Leatherman Surge

02/14/2013 by Miika

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Other
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

I got this as a souvenir from a friend and I fell in love with Surge right after I got it out of the box.

This is large and heavy multitool but then again it's not ment for light tasks. This is heavy duty tool with you could fix pretty much everything (even a marriage if you receive this from your spouse as an appology).

Surge has all the basic tools plus two bit drivers, one for normal sized bits and one for small. My Surge came with additional bit kit that includes flat/phillips/trox heads.

I have always thought that multitools with scissors are for women but Surges scissors are actually VERY good. They are spring loaded, sturdy and as sharp as the blades. Surge has a replacable bit for file or saw (both comes with the tool) or you can even buy a 8cm sawblade from the hardware store because you can fit a standard bosch/skil blade on the tool.

So Surge isn't filled with tons of tools but the tools that are in are sturdy. The Pliers are very good but not spring loaded nor the pliers have replacable tungsten bits for wire cutting.

Even the tool is big, it fits to hand nicely without feeling clumsy. If you need a really heavy duty multitool, Surge is a safe bet.

Leatherman Squirt PS4

02/14/2013 by Miika

-Price Paid: $40.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

I have three Squirts, P4, E4 and PS4.

These are the miniature toolbox from Leatherman. P4 and P4S are identical, but the PS has also scissors. This is my keychain tool I use a lot at work (I'm a nurse).

In my work you find a lot of stuff to repair (tighten the screws, fixing some medical equipment etc.) and Squirt family follows me everywhere I go. It has all the tools you need to be able to fix things as the come. Ofcourse you can't do heavy duty stuff with these minitools because they would probably break.

And because of it size, patients don't run screaming when you take this one out =D. Leatherman Squirt P4 and PS4 has saved the day so many times I have lost the track. Even some of my colleagues have bought one of the Squirts.

Leatherman Skeletool

02/14/2013 by Miika

-Price Paid: $70.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

Skeletool is my most used tool around the house. My basic needs are a knife, pliers and a screwdriver and this tool fits the bill. It has one bit driver and two two-sided bits (different size flat/phillips). One is on the bit driver and one slips into the handle.

Skeletool isn't those tools that features a toolbox full of different tools but relies on three basic tools. This makes it very light and a pleasure to carry around.

The original Skeletool featured straight blade but nowdays the serrated blade from Skeletool CX is found on Skeletool and vice versa. Skeletool and Skeletool CX are identical except for the blade and the frame. CX has some Carbonfiber decorative plate, but it is actually just as light as the plain Skeletool.

If you only need these three tools, Skeletool is your goto multitool.

Leatherman Fuse

02/14/2013 by Miika

-Price Paid: $30.00
-Used for Light Duty/General
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

This basic Leatherman is the best of its kind. Best value for money. This tool follows the steps of the original PST with additional lockable tools, scissors and rubberized finger grooves for better ergonimics.

This tool proves that even cheap and basic multitools are excellent. It has sturdy build quality, the tools are very functional (except I had to modify the small flat screwdriver to work with smaller screws), the locking mechanism works flawlessly and the whole tool is light and pocketable.

This tool is no longer produced but you might still get this from eBay for a bargain. If you want a basic tool that is still manufactured, go for Blast or Rebar.

Leatherman Crunch

02/14/2013 by Miika

-Price Paid: $90.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

This is probably the most misunderstood multitool. When people buy this they don't seem to understand that the main idea is the lock pliers and not the amount of tools.

The lock pliers are excellent and unlike in many other pliers, this one has a groove that goes length wise on the nose of the plier making it excellent for grabbing something very thin like needles or fishing hooks without the fear of them rolling.

I do some ocassional welding and sometimes I need small lock pliers to hold pieces together and this one has proven to be absolutely priceless.

The other tools are very basic, flat/phillips screwdriver, file and serrated blade (which I'd prefer to be straight). Like the other reviewer said, the locking bolt comes in the way of the other tools but you can always screw it off while you need to use screwdriver or the blade.

Leatherman Crunch is for people who knows what this tool is designed for. Not for your average joe.

Leatherman Charge

02/14/2013 by Miika

-Price Paid: $90.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

After my good ol' trusted PST died (was able to break the pliers) I had to get a new Leatherman and it was very easy to choose which one.

Because I'm always tinkering with stuff I needed a multitool with bit set and Charge ALX is the only multitool with 3 replacable bits.

One thing I really like ALX is the seat belt/gutting hook on the serrated blade. It also works excellently in opening boxes or shrink-wrapped products.

For me, this is the best price/value of Leatherman tools

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SOG Seal Pup Elite

02/14/2013 by Miika

-Price Paid: $90.00
-Used for Outdoor/Survival
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

SOG has been my go-to knive manufacturer for quite some time and as I was looking a knive for my wife to carry in the woods I ended up getting this one.

This is one of the best knives I've used in this size category. It's very sharp, excellently balanced and it has the best sheath (nylon, with plastic inlay and a pocket) IMHO.

AUS8 steel is easy to keep sharp, it doesnt bend and I've had no need to do any other maintenance on the blade except for the ocassional sharpening.

For me the only question mark about this knife is the handle. It is glass reinforced and I just wonder what would happen when it's -25C (-13F) outside and you drop it on the bedrock. Even when the handle is hard the finger grooves helps to keep the blade in line.

It is rather pricey knife but excellent quality. And that nylon sheath with a pocket is like I said best sheath I've had. But then again, I have always valued nylon over kydex and especially over leather sheaths.

Cold Steel SRK

02/14/2013 by Miika

-Price Paid: $70.00
-Used for Outdoor/Survival
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

This was my very first 'survival' knife and after years of use this is a safe choice for anyone wanting a good knife.

Blade is AUS8 steel,very sharp right off the box, holds the edge ridicilously well and very easy to keep sharp. I have used this knife for pretty much everything imaginatible and it has never failed me.

The grip is the best I've touched; soft ribbed rubbery. It doesn't slip off your hands even when gripping it lightly. The soft rubbery has one draw back and that is you shouldn't use the handle to hammer anything. Even if the handle can that that kind of abuse, it will render it ugly.

For anyone getting into this knife business, I'd recommend this as your first knife. It's not too expensive and the quality/value is superb.

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Cold Steel Voyager Medium

02/13/2013 by Jeff

-Price Paid: $45.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

I have carried a cold steel Voyager medium every day for the last 15 years, starting with the original Voyagers with the molded pocket clip and through the change to the metal pocket clip, and now to the newest model with the changed handle contour and the change to Taiwanese steel. All of the knives have been great- easy to open one handed, (snap your wrist during the draw) and the newer models can be taken down with a small "star" bit.. Good reliable knives for the money, and hold an edge well.. Even the newest "stone washed look" steel.

Benchmade 3300 Infidel OTF

02/13/2013 by Jeremy

-Price Paid: $285.00
-Used for Self Defense
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

I bought this knife while in Afghanistan and it was a steal at $285. I would have paid twice that price. The D2 steel is, and stays, super sharp! The spring is still tight and fast after over 3 years of use.

Kershaw Select Fire

02/13/2013 by Bob

-Price Paid: N/A
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

Great knife for the price.

CRKT Guppie

02/12/2013 by Eric

-Price Paid: $25.00
-Used for Light Duty/General
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

The Guppie is an excellent utility tool. It's knife is not overly sharp; but it does it does take care of small jobs faced daily. As a tool, it is always a go to instrument. With large and small flat and phillips bits and a small led flashlight, it gets you out of a bind. Oh yeah, it has a bottle opening caribiner. It's no leatherman; but it is small and useful. They (CKRT)have great customer service too.