Requesting opinions: Leatherman Blast multi-tool

I have a Leatherman Wave (original model) that I like, but now I am wanting a second multi-tool so that I can stash one permanenty in my BOB while having another for EDC. I was thinking of a Leatherman Blast. It is significantly cheaper than buying another Wave and it appears to have a decent selection of tools available. Does anyone have any comments good or bad about the Blast?

I don't know which of the multi-tools would end up being the one stashed in my BOB yet. Probably the Wave, because it doesn't have locking tools (except for the sharp blades). I have had a few occassions where the screwdrivers collapsed on me in use (that is NOT fun if you are pressing down firmly on the screw being turned!) I figure the BOB multi-tool would see very infrequent use so I could live with the non-locking tools of the Wave. But I haven't made a final decision yet.

The new (post 2004) Wave has all locking bits. Believe me when I tell you that the tool you keep in your BOB should have this feature -- you don't want to be busting your knuckles or worse during an emergency.

The Blast is a low-end model. I'm not a big fan of the plastic liners, but I've never heard of anyone having a problem with it.

I got a Leatherman Wingman for a present. Been carrying it ever since. No sheath, a pocket clip instead. Has enough tools to do small easy stuff. Way cheaper than Wave/Blast too. This is my 9th or 10th Leatherman - started way back with the original.

Consider this for EDC and the Wave for the BoB.

Get a Rebar, it's the new better all metal version of blast.

Sorry, but I would advise against a multitool with blades that are not accessible from the outside, but only by folding the whole thing open.

I have the new and locking Wave and I absolutely love it.

It depends on what you need. I prefer my ST300 for some situations, particularly when I already have a folding knife that opens one-handed.



In my opinion it comes closest to the Platonic ideal of a multitool.

+1 on the rebar.
If you take your budget as being the cost of one Wave/Charge, then buy the rebar and use the remaining cash to buy a Mora or three.

For all it's qualities the Wave is basically a knife with a pair of pliers attached.

OTOH, if you already have a knife, having a back-up buried inside a LM Supertool 300 is not a big deal.

I'm still considering buying a second multi-tool for my BOB, but I'm now also considering just going with standard tools. Multi-tools are always a compromise. They make up for that by having things handy and readily available - for when you have nothing better to use.

I'm thinking maybe a 6" pair of needlenose, a screwdriver with multiple bits stored in the handle, a Mora Clipper, and a P-51 can opener might be a cheaper and better replacement for a new multi-tool. Especially since I already have spares of all that stuff laying around unused - so my cost would be zilch. Standard tools would take up slightly more space and weigh just a tad more than a Leatherman, but not enough to worry about really.

I starting thinking about standard tools instead of a new multi-tool when I began analyzing what I have actually used on my current Wave to help decide what I might want on a new model. Pliers, yes. Screwdrivers, yes. The plain edge knife, yes (only if my pocket knife wasn't readily available - very rare). But that's it. Never used the serrated blade, the file, the saw, the can/bottle opener, the scissors, ... That analysis made me wonder why I was even considering a multi-tool for my BOB at all.

Still haven't decided one way or the other. I'm just speaking my thought processes out loud in this post.

The Blast is very similar to a Wave in terms of the available tools, just in a different configuration. The Rebar is basically a downsized SuperTool 300 (neither has scissors unfortunately).

Any of those four are durable, quality tools and would be suitable for a BOB, in my opinion, as long as they meet your feature requirements. I actually own all four.

I think if I were on a desert island, I might want the SuperTool 300 because it's the biggest, strongest multitool of the bunch. For everyday use the Wave is unique in terms of the one handed opening and the bit holder.

Consider the Victorinox Sprit X and the Gerber 400 Compact Sport also.

I am a long time leatherman user. Bought a Rebar about 2 months ago. Like it a lot.

It is light enough so that I always carry it. It has the tools I need. Mostly the pliers, cutters, file, plain & straight blade knives and phillips. Actually I use all the tools,but those in particular are a must have for me.

It takes two hands to open. Well if you are determined you can probably do it with one, but it ain't gonna be easy. No scissors, I would like those but I can live without them.

I like the replaceable wire cutter surfaces. They seem sharper and harder than the other (several) leatheran tools I have had.

I don't like the un-locking tabs. They stick out a bit and make it difficult to insert in a tight sheath. The provided sheath is OK, but I prefer a tougher material and stronger belt loop. The velcro flap twists up around the edge and catches on stuff. I preferred my old heavy nylon one that I used on my original (now over 30 years old??) leatherman.

So far so good though.

The lanyard attachment is not to my liking. I keep a small lanyard on all my small tools (knives, multi-tools etc) but this one just does not work well for me. It folds inside and if I keep a loop lanyard in it when folded, it cuts the lanyard. If I extend the lanyard device, it sticks out the end of the tool and makes the tool longer in the sheath.

The locking system is very good (minus my comments about the release method). It is very secure and easy to release.

Unless they take custom orders, this will have to do for me. All the others are either too heavy, bulky, expensive or have some other fault that excludes them from my EDC.

Nomad

I'm a LM fan, and carry an older Wave, but I have considered (as others have mentioned) just using real tools. A Channellock pliers and a Victorinox Huntsman will do about anything a multi- tool would do.

+1 on the Victorinox. I EDC the original SwissTool. Its built like a tank. The Spirit is a little lighter and has a different selection of tools. I've got both in the collection along with several Gerbers that slide out.

That's why I love my Skeletool and carry it alone; it has the few extra tools I need and has a blade as good as a dedicated folder.

Amongst my collection of Leathermans, I have a Blast and quite like it. It packs the tools I use, including scissors for first-aidy stuff, in a reasonably strong and reasonably light package. I happen to prefer the dedicated screwdrivers (as opposed to the bit holder on the WaveII). Paired with a stout folder, a Blast would be my current choice for backpacking.

I'm really interested in the Rebar, though, for everyday use and kits. Very well priced, and inexpensive enough that I won't cry if something happens to it. Up here, MEC sells it for $41 CAD.

I am also a leatherman fan, but my only experience so far has been with an old style supertool and the wave (both the old and the new style). My current job doesn't require me to carry such a tool on my belt, so I EDC a victorinox boyscout huntsman (essentially the same as the one pictured above except it replaces the corkscrew with a phillips-head screwdriver - I am wondering which would be more useful in an emergency, the corkscrew or the screwdriver) with a swiss-tech mini-pliers attached to it. I have carried the SAK for about 15 + years now and am VERY familiar with it. Which leads me to another observation and something I've been thinking about a lot lately. Do you really want your BOB to contain tools you are not extremely familiar with or comfortable using? I mean this in general as I know your plan is to put in your wave tool that you ARE familiar with now, but what about in another year? or two? or five? In an emergency, I would want a tool I am intimately familiar with. I'll have enough to worry about without having to remember how the tools open and close, where a tool is located, etc. So I'd suggest whichever one you get, get two, one for the BOB, and one to use daily so when the SHTF you'll be using a tool you use every day.

I, too, have thought about carrying standard tools in a BOB. I think it is a good idea. Sometimes the finesse or brute force required is not easily obtained with a multi-tool. There may times when you need a tool in each hand. Also, if you are in BOB-mode it may be beneficial to have the standard tools. All-in-all, having the four to six or so standard tools in a BOB would be worth the weight.

My $.02

I carry a multi-tool. see my comments about rebar above. However if I am stepping out of the normal routine, I also carry dedicated tools. My favorite is a small channel lock plier. Guess it is about 5" or a bit smaller. Very light weight, sort of like ignition pliers. but stronger.

I put several tools in a small belt pouch. Which tools depends on the situation. I do a lot of electronics works so my tools are not useful to others. But the small channel lock is great. It is not the 6" one. Smaller, hard to find.

Nomad... you are showing your age with "ignition pliers"...the slightly larger Proto set I carried for many years was my original multi tool (I ground a small flat screwdriver bit on one handle, and triangular filed a Phillips on the other)...had a toothache so bad one day, I contemplated pulling it... would have if I hadn't thought I'd pass out and bleed to death...

I was at the new MEC store last night and had a chance to eyeball the Rebar and several other nice tools but my SO was not cooperating financially wise...

I'll cast my vote for the corkscrew; not because I anticipate popping the cork on a bottle of bubbly in the apocalypse, but because I wear glasses. I find the corkscrew-mounted Vic mini-screwdriver to be extremely useful, especially when the screws in my glasses work loose.