been able to amass a good selection of tools, and have given most brands a good go by now. I always come back to the same tool because it's pretty well perfect for me - I could have designed it myself! It just so happens to be a Leatherman, but that's incidental really.

Some of the generalisations that people trot out about the different brands (rusting, slippy drivers etc) just come across as a bit stupid IMO, and the lengths that some will go to justify their preferences (exaggerating perceived flaws or stereotypes) actually just seems pathetic sometimes. I've become quite frustrated about it at times, because I think some of the things that are said just devalue the wealth of information on this site, and I'm not really the type to suffer quietly

Put another way, there are a number of posters on this site that speak from a position of experience when discussing tools and brands, and they share one simple characteristic that makes me take notice of them. (You're one of them btw). That characteristic is the ability to rise above the "brand loyalty" thing and provide simple, factual, non-emotive thoughts about a tool regardless of where it was made or by whom. The flip-side of that coin is that there are some posters comments that I generally just skim-read or even ignore, because you know what their going to say as soon as you read the topic title, and there's only so many times you want to rebut the same old, same old...... especially of that point is inaccurate in the first place 

I'm really pleased that you can divide your tool-time between different brands. It means that your opinion is worth more to me, as you have practical experience and I know I can believe the things that you report.

Good for you mate 

Thanks Dave , it means alot to me that you find my tool usage reports of value    I really do try and be honest and give the tools a good and unbiased testing .

Dunc

[nuphoria]

I'm a total brand whore... if it sweet talks it's way in to my pocket for the day, that's enough for me

I think overall I have found LM and Vic to be most likely to end up in my EDC but it's certainly not about brand. I own a few others and have tried most of them out, I like giving them all a fair trial. A good tool is a good tool, that's all it's about for me really.

Nice piece Dunc 

[Styerman]

I don't have a lot of brand loyalty , but if a product really poops the bed , it will take a lot to get me to return to that brand . Thats why I won't have aught to do with either SOG or Gerber .

Btw , I agree with you on your preference for the Wave , the Old Skool Wave with the dedicated drivers was my longest running Multi affair . For your occupation and avocation , sounds about perfect .

I went Swiss due to the superior implement and build quality , and because I had abandoned the concept of a politically correct tactical .

Many Wave users I know , schlep them as" Tacticals " that fly below the radar .

When/if I encounter another Old Skool wave , I plan to score one if the price is right .

Chris

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Great thread idea Dunc

I'm pro Swiss as you all know, but purely because that fit my need's better than anyone else's products do . And while I have bought other tool's, I always end up selling them on, so I'm happy to be a bit of a Swiss Exarch

Having said that, you really can't go wrong with any other brands, and would recommend you try as many as you can (as I did) before arriving at any firm tool conclusions

[PyroJames]

I agree with Medic's "multitools are like your children" analogy.  My first MT was a SOG Powerlock and I do love SOG more than than any other MT brand but for me, I'll use whatever works.

[Woz]

I carry knives and tools of many brands. In fact, I might have my favorites, but I LOVE to try alternatives.

Only exeption: Computers. If it is not a Mac it is not an option for me.

[scrappy]

my first nice tool was a super tool. unfortunately it was replaced quickly by the swiss tool. I owned tons of tools but the swiss tool had my loyalty. I tried a new wave in 04 and fell in love with the pocket clip, eye glass driver and more. I had to swith to the permanently because the swiss tool does not open enough to grab the nuts on the machine I operated. so I changed loyalty as needed. I am now a leatherman guy. I am currenty using a sog tool. not as user friendly but the wave has not been able to bend stuff the sog can.  I edc both for now.

[grimm_kaosboy]

I will admit to being a Vic whore, but I have tried all the other brands too. I still have a SOG (#2 favorite), a couple of leathermans, couple of gerbers and a schrade. All have seen belt time but for me I just keep comming back to Vic's swisstool. Which is ironic, because its the only tool I have ever broke. True I used a 5lb sledge on the back end of it while trying to jam the chisel into a seized up die coupling. And it took 2½ years of this before failing...
I know, I know - a knife is the most expensive pry bar you'll ever use...

[P35]

I carry knives and tools of many brands. In fact, I might have my favorites, but I LOVE to try alternatives.

Only exeption: Computers. If it is not a Mac it is not an option for me.

I'm with you on Mac computers.
I too carry different brands. My EDC includes Boker, Victorinox and Leatherman

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

I will admit to being a Vic whore, but I have tried all the other brands too. I still have a SOG (#2 favorite), a couple of leathermans, couple of gerbers and a schrade. All have seen belt time but for me I just keep comming back to Vic's swisstool. Which is ironic, because its the only tool I have ever broke. True I used a 5lb sledge on the back end of it while trying to jam the chisel into a seized up die coupling. And it took 2½ years of this before failing...
I know, I know - a knife is the most expensive pry bar you'll ever use...

Bloody hell, you really don't go easy on your tools

[Crouton]

I can sum it up in one sentence "May the best tool win".  I have absolutely zero brand loyalty, I could care less who builds a tool, or where it's built, I will purchase, carry and use the tool that best fits my needs, taking into account design, build quality, and material quality.

My current tool of choice happens to be a Leatherman Charge TTi, but that doesn't mean it's the best made tool out there, for me that would be the Victorinox Swisstool Spirit.  It doesn't mean that the Charge TTi is perfect either, there are improvements I would love to see made.

The most important factor to me is how well the overall design suits my needs, and if another manufacturer makes a tool that better suits my needs then I will jump ship without and concerns whatsoever.

[Magnus]

I don't really take any notice of the brand except for as an indicator of quality, Victorinox, Wenger, Leatherman and SOG are all major companies that produce quality tools, other than that, if it does what I want, I buy it.  All multi tools have their own disadvantages and advantages, and sometimes that is inherent with the manufactures standard design. 

I personally like SOG tools, because they are the only manufacturer that lets you customize your tool, but I really like the look of the OHO blades on leathermans....

[1jump2many]

I'm more into quality than into brand name.  I think pretty much any multi-tool from Leatherman, Vic, SOG, Bear & Son Cutlery, etc. all make good solid MT's.  I'm not much of a fan of Gerber but own a couple of them.  I also think some can be gimicky like the SOG PowerAssist.  It's a well made tool but does a MT need assisted blades?  But being that I collect I'm not married to any specific brand.

[Swiss Man]

Brand loyalty bit me in the arse one day.

When I was nineteen I was married and in the military.  Being stationed at Ft Lewis WA (wife and I came from Indiana)
we were fortunate to have an older couple take us under their wing.

Bill took me to a car lot and helped me pick out my first car (1972 Chevy Impala) of course I wanted smaller sporty cars
but he assured me that this is what I needed for safety and family.

After paying it off (months later) I saw a car ad for $99.00 deals.  So dummy me I took my wife and child and my paid off
good running, safe chevy to the lot and started looking around.

The salesman walked us around and told us he could put us into a Mercury Capri for that down payment.  
Walking up to it I saw that it was a Ford Mustang and that was all she wrote.

Signed my car away my life away and everything else that had value and drove this little 1980ish Mustang home.

Dropped the wife and kid off and drove back to the lot looking for my old car, (which was already gone).  I hated that car and that trade.

I wrote all that, to say this my first MT was a Gerber Multiplier (pinched your hand all the time)
being a loyal SAK owner for several years at the time I was excited when I heard about the Swiss Tool.

For years I carried the Swiss Tool bought others, compared them but they always fell short. Matter of fact the only tool that ever
replaced the Swiss Tool was a Spirit.

After carrying the Spirit for a  couple years (getting tired of hard to open tools)
I stumbled upon a LM Wave and that is what I have been carrying since.

I can't say that I have "brand loyalty" because I went from Gerber to Vic to Leatherman.  
I carry what I am comfortable with and what is good quality (I can't own crap mt's)

There are many a times that I would love to just carry a "slippie" I have several nice ones
but I find myself not doing it because I love the multi function SAK.

So every now and then I cheat I carry a slippie with a SAK chaser.

Sorry so long

[ringzero]

Zero brand loyalty for me.

If I could find a decent Chinese no-name multi for 10 bucks, I would buy and use it without hesitation.

Current EDC multis are a 20+ year old LM PST and SOG PPP.

Why those two?

Because they are still the lightest full featured multis available, both weighing in at just over 5 oz.

.
 

[thebullfrog]

I don't know if I really have any brand loyalty per se. I mean for 7 years I had one LM or another on me almost 24 hrs a day and swore by them. For the most part I pretty much denounced Gerber, tried a SOG, broke it, never bothered fixing it, and that was that. Until a month or so ago when I got a Spirit. It replaced my Wave and Charge in one shot. Now I have a Swisstool X on the way, and a CT34 on my keys (bear in mind I never liked SAKs much before, but loved the "idea" of them). I just gave my Surge to my little brother for X-mas. After carrying basically nothing but LM for years, and preaching the gospel of Tim's brainchild, I no longer own a single LM product of any kind. In the span of a couple months I've swung completely to the Vic side of the debate. Now, do I think that LM is inferior? Not really, each has it's pros and cons, but I just find that the Vic products suit me a lot better at this point in my life. Who knows? Maybe down the road I'll fall into a job where I'll decide I "need" a ST300, but for now LM doesn't have anything to offer me. Vic does. So despite having absolutely nothing that I feel the need or desire to own right now, I still feel comfortable recommending LM products. They served me almost flawlessly for nearly a decade. But I prefer to own and carry Vic these days.

[Freudian Frog]

*clears throat for long speech*

I have none.

[Pacu]

I'll buy whatever is on the cheap..as long as it's a good brand name. SOG, Gerber, Leatherman, Vic, Bear, and a few others have good reps (mostly).

[Zack]

I use them all for whatever I need.  For what I do, I am the weakest link not the tool I am carrying.  Just yesterday I was putting some bolt through locks on some cabinets to keep Liam out of them.  The tool I had on me at the time was my Cybertool mod.  I need something a little more substantial to get the screws in the wood, as I could feel the tool flexing, but then again the Cybertool was made for working on PC's not high torque settings.  I tried the Swisstool Spirit, which is my go to tool, but the phillips driver was too big for the screws.  So, then I went to my camera bag where I keep a Charge ALX with bitcard.  This work perfectly for the application.  Do I like my Swisstool less, no?  It just wasn't up to the job.  I try and keep quality tools around me, but today the Charge with the interchangeable bits won the day.  All great tools, just in different ways.

[Dunc]

I an a way I would consider myself very brand loyal but just not to one brand . If I by something and it serves me well I will certainly look at other products from that company but at the same time you need to keep an eye out for other brands and what they are releasing .

Dunc

[Chako]

I have no brand loyalty. If it is an MT, I will collect it. I started off with mostly cheap MTs of unknown brands. I then started buying the name brands. Eventually deciding to focus on Leatherman simply because I needed a semi attainable goal. That didn’t work out as planned as I also got caught up with the Swiss subsection and mostly on the SAK scene. Seeing that they are little MTs in a different form factor, I could easily collect them as a subset of my primary MT collection. Well the deeper I got into the history and variety of the SAK, the more I started to focus on them almost to the point of exclusivity of late. I just find them fascinating from a purely collectable point of view.

[thebullfrog]

I an a way I would consider myself very brand loyal but just not to one brand . If I by something and it serves me well I will certainly look at other products from that company but at the same time you need to keep an eye out for other brands and what they are releasing .

Dunc

Soooo much simpler and to the point way of saying what I was trying to get across. That pretty much sums me up as well.