New CRKT tool - the Bivy!

[zoidberg]

Exactly. 

Or how Leatherman advertises all of their one handed tools as being quick to deploy...... unless you are a lefty, in which case you don't matter. 

Def

This lefty has no problem deploying the one hand tools, probably cause I'm super talented.   

[Grant Lamontagne]

I would have though the claws would have gotten in the way!

Def

[Wanimator]

As a semi-ambi left hand definitely preferred with knives and multis I concur about the left handed opening thing. I don't own a Wave or any other 1 hand opening Leatherman tools yet, but if I use my pointer finger to start the opening I can finish it with my thumb by reaching over the tool. My grandfather opens his really fast left handed, I can't even see how he does it.

[metasyntax]

I've got the Kabar Dozier with the thumb stud. It's a great little knife, very light weight but solid. There's no blade play at all, and centering is spot on. The clip on mine was a little loose to start, but it was easy to bend and tighten up. All in all, it's a fantastic value, one of my most-carried knives. The only downside for me is that you can't flick it open, the lock spring is just too strong.

The Bivy is interesting. Fit and finish on mine is not great, but not bad; I'd say a little worse than my Sog and Gerber MTs (I'm talking about PowerLock and MP600 here though). It seems unnecessarily thick, and therefore heavy. The design is really clever, using the single switch for everything is great, but unlocking the tools can be a little tough because there's a lot of resistance. As a result, you might tear your thumb up after a while. Opening the pliers one-handed took a little practice for me; I found putting my middle finger in the cutout against the thumbstud essential for getting enough leverage to work the switch. The plier head feels solid but the handle (the one that pops out) is thin and flexes, which causes some concern; it's also not very ergonomic. The teeth in the pliers don't go to the tip: there's a small section on the end that's flat. I tried to peel the foil cover off a can of cashews using the pliers, but they slipped worse than my fingers. There's probably some situation in which you'd want this, but it's not my thing. The marlinspike is great, I actually used it to undo a knot in my shoelaces the other day. It was better in this task than a SAK awl, because there's no sharp edge. Phillips driver is so-so, it can do the job if the screw isn't too tight. Is it a good value? I got mine for $40, and for that price you can get: SOG PowerLock, Gerber MP600, Leatherman Rebar / Skeletool / Wingman / Sidekick / Rev — all of which are better tools, but they don't have OHO pliers and blade. If you need exactly that, maybe this is your tool (or maybe you should save up a bit more and get a Leatherman OHT). Otherwise, I'd get one of those other options.

[Peter Nissen]

My first Post - pls be kind to me.
I just received my CRKT Bivy today and these are my first impression.
1. A decent knife on a multitool - imho! I have read other forums where others are less than impressed with a tanto blade BUT I have several CRKT M-16's and am very happy with this blade profile.
2. A Marlin Spike - I love the spike as both something to unknot rope but as a general purpose prodder when I don't want to dull the main blade.
3. The Downsides: it's a THICK tool. I have a Leatherman OHT and it's EVEN thicker than that. Which means whilst it has a belt clip - it's very noticeable in jeans when carried.
4. While the Marlin Spike is a nice feature, you have to access it first to get to the phillips head (kinda an oxymoron for a "one-handed" tool). Yes there is a thumb cut for the flat blade but nothing for the phillips. And on the phillips and flat drivers - these are very flimsy. My Leatherman Skeletool CX and the OHT have far superior drivers.
5. The use of aluminum scales but still having s/steel liners! It's funny that the original CRKT M-16 came out with aluminum scales but only one s/s liner. The Bivy has 2 on either side of the scales and 3 internal s/s spaces. Infact, that the scales and liner on the tanto knife could stand alone as a separate knife. This just adds to the bulk of the tool. But having said that - the Bivy is still lighter than the Leatherman OHT.
6. The s/steel liners between the spike/phillips/flat drivers are very very thin and I think susceptible to damage if dropped. Also the finish leaves a lot of rough edges on both the screwheads and the liners. But as pointed out before hand - you get what you pay for. The Bivy sells for $70 in Australia.
Final point - the one hand opening (OHO??) of the pliers is the Party Trick. It's going to be a smash hit with the blokes standing around the summer BBQ - beer in one hand and some guy quoting, "That's not a multitool, Mate! THIS is a multitool" and quickly flicking out the pliers. And having said that - to round out the collection - Should I buy the SOG version? I seem a bit wary of the sawtooth frontend of the pliers part. Any comments on these?

[zoidberg]

Welcome to the boards mate.   

[Grathr]

Welcome!

[Peter Nissen]

My own addition - I receive the Bivy on Thursday - the switchblade pliers were broken - inoperable but Sunday morning. The Bivy is a COMPLETE lemon. Avoid completely.

[zoidberg]

My own addition - I receive the Bivy on Thursday - the switchblade pliers were broken - inoperable but Sunday morning. The Bivy is a COMPLETE lemon. Avoid completely.

    

[Tom Munch]

Mine's still working fine. Sounds like you got a bad one.

[Grant Lamontagne]

My own addition - I receive the Bivy on Thursday - the switchblade pliers were broken - inoperable but Sunday morning. The Bivy is a COMPLETE lemon. Avoid completely.

Have you contacted CRKT about it?   I'm sure they would at least like the opportunity to try and make it right.

Def

[Peter Nissen]

Just an update on my post about the CRKT Bivy - last time - the Bivy pliers broke after 3 days. Well, after a bit of wait - CuttingEdge Knives and CRKT sent me a completely new Bivy and I have had that now for two weeks and I have been flicking the pliers out like a crazy guy and the multitool works FLAWLESSLY. Big thanks to CuttingEdge Knives and CRKT for renewing my faith. I have to say this new model - the pocket clip is not as stiff to use and is an improvement - good to see that product improvement is ongoing. However an interesting aside - I was flicking out the the pliers one afternoon and dropped them on the kitchen floor - bang! Straight up the pliers refused to pop out as the aluminium scales pinched/squeezed in and need adjustment via loosening off the Torx screws. Why I find this interesting, is that this is a OHT designed to be used at great heights and if I drop it three feet and something goes awry - imagine dropping it 30 or 300 metres..... Personally - I'm just not fussed on the alum scales for this reason - this would be an awsum multi tool if the scales were G10 or carbon fibre - lighter, thinner and just as strong. The reality is the inner stainless liners are the real bridges holding this tool together and the thick aluminium scales are very unnecessary.

[Gareth]

Thanks for the update Peter and I'm glad to hear your problems got sorted so easily.