Multi Tools

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Bibletotingunslinger
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Multi Tools

Post by Bibletotingunslinger »

Hope this is not out of place.
Two weeks ago my nephew and I went shooting, he needed screw driver, I needed small screw driver, I needed pliers.
So, this morning I get an Email from SOG, they want me to buy the new Multi Tool.
So I looked at it, and Youtube.

Easy to carry
All tools lock open
Square Drive sockets for higher torque.
Compound Leverage Pliers.
Negative Stuff
no glasses screw driver
only 2 sizes of hex keys
compound leverage gears dig into your hand when using screw driver.

so I compared my Leatherman Wave
10 years old
Multi Tool and bits are carried in 2 separate pouches, ?????????????
All tools lock open, not all easy to open
Flat Bits, I fear may slip inside Torx and Hex screws
Standard leverage pliers, but bigger
It has 2 glasses screw drivers
It has 7 sizes of hex bits, sizes I use.
Several sizes of Screw Drivers, one for every gun repair we made 3 weeks ago.
What do you have on your belt/in you shooting bag? +corn
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Re: Multi Tools

Post by mr surveyor »

the absolute best steel, as well as multi-tool, I've ever owned is a SOG from 1991. Unfortunately it's a "side folder" and I use the pliers and wire cutters a lot. I have to often clear masses of barbed wire from around iron stake property corners (and other surveying uses), so the quality of the steel in the cutters is of high importance. I had been buying Gerber tools as presents for 10-15 years since I got the SOG, and about 6 years ago decided to carry a Gerber so as to avoid the pliers of the SOG from folding sideways. I do like the design of the Gerber but am tempted to go back to the higher quality of the SOG. If you do get a SOG, be danged sure you search out the American made version. I'm not sure about the multi-tools, but I know that SOG followed most manufacturers in trying to sell cheap foreign made junk just based on the name "SOG".


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Re: Multi Tools

Post by akuser47 »

I've had and used my Leatherman wave for a long time but maybe I should upgrade. I just haven't needed to yet.
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Re: Multi Tools

Post by Bibletotingunslinger »

What Mr. Surveyor said about make sure and get the US made one.
I found this not only true with SOG knives but K Bar too.
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Re: Multi Tools

Post by Moon Tree »

I've owned a larger Leatherman for years. I keep it in my truck. It's a handy tool. BUT, the pliers will flex under moderately heavy torque. Opening and unlocking blades is difficult and somewhat dangerous. The metal grip is uncomfortable for continued use. Last year, in the field, I used a friend Gerber. I was impressed with the strength and comfort.
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Re: Multi Tools

Post by Coop 45 »

I've just purchased a sog powerlock with the v cutter. I went with this one because I work in a high school with more than its fair share of fun police. The sog allows the user to swap tools out themselves so my plan is to swap the knife out for a pair of scissors. I find this a bit funny because I'm 6'4" and 130 kg. If I really wanted to make a mess of someone I don't need a tiny little 3" knife, but these are the things you need to do here.

Having never used a leatherman or gerber I can't comment on the quality differences between them.
What I do like is the compound leverage system on the pliers, the covers that go over the tools in the handles, the tools lock in the open position and the very solid feel that it has. I've bent more than one cheap multi tool by just trying to cut through a bit of fencing wire and so far the sog has worked very well.
The v cutter is a bit light weight but I could not see a purpose for the c4 spike that comes on other models, not even when I'm teaching year 10 woodwork.
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Re: Multi Tools

Post by Archer »

I thought I responded to this but windows 10 must have gone through a restart.

I have a Gerber with bit driver that I like pretty well.

I put a Outdoor Products as an emergency tool into the med/emr bag. It's bulky but it's there if you need something. (Of course the bag also has a set of penny shears and a single edged razor blade a cheap lockback and probably a scalpel so there would be something available for cutting regardless.)

I bought a couple of Winchester cheapies from Walmart a couple years ago when they put them on special for half off after X-mas with bit sets. One of those went into the range bag. Another went into the car's basic kit. They have a few hex bits that came with them and driver for same. Typically they are for pulling staples more than emergency screwdrivers. (The car typically has a set of screwdrivers and I think I tossed in one of those 20 or 30 hex bit sets as well.)

I got another couple Husky cheapies at Home Depot at some point and they went into the CamelBaks I use for mountain bike riding. Also in those same Camelbaks are bike specific Alien Multi tools with hex keys, screwdrivers and chain tool (the bigger ones that work instead of the ones that are so refined they merely break on first use.) plus a few more bits of bike and wilderness kit for mechanicals or emergencies.

Growing up I avoided multi tools like the plague. They were poor substitutes for the right tool and were typically either very bulky or delicate or both. Leatherman came out with a usable durable functional multitool. Gerber and SOG followed with good variations on that theme.

The cheapies may not be up to the Leatherman / Gerber / SOG level BUT at $10 each as opposed to $35-$80+ per each you can afford to have them where you need them and not have to make sure you pull it out of the camelback or the range bag or whatever. They are typically robust enough for the tasks I set them. I'd not try and use them for lineman's plyers or to stretch a fence but they aren't bad to have around.

I'd still have the Gerber on my belt if it were not for the FEDs wetting their panties over 9/11 and changing the rules about what we can carry on airplanes and having 'safe zones' where you can't carry a set of nail snips or your pocket knife. Pretty moronic.

I typically have a small gunsmith screwdriver set thrown into the range bag. It doesn't have everything the Wheeler set on the bench has but it's better than nothing. I may have moved it to the AR build toolkit though so I might need to get another one.

This topic reminds me though about a trip to the range several years ago. Members only no rangemaster.
I showed up with three buds and we set up targets at 50 100 and 200 yards.
We returned to the firing line and got ready to start firing. One of my buds says: 'Is that someone out there?'
Sure enough at the 600 yard line in the corner of the range there's a couple yahoos out there.
NO NOTICE LEFT AT THE FIRING LINE! They drove BOTH of their vehicles down the access road beside the range all the way to the 600 yard line. The access road has a dogleg in it so that they effectively have hidden both their vehicles BEHIND a stand of trees on the edge of the range.
They are apparently setting up some targets at 600 yards. They've been down there long enough that none of us even smelled any dust from their run into the range. None of us saw them when we were setting up out to 200 yards. We managed to unload WALK out to 200 setup targets and WALK back to the firing line and get ready to start throwing lead downrange and they were STILL setting up. At least one other fellow has shown up and setup at 200 as well. About 10 minutes later they start driving back only to stop and setup some more glop at the 300 yard line. Then they return and park IN FRONT of the firing line.
They ask us to vacate our setups so they can have their choice of the benches and nobody is inclined to move for them. They spend another 10-15 minutes unloading their vehicles before they retire them to the parking lot rather than getting out of everyone's way because they'd have to climb a half dozen steps from the parking lot. One of them has a full up bench competition rig that's not designed to ever fire from anything but the bench and the other has a scoped bolt gun and a moronic logo hat that doesn't do anything to improve his image in my mind.

I don't know if anyone told them they darned near were in the impact zone of a live range.
We had weapons loaded and pointed down range. Safeties were about to be snapped off.

After we've finally been doing a little shooting numbnut number one with the bench rig who's been setting up for another 10-15 minutes realizes he has no screwdriver to install his scope on his bench rig and goes down the line begging tools to no avail. Although I usually have them on hand as noted above I've brought only the guns, target materials and ammo and one of my buds drove. Nobody else seems to have any tools on hand that day either. Sad, I'd have liked to have seen if he could have gotten the darned thing sighted in at 300 or 600 yards with a scope he just bolted onto it. Probably just as well since the way they were operating it might have blown up with the cleaning rod left in the barrel.
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Re: Multi Tools

Post by akuser47 »

I have learned in similar situations that if they show stupid really fast without my stuff/property involved then we know already what stupid does. If someone is respectful and smart and safe. I'll loan out a tool if I have it to spare. Crazy how dangerous some are. I am thinking of buying a new multi tool now I don't need it but why not. +corn
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