Welcome!I added some details to this question in the Alpha thread. If considering a SURGE, you may consider looking for a CHARGE new if you can locate one or on the secondary market. Blades and saw are one hand. Same as a SURGE. Just lighter.
As a medic I would suspect you would have better scissors in your medic kit that can handle the materials required. The SURGE SCISSORS not great on all materials. The T-Shank is great for file or a variety of saw types. Again as a medic, unless you are needing to saw a tree branch to clear an area or to amputate still not practical. I was just looking at it as most practical based on info provided. The SURGE is a chunk of weight. I carried a ST300 for several years in construction trades, I preserver my SURGE which is now assigned to my camp kitchen kit. Not military trained, I do have a daughter who is a RN and has worked ERoom. And a son who is a Paramedic/Firefighter, that also on call as a SWAT medic fully trained for field operations including weapons. Both use a RAPTOR, but not a MT in their respectful duties. Just offering insight! Your needs can be totally different in your world.
I will give a +1 for the Raptor. My suggestion would be a Raptor paired with another multi-tool (be it knife-based or pliers-based).I strongly suggest that, since you said you'll be carrying your multi outside of your military duties, you research knife-related laws you must comply with. As an example, some countries make carry of locking and/or one-hand opening blades more trouble than it's worth.I'm also not sure how secure or durable the Surge's T-shank mechanism is. Some other options you may consider are the ST300/Rebar (though they lack outside opening tools) and the Wave (if you're okay with light-duty scissors in lieu of an awl).With all that said, I'd suggest keeping your initial investment low and thoroughly assessing what features of your first multi see the most use and which are just "there." Trying new things out is one of the aspects of this hobby that can be really fun.Hope I've been at least somewhat helpful, and good luck in your quest!
~Edit: Which Leatherman would you pair with the RAPTOR as the ideal companion?
Which Leatherman would you pair with the RAPTOR as the ideal companion? And why not the MUT?
I am very biased!I strongly believe the ST300 is the best heavy duty tool you can have on your belt or in a coat pocket. I have observed on the Television show, the LAST ALASKANS, and read in a book about him, Hiemo Korth, a real outdoors man living in the Refuge Area of NE Alaska, carries a ST300 and twice after dropping a moose used his tool to draw and quarter his hunt. And then later use the screw driver to release a band on his barrel to retrieve items stored inside. Also, adjust his carburetor on a snowmobile. A REBAR is just a smaller ST300. The BOND is similar, just tools are not locking. The BOND is most like the original PST LM first introduced. I prefer simple…
Any Leatherman that fills your needs would pair ideally with the Raptor. As for the MUT, part of that is because I didn't think of it until you asked about it. My personal preference is for plain or fully serrated blades over combo edges (yet I carry a combo edge 111mm SAK very regularly...go figure!). The MUT has at least a couple of tools that may be too specialized or you may have no use for. And they're one of the more expensive offerings in Leatherman's current line-up.
Sir: respectfully that's like saying arborists use real saws, and not the surge or 111mm SAK saws. That's a given.Surge scissors among the best in the business.However, yes, you are right. I have an OG Surge. One does require belt AND suspenders to keep ones pants up with that on your belt
But my Tried and True is my Spirit!(Image removed from quote.)
I'm going to lose a lot of friends with this post, but MTO is all about speaking your mind about tools....The Surge is probably your best bet, but it's bigger than you think it is. If you are a larger individual, that may work to your advantage, but if you are a smaller person, I'd suggest getting a Wave or Wave Plus. I wouldn't waste money on the fancy new tool they are calling the Wave Alpha- it is just like the Charge.The Charge (and now Wave Alpha) are gimmicks. I don't know how well that translates for you, but basically the Charge (and Wave Alpha) are just Wave models that they put fancy materials on it so they can charge more money (hence the name Charge) despite it being either the same (or less) functionality. But you feel good because you spent more on it. The titanium in the Charge series (or aluminum or G-10 or whichever version you buy) provides no benefit whatsoever. It is not actually covering any of the steel so you don't get any benefits from the increased toughness or corrosion resistance of the titanium. It's not in a significant quantity to decrease weight, and in fact that additional framework required to bolt on a titanium slab actually adds more steel and therefore weight. Some folks will tell you that the titanium feels better in their hands and I am convinced that those people tell themselves that to justify that they paid more for something that offers no actual benefit.And the Arc? Well, that is even more expensive and useless. I have bought CARS for less than what that thing retails for and I wouldn't recommend it with a gun to my head for someone looking for something to actually use. It's great for Instagram and showing off to your hipster friends when you use it to pop open a craft brew bear behind the Starbucks, but that's pretty well the end of that.The Raptor is, IMHO also a waste of money. It is far too complex and the blades are too thick to get into the tight places that dedicated EMT shears get into. Further it has too many nooks and crannies (small areas for dirt and grime to accumulate) that it would be difficult to effectively sterilize after use- particularly as a combat medic where you can't quickly wipe it off as you go from patient to patient. And, as mentioned, it's not cheap and therefore not disposable like a set of issue shears would be, so you are stuck with that dirt and grime forever.The Supertool 300 and Rebar are both great tools and I would recommend them, but you want one handed opening blades, so that takes both of them out of the running. Unless you would consider one of them and a dedicated folder, like a Spyderco, Benchmade, Cold Steel, CRKT or similar, which would give you the one handed opening blade you really want.Concentrating on the one handed opening need, I see someone has suggested the OHT. Remember that the OHT (or One Handed Tool) says that all of the tools open one handed, and they are right- technically. Realistically, the pliers are ambidextrous and the rest of the tools either open with the right hand or the left, but not both. So while you only need one hand, you can really only access half the tools with that one hand. You will have to either use your other hand to access the others or switch the hand holding the tool. Or course, some of our in house lefties are going to point out that they can contort their hands in such a way as to access all of their tools, but that's not the point- as a combat medic it has to be easy to access or it's useless. Adrenalin dumps and fine motor skills don't go together.The Victorinox Spirit and SwissTool (all versions of each) are great choices, but suffer the same issues as the Rebar and SuperTool 300- you will still need a one handed opening knife because they don't have one handed opening functions.So, after crapping on pretty well everything here, what would I actually suggest?Well, I think you were on the right path with the Surge. It's a good tool. If you want pretty well all the function of the Surge at a more reasonable price, look up the Bibury 17 in 1 tool which is very similar to the Surge, but about 1/3 of the price. The Surge is better, but not 3 times better.But remember the Surge (and Bibury) are both big, heavy tools. If you want to go a bit lighter, go for the Wave or Wave Plus. Similar design, but in a more normal size and weight.I would also suggest having a look at the Gerber Center-Drive. It's bigger like the Surge but not quite as heavy and the pliers, knife blade and screwdriver can all (actually) be deployed with one hand. Provided you are right handed anyway. And, it takes standard bits- I don't know what the availability of Leatherman's fancy flat screwdriver bits are in Georgia, so that may be a concern.Good luck and be safe out there.Def
I’ll amend my recommendation for the ARC. If you’re not going to really use the tool, I’ll agree with the folks above me about not buying one of Leatherman’s more expensive tools; however, if you plan on using it almost daily like I do, then the premium features of the ARC are more than worth the price. MagnaCut blades are far more than just a gimmick. They hold their edge much longer than 420HC blades, and much MUCH longer than the soft steel Victorinox uses. I use the crap out of my blade, so it’s nice to not have to sharpen it so often. Also, one hand opening is extremely useful if you use your tool a lot. If you don’t, then just buy something pretty and/or less expensive.
A couple folks recommended the Gerber Center Drive. If the screwdriver is 100% the most important tool for you, then I’ll agree with them - either the Center Drive or the Dual Force. Otherwise, there are better options. Personally, I don’t use either very much because they’re horrible for pocket carry - something very important to me, but not others.
I carry the Glock FM-78 fixed blade on my vest, so I'm not concerned about the multitool blade.The 420HC on the SURGE seems to be enough, in my opinion. Am I wrong?
The pliers, wire cutters, blade, saw/file, and the awl w/ needlehole are the things I actually need. The ARC doesn't have a needlehole on the awl, so leatherwork won't be possible with it. How moddable are the Leatherman multitools? Can I just put the needlehole there myself?
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