Favourite EDC Multitool

[Tab]

Which is your EDC multitool of choice? I carry a LM for the moment. However, I have been looking at both the Swisstool and the Swisstool Spirit for my next purchase so my EDC may soon change.  For the moment I think it will probably be the Spirit  :grin: 

[Grant Lamontagne]

I wouldn't get the Spirit if I were you- you may never find an excuse to buy another tool!

Def

[NeitherExtreme]

For just regular old every day carry, I'm currently enjoying my LM KF4, but my mood may change any of these days.

I wouldn't get the Spirit if I were you- you may never find an excuse to buy another tool!

I don't own a Swisstool, but Def's advice might be worth listening to. Many who "go Swiss" never return to the shadowlands of the "other tools"!  ;D

[Grant Lamontagne]

When the SwissTool hit the market it really did turn the multitool industry on it's ear.  I don't think any one tool has made that big an impact on the market since the original PST jump started the industry in '83.  The Wave made some, well, waves, but I don't think the next big impact to the market was until Victorinox launched the Spirit, and it seems to me like the Freestyle/Skeletool may be the next big thing, although some of the wind may have been taken out of it since many manufacturers have introductions this year- CRKT with the Guppie and Zilla, Spyderco with a re-release of the Spyderwrench and the Byrdwrench, the promise of the PowerLock 2.0...

Def

[Spoonrobot]

I always love seeing these threads because my favorite tool changes almost every week or so it seems like. Currently I am in the middle of a torrid affair with the CRKT Zilla-Tool. I gave it some real use this week and it held up on par with most butterfly-opening tools. It experienced some hard, twisting plier work and a lot of hard driving into wood and ply with no problems and suprising comfort.

 I am curious to see how the bit holder and the tightness of the pliers hold up.

[M.TEX]

 ummm I will be the owner of some swiss tool very soon...I as far I can tell you
 I do not have any prblems with Swiss knives untill today.
 BTW I can't live my house if I don't have my old Pioner with me or some other
 swiss knife. Many times my trusty Pioneer and something else.

 I hope the swiss tool keep riding on my pockets just like my pioneer.
 M.TEX

[Anthony]

I voted SOG, with the original Wave in close second. 

I'm looking into getting a Spirit though...

[Papacat]

I always carry my super trusty Leatherman Squirt P-4.  I've also been carrying around a Victorinox Super Tinker Plus as my non-threatening EDC knife. 

[Viper]

Other, I alternate a lot, but mostly it's my SwissChamp. Actually the tool I technically carry most is my SwissCard light, because it's in my wallet, and it can go slightly more unnoticed than a SAK or other multi-tool on my belt, so I can carry it places where knives are frowned upon. Be prepared at all times!

[ringzero]

Which is your EDC multitool of choice?

Gerber Clutch, because it's compact and light enough for me to pocket carry.

Also, a Vic Tinker has been carried every day since some point in the early 1980s.

Before the Tinker, I carried various Case and Camillus versions of Army and Boy Scout knives.

.

[psul71]

My favorite EDC multitool is my Spirit (and I voted that way), but lately I have been carrying the Leatherman Juice CS4 that Def was kind enough to send me throught the EDC exchange. It is a very impressive tool. It has pretty much everything you would need to use. Thanks again Def!

[David Bowen]

Always my Xti, followed by my Spirit and PPPD

As for the Zilla, I think it's growing on me, it's just a matter of carrying the monster.

David

[znapschatz]

Leatherman Core, which I consider an evolution of the original Super Tool, my previous favorite.  That was the one that sold me on pliers based multi-tools.
Prior to that, my only EDC for years had been a Swisschamp, a versatile and highly useable item, but the bullet proof Leatherman with its good size pliers, locking blades and square edged drivers was a "real" tool.  I got one and never regretted it, except... 

from the first time I started toting Leathermen (1996), I missed the SAK.  When I carry my Swisschamp, I miss the Core.  That has continued to this moment.   

   

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Well I'm gona be awkward (how unlike me ;D) I've got 3 distinct EDC's so here goes...

1) Home and general out and aboutiness, Swisstool X and Leatherman micra on my keyring

2) Work, Spirit (the one with the personally annoying combo blade ) and a Wenger Patriot/Eloxi on my keyring

3) Wood's, Vic Farmer, which to my mind is just about the perfect woodsman's folder

[NeitherExtreme]

When the SwissTool hit the market it really did turn the multitool industry on it's ear.  I don't think any one tool has made that big an impact on the market since the original PST jump started the industry in '83...

I might agree with this, but only talking about the knife-enthusiast market (but even within that market, the wave/charge models have made quite a mark). Do you really think it's had that big of an impact on the multi-tool industry as a whole? (USA at least, I can't speak for elswhere) I'd say that the micra might have been the second-most important design since the PST. What do you think?

[mrexcess]

I carry a Leatherman Charge XTi on my laptop bag's strap. As a system administrator and general IT engineer at a telecom company who frequently finds himself in the field, it's nice to have a wide range of tools available in a single device. Since I've already got to lug around the laptop, GPS, camera, and assorted cables and power supplies, I can get away with toting it around in the leather case along with the bit kit, then going to the pocket clip once I've set up on-site. A full-sized serrated secondary blade with quality steel means I don't have to ruin the edge on my clip point just to cut cardboard on the next set of 100 Dell boxes. The interchangeable bits allow me to handle everything from mobo to rack size screws, along with the occasional Torx and Robertson that some vendors seem to delight in throwing at us. It's durable as all hell, the pliers in particular stand up to considerable use and abuse. The primary blades are one-hand deployable, at least for us righties... Steel selections for the blades and tools are all top notch and dictated by function, from the titanium to hardened tool steel drivers to the primary blade made from uber-quality 154CM, though I'd prefer S30V personally. (Does anyone know a good source for TTi blades...?)

At home, I keep an original Wave around mostly for sentimental reasons, a gift from a departed friend. It's still a handy device, though it shows it's first generation nature and it's not really sufficient for an "around the house" tool, if for no other reason than the lack of a corkscrew.

[LatinoHeat]

I always carry my super trusty Leatherman Squirt P-4.  I've also been carrying around a Victorinox Super Tinker Plus as my non-threatening EDC knife. 

WOAW!!!!
That's my EXACT edc as well!!!!  Except my Super Tinker isn't the Plus.  Just the plain red cellidor scales.  How wierd is that?

[CQC-7]

I voted for the swisstool.  Only 3 others have.  Can I get a re-count?  There are soem really sick people out there.

[Sparkey]

I voted LM. I carried an original supertool for years, and now that I'm indoors more, I carry a kick on a pocket clip paired with a wenger SI I've carried for years. This combo seems to work pretty well...the pliers and phillips driver on the kick mesh well with the bottle opener/driver and the awl(yep, I use it pretty often) of the SAK. Plus I can keep the SI in my pocket when I've got to get all dressed up for whatever reason and still have a basic set of tools on me.

And when I do have to go out "into the cuds" so to speak, the supertool is still my choice and I've had it for going on 10 years!

[Dunc]

My EDC is pure Victorinox  Always a swisstool on a belt sheath with a swisschamp at work and a spirit in my bag as back up , at home its the Swisstool with another SAK ( either a Skipper , climber or soldier ) . The only exception is the Spyderco atlantic salt which goes in the sea with me , the ST still with me then aswell 

dunc

[znapschatz]

I voted for the swisstool.  Only 3 others have.  Can I get a re-count?  There are soem really sick people out there.

Dick Tuck, a defeated candidate for California State Senate, reportedly commented "The People have spoken, the smurfs."

[colubrid]

I don't undertand why there is 2 catagorys for the Vic multis and only one for the LM?

 LM has a jillion models and they are all combined on this survey. Why not with the Vic ? Vic is the favorite here if you combine the total votes.

[NeitherExtreme]

I don't undertand why there is 2 catagorys for the Vic multis and only one for the LM?

 LM has a jillion models and they are all combined on this survey. Why not with the Vic ? Vic is the favorite here if you combine the total votes.

I think the original poster (Tab) was looking for opinions before buying, and was leaning toward Vic, so splitting it up let him know which of the two was the favorite. Of course, Tab can chime in and correct me if I'm wrong

[colubrid]

OOh okay!

[CQC-7]

I guess that poll says it all.  Victorinox is the favorite at least here it is. 

Dont get me wrong though, if I only enjoyed the company of one single solitary multitool I probaly would not be a multitool.org member.  There are other tools that I like.  I just like the swisstool better than most overall.  The ideal multitool would combine the best features of a variety of multitools.  However, the one thing that I believe that none of us here would all agree upon is size.  We all have different needs and carry differently under different circumstances. 

[NeitherExtreme]

I agree, variety is good. Competition is good for the consumer (us)! I doubt the Swisstools would have ever existed without competition from LM, Gerber, SOG, etc. It forces companies to make good products at reasonable prices, so I'm all for it!

[mrexcess]

It seems like the SwissTool is a really popular model around here...as someone who hasn't had the chance to use one, I've gotta ask: what, in your opinion, makes the SwissTool superior to the others on the market?

[Grant Lamontagne]

The SwissTool has a number of superior features, but I don't think it is necessarily superior overall.  It's certainly one of the top 5 tools, but it's not perfect, or at least not for me.  Others here may have different ideas!

What really shines about the SwissTool over many others on the market are:

All locking implements
Extremely rust/corrosion resistant
Outside access to the tools (don't need to open pliers to get at them)
Fit and finish are absolute top notch, and unparalleled by any other manufacturer
Cost is lower an number of functions is higher than most

All that conspires to make the SwissTool a very tough customer to beat.  Of course there are some drawbacks to the design as well, although personally they don't bother me much, but they are discussed enough here that I am certain they are valid:

Screwdrivers are highly polished, and therefore "slippy"
Screwdrivers (for the most part) have other implements on them (like the bottle opener) which makes them useless for recessed screws
Bulky and heavy (of course the SwissTool Spirit is an excellent alternative)

It really all boils down to what is important to you.  For me, I like a tool that is dependable above all else (most tools from major manufacturers are dependable), have all locking implements (as two stitches in my middle finger will attest, the double folding handle thing doesn't work), have as many functions (or more accurately, as much adaptability to any situation) as possible, and require as little maintenance as possible because I am lazy.  The SwissTool falls securely into those categories and therefore is, and always will be, one of my favorite tools.

Def

[Tab]

I don't undertand why there is 2 catagorys for the Vic multis and only one for the LM?

 LM has a jillion models and they are all combined on this survey. Why not with the Vic ? Vic is the favorite here if you combine the total votes.

I think the original poster (Tab) was looking for opinions before buying, and was leaning toward Vic, so splitting it up let him know which of the two was the favorite. Of course, Tab can chime in and correct me if I'm wrong

Yes, you are absolutely right. Thinking of it, this was not really fair considering it was a poll, my mistake. On the other hand, Vic only has two base models so it was possible to handle while also including all possible LM models would have splitted up the poll into too many categories. The best option would have been to ask for brands only and not a combination of brands/models. So yes, I agree, Vic should have been only one alternative and not two.