Do we ever tire of debating knives and multi-tools...? My EDC is 5, except it goes down to 4 for Church (usually) - I don't carry the WAVE to church (no particular reason)

My EDC is a Wave, a Victorinox SAK (discontinued model, but similar to a Huntsman IIRC), a micra, an OldTimer 340T (?Middleman?), and a small (Meyerco?) lockback clipped to a BSA hot spark.

I have only been EDCing the Wave for 7-8 months - didn't want to freak out some of the er, hmmm, soft minded folks at work / clients. As it turns out, no one objects or comments - and I somewhat obscure it by clipping my cell phone to my belt right next to it anyway.

If I had to strip down to one my emotions tell me to keep the OldTimer, but the SAK would be more versitile (the OldTimer is a better KNIFE, IMHO and I've used it for - well, it could tell many interesting stories).

I've had the SAK for 20+ years and it has gone to the field with me everytime, but only for the last 5 years has it become EDC - I've grown more fond of it as a result. Last year (or thereabouts) I ordered a "spare part" eyeglasses screwdriver that fits in the corkscrew and THAT was a great idea from Victorinox - they really work well and I don't mind the inconvenience when attacking a cork (the corkscrew sees regular use, but not at work, LoL). If one has a Victorinox with a corkscrew, get the screwdriver that fits into it; it's useful.

I really like the micra but obviously have not had it for all that long. The scissors account for 95% of its use and the rest is nice to have but really redundant.

The Meyerco lockback is "dedicated" to my hotspark via a quick clip that the knife came with and while it is occasionally used for other knife tasks, the combo has started literally hundreds of fires (Scouts, relatives, friends, etc - easy to teach). Otherwise the knife has no special meaning or purpose, but the two go together so well I'll buy some more when I can get them cheap again ($7 when I bought a couple unseen)

The WAVE? I like it fine and use the pliers daily, the plain blade frequently, the serated blade almost never, the saw and file occassionaly, and the rest of the tools infrequently. A long time ago I bought one of the original Gerbers and that sucker bit me too many times - a real pinch-monster. So I wouldn't even consider a Gerber until recently. And I had used others original Leathermans and did not like them. The WAVE suits me fine for now. I am not crazy about the knife blade - seems a little soft. Mixed feelings about the screwdriver blades, but they work well. Saw is OK and file is good. Pliers so far are good. Overall the size is a good compromise for my uses.

My core essentials bag currently has a CS SRK - I like it - and an old Soligen copy of a Grohman (sp) knife that is quite good. Also a Gerber lockback folding saw and a Gerber/Fiskars hand ax (so far so good - decent value). Other knives added/substituted for specific trips include a Kershaw skinner fixed blade, a machette, and others.

I'm sure I'd really like some of the great knives available now, but these are fine for me. Anyone want to gift me a Sbenza? <grin>

Tom