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Tuesday, 14 March 2006 12:57

SOG S60 PowerLock Review

With so many multitools flooding the market and companies competing with each other for the being the most innovative, SOG Specialty knives has taken the traditional pliers most tools have to the next level. Most tools have the handles attached to the plier's head and the tool folds at the pivots when not in use, even since Tim Leatherman patented it years ago many people have copied this original design and not much design innovation has been made since.

SOG S60 PowerLock

Probably the beefiest set of folding pliers available

What separates SOG's Power Pliers series from Leatherman Tools is the new-patented feature, which SOG calls "compound leverage". By joining the pliers handles together with two gears that interlock into each other and the pliers head being pivoted a another point below the gear teeth we get a tool with 2 pivots basically, very ingenious and powerful. When you open and close the pliers; the gear teeth move and also moves the pliers head, but in a different fashion. It takes a lot of distance in pliers handle movement to product a little head movement; this has its drawbacks and advantages. You may have to open your handles wider to accommodate larger nuts than Leatherman but when you grab a hold you get twice the grip that you would from your traditional tool. For every pound of pressure you exert the tool doubles it and applies it to the object your turning; making unsurpassed gripping power. At first I was skeptical but you often want this feature more times in the day when your Leatherman tool keeps slipping cause you can't apply enough force to keep it from moving.... no longer.

SOG S60 PowerLock

The Powerlock is also packed with many more features that make it a joy to use. You get the basic standard of tools that you get with most pocket tools, knife, scissors, screwdriver blades, file and saw. But SOG has introduced another idea, the world first tool with a 1/4 inch socket adapter. Not only cause you uses 1/4 inch sockets on this tool but also it opens a whole new world of ways to adapt other bits and such to your tool. With a 1/4 adapter you can purchase from SOG or from your local hardware store you can now use any screwdriver bit that many companies make these days, talk about expansive.

SOG S60 PowerLock

The Powerlock's broad range of tools includes a 1/4 inch socket adapter

All the tools have the same clumping feature that most tools have, meaning that when you pull one tool out the others usually come with it and you have to push the rest back into the handle after you select what you want. Another plus though is all the tools lock, previously on SOG's Power Pliers tools all of the tools uses a posi-stop style locking for the tools and the would fold on you if you weren't careful. Now you can really crank on a screw and not worry about the tool closing, you do however have to be careful where you place your thumb because you could accidentally unlock the tool during use. The Powerlock uses a simple lock that sits on a spring and you press on the end to make it unlock, kind of like a sea-saw on a spring. Simple and very effective.

SOG S60 PowerLock

Hex Bolt construction allows you to remove the tools to replace, customize or clean the Powerlock

Overall this tool is wonderful and offers some features that will set it apart from the competition and make a fine example for other companies to follow. Even cleaning is a joy, this being the first tool to feature hex-bolt construction. You can unbolt the tools and pliers head so you can take it all apart and clean it better than just hosing it down. What will SOG come up with next? How will the other companies compete with a product such as this? Only time will tell, thanks to SOG for making a product that the rest can envy and all of us can enjoy on and off the worksite.

Be sure to see Chapter 2, PowerLock Revisited

 

More in this category: SOG SwitchPlier Review »
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