Leatherman Mod: Does your Surge Go Both Ways?

[SteveRacer]

 Well, I finally did what I have been threatening for weeks.  Thanks to Loudliam for the donor "victim"...





Don't adjust your monitor.  That's two "tool exchanger" thingbobbies, one OEM stock and another reversed, massaged, ramped, modified, changed, and installed.  Gone is the plain edge blade, which I am not a fan of ... both in general on an MT, and with some specific criticism for the Surge blade.  [Stay tuned for my full Surge review after I EDC the beast a few more weeks.]

Me have saw.  Me have diamond plus crosscut file.  Me not grunt and sweat and drop vinyl pouch and fiddle and break finger nails and cut myself [as much] changing implements ... that should have been there and at ready in the first place! 

This "philosophy" has been bandied about in the General Tool Discussion thread On Multitools and Knives    Now I'm an EDC junkie; my belt real estate virtually unlimited by my large, aerodynamic low-drag "parabolic" frontal area, and the attending yards of leather strap to retain my pants.  I like having a real knife.  Just a knife.  A nice sturdy reliable sharp folding blade.  I find the MT blades weird and redundant.  On the other hand, if a MT was the only thing I EDC'd, then I would have retained the plain blade.   

I kept the serrated blade, because I like this one and have found it very useful for cutting certain materials ... stuff that's in between plain edge and the saw.  Soft plastic, for example.  Leather.  Fiber reinforced fabrics.  Gasket materials.  I think Leatherman got that blade right with useful but not overly aggressive serrations.   


So the external tool complement on my Surge now looks like this:







I'll post detailed instructions on how I managed this mod, if anyone thinks it worthwhile.  It wasn't anywhere as easy as I thought, and it has some caveats.  That "exchanger" holder tool thingy was really designed to be only in one position on the tool.  The "liner locks" (so to speak) that keep the tools locked work on a beveled edge to lock tight.  The exchanger thing had to be flipped and reversed.  Which means it doesn't sit quite right when closed.  So some grinding.  And then it hangs up on the sliding cover edge.  More grinding and polishing.  Changing implements will now be a trick, because it "opens" the opposite direction, and you can't do it with the tool fully extended and locked.  And I found out you need TWO security T10 Torx(tm) bits to do Surge modding, because the tool is held together by "sex bolts"     Really, that's what the industry calls them.  I might have made that up, but I didn't.  I swear.  Go ahead, google "sex bolts" - I dare you!   



Here's what it looks like closed.  The nail nick/tang on the saw sticks out a bit more than I'd like (Reversed and ground thingy now on it's head; doesn't lay quite as deep) but it's completely usuable and you could not tell it wasn't factory original unless you were a MT nut like us.







I'll update this post after a few weeks of EDC to reveal whether it was worth it ... in time, effort, and a now poor little castrated "donor" Surge.   (But more modding bits!!) 

In fact, more to come ...   I'm already going against my own philosophy and planning how I might machine the "exchange" tool tang into my loose plain blade.  So the plain blade becomes an exchangeable implement.  But the vinyl pouch is sure to suffer! 


best-

-steve

[Leatherman123]

Very cool! I am very impressed! 

[MultiMat]

Wow , that is cool.Me I could not do with out the straight blade on my Surge , but I can understand your situation if you already carry a dedicated blade.I am a huge fan of the "tool exchanger " as you have no worries abusing the saw/file as if the worst happens it is easily replaced  .BTW I had the same  Sex Bolt problem when I went to put the pocket clip back on my Skeletool , pain in the arse finding 1 torx bit.

Stevo I am looking forward to the next installment of Pimp My Surge

[J-sews]

Nice work Steve! Isn't it amazing how nothing is ever as simple as it first appears? Kudos to you for sticking with it and seeing the project through to completion.

[Gareth]

Nice job. 

[Leatherman123]

I personally like the SURGE "as is".

[RaptorMan]

If they could shave 10 pounds off it i wouldve enjoyed mine more.

[Zack]

Very cool idea, glad it finally got there.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Nice job fella

[MultiMat]

Stevo , I was looking at my Surge & was wondering  , you probably  already consider it, but would putting the donor "tool exchanger" were the scissors are & then modify the scissors to go were the straight blade be a option?I suspect there would probably be just as much if not more faffing around to get the scissors to work/fit.

[Freudian Frog]

Brilliant! Good show!

[SteveRacer]

just as much if not more faffing around to get the scissors to work/fit.

Excellent thought but I already took a preliminary try.  The scissor spring arm would have to be flipped to the other side.  Then the liner lock bit won't engage.  Plus there's a little tang that keeps the tool straight ahead when in the locked position ... now on the wrong side.  All the external tools really have to be in their left or right position, without some serious modification.

The Surge seems fairly simple, but it's really a work of art when you take it apart.  It's not as monolithic as it might seem.  There's a very complex system of ramps, springs, curves, and bevels that make everything interact.  Have you noticed the pin that slots into the nail holes on the blades when the pliers are deployed, so you can't deploy blades during plier use?  This actually took a small chunk out of my plain edge blade, and it happened during manufacture -- one of my original complaints with the blade that led to this mod.  The legendary Surge "rattle" has to do with the ramps on the plier jaw roots that lock the handles in place in the last few degrees of opening travel.  The plus is that it's fairly easy to wrist-flick it open one-handed.  Downside is the dreaded rattle.  In any case, my point is that the Surge is one of the most well-thought and complex MT designs out there, albiet on the heavy side.  The SOG Powerlock might be a bit tougher, but its form is barbaric by comparison.

I'm trying to figure out how to weld a SAK corkscrew (with micro screwdriver) on to the Surge tool exchange "tang" shape.  Also a small high TPI jigsaw "hacksaw" blade for metal cutting.  I'd like to produce a range of occasional-use goodies that could be swapped into the tool, besides the OE saw and file.  Those are great, but in my way of "thinking"  []  too much is never enough....   

-steve

[donvito]

FAKE  lol just kidding. Nice mod. If you want to add a sak corkscrew to your surge then try working with Victorinox corkscrew meant for SwissTool and Spirit. You can find em sold separately, try Felinevet or Rotokid.

[Smitty44]

Great Mod!!!

[kwakster]

Steve, i take it that's the SDS-exchanger i sent you ?

[SteveRacer]

Steve, i take it that's the SDS-exchanger i sent you ?

Nope, did not receive yet.  Dissected Loudliam's spare Surge.  With your parts I'll be able to restore one ...  until the next time the moon gets full !

[MultiMat]

The Surge seems fairly simple, but it's really a work of art when you take it apart. 

-steve
[/quote]

It is good to hear your praises Stevo , I was a bit worried that when you first got the Surge it sounded like you were not getting along & that you were joining the expanding group of Surgeapobics.It is a tops tool.

[Poncho65]

Very good mod I have never even thought about doing that to the Surge (of course I don't have one) but the idea is great would be cool to have other tools besides just the saw and file like you said kudos again on the mod