I dunno... glad it works well for you, but for me, I have to say that it sounds like there's a message between the lines when you say that you feel compelled to carry a >8 oz. multitool, and then a "real" knife on top of that.

From the past experiences...

My dad is and was able to break every gerber tool out there yet he swears by it... I got him the Super Tool and he cant crack it....

I saw one Wave broken when soft tip on the screwdriver just twisted... Mine is being abused and looks like hell yet it is doing fine.

I broke 3 Shrade tools and will never go back to them.

I keep Swiss Army tool in my car but it's not getting a lot of use since Wave is always on me. But I can feel it being a bit more solid than my wave.

Matt

I have owned them all, from leatherman to gerber and now a swisstool RS. I broke or bent the blades/screwdrivers on my leatherman and gerber, not prying either, just doing normal work in the field. Far and away, I have had better performance from the swisstool. I am a HUGE victorinox fan, and I will not go back, with one exception. I do own a leatherman micra, mostly because it is a little more handy than the scissors on my swisstool, plus it has the tweezers, which arent the best, but when you are in the field and get a sliver in your hand they do fine.

IMHO, Swisstools are far superior than Leatherman, and having owned both, I feel I can at least give my opinion on it.

Garrett

Started carrying a Spyderco long before i carried a multitool. I used to work in a hardware store and i cut rope, tubing, hose, wire on a daily basis. When i started toting a multitool i kept the spyderco because it takes too long to get to the blades on any of the multitools i used, this was before the wave was introduced. But i carry more than just my spyderco and supertool. The supertool is accompanied by a Arc LS with a 2AA clickie pack, a 6 inch Diamond adjustable wrench with the extra wide opening jaws, and a magnetic pickup tool (and no that is not a Ferrari). I also carry a Arc AAA, a tape measure, and a leatherman micra. The micra is used mainly for the scissors and the tweezers. The tweezers have been reground to a much sharper point which helps in digging out metal slivers, i work in a machine shop now. The only problems with my micra the scissors are getting dull, mainly from cutting shim stock and clipping off about a zillion zip ties, which i can't really fault leatherman for. The worst thing about all of this stuff is once you get used to carrying it, you can't do without it. And i'm sure there is a message in that too:>)

Same here. I'm can't stand being without my wave on my belt. Gave away a pair or shorts just last week because they didn't have belt loops. I managed to break the smallest flat tip on my wave trying to pry an 80lb server out of its rack rail where it was stuck so it took a lot to break it. Had to buy another so I can have one to carry while the broken one goes back to leatherman for repair, then I will have it as a spare if I ever loose it.

I think a good knife or multitool is very important in the field or around everyday activities. What I carry depends on what I am doing though. When I work I keep a little Victorinox "classic" in my pocket, take it about everywhere. If I am backpacking on a longer trip I carry a Grohmann "Boat Knife" with a solid 4" blade in SS, keep it on the pack. I also take my old Swiss Army "Farmer". When I was in the filed for the military, I always took the "Farmer" and a Randall #1 fighting knife with a 7" blade. I began with the multitools when the first Leatherman hit the market, killed it with normal uses in 2 months. Then went for the first Gerber, the original where the handles came all the way together when trying to use the retractable pliers, Ouch!! Got rid of it shortly before the large blood blister healed! Next was the first Supertool, broke off the large flatblade screwdriver on an overly tight screw. Had it replaced and kept it in my desk at work, used the phillips blade a few times on computer screws, sent it to a young man in the Army to take to Iraq, that was the big failure, since there is no source of a replacement nearby! I have a mini and a Micro, the mini was a gift, still have never messed with it much. The micro has the blade all messed up trying to pry a watch back off to replace the battery. Not exactly what I should use the blade for, but it was handy and I know my Swiss Army knife could have done that without any problem. As for my Victorinox Swiss tool, it has opened heavy-duty boxes, put in and taken out all sorts of screws, the knife blades have cut heater hoses, steaks, rope and opened smaller packages. Not a single problem with the Swiss Tool. I just bought another and sent it to my gal's nephew in Iraq, let's see how it holds up!! Should be there in 10 days or so. Thanks for all the different perspectives on the tools guys!! Cheers!

Was it a wave ?
I thot it looked more like a british army knife. I thot it was a weird tool to use to take out a sentry.....
Must wathc the show more carefully again....

Just to add to the discussion....
My leatherman wave is holding up well, but one of the small screwdriver blades did bend while I was using it to attach a bolt set to my door. My screwdriver blades also rusted together and I had to WD40 the thing....
<img src="images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

I too am a victorinox fan, and I bought a swisstool to compare with my wave. It is much heavier and bulkier, but seems more sturdy and well made. I find the tools a tad too tight to pry out from the handles...anyone else have this problem ?

I lost my SOG Paratool a couple of years ago, and decided to try out the Wave everyone was raving about at the time - but returned it after a week because it had a generally flimsy feel to it. It sure does look nice though, and so if you tend to just use it as belt jewellery, it's probably a good choice. I ended up getting another Paratool and have continued to be very satisfied with it - I particularily like the fact that you can field-service it, completely disassemble it, and/or swap out the optional blades with the little wrench set that SOG offers for it. Plus the size is just right for me - that Swisstool is nice but it's a monster.

PS: Did anyone recognize which plier-tool John Connor handed Arnie to use in Terminator 3 for his emergency field-maintenance? (Great movie BTW, made in the true spirit of the Terminator series with a hardcore sci-fi storyline, hilarious camp humour, and bigtime action - and of course Arnie himself in fine form at age 56!)

<img src="images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

yes saw E! special on merchandising for T3 and Gerber is the one who made that tool... I think it was 6/700 model or so. They have a special T3 limited edition comming to the store near you soon... I can see the slogan already: "Tuff enuff for a terminator, more than tuff enuff for you..."




More info here:
http://www.shop4gerber.co.uk/terminator_3_t3.html

Just don't fall off the dock with all that on.. :-)

I carry a lot of odds and ends for a computer geek, but the routine around an office doesn't demand much. Other than the micra, most of the stuff is reserved for more drastic scenarios- it doesn't get used otherwise.

As a matter of fact, I was going to post a solicitation for suggestions for EDC knife carry for wimpy office types like myself, but I'm going to be out of town for a week or so (and away from e-mail for the longest period in over 15 years), so it will have to wait until I get back.

Just out of curiosity, for lots of daily use like that, did you prefer the plain-edged Spyderco or serrated?

I have found the tweezers on the micra to be frustrating at best. It's primary function, as I've mentioned before, is to give me an honest answer to "do you have a knife on you?" without revealing whatever else I'm carrying. I might consider a Victorinox Executive instead... less bulk and weight.