I got, and wear, the Leatherman Wave. The ability to hang on with one hand and still be able to get to the most used tool, the knife, is important to me. The pliers are secondary but quite handy.

The Wave is about as large and heavy a device as I would chose for wearing on my belt every day. In its sheath it is a bit smaller than the Buck knife seen on many hips in the south.

I got, and prefer, the older Wave. It lacks the universal hex bit holder that I find to be murphoid and a bit too fiddly. Those hex bits can tend to get caught in the fastener, pull out and get lost. I am more than willing to trade off adaptability, the ability to change bits, for the simple reliability of single purpose blades.

The Wave is a bit too large and heavy to slip comfortable into a pocket. When wearing dress slacks, where a belt sheath would stick out, I slip the smaller and lighter "Original Leatherman" into a pocket.

They have subsequently changed the names. I'm not sure but I think the "original Leatherman" has been renamed the PST. It looks similar. The design lacks the one-handed ability to get the knife blade out but it has served me well.

The Leatherman Charge Ti was just right for me. I always have a locking folder such as an RSK Mk1 or a Benchmade 940 so one hand open on a multi-tool isn't critical for me.

In my opinion the Surge is a bit big. You can't go wrong with a Wave or Charge!!! Leathermans are great tools, I wouldn't use anything else!!!

Best of luck in your decision!!

For EDC, I love my Victorinox Super Tinker. It has a Phillips blade instead of that confounded cork screw. The only stuff I don't use in the course of every day office work (and on computers) is the hook and rarely the awl. http://www.swissarmy.com/MultiTools/Pages/Product.aspx?category=doityourself&product=53341&

After ruining the side panels on a Victorinox Huntsman while boiling it to clean it after cleaning an elk (My wife replaced that with the Super Tinker for Christmas where I saw Victorinox's warranty policy and got it repaired), I decided that a solid stainless knife would be a good idea for hunting or other dirty situations. Since I loved my good old original Leatherman, which was quite useful in EDC as the computer guy at the office for 5 years, I got the Leatherman Super Tool 200. It had the saw blade, all stainless, so no matter how dirty it gets, or what makes it dirty, it can be easily cleaned, the parts won't melt, the finish won't come off and the blades lock. I also like how it folds pretty compact. http://www.leatherman.com/products/tools/retired-tools/super-tool-200/default.asp

At 9 oz. it's too heavy for my EDC without a wider belt, but it's always in my kits for outdoor and travel. When I travel on business, it's the first thing out of the suitcase.

Select the tools you want.

Select the price you want. These two steps will allow you to draw up a short list.

Go someplace where you can pick up the items on your list- not the clamshell, but the tool. See what feels right.

Buy what feels right- buy it there, where they let you touch it. Don't be one of those guys who burns twenty minutes of someone's payroll and then buys it online thinking you'll save five bucks before you factor in the seven bucks of shipping.

Take a look at the SOG S62 too. It's heavy, but pretty nice, and it has a neat little razor blade "hook" cutter.

I have two older Leatherman's. Both were made before they had more models than Ford and CHevy does cars, so there isn;t a "name" to them. The fit and finish is super nice on them and they both still work smoothly. THe only thing I dislike is the double jointed pliers, I like SOGs alot better in that area. One of the nicest things about those two "elders" is they have "USA" or "Leatherman USA" engraved on them. Call me whatever, but I like that....I don;t think the new ones have it anymore due to a lawsuit.

The new Leatherman Skeletals look pretty neat... but look at the price, arghhhhh...

Back to collecting SAKs again

Ironraven,
I agree that it is all about the specific tools, but with something as lasting as a multi-tool I feel it would be wrong to compromise because of price. None of them are that expensive, that I can't save up for a month or two if I have to.
The only time I don't buy it there is if they don't have a returns policy, such as at every army surplus store I have ever been to. They are great for army surplus, but don't buy anything else there. But I am all for getting the feel of it before purchase, especially with a knife, maybe not so much so with a multi-tool.

This is the main reason I've stuck with Gerber. I wore out the wire cutters on my first pair due to sheer over use and they replaced the whole unit free under warranty. Newer models now come with replaceable carbide cutters but when I can get the whole thing replaced, the only difference is the 3 week downtime to get the warranty service.