Swiss Army Knife V. Leatherman. Which Do I go With?

I'm getting the itch for a new multi-tool and have it narrowed down to two options:

1. Leatherman Rebar http://www.lowes.com/pd_239133-73393-831815___?Ntt=leatherman+rebar&UserSearch=leatherman+rebar&productId=50323763

2. Victorinox Trekker & a pair of dedicated pliers: http://www.edcsource.com/listing/victorinox-german-bundeswehr-army-knife-gak-54876/119315

https://www.channellock.com/e346-xlt-combination-pliers.aspx

Any insight?

I'm not sure what you want it for or what your priorities are...on an everyday basis I only carry a small keychain multitool, but I shop on functions I need per cubic cm, and on that basis I'd recommend the Leatherman. If you need the pliers a lot, it would be stupid to have to carry a set on top of a multitool that's nearly as large as one that includes pliers.

Edit: If you're asking whether the Leatherman is as good as "real pliers," yes it is.

I carry a Leatherman Micra on my keychain. It's no powerhouse, but it's always on me. That counts more than anything.

I carry an old beat up leatherman at work. Mostly because the needlenose are handy. If it wasnt for the pliers i wouldnt carry a multi tool. Just a knife.

I carry a Victorinox tinker everyday. They make great knives. The Tinker is underkill - just enough to get the job done without bulking up my pockets, requiring a belt holster, or dragging down my trousers.

If you really need to carry pliers with you all the time and use them frequently, I'd go with a dedicated pair and the Victorinox because real pliers will always work better than the ones on the leatherman. OTOH, if you want to carry pliers because you might, maybe find them handy, the leatherman is probably the way to go.

I saw that rebar on sale at Lowes and almost put one in my cart....It's the most like the original leatherman I lost years ago.

EDIT: My opinion and Gameboy's differ on the leatherman pliers. If you need needlenose specifically, they are probably as good, but for general plier-ing it's hard to bead a pair of standard slip-joints

Gerber Multitool. I've carried one on my hip for years now and as a friend put it: "I do more work by mistake with it than most people do on purpose."

ultraclyde wrote: EDIT: My opinion and Gameboy's differ on the leatherman pliers. If you need needlenose specifically, they are probably as good, but for general plier-ing it's hard to bead a pair of standard slip-joints

I was comparing to "real pliers" of the same type, such as the one he linked to.

Leatherman Skeletool!

I had a Skeletool and while it looks good on paper, the pliers were very uncomfortable. I also had a Wingman before that and I didn't care for it. I think I would find pliers handy but I find the other tools on a Leatherman uncomfortable in the hand to use when I need to use them. The plus for the SAK is I would be able to carry it in my pocket and not have it in a belt sheath. If I went the route with dedicated pliers, I'd carry them in my work bag.

I also have a Tinker but gave it a co worker to take on his deployment overseas with him.

I love my skeletool. stays clipped to a beltloop

I carry a leatherman my wife bought for me 10 years ago in a belt holster. I'm so used to having it, that I feel naked without it.

I have the "Crunch" which has vice grips instead of needle-nose pliers. While not as good as real vice grips, they work well enough that I often use them instead of getting the real ones from the garage.

But it is pricey compared to the ones with regular pliers.

I find the Leatherman to be a vicious palm pincher when using the pliers.

After spending an absurd amount of time agonizing over choices, I finally went with a Gerber 600 and flashlight combo, and haven't looked back...much.

Yea, I'd like the scissors, and I don't use the hacksaw blade nearly as much as I thought. Nor do I use the can opener. But basic screwdriver, knife, pliers, that I do use fairly regularly. I use the flashlight a lot more than I expected. To the point that I might actually have to replace the battery soon.

If I ever come across one of these old things at a swap meet, I will buy it:

I have Leatherman knock-offs in every car for the most-emergenciest of emergencies. I never thought they were effective or useful enough for personal carry. I EDC a Victorinox Cybertool 29, which is a 3-bay Swiss Army knife with the usual options on the outer 2 bays. The center bay is an axial bit driver on one side and a little rack of 6 or 8 double-headed interchangeable bits on the other: flat blade, Phillips, and some small Torx bits.

It's not too large to carry comfortably in dress pants, and I use it daily. The only thing I wish it had was a scissors instead of one or the other of the knife blades (it has both the large and small blades). But I wouldn't make it larger to add the scissors.

Like this, in translucent red:

This is great because it has a "real" knife that can be used with the tool closed.

Tom Suddard wrote: Leatherman Skeletool!

I'd love a Crunch but whoa are they and the Vise Grip tools expensive

KyAllroad wrote: Gerber Multitool. I've carried one on my hip for years now and as a friend put it: "I do more work by mistake with it than most people do on purpose."

I also have s Gerber I carry on my belt. I use it pretty much every day for something.

I have a Gerber Suspension that I absolutely love. I use it in theater tech work. It came with a belt holster that is very effective (although the velcro is wearing out). I also do a lot of camping, and it works brilliantly for that as well. My only complaint is that the pliers are not very good for heavier twisting. They are great for cutting, tightening, and other pinching, but if you (for instance) try to use it to radially twist a coat hanger the jaws aren't very strong at staying in line with each other. But, in theater and camping you never really need that.

Not sure if it would work for you, but it is fantastic for theater tech and camping.

One thing to look at if you keep your tools for a long time is the warranty. I think Leatherman has a 25 year warranty, I'm not sure what the others have.

Leatherman replaced my crunch last year under warranty, no questions asked, and no receipt required. Just filled out the online form, mailed the old one back, and receive a new one a few weeks later.

Victorinox/Swiss Army Knives have a life time warranty. I think Gerber has a limited lifetime warranty.

I carry the Gerber Strata for work, along with a pair of Knipix pliers. Those two take care of about 90% of my work.. the other 10% I need specialized electrician's tools for.

It's hard to tell in this pic, but unlike the other gerbers, the cutting surface of the Pliers is replacable

Some of the Gerber MP600's have replaceable wire cutters but i've heard less than stellar things about them.

Both... don't be a b.

I picked one of these for about $7, just to keep in the trunk.

Sexy as a new set of overalls.

I EDC two multi-tools at all times. Why? Because I've never found a single one that pushes the right buttons. I sometimes need two pairs of pliers at once, as well.

I like the pliers on my SOG Paratool. I like the combo blade. I hate that the Philips screwdriver is a #1. The file is pretty lousy as well.

The pliers on my original Leatherman PST (replaced once under warranty. Their warranty used to be lifetime, now it's 25 years. BOO!) are horrible. Squeeze anything hard enough, and your hand will hate you. The blade is straight, no serrations, and I've sharpened it enough that it's probably 1/8" smaller now. A straight blade is much easier to keep sharp! It has a real #2 Philips tip. The beer opener is better than the SOG.

I have a SOG Powerlock V-Cutter just like this

I've had it for about five years and have carried with me maybe twice. It's bulky and super inconvenient to use. But that is because it doesn't have a belt or pocket clip. Belt holsters and sheaths suck.

I had a Swiss Army Fisherman that I carried every day since I was 16 that I lost a couple months ago. I hate that it got lost.