Slashdot Mirror
Look out Leatherman!
softwaregadgets writes "I use a
leatherman for most of my hardware work today (less then
optimal!), but its going in the bin this summer to leave space
in my pocket for this one."
I love my leatherman too, but crikey! That thing is just
crazy looking.
And I thought a Leatherman was expensive at ~$65. No thanks at $100. I've been happily using a $10 leatherman knock-off for years.
Actually, I believe that Gerber products are made in the USA... at least my Gator Serrator blade is. If memory serves, they are based in Portland, OR.
Get a victorinox swisstool... It is about 10 times
as tough as either the gerber or the leatherman
and it has everything you need with locking
ability. I love mine. The only drawback I have
found between it and the others is the weight.
Since the swisstool is built with much tougher
components it is heavier and a little bulkier.
Leatherman's lifetime guarantee is just great.
I bought my original Leatherman before there even
was a super tool. When I was overseas I leant it to a friend who somehow managed to use the blade edge to twist something sideways and broke it.
I walked into a store half a planet away from
where I bought it and they replaced the blade at
no cost without questions. For those who want
ease of opening, the new Wave has one-handed opening of the blades too.
Spyderco is great...I have one of their knives.
But I wouldn't buy a multi-tool that comes apart
into so many pieces just to use it.
the two teams this year....
leatherman....
....and gerber
Anyone know how long the Leatherman has been
around? Their advertizements seem to indicate
that it is quite new, but I seem to remember
it being in "The Last Whole Earth Catalog" [1] circa 1975. I have a disintegrating copy somewhere, but in the kaos (sp?) that is our
house I can't locate it. (The catalog, not
my leatherman, although it does take periodic
vacations).
-- cary
[1] "Access to tools", very cool book, stuff
to get things done. As applicable to
lat 1990's attitudes as it was to early
1970's attitudes. What goes around comes
around.
Before you buy a knock-off, make sure what you're getting into.
..on selling it with a instructional video. It is THAT complicated to use. Another shortcoming that you dont see is that the knife part only has handle material on one side. Closing it if it isn't at the original manufacturing tolerances could take a decent chunk of skin with it. Or at least that was the last pre-release review I had seen.
I was at a knife show several (about 8) months ago and got to talking to the Spyderco Rep. there. He had one of these tools on "loan" from their R&D. Let me tell you this thing was built to last forever. As for how it feels in your hand. There are a lot more corners and edges than the Leatherman, Gerber, and others. But I'm a devout Sypderco fan, and have turned everyone I know into one also.
Never leave home without it.
For my part, I've found the Leatherm tool adapter very tempting--I did purchase one for my brother-in-law and he seems very pleased with it.
Nice compromise between the two I'd say.
The pocket tool adapter (available from Quartermaster and other specialty mail-order shops) is a small attachment which adds a quarter inch hex drive and includes various bits, Phillips, hex wrenches, TORX bits, etc. has a small case to hold them with a couple of blank spots to add what one needs.
William
willadams@aol.com
Lettering Art in Modern Use
http://members.aol.com/willadams
Jason
You are absolutely correct! The SOG Paratool ROCKS!
..and don't forget that that drill needs to have a clutch if you're going to use it for driving screws.
Hmm. My boss is left handed and definately a propeller head. I'm one as well, and I'm ambidextrous. You might be on to something here.
ObMulti-Tool: I like the Gerber myself, not because I think it's any better, per se, than the Letherman or whathaveyou, but because with a flip of the wrist I can open the pliers and have them lock into place. I've scared a couple people doing this, who thought it was a switch blade at first.
- Xiombarg (who still can't remember the bloody password)
Get one. Well worth the price. Got frustrated with the letherman / etc by nearly busting my knuckles off due to a lack of locking mechanisms.
Also, I use the knife / philips screwdriver more than the pliers, so I don't like to look like Inspector Gadget when all I need is a good locking knife blade. Plus it is made of stainless steel (doesn't rust like the others).
Blades have individual springs therefore when you pull out the knife, you get the knife, not the flathead, the philips, the saw, the.......
Pliers are comfortable to use and are a good size, and when needed are easy to get at.
Only downfalls is the weight, and it is pricy. (~ $150.00 Can)
What!? No rs-232 break out box? I keep a nice
one with a bunch of jumpers in my backpack
at all (ok, most) times. That an a a
sufficiency of gender changers, null modems,
and 9 to 25 pin adapters.
-- cary
K.A.O.S. was the adversary to Maxwell Smart.
You are looking for the work chaos.
I want! I want! But $100??! I think I want...I think I want...
I like my pocket tool because it has only one
piece to keep up with. If you are going to have
as many pieces as this spyderco tool you might
as well buy one of those toolkits that comes in
a little belt pouch so that you don't drop parts
trying to get to onther things....
Now this is a knife reviewer
r ee.htm
http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Set/2292/ent
Knife reviews by one crazy Frenchman who mangles English worse than some of you do. The ones where he attacks junk cars and other knife threatening inanimate objects are pretty funny. Also here's a link to another knife site. He's not really set up for web orders but is not so rambo-esque as most knife sites. http://www.chaicutlery.com/index.html
js
(this is a reply to the main posting. the button for that seems to have gone away)
http://www.uws.com/UWS_SOG_ToolClip.html
or the link at the bottom of this posting (better). Bad pictures, though... It's a really sturdy pair of pliars, although cutting thick wire hurts your hands.
By coincidence, I have just discovered that I lost it. My SOG Toolclip, that is! I might buy this new weird Spyderco thing, I will look at both Gerber and Leatherman. I do find the Leatherman pliars a bit wimpy, but the rest of the tool is nice. The Swisstool is not very impressive, IMHO.
And also, for those who feel anguish when they miss the toothpick from their Victorinox (Swiss army) knife; you'll go crazy when you drop torx bits all over the place as this weird Spyderco tool falls apart.
Check out this link for more details about SOG tools. They're my personal favorites.
Someone really needs to make a specialized Hacker Multi-tool. Still keep the classic knife, pliers, screwdriver, wire-cutter, etc. But add an RJ-45 crimp (maybe RJ-11 too, but I've never needed one), cable stripper, little hand drill-type-thingy (only for the tiny bit sizes), and an extension on the screwdriver (those things are never long enough for close-quarters screwing).
I have a Swisstool and a mini screwdriver stashed in my backpack, and they're all I need for minor repairs. The blades on the swisstool are hard to open (I think it needs to be lubricated) but it hasn't broken despite a few stupid things I did with it.
Multimeter - a must. Small digital one.
But what about small Oscilliscopes? Anyone seen any small, toolkit-sized Osc's out there? How about mini Logic Analyzer?
If Spyderco can fit those in on this tool, I'd buy 3.
; -- the corruption of government starts with its secrets. a truly free people keep no secrets. --
The only real advantage I see the Leatherman having is that this thing looks like it would be really uncomfortable to carry around in your pocket -- at least the Leatherman is fairly smooth when you fold it down.
Besides, to tell the truth, I don't think I'd ever need to *use* the extra tools (yeah, I know that's not the point -- it's just having them that makes you have GeekStatus(tm) ). I really only use my Leatherman for fixing hardware at home/work, so the needle-nose, the knife and the phillips are only tools that see a lot of action...
----
Every year during my review, I just pray the words "slashdot.org" aren't mentioned.
At first glance I have to say it looks rahter cool. But I'm not sure I'd want one. Having a simple multi-tool is nice when you're out somewhere and can't get anything else. But when it comes down to it, having the single correct tool always beats any mutli-tool that will be ever made. The multi-tools are just something to carry in your pocket for quick little jobs.
So you need to keep some kind of balance. Some pliers and a knife (or something like original leatherman) for those just-gotta-do-this-quick type jobs, and a toolbox full of real tools for serious work.
The Gerber tool actually came out _before_ the Leatherman, IIRC. Gerber's are top quality knives, made in the US...all of my favorite knives, save one, are gerbers...
Also add an RJ45 crimper (phone 4 & 6 pin, too), coax crimper and a few tips. I also carry an RJ11 & 45 line tester, Fluke generic VOM, Rabbit probe and signal box, and a cheapy princess phone.I carry the crimpers and tips in my laptop case, a reversable #2 Phillips/straight screwdriver (free at trade shows) in my shirt pocket, and a simple Case pen knife. These have worked for years (decades) and nothing gets caught on chairs (I've tried Leatherman types). All the above tools cost $250 at computer parts stores. If you need a mallet, there is a simpler way.
It looks like an interesting design, with some good ideas. However, it also looks like it has a few fatal flaws. The first question... how do you hold it? For the knife itself that's obvious, but the rest of it doesn't appear to have any remotely comfortable place to put your hands. Several of the configurations also look like it'd be rather easy to cut your hand on the knife blade. It also looks like it'd be extremely uncomfortable to carry around, but that could be solved with a pouch/case. However, what I see as the biggest problem is that it looks like it'd take way too long to setup a lot of the tools for use. With my Victorinox Swisstool, It only takes about a second to be ready to use any of the tools. (I had a Leatherman Super Tool. It rusted.) I do think that Spyderco will get the metals and such right (they usually do, like Victorinox, unlike Leatherman) though. However, they need to work on a design with faster opening. I like Spyderco's knives (i've been thinking about buying one), but they need to look at why some of the other multitools are so useful.
ERROR: Null
As to the Gerber Multiplier, the design of its locking mechanisms is much better. The pliers are much more comfortable to use and capable of greater force (suitable (in a pinch) for crimping). This comes at a cost, economy of size.
The "good ol'" Leatherman is much handier and definitely has size on its side. However, after lots of use the intergrated "locking spring" loses its strength. I can't count the number of times I've banged my fingers trying to loosen a tight phillips-head.
Spyderco... I got a Spyderco knife (as a gift), and where it is very wierd looking, the blade steel is high quality (good tensile, not brittle, keeps an edge). As far as the "Spyderco Wrench" goes, It looks like something straight out of R'lyeh (nearly went insane looking at it). This might make for a better knife, a better screwdriver, etc. than either the Leatherman or Gerber, but it sure doesn't look "handy".
Fully stocked toolboxes... Obviously better than any belt-device, albeit unwieldy to strap to one's waist. I guess the realy question is: "How far are you willing to go?" :)
/* MAGIC THEATRE
ENTRANCE NOT FOR EVERYBODY
MADMEN ONLY */
I wish emerson design would come up with a multi-tool device. I REFUSE to be located outside of a three foot radius from my CQC6. period. ever. If you don't have one of these and you want a real blade, buy one. I think emerson even has a web site up now ...
/dev
"There's no secret. You just press the accelerator to the floor and keep turning left." -- Bill Vukovich
I have serveral models of each. (every time a new one comes out, I am forced to buy it, so I have all of the odler models stashed all over. :-) I have carried both for long periods of time. The gerber IS easier to open one handed. Yes this does matter. The new model gerber that doesn't rip your hand when using the wire cutters in quite nice. Leatherman has a better warranty. The elaterman is built better, and from higher quaility material. It is machined where much of the gerber is not. I have never had to deal with the factory for my gerber. I have done some stupid things with my leatherman and can say that dealing with the service dept is as good as dealing with service at thrustmaster, that is to say extremely good.
/dev
"There's no secret. You just press the accelerator to the floor and keep turning left." -- Bill Vukovich
Who'd want to use a tool named after baby food?
:)
I've used my trusty Swiss Army Explorer for the past 10 years: From preparing meals to sawing 2x4s, it's always worked for me. I recently passed it on, and moved up to the Swiss Champ--woohoo! :)
But, I've got my eye on that Swiss Tool now, hehe.
I've got a portable bike tool called the Cool Tool that looks a lot like this but without the knife blade. That thing has saved my butt more times than I can count.
I am going to stick with my leatherman though. I've grown very found of it.
I had a little Victorinox keychain Swiss Army for about 8 years or so, 'til it died. I picked up one of the Leatherman Micras to replace it - what a wonderful tool! It was only a little bigger, but the scissors are great, it has a nice blade, and it has a Phillips, too. Unfortunately, the tweezer on it sucks eggs, but you can't have everything - where would you put it? The other advantage of the Micra (but a disadvantage to those who like a full utility belt) is that it fits in pocket rather than on the belt. With my pager, Palm III, and potbelly, I don't have room for a lot of belt stuff.
When I was in my friend Rob's wedding a couple of years ago, he gave all the groomsmen engraved Leatherman tools. Now that's cool. Mine's in my car.
-- Josh Turiel
"2. Do not eat iPod Shuffle."
Can it take itself apart and put itself back together again?
I've had the leatherman wave ( closeup ) for about 6 mos. now and I love it. I see the Spyderco having absolutley no advantage over it (except that it looks kinda neat) especially with the approx. $40 more SRP.
btw, have you seen the new leatherman crunch ( closeup )? locking pliers...oh yeah...
If it can take itself apart and put itself back together again, did it really take itself apart completely? I'm just thinking if it takes itself apart, the ``putting together part'' should be dissasembled to. Unless it's atomic...
Something like that.
The word I was trying to think of while writing that comment was ``anomoeomery''. For some reason it's no longer in my hard-copy OED, which is where I first FOUND it. Luckily my school's online OED had it. Hurrah for computers!
anomoe'omery rare. f. Gr. anomoiomerh-j of dissimilar parts; cf. omoiomereia homoeomery (f. omoioj like + meroj part). The theory that the ultimate atoms of matter are dissimilar.
My 3rd New International Unabridged Webster's says, though ``The belief that the ultimate atoms of the universe are dissimilar.'' [emphasis mine].
Rock on.
I've loosened both of the Leathermans I've owned, including a PST II and a Wave...it didn't involve actually unscrewing the pivot points, but just opening the pliar parts over and over and over.
I can now whip out the Wave pliars, or open either of the one-hand access knives instantly. Really quite slick. It scares people a lot.
I was thinking about purchasing a Leatherman Wave a while back, but I balked when I saw the $70 price tag. I purchased the micra for $15 instead, and for a little bit more cash ($250) I got myself a good toolbox and a nice set of tools. When I don't have my toolbox around, the micra might come in handy, but like the guy said, having the correct tool always beats using a multi-tool.
What every good hacker should have in their toolbox:
Obviously there is more I could add to this, but this is a start. If you are gonna spend $100 for a multi-purpose tool, considering making additions to your toolbox instead.
Sounds like FUD to me, I've had a Leatherman Suprertool for years without any trouble at all. Except that time that I was punching a jammed set pin loose with the tiny screwdriver (it worked!). I twisted the end and called up Leatherman, they sent me out a mailer and fixed it in 3 days, even though it was obviously my own stupidity that caused the damage (Of course, I live right here in Portland, shipping time may vary). Don't dis Leatherman, they got it going on. {holy war/}Gerber is a second rate knock-off probably made in Taiwanese sweatshops by underage indentured servants {/holy war}
by Mike Buddha -- Someday the mountain might get him, but the law never will.
As a geology student who has been on numerous field expeditions, I'll stick with the Leatherman anytime. You can have the parts of the Gerbers and SOGs that fell to pieces under extreme use. Personally, I'll stick with a Estwing Rock Hammer and a roll of duct tape. Gives new meaning to "cracking open a case."
Another couple things that is are must haves are a good set of hex wrenches, a good set of torque wrenches, and a set of Xacto Extra Hands, or equivalent (many companies make basically the same thing, they cost ~$20, and are a life saver of you're trying to do some careful, tight assembly), and a good set of very fine tweezers are often quite useful.
Personally, I carry my Leatherman Super Tool around all the time, and I also keep my toolbox handy. I am lucky, though. My dad is an Electrical Engineer, so I have a VERY complete toolbox that I got pretty much for free (discarded things from his workbench), so in addition to all that, I have a good soldering iron, solder sucker, digital multimeeter, regular wrench set, some breadboard, plus various tools for my Model RR, such as a mini mitre (sp?) box.
-Cheetah
$65. I only paid like $35 for my Leatherman. If you are just working computers you aren't going to need all that extra crap on that tool that was mentioned. All you need is a Phillips head and occasionally the needlenose.
LoRider
Haveing a Gerber, I chuckle at the rest, not sturdy enough, or with too much frippery. A co worker has a SOG, it is the closest to the Gerber in utility, and sturdyness without going silly with useless crap.
What is all this??
/real/ hacker only has the Three True Tools:
You don't need any of these things!!!
The
- Editor
- Compiler
- Linker
Beyond those, all else is superfluous.
--
- Sean
It's a fine line between trolling and karma-whoring... and I think I just crossed it.
- Sean
I also love my leatherman wave, but wish that the pliers/wire cutter was a little heftier. Sometimes I have also wished for flatnose pliers instead of pointy ones and more clearance on the philips head screwdriver. Ah well, I'm sure leatherman will eventually come out with The Perfect Tool. The crunch looks like a (another) step in the right direction. Yum!
As far as this Spyderco tool goes: bummer for you if you lose the parts!!!
Taiwanese knock off or no, that leatherman HURTS when I crank on the pliers. The newer designs with the rolled edges are better, but the Mk1 Mod0 Leatherman was painful in my hand. That's why I bought a Gerber. Loaned it to a lady friend working in a christmas tree lot, and she hasn't bothered to give it back yet. Looks like I've got an excuse to get a new one.
Boy, I do like the look of dat dere Spyderco. I LIKE all the extra bits, and I'm clever enough to figure out how it works. : )
Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
The Gerber multi-tools are nicer than the leatherman imho, but I generally find all of the multi-tools to be a sacrifice in the long run. It seems as though the multi-tools suffer from a torque loss across the board. The pliers are often ungainly for heavy twisting applications, the knives are uncomfortable at best, and the screwdrivers are generally junk. This spider appears even worse in that not only is it ungainly, but it also has several parts for you to misplace.
I personally carry a small pair of Snap-on combination pliers in one pocket, a good pocket knife in the other, and a mini flat bladed screwdriver in my breast pocket. Any jams that they won't get me out of are too big for a multi-tool anyways.
If it ain't a Model M, it's a piece of crap.
That's why I carry both...a leatherman classic and a Spyderco delica. I'm not sure what I'm prepared for, but I'll be ready when it comes :)
/. poll anyone?
Seriously, the single-handed opening on the spyderco is really nice, and it's also one of the only knives with a clip on it that I can comfortably open, hold, and use (I'm a stinkin' lefty).
Kind of funny, left handed people seem to gravitate to computers. One of my contracts was implementing a new dispatch database; about ten guys were sitting around talking, and we realized we were all left handed. Is this a trend?
I have them, they are all necessities. Just don't forget the 10-lb. mallet for when a serious job needs to get done.
10-lb.'ers are great for the last ditch effort on getting the job done. When all else fails, give it a swift whack. I could mean the difference between a working and non-working 'puter.
Nothing crushes the competition like a 10-lb.'er. Nothing fixes an iMac like one. You thought they were multi-colored before...
10-lb.'ers are great, pick one up today. It is a must have for any good toolbox.
http://www.topeak.com/tool9.htm
You just never know when your going to need a fish scaler AND a 15g spoke tool
MrCreosote Meow!Thump!Meow!Thump!Meow!Thump! "You're right! There isn't enough room to swing a cat in here!"
Why use a Leatherman anyway? Get A Gerber! Its' a 100 times better than that useless piece of metal called Leatherman. A couple of my friends had Leathermans and they broke after a couple of months. Gerber will last a lifetime and besides, it's easier to use.
Might actually be buying if just to wear/use on a Klingon outfit when at a convention. ;-)
I use a Gerber agt work because our water treatment chemical vendor has a side business in guns and gear and sold me one cheap. It's ok. I've used a leatherman for years on climbs, backpack trips and for fishing and depend on it. I keep it handy no matter what I'm doing or where I am.
All these tools are good ones.
There is no God but Computer; there is no computer but God.
It's the only one I'm qualified to use.
--Nothing Funny Here.