Welcome, casino implosion

Great intro post. Nice to hear thoughts on real every day use in different jobs.

I think you'd love the LM Charge ALX. It's Wave sized, so the pliers aren't as strong as on the Surge but still do a very good job. And it has two bit drivers instaid of the scissors and both the file and saw on board.

I carry a phillips/flathead on one side and an hex bit on the other.



They come in black oxide or ss.

http://www.leatherman.com/product/Charge_ALX

I want a Surge TTi... Also with ST replaceable wire cutters. That's all

Me too!

Welcome, casino implosion

Great intro post. Nice to hear thoughts on real every day use in different jobs.

I think you'd love the LM Charge ALX. It's Wave sized, so the pliers aren't as strong as on the Surge but still do a very good job. And it has two bit drivers instaid of the scissors and both the file and saw on board.

I carry a phillips/flathead on one side and an hex bit on the other.

Thanks for the welcome, that's a nice looking tool.

Structural ironworker here carrying LM tools for work purposes.

For years I carried the Crunch at work, but I always had Wave file/saw envy, so when I finally lost the Crunch off the side of a high rise I upgraded to a Surge. I've been carrying it at work for a couple months now, bit kit and all, and..I love it but I wish it was a little more like the Wave.

The size and weight are no problem for me. I'm 6-5 and my toolbelt already weighs about 25 lbs, more with an 8lb beater with a sawed off handle in one bolt bag. I love the large pliers. They cut nine wire with ease and have enough strength to break a jammed 11/16ths drill bit loose when stuck in rebar in a concrete wall, act as a backup key to remove a jammed angle grinder collet or unstick a stubborn flashback arrestor fitting.

I've even come to like the scissors which I regarded as a frippery when I first got the tool. I just used them the other day to cut a cardboard template for some quick field fabrication that needed cutting complex curves in 6-inch steel pipe.

My problem with the Surge is that, nice as the bit kit and removable saw/file system is, in my work I just can't stop to fiddle components out of a pack in my belt and swap them into the tool. Everything is always in a hurry, usually up in the air, and my eyesight isn't what it used to be. I want the file, or the saw (both of which I use constantly) NOW. I can't be going "wait, hold on guys, I'll get that, hang on a sec, gotta get this saw blade out...darn it...ok...don't drop it now...gotta get the file back in the sheath...any day now!"

I need to yank out the tool, open it, and have everything I need ready to go. I'm always using the philips head screwdriver and the 5mm allen key and with the Surge I have to switch back and forth between these bits.

So my ideal Surge would ditch the useless eyeglass-screwdriver bit holder for another bit driver, or a dedicated Philips screwdriver...or at the very least give me a bit with a philips head on one side and an allen key on the other; and give me a dedicated saw AND file, or even better, two dedicated exchangeable saw/file holders for replacing worn blades. Not sure how all this would fit together...I guess that's what the genius engineers at LM are for.

Naturally, I actually needed the eyeglass tool a couple of months ago, at my mom's house, for her glasses...and the tool was of course on my work belt in a gangbox somewhere.

My theory is that LM does things like putting that ridiculous mini-bit driver on a SUrge to keep us all just a little bit dissatisfied so that we'll keep searching for the perfect tool.

Anyway, my Surge-at-work experiment is drawing to a close and I think I'm probably going to the Wave. I'll keep the Surge in my backpack that I take on bike trips and keep it around the house.

Have you looked around the mod-squat-subforum yet? I believe Metropolicity has done a mod with almost everything you asked...
Or well, I think it was him... I do believe I saw a two-blade exchanger LM somewhere around...

Just bought mine today.

Went to BassPro on the way home from work. Looked at the Surge, SuperTool 300, Wave, Wingman, and SOG PowerPlier.

SuperTool 300: 2nd best pliers (behind the SOG) but no scissors, and all tools are internal.

Wave: Very nice. I can see why this is their best-seller. I wanted a full size pliers though, so...

Wingman: Awesome. I get the feeling it won't hold up as well, over time, as the Wave or Surge. Spring loaded pliers, and the two most-used tools on the outside. (combo edge knife and full size scissors) I'm going to get one of these too, and try pocket carrying it.

SOG PowerPlier: Best pliers in the class, without a doubt. Best sharpening job, even on the wire cutter. But it couldn't be much more clumsy to get the rest of the tools out. In addition to being inside the handle, there is an extra cover that needs to be flipped up on each side.

Can't wait to put this baby to work in the UL electrical lab.

I bought the Bosch assorted T-shank blades too, and stowed them in the Surge sheath.  I'm surprised (and a bit disappointed) that the T-shank holder on the Surge hasn't spawned a bigger variety of attachable tools.  You could customize your Surge with a few additional tools that you might find more useful for your particular activities.

I'm in the surge club! Now if my st300 will ever get here ill be in both big boy clubs...

Wonder who (here) will be the first to acquire a Surge with the removable wire cutters?

I would love to see the 3-sided replaceable cutter blade on the Surge, as seen on the Gerbers, but I'd imagine it's all locked down by patents.

I would love to see the 3-sided replaceable cutter blade on the Surge, as seen on the Gerbers, but I'd imagine it's all locked down by patents.

The 3 sided cutting blades aren't specific to gerber, unless they hold a patent on incorporating them into multitools specifically. The brake lathe I use at work has had them for probably 15 years. But I'm not a patent expert by any means.

Wonder who (here) will be the first to acquire a Surge with the removable wire cutters?

 

Seems I bought my Surge just too soon!

Wonder who (here) will be the first to acquire a Surge with the removable wire cutters?

I got one....


 

Has anyone cut a coat hanger with his Surge? (regular cutters)

I think if it can cut a coat hanger without denting, then I will just keep mine.

Otherwise, it is going back to Bass Pro and I'll wait and order a new one.

I cut some 10 AWG copper wire with my Surge today. No problem. There shouldn't be, as it is just copper. Then, I thought: "What is the toughest thing I'm likely to want to cut with my Surge?" Answer = coat hanger. I don't need to cut nails or anything ridiculous with it, but I cut coat hangers pretty often with my Craftsman "dykes." So that'd be nice.

LM have removed the mention of removable wire cutters from the Surge description on their web site (of course that might mean that someone jumped the gun and they will put it back in after they announce it officially at ShotShow).

Alternatively it was just a plain, old-fashioned mistake and LM have no (current) intentions to make a factory Surge300 ........ 

Has anyone cut a coat hanger with his Surge? (regular cutters)

I just cut a wire coat hanger with my wave's regular cutters to make a snake to run dashboard wiring. Went through like butter. Un-modded wave, btw. I'm sure the surge will be the same, likely easier.

LM have removed the mention of removable wire cutters from the Surge description on their web site (of course that might mean that someone jumped the gun and they will put it back in after they announce it officially at ShotShow).

Alternatively it was just a plain, old-fashioned mistake and LM have no (current) intentions to make a factory Surge300 ........ 

Does the ST300 head fit in the Surge body without modding the tool stack? I think so, as someone showed a mod...

I was wondering if they had planned to do that, and just didn't get it developed all the way, but the spec. still got out to the web team. For instance, maybe they had to remove enough material for the cutters that it was not truly 'heavy duty' any more?

Or maybe just too low a supply of 154CM, or too high a demand already for the ST300 heads...

Could be anything.

The Surge easily cuts nine wire, so I don't see how a coat hanger would be any problem.

Has anyone cut a coat hanger with his Surge? (regular cutters)

I think if it can cut a coat hanger without denting, then I will just keep mine..

I have.  I've also done it with my Juice pliers no problem.

Quote from: Smaug on January 15, 2013, 02:42:08 AM

Has anyone cut a coat hanger with his Surge? (regular cutters)

I think if it can cut a coat hanger without denting, then I will just keep mine..

I have.  I've also done it with my Juice pliers no problem.

If light pressure fails to make a mark on what I'm cutting, I've failed the hardness test, and any further attempts would likely damage the blades.  Chances are, the test has already taken the edge off them.

Ahhh my Surge!!!  I just saw the Leatherman video from Shot Show 2013 and I see they are changing the Surge to have the replaceable wire cutters and adding a tension bar to the blade changer to hold any hardware store t-shank blade without wobble.      If it weren't so unethical I would try to break my Surge so that I could get a replacement - but I won't.  I may have to sell it on the bay though so that I can replace it.

Ah just make one yourself.

 

Very nice Baja820!

Thank you. I love it.







I'm pleased with how they turned out

My rarely used Surge developed some play in the handle hinges over the years. I sent it back, thinking it would have been a simple tightening job, but they went ahead and just replaced it. I love these guys. Excellent tool.

Ahhh my Surge!!!  I just saw the Leatherman video from Shot Show 2013 and I see they are changing the Surge to have the replaceable wire cutters and adding a tension bar to the blade changer to hold any hardware store t-shank blade without wobble.      If it weren't so unethical I would try to break my Surge so that I could get a replacement - but I won't.  I may have to sell it on the bay though so that I can replace it.

Cannot sell mine, is personally engraved. Hope that Leatherman allows us the ability to have our tools upgraded even if for a small fee for the service.

Breaking tools deliberately to get a replacement leads down the dark path of bad karma.

Quote from: Multiple Personality on January 21, 2013, 12:44:04 AM

Ahhh my Surge!!!  I just saw the Leatherman video from Shot Show 2013 and I see they are changing the Surge to have the replaceable wire cutters and adding a tension bar to the blade changer to hold any hardware store t-shank blade without wobble.      If it weren't so unethical I would try to break my Surge so that I could get a replacement - but I won't.  I may have to sell it on the bay though so that I can replace it.

Cannot sell mine, is personally engraved. Hope that Leatherman allows us the ability to have our tools upgraded even if for a small fee for the service.

Breaking tools deliberately to get a replacement leads down the dark path of bad karma.

After nearly 30 years, I'm sure Leatherman is wise to such behavior.

I too saw the changes they're making on the Surge and they're great.  Actually, the blade exchanger design is an *awesome* move.  If you ask me, that changes the whole tool...

Did I dream this or are they also going to exclusively fixed screwdrivers on the Surge?  Or...getting rid of the awl?

Please tell me I had a nightmare, yes??

I love my Surge too and Leatherman design in general.  However, there's still a lot of room for improvement - well, here and there.

Did I dream this or are they also going to exclusively fixed screwdrivers on the Surge?  Or...getting rid of the awl?

Please tell me I had a nightmare, yes??

I love my Surge too and Leatherman design in general.  However, there's still a lot of room for improvement - well, here and there.

that was a nightmare they just removed the eyeglass screwdriver for a medium flathead. The big bitdriver will stay

Well - not according to this:

SHOT show 2013: Leatherman

[or title: SHOT show 2013: Leatherman]

WOW.  I wish I *had* dreamt it.  People were using the bit drivers as a pry-bar?!?!  Say what?

Aye carumba...

One can only hope that the video contains now-outdated info.  Because that's a fool move if there ever was one.  Improve, yes.  However, if it's not broken, eh?