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Sunday, 18 February 2018 13:30

Leatherman Vs SOG Part 3

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Part 3- Pliers

Part 3 1After the blade the most prominent function is the pliers, and let’s face it, this one seems like an open and shut case (pun sadly intended) given SOG’s compound leverage.  Just for the fun of it though, let’s break it down and see what we really have.

The heads themselves are very similar, with the Reactor’s being slightly stouter than the slender Skeletool’s more pointed needlenose.  In fact, the Skeletool has slightly more reach than the Reactor. Part 3 2

As you can see from the photos, it’s pretty minor and I don’t see it being point-worthy so let’s dig a little deeper and notice that the SOG head has more surface area on the cutters.  Good cutters are important when you have SOG’s Compound Leverage driving those teeth together, so again it seems like SOG has this one.

But, there’s a twist- SOG’s Compound Leverage isn’t without it’s drawbacks too.  For example, while the SOG plier head may open further than the Skeletool’s, the handles have to be much farther apart to allow it, and they are basically nonfunctional in that configuration.

Part 3 4Compact tools such as these are also favored by people with smaller hands and having handles that open too wide limits their usefulness significantly. 

This having been said, the Compound Leverage does allow you to use it with the plier handles folded over the head as well as opposite the head in a normal plier position, and that has come in handy on some jobs where clearance was an issue. 

Additionally, my father is somewhat past his prime and he loves his SOG pliers because the compound leverage offsets the arthritis in his hands very well, and that alone deserves a point.  I could keep poking at this, but in the end we all know this point is going to the Reactor, so let’s just cut to the chase.

SCORE- SOG 3, Leatherman 1

As usual, you are welcome to discuss your thoughts on this and any other items on our forum or you can email me directly at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. any time.

Grant Lamontagne

As the founder of Multitool.org Grant has been a collector of Swiss Army Knives and multitools for over 25 years, and a user for over 40 years. 

With a day job working in the field, either out in the woods or on industrial sites, Grant uses tools every day for all manner of different purposes.

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