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Leatherman has made so many tools by now they are becoming too numerous to count, but each generation they create seems to get better than the previous, after all isn’t that what product manufacturers strive to do? They take something that the public already loves and has widely accepted and remake that item so it’s even better than its predecessors. When Leatherman came out with the Wave it hit the mulitool market by storm and soon became the “flagship” item that was the crowning achievement for Leatherman, heck even wal-mart had it listed on their shelves as “best sold mulitool”. I owned an original Wave and thought it was defiantly a forward thinking in multitool design, it was the first tool to have one handed opening blades. Having those on the outside as well as a saw and file makes the tools even with the bottom of the tool; giving the user more surface area to work with. Well in 2004 Leatherman introduced a new version of their Wave based off the design of their new flagship tool the Charge, the Wave may not be sporting a 154CM blade or Titanium handles but it’s still a contender in its own right.
The Surge caught my eye while perusing EDCDepot and I decided to give it a shot. I like the Wave type styling that seems to be very prevalent in the current offerings from Leatherman, so I decided to see what it was like in person. I also wanted to see how it differed from the Wave, one of my favorite models
I recently picked up a Gerber Solstice that was on sale, and I have to say, it is kind of a neat little tool. It is what would result in the mating of a Leatherman Micra and a SwissTech MicroTech at first glance. My curiosity was piqued after seeing it in a recent article in Knives Illustrated magazine. (“The Key To Being Prepared” by Abe Elias, October 2006)
The Solstice (center) is a cross between the SwissTech (left) and the Micra (right)
I recently had the opportunity to purchase a Gerber Clutch for so good a price, it would have been criminal not to. So, being the law abiding citizen I mostly am, I got one- more than one actually, things like this are great presents for forgotten birthdays and stocking stuffers at Christmas.
Schrade has always been a mainstay in quality American manufactured tools- a reputation well deserved with the tens of thousands of slip jointed knives produced over the years.
The Schrade ST1 is a must for any collector
An unforgettable classic, the PST II was the follow up to the immensely popular original Leatherman Pocket Survival Tool (PST).
The PST II is a handy, compact tool.
The two smallest models in the Juice series are the C2 and S2. Both models seem to perform better than many full sized multitools, and seem quite sturdy, despite their small size. They are truly a large tool in a small package.
The Leatherman Juice models C2 and S2
The Leatherman Kick is an interesting tool- a little smaller than the original PST, but at a fraction of the weight. The Kick is the smallest of a series of three tools from Leatherman, the other two being the Fuse and the Blast.
Leatherman's Lightweight Offering, the Kick
Most mulitools in the market today are pretty much carbon copies of each other, granted there are some that are totally ingenious and ground breaking in overall design. But they all have the same thing in common; the tools are all implements (tools ex: screwdrivers, file, knife, scissors, etc) are based around a pair of pliers. Meyerco USA with the help of renowned knife artist and designer Blackie Collins have designed what is just the opposite of the now traditional multitool.
Multi tools I will admit tend to be quite large and cumbersome, even when you do need to use them you never end up need all of the tools that it comes with.
I myself have had many times where I have not only needed a screwdriver but one to loosen or tighten a torx head or a square head.
Swiss Army knives have come to be loved and used by virtually everyone all over the world, you see someone using one and you immediately know what it is. Being very popular and people friendly, the versatile Swiss knife has been a trusted companion to many of us.
The Original SwissTool is available in two finishes
With so many multi tools out there having pliers (usually needle-nose or blunt) as the center of their tool, Kershaw set out to make a one of a kind tool that sets itself apart from the rest of the multi tool crowd. What Kershaw came up with was the Kershaw Multi tool, an innovative pair of vise-grips packed with all kinds of goods that are wrapped up in a nice little package.
The first tool that SOG came out with before their gear driven wonders the power series; SOG had created a tool just as unique and the ones they make today. What SOG came up with is the world's first multitool with a multi-angle plier head. In other words the plier head could be used in any position between fully locked open and closed. Enabling you to get into some hard to reach areas that you cannot get into with other tools.
What kind of people would write collect and review multitools? Quite simple really- we are designers and do-ers, outdoors types and indoor types, mechanics, doctors, problem solvers and problem makers. As such, we have, as a world spanning community, put every type, size and version of multitool, multifunction knife, pocket knife and all related products to every test we could manage in as many places and environments as there are.