Re: Leatherman Tool

But you missed the one basic failing of all those multitools, which

> forces me to carry a Swiss Army knife: None of them has a corkscrew!

And the best thing about the corkscrew is that it is home for the tiny screwdriver for tightening spectacle hinges. My sister (who lives in some pretty remote places) lists three essentials. The Swiss Army knife (with tiny screwdriver), a short wave radio and Tabasco (to make anything edible).

Reply to
Don Mackie
Loading thread data ...

I carry the original SOG tool, the one where the pliers fold out from the side. I've been carrying it on my duty-belt for 5 years now and never know when I'll need it next. Sure, it has some drawbacks, like the little handle used to open it broke off so I have to tap it on the side to open it, and the blades don't hold an edge like my Cold Steel pocket knife- although I don't expect them to. Work issued everyone with a knock-off el-cheapo multitool a while back and I just threw it in my locker and kept carrying the SOG since I know it's well-made. Personally, I'm sure they're all good in their own right. Just my humble opinion.

Ed

Reply to
Ed G

Great review - Thanks. I carry my leatherman with me at all times and use it many times every day and have done so for two and a half years. I work as a handyman and there have been many occasions when I have been called to sum up a job and rather than walk all the way back to my car or workshop for my tools, have fixed the problem there and then with my Leatherman. It has paid for itself over and over again in time and shoe leather. My only regret is that the modeI I have does not have the scissors. But as it still operates as good as day I bought it and cannot really justify the expense of buying a new one just to get the scissors - or can I? Great bit of kit - wouldn't be without it. One last thing, don't forget to treat it to a drop of oil now and again. I didn't and the pliers seized up on me. WD40 and

3inOne soon sorted it out though.

Gary

Reply to
Gary Dean

Oops, that should read "Juice", not "Wave". Sorry.

Reply to
Markus Ellermeier

I had to look that one up, the "Juice" is new to me.

I started with the original PST, then got the Mini-Tool, and now I wear the Wave on my belt at work daily. The Juice looks to be a good pocket knife. I work in a prototype shop and have used my Leatherman on an amazing array of hardware, including helicopters. This is definitely a lifesaver! I like that the blades are accessible without opening the knife with the Wave model.

I made the mistake of buying the Gerber type PST. The metal was porous and quickly began to rust in our salty environment. My boss broke the pliers on his Gerber. Mine pinched the *&% out my hand. Very poor quality and design. I gave it away. My oldest Leatherman is more than 10 years old. Still as shiny as the day I got it. No hint of rust, never had any part of it fail.

Excellent brand! Good luck with your new toy.

Reply to
Robert

Me too. The metal is fine, but this thing is basically a set of pliers I wear on my belt. (and I do use them all the time, admitedly...) The locking mechanism for the gadgets isn't robust enough to handle any torque at all, and it quickly deforms. There's no way to fix it without drillling out the gigantic rivet and cobbling together some kind of replacement for it, and then the stupid thing bends again the first good time you try to turn a Phillips screw with it.

I got it replaced the first time, because I really like the way the pliers are made, compared to the Leathermans I looked at at the time, which had straight handles, but it just isn't up to the task.

I'm going to buy a Leatherman one day soon. Maybe it will actually perform.

Reply to
Silvan

I carried a Gerber for several years and thought it was good stuff. Then they started dorking around with the basic design, and finally eliminated one of the tools I used most - the awl-shaped blade which had a serious cutting edge - used it to ream capillary tubes on refrigeration systems.

I got a Leatherman a couple of years ago for Christmas, and haven't carried a Gerber since.

_MUCH_ better quality, major difference in the strength, etc. I use the stainless version, so I expect the cutting edges to go off more quickly than a carbon blade - they don't. Must be 18-8 or so in the mix. Been using this one for over a year and just now had to put an edge on the two knife blades.

FWIW. Cheers, Fred McClellan the dash plumber at mindspring dot com

Reply to
Fred McClellan

Your experience is opposite to mine. I have received a couple of different Leatherman tools as gifts and they quickly went into my drawer for stuff that I don't use but am not ready to dispose of. Then I bought a Gerber 400 and have used it just about daily for several years.

I don't live near salt water but we have plenty of humidity. The brushed stainless on my Gerber shows no signs of corrosion or stain.

For my use, the design of the Gerber is much better. It fits my hands, has the tools that I use most. The pliers work much better than the Leatherman tools that I tried. I have never pinched my hand.

I would have traded a nearly new Leatherman for a spare Gerber. Too bad we didn't cross paths then.

I would say the same for my Gerber.

I really like the design of the pliers. The narrow nose and the wire cutters work make it as useful as a set of regular pliers and it is always on my hip. The one-handed operation of the pliers makes this very convenient. But I don't expect them to replace a wrench for gripping nuts and bolts. I wouldn't use full size pliers for that either.

The scissors are the second most used part, followed closely by the Phillips screwdriver. Both are much better designed than similar parts of the Leatherman. I really appreciate the locking mechanism on all the blades.

The only aspect of the Gerber's design that I don't care for is the knife blade. None of the multitools that I have seen have a decent blade. But I carry a SpiderCo lock blade for any serious cutting and reserve the Gerber's blade for the occasional delicate.

different strokes ....

Reply to
Bob Haar

My Model has two knife blades that I find to be of very good quality and quite useful. I don't like the bottle opener though, can't find a beer bottle that it will open. Otherwise I find it to be better then the leatherman models I have used. ">

Reply to
Sweet Sawdust

On Tue, 26 Aug 2003 02:15:02 GMT, Dave Balderstone pixelated:

True, there are (not is), Dave. Way too many.

I'm surprised the clerk didn't take the 10 minutes to repair it for him. Oh, wait, that's a Searz, iddenit? I was thinking hardware store and self-sufficient people with brains. Sorry. I guess it takes all types to wobble the world, wot?

Extended warranties: An excise tax on the stupid. That said, now that I found my Dish and Starband equipment to be out of warranty and not worth a shit, I'll be getting the extended warranty on my Dish equipment. I won't be spending another $400 on a tuner like I just did for the Starband modem... It's a damned good thing I don't own a little red button connected to a WOMD, KWIM,V?

I think it IS the Earth wobbling from so many of us shaking our heads in unison some days.

- - Let Exxon send their own troops -

-------------------------------------------------------

formatting link
Comprehensive Website Programming

Reply to
Larry Jaques

You am right again, Larry...

Oh, yeah...

djb

Reply to
Dave Balderstone

ROTFL!!!

Yes, guilty... Wow, that was a long time ago. Bob Vila was/is such a putz. (That ought to start a holy war.)

Reply to
Silvan

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.