Leatherman?

I've heard alot of hype over the Leatherman multi-tools and I was wondering, for the expense, is the extra stuff really worth it? I have had multi-tools in the past when I did work that required various tools because I thought it would be a help in some cases, but I found that I never used them. After looking through the Leatherman site and thinking about it, there really isn't a tool on a leatherman that I would use in the woods, and any tool it has that might be used in a urban survival situation I already carry in my car anyway (which is the only place I can think of I would even use something like this). I was just wondering about the cost versus value of these types of tools.

I have to agree with you about this. I don't think the price is worth putting out there for something I wouldn't use. I'm not really sold on SAK's either. I had a SAK for years and never used it and I always took it with me on my trips out in the wilderness. I ended up just giving it away.

Some of the multi-tools seem to have more gizmos on them than Carter has Little Liver Pills. Santa gave me the new monster Surge, but after playing with it a couple of days I gave it back to him, and returned to the Supertool that I have been carrying for years. I don't used all of the tools in it, but at least once a day I will use a blade, screwdriver, file, or the pliers. Sure, I have "real" pliers and screwdrivers, etc in my tool box, but I have the Leatherman with me, and the toolbox is somewhere else. Different strokes I guess...

I had a Gerber multi tool for a while and didn't use it much. It was stolen a while ago so I wanted a replacement. Santa got me a Leatherman Wave and I love it. I don't EDC it but always have it on outings. The last great thing it did for me? I was snowshoeing and when I pulled a hood over my head it squeezed my glasses and popped a lens out. I thought %$#@ now what am I going to do? I figured I would just bite the bullet and risk the tip of the knife tightening the screw back down on my glasses ....but...lo and behold the Wave has a little tiny screwdriver built right in.

Really I have used my wave more in the last month than I used my Gerber in the last 3 years.

I say Leatherman = cool.

Just my 2cents

Cameron

Thats why I carry an eyeglass repair kit. Plus I have a magnifying glass for firestarting if I need it. And if I lose a screw from my glasses I have extras.

I see a few people that don't seem to EDC their leatherman. I'm not knocking them or anything like that, I just don't think the advantage outweighs the cost for me. I haven't really priced them till recently because I never really wanted one. When I saw the price I couldn't believe it. I'm just wondering if there are uses that I haven't thought of. There would almost have to be to make it such a popular knife. One thing I've found with those type multitools (I've had really cheap versions of them) is that they are not very comfortable to work with and I have just never needed any of the tools they have in them bad enough to justify buying one.

As a quick rundown, here are the tools I've seen on these type of tools....

1. Knife blade. I already have plenty of knives and the handles are far more comfortable.
2. Screwdriver tips. I haven't ever needed a screwdriver while camping, although the eyeglass repair is certainly one of those things that would make the tool pay for itself with one use. I've never needed one however.
3. File. I have stones for sharpeningso I don't need that really. Plus I have a small bastard file in my bag that has a point on one end so if worse comes to worse, I can use it as a spear if the need ever arises (that to has never happened although I have hammered it into a tree to hang something on)
4. Can opener. I use P-38s so I've never needed one of these either. The P-38s are great so I have several scattered throughout my gear just in case on breaks or gets lost.
5. Ruler. I'm not sure what that's for. I've never needed a 6 inch ruler even at work.
6. Pliers. Probably the most noticeable tool on there. I've got hemostats and tweezers for splinters and such and I very seldom ever use them. I mostly just use a pocket knife
7. Saw. I've never used a saw that small although I tried it once. It didn't really work for me. I've got a bowsaw, two folding saws, two tomahawks, and a machete. I don't really need a two inch saw.
8. Awl. Not really sure about this one. I work with leather making holsters and sheaths and stuff for my own personal use (they aren't really that good since I can't cut a straight line) and I've never owned an awl. I usually either poke holes with a knife blade, or just jam the needle through as best I can.
9. Bottle opener. I think these are mostly nostalgic. I can't remember the last time I had to use a bottle opener. Almost everything is twist off now.
10. Wire strippers. I don't do alot of electrical work in the woods. I do install car stereos for friends but I use my teeth for stripping wire. It was a habit I started when I was younger and didn't always have wire strippers.

Anyway, I know that most of the people here have other uses fo the tools. I'm curious what kinds of uses you guys have for these things. For me, it's just not worth paying that much for something I would never use anyway, but as has already been stated, there are people that use them and they would be handy from time to time.

On a side note, what is the most bizzare or outrageous use for a leatherman that you folks have come up with? Is there a case where someone here has used one for something that they would have never even thought of because it would have sounded so outrageous? I love the stories like that so let's hear them all.

You are correct, some of the tools in most multi's are a joke. I wish that mine didn't have the can opener (got the same P-38 I have been carrying for 40years on my key chain, and it works as well today as it did brand new), bottle opener, awl (and a rotten awl it is), and I wish my file was the newer diamond version. I have used the saw on all kinds of small things, filed both wood and metal, crimped solderless connectors, cut wire, cut with both the straight and serriated bladed, gripped all kinds of things with the pliers, used all of the screwdriver blades on a jillion screws (Phillips is used the most), and cut all kinds of things with both the straight and serriated blades. I have even measured things with the ruler. All because a better tool was not readily at hand.

The only war story I can think of at the momemt is that a month or so ago I was "working" at a campground that also had a couple of cabins. While checking the cabins one day, I discovered that something had settled, and the strikerplate on the door no longer lined up with the lock on the door. My "real" tools were a pretty good hike away, so I whipped out Mr. Leatherman, used the Phillips to remove the plate, used an edge of the plate as a straightedge, and the tip of the straight blade to scribe a line, then used the blade to remove the wood. Then of course replace the screws. All in about four or five minutes. Works for me.

But it sounds as if your mind is made up, so don't buy one...

That's a pretty good story. I like to hear how people improvise in short order situations. That's the kind of thing that most people would take for granted, but if you had to walk back to get your tools, you would've certainly wished you had that particular tool. I can appreciate that sort of thing. I imagine that's only one of a hundred times you've used it in a pinch and I can see how that would be a nice thing to have.

It sounds like you get alot of use out of yours and I can see that you're glad you have it. If you could change it in any way, what would you add to it or remove from it? Has there ever been a "survival" type multi-tool like that? The ones they have now are more maintenance type tool kits than survival oriented.

As for what I would remove, re-read my post above. As for what I would add, re-read my post above, and add maybe the scissors Leatherman puts on some models, and the newer verion of little bitty screwdriver. Others might want a fish scaler, a guthook blade, no telling what else. Different stroke for different folks...

I prefer a Victorinox Swisstoll Spirit to a Leatherman Wave. I have both and found the Spirit to be more comfortable and easy to use as well as more robust. To me the Spirit would be perfect if it included a plain edge one hand opening blade. Even without that, I find it useful although I do not EDC it on my person. It is in a bag since I don't like too much stuff on my belt.

The scissors are a good idea. I've used scissors on knives and I like them alot. They work really well on some of the one's I've used. They're a little small but I doubt they could make them much bigger. As for the other stuff, you're right about being personal choice. Alot of people, alot of features.

The Victorinox knives, I'm not too familiar with. I guess everyone has their preffered tools, but I've noticed that so far everyone seems to have something they would change. Could you maybe get together and talk to the manufacturers about adding some things and removing others till you get a knife that more or less has all the features you want without all the extra junk that you don't use?

Just a thought, maybe you could even name it the ETS multi-tool. That may not even be a good idea but it's something to think about I guess.

Pulled out my Leatherman Supertool in response to your post. Purchased from Brigade Quartermaster's over 12 years ago, when they offered them with a black finish. There are wear marks on every blade and tool. Next to a good fixed blade and a flint, I could not imagine going into the bush without it.

M

I just took a look at my old Gerber ( I have a newer one as well) and I've used every item on it save one. In fact, I had to look on line to see what the heck that item is. Turns out it's a lanyard ring, which I guess makes a lot of sense if you're working on a tower or over water.

I EDC a Leatherman Supertool. I find that I use it everyday, mostly the plyers, crimpers, and screwdrivers. You are correct when you say that there are better tools in the toolkit. But the toolkit is somewhere else, and usually I don't need a great tool, just a little prying, crimping, etc. I also EDC the Leatherman in the woods, not so much for dealing with natural items, but with man made items. Some piece if gear needs bending, tightening, loosening, etc.

Are they in your pocket right now, ready for immediate use? I doubt it. What do those six tools weigh in total, 6 or 8 pounds? That's about a third of my entire hiking pack weight for a 1 or 1.5 day hike. Visualize yourself being separated from all the juicy gear in your vehicle. What tools are available to you now? I'll bet it's not a bowsaw, two folding saws, two tomahawks, and a machete.

The key to multi-tool utility is to EDC them. That way when you need a basic tool it is right there with you, not over in your car 10 yards or 10 miles away.

Sure, you can name a dedicated tool that will outperform the one on a multi-tool: Bowie knife, bow saw, shears, fullsize pliers, etc. But can you name a tool that provides the vast majority of those tools' utility, weighs about 8oz and rides easily on your belt? I can, it's called my L-e-a-t-h-e-r-m-a-n.

Regarding uses & other criticisms:

- the scissors are excellent for shaping tape & moleskin for treating hotspots & blisters. Also priceless for trimming toenails, which is more important on long hikes than you might think.

- the needlenose pliers are perfect for working with wire, which is so useful that Doug Ritter includes it in his PSK. Ditto the wirecutters. I also find the Leatherman needlenose pliers very useful for picking up small items like screws that I dropped into places I can't reach with my fingertips.

- the little saw is great for fine whittling work like fig-4 triggers & such, along with making clean cuts on wood up to 2" or so. Combined with a quality BCB wire saw you are covered... for a whole lot less weight and bulk than your bowsaw and two folding saws. The Leatherman saw is also great for cutting the softer plastics/polymers that would just be torn up by a big knife blade.

- handles on the newer Leathermans are very comfortable. If these rounded handles bother you then you need to develop some calluses.

- a Phillips head screwdriver is eternally useful, but do you carry one in your pocket every day? I don't. Wait, I do: it's on my Leatherman. Same with the 8" ruler; it's commonly useful when I say "what size is that blah blah blah". I don't carry a tapemeasure each day.

- the knife blade on my Leatherman Charge Ti is a decent 154CM steel and is a fine backup to my EDC Ritter RSK Mk1.

- the Leatherman can opener and bottle opener are the same tool, so the bottle opener is not costing you anything.

It all boils down to what you value.



While on an EMS call at o'dark-thirty we had to break in to the house because the patient couldn't get up. The door was extremely solid and we didn't want to destroy it. I found a window near the garage and was able to pry away to outer casing with my Leatherman pliers, open the window and get it that way.

If you are in a situation where you need to improvise with available materials, it is really helpful to have a basic knife, pliers, wirecutters, saw, and screwdrivers on hand... right there on your belt at all times.

Since buying the pocket clip accessory for my (new style) Wave, I've found that I carry it on my person quite a bit more.

The more I carry it, the more uses I find for it. It's handy at all of the usual places like the range, fishing, camping, hiking, etc. It's also pretty good to have around while traveling, too. One time I checked into a hotel room on a weekend. The maintenance staff was nowhere to be found and the hot water for the bathroom sink hadn't been turned on yet, as it was a newly remodeled room. Leatherman to the rescue.

Sure, I could have skipped the hot water, or lugged all of my stuff to another room, but the Leatherman made all of that unnecessary.

I find my Wave and Ti very usefull. As a back up tool, with 2 blades and a saw on it, it's very hard to beat. It's also one of the more carefully throught out tools on the market.
Obviously a fixed blade knife and a saw are to be prefered in a survival situation, but if you ain't got 'em, you ain't got 'em.

well, I can see the field is somewhat split between those that EDC a Leatherman and those that don't. I saw several good reasons to carry one and I can understand why they are carried so often. I wasn't saying that they are junk or that they shouldn't be carried, I was simply wondering if the high price was worth it. I can see that for many, the price is not too high for the uses they get out of their Leatherman and in fact, the usefullness they get out of it would make it worth it to pay twice what they cost.

I don't really use the tools that are on a leatherman that much so I wouldn't have the needs that some of you have. I usually keep my BOB near me at all times and here in Alabama, it's not really looked weird upon. I take mine to work sometimes to go though it and just take stock or even just play with some of the gear.

I say, if you use what you have, it's worth whatever you're willing to pay for it. It's good to see that there are so many uses for such a tool. Keep the stories coming, they are very interesting and informative.

I think my leatherman wave was the best $65 I've ever spent. I used it extensively when I was afloat this summer. I used the pliers and screwdrivers on a whole variety of fittings on our 60 year old ships, including fixing racks, screwing light fixture covers back on, in the dry stores hold...

My oddball story is that I needed to scrape some white paint off a porthole (window) that someone carelessly smeared some paint on. I couldn't mentally justify using my $120 Benchmade to scrape paint, so I used the large flathead screwdriver on the wave and it worked like a charm.

I also used it as a makeshift potholder when we forgot ours hiking in the ADK.

Having split careers between blue collar and white collar work for the past two decades, I can say that my multi tools were used and carried on my person a lot more often when blue collar. In Baghdad I sat at a desk most of the time but still kept the Wave on my belt just because I could and it was the right thing to do there. In Manhattan and here in Brisbane, I am in the office and don't need to carry the tool on my person, but I stll keep it at my desk and take it home with me every night. I just don't use it hardly at all now. Instead, I picked up an SAK classic which is small enough to fit in the front pocket of my slacks, but still has a blade, a file of sorts with a slotted screwdriver end, and a decent scissors. I still use this tool at least once a day.

For EDC, I guess it depends on your motivation. My wave used to be the most used item I had when I was a field tech working on communications equipment and computer systems for a living, so I always kept it at hand. Now it is sufficient just to have it nearby, just in case. That just in case thing is the catch. If you have it and don't need it, maybe you can call it a luxury, but if you need it and don't have it, what do you call it then?

Perhaps the best endorsement for edc'ing a multi tool is that it is the one item Les Stroud always takes with him. He will forsake every other bit of gear, but never his Leatherman or his cameras. That alone is enough to tell me what is smart investing.

As for most unusual use, well, I used mine once to arc the solenoid on an old ford pickup to get it started. I won't do that again and don't recommend it for others unless it is urgent. I've met a couple folks who've used a Leatherman to completely field dress and quarter a full size elk. Field dressing an elk with any knife is a chore, but they didn't seem to struggle any more than most guys using specialty knives. My brother used his as a sliding weight on a fishing line to unstick a lure in a river. In my opinion that wasn't worth the risk, but he seemed to think so at the time.

I got a surge also, and I love it for duty and around the farm. Kinda big but fits me (kinda big also <img src="/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />)

Soon as I find a store with one in stock I want to check out the "new" WAVE. I love my Super Tool, but would like to be able to open a blade without unfolding the whole thing. I really thought that the Surge would work for me, but after getting the new nylon pouch for it (I didn't really like the leather one that came with it), the thing stuck out from my side well over two inches...

Boacrow I live in Utah where there are 5 National Parks within a 4 hr drive of me and I can think of no better tool to have with me than a Leatherman, I now carry the 301/ Blast combo that I got just before Christmas (gave my old Leatherman to my son) If I am rockhounding or rock camping I know that my Leatherman (and other well placed tools) can just about get me out of any situation <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />
Mike

I don't leave home without my Leatherman Wave, the list of things I have used it for in the wilderness is endless. But from a survival point of view, I have used my leatherman to repair my packand other gear, build a shelter, fix a radio, pull cactus out of my shoe, and leg, sharpen an axe... the list goes on but I think everyone gets the point.

My Leatherman is not a replacement for my single, locking blade knife (a RSK Mk I in my case) but the extra tools that a Leatherman offers make them an excelent survival tool.

Excellent point.

Pulled into a gas station just after the recent ice storm. Tried to fill up with gas, found 2+ inches of ice coating my rear quarter panels including the gas cap lid. Standing there holding the gas nozzel with a dumb look on my face. Cannot pump gas into car. Unopened Leatherman made a fine hammer to break off ice and enable a fill up. Other motorists in the same fix borrowed it. I had my BRKT Kephart fixed blade with Osage scales, would have been real tough on the knife handle or blade.

Jon Davis

I have used the awl on my Supertool as an icepick several times (but on store bought ice, I try to avoid places that provide ice free of charge), it works pretty well (and is worthless as an "awl" anyway)...

I've gotten a lot of use from my Leatherman over the years, sometimes in unexpected ways. I get the most use out of the pliers, wirecutters, and file. Opened, it makes a great doorstop or splitting wedge. I've hammered a lot of small nails with it.

I love my Wave. The uses are many and varied. Lets see........

Camping - Used pliers for lifting hot pots off the stove, pushing or pulling needles through web gear for repairs, pulling zip ties really tight (again for gear repair), getting a good grip on small split rings, getting more leverage on a stuck zipper, pulling nails. Used small screwdriver for glasses. Used other screwdrivers for stove repair. Knife is self explanitory.

Home - Always on hip when not at work. Use all screwdrivers at one time or another to tighten or loosen without having to run to the basement or garage for a regular screwdriver. Love the pliers. So many tasks can get completed without running after a regular tool.

Cons - Screwdrivers can only transmit so much torque. If something is really stuck, I need to run after a regular tool.

Boacrow,

I understand where you are coming from, but I think the reason many of us carry multi-tools is because they are convenient. Sure, you have all those dedicated tools and combined they may very well serve you better than a single multi-tool, but are you going or even able to carry them with you everywhere you go? I don't mean in your vehicle or even in a backpack... I mean in your pants pockets. My leatherman tools can't do everything, but they are sufficient to get the job done the majority of them time I need a tool, and for me that's a great thing and well worth the price, especially when I am able to help others with them. I haven't saved any lives, but one time while biking I came upon a guy whose bike was broken down. Some of his spokes somehow became bent and they were tangled in the frame. I was able to free them quickly using the pliers. It might have been possible to untangle them by hand but the pliers definitely made the job easier (and much safer). There are many other times the multi-tools have come in handy as well. There have been plenty nails and metal filed, things cut, and screws driven with my Leatherman tools...

Not only that, I carry a different one at work (a Core). I'm an electronics maintenance technician and instead of carrying a large, heavy tool bag every time I'm on a call, I carry a much smaller utility pouch that is centered around the Leatherman tool. I also have a sharpie, adjustable wrench, insulated screwdriver, multimeter, flashlight, and some tape in there, but the pliers can be used to turn bolt heads if needed and with this alone I would say it covers my tool needs at least 80% of the time. If I know I will need dedicated tools or they they would make the job considerably easier I can always carry just those with me. Beats having to carry around the entire toolbag...

Multi-tools are freakin' awesome.

I understand the uses in everyday situations, but in a survival situation, I just don't need the tools. The majority of the tasks I come to deal with in a survival situation mostly involve cutting or tying. The leatherman has it's uses no doubt, but when I go into the woods, I don't need much in the way of tools except for a knife and maybe something heavy to pound with. Other than that, I'm good.

I have seen some people post that they have seen Les Stroud carry one and that is reason enough for them to carry one. I don't think that's a very wise way to choose the tools that you trust your life to. I'm not going to buy my gear based on someone else using it unless I get to see it first hand. Not edited for time, and especially not on TV. Les has my respect and I really think he's a great guy, but to drop a c-note on a pocket tool just because he uses one is simply irresponsible. I also don't buy from Ron Popeil or any other people I see on TV unless I find one down at the flea market for next to nothing and curiosity gets the better of me.

Again, I completely understand why people carry them in everyday situations, and I can see the usefulness under those conditions, I'm just a little skeptical about plunking that much money down for a tool that I feel is a bit superfluous. If you can use it, I have no problem with that. I think to be fair though, if more people thought about it, they might just agee with at least some of what I have said.

It's a great tool for you? Then it's worth every penny and more, but in the woods, with no electricity, no running water, only the earth and her predators to keep you company, how many uses would you have for it?

I think I understand what you're saying.

My guess is Les Stroud probably carries one not only for use with his survival situation, but to fix/adjust camera equipment that goes belly-up in the field. And they usually leave him with something man-made (plane wreckage, broken snowmobile, etc.) that he can improvise items from, courtesy of his Leatherman.

I guess it all depends on the situation. If I'm driving to/from the trailhead or a campground, I want the Leatherman with me. If I'm working or traveling, I want it with me. Fishing... I want it with me. If I was dropped in the middle of nowhere with only the clothes on my back, I'd opt for the fixed blade instead. (Unless I have to pull a "Castaway" and rip out my own tooth.)

You brought up a very good point. That camera gear is very expensive and also very sensitive. I can certainly see why Les carries one. I wouldn't' be a bit surprised if he carries spare ones in case one gets lost or broken. An $80 knive is a drop in the bucket when compared to $10,000 camera gear. In fact, I would hope he would carry a spare just so the show doesn't end prematurely due to a camera being knocked over or something like that.

In certain situations, I would probably carry one if they weren't so expensive. I might even EDC one. In my BOB though, the place is taken by a regular fixed blade, and for EDC I carry two small pocket knives. I carry two only because they get borrowed alot and I frequently need one while the other is in service somewhere else. I also carry two lighters for the same reason (I'm a smoker but the guys at work like to light firecrackers out back or fire up the grill). Sometimes the lighter never comes back but the knives always do.

I just used my Wave again to unjam my printer... Quick fix, paper due, didn't have time to get anyother people/tools to help me out...

Sometime back I attached a mini-Leatherman knock off (Cabelas brand) to the sheath of my Becker Brute. I thought that would be a good cheap way to always have a flat screwdriver handy in case I ever needed to access the stuff in the handle. A few days ago I tried to take the handle off, and the flat screwdriver on the knock off actually twisted like a corkscrew on one of the screws. I took the KF4 that I EDC and had it off in seconds. Needless to say the knockoff is now in the trash and a Leatherman will soon reside on the sheath. I have mine out every couple of days for one thing or another and can't imagine not carrying it now. But if you do carry one make sure you get the real deal.

I understand your hesitancy to spend $75 - $100 on a single tool. When I was considering the same decision, I weighed the benefits of the multi-tool with the larger number of survival tools for the same amount (Ritter PSK + Pocket FAK + Nalgene Bottle + Katadyn Micropur Tabs + Photon microlight + some other small items).

I finally settled on eventually buying it all over a period of six months. I chose the Leatherman Charge Ti because of the quality of steel used in the blade and it had a better grip for me than the Wave.

The reality is we do have a limited number of dollars and a variety of equipment that we individually think it will be valuable given our circumstances. I love my Charge Ti because it saves me the hassle of putting an entire toolbox on my back when traveling. I due keep extra tools in the classroom, car and garage, but I don't want them in my pockets/on my belt for EDC purposes. You may find that you prefer to keep other tools around. It becomes a personal preference. It also may be a consideration of backup/reserve gear. Why carry only one high quality knife when I can also carry leatherman as well. Murphy's law dictates that I'll probably lose one in an emergency.

I completely agree that one shouldn't carry a piece of gear just because an expert carries it. The best multi-tool on the planet would be useless to me if I wasn't aware of its features and knew how to use them safely and properly.

Different strokes for different folks. You should carry what you are comfortable with, and what works for you. As long as you carry it ALL the time, 'cuz you can't plan for a "survival situation"...

The main thought behind a multi-tool is, you carry it on your person and it contains, in a compact package, common tools that are useful in many different situations, be it survival or otherwise. It's the equivalent to carrying a small tool box in your pocket. Sure, it’s most useful in an urban/suburban environment, but pliers, knife blade(s), saw, file, scissors, and flat pieces of steel (screwdrivers) are such generic tools that they can be useful everywhere.

I normally carry a Leatherman charge Ti (which is expensive at ~$100), but I also have a few Leatherman Blasts that I carry occasionally (which have a similar tool selection). The Blasts cost me $30 at Walmart and work just as well. For $30 I couldn't fathom not carrying it, it has come in so handy so many times it has more than paid for itself. Fixing a stove on a hiking trip, fixing someone else’s flashlight, fixing my glasses, lifting hot objects, scraping, prying, making holes, cutting barbed wire I got tangled up in, ect. Uses are only limited by the imagination.

I also carry a full toolbox in my vehicle, but I know from experience that if it isn't on your person it wont be there when you need it most.

I sense an interesting story in the near future! <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Bob waar is nasty stuff, it ripped more than one pair of $130 uniform pants. And it is one of the reasons I always keep my tetanus shots current...

Haha, not really. I left my gate opener for one of our commercial buildings in my truck and forgot the gate is set to automatically close at 10:00pm. So in order to get out I had to hop the fence. Being as graceful as I am I got hung upside down by the back of my knee twisted in the wire. I had to cut the wire in order to get down.

Keep in mind it was 11:00pm in an unpopulated poorly lit industrial area, so it wasn't like anyone would come by until morning (and if they did chances are they would demand my wallet at gun point). <img src="/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

Yep, I think we're looking at two sides of the same glass. For survival work, the Leatherman is a compromise as it isn't the best tool for any particular situation perhaps, but it is functional enough and compact enough that most people could keep on or near enough to their person as to qualify as EDC. Since there are times when survival precludes getting to your BOB or your vehicle, and having some sort of a blade, a saw, a file, pliers, wire cutters, or scissors is reasonable to anticipate, the Leatherman and other such multi-tools seem like an appropriate compromise. Having relied on my Wave for so long, I can't ever leave it home or in a drawer or glovebox. I have used it to construct shelters, build fires, dress game, field modify communications equipment for survival uses, fix survival gear, as an orienteering aid, and so on. If I knew in advance when and how I would be put into survival mode, there are a host of better tools much more suited to the tasks involved.

I guess it is just a philosophy call, and you are correct that it is bad ju ju to do something just because someone else does it (the Lemming approach). In the context of this forum, I reckoned that knowing that an expert in the field did it and was obvious about including it in his demonstrations fairly well endorsed the concept as a sound decision, so that is a qualified statement I made which may not mean much to the uninitiated I admit. Hopefully this explanation fixes that assumption.

Since it is not advisable to be carrying a Leatherman on my belt here in the office, I opted instead to keep an SAK in my pocket. Likewise, when doing field work on comms equipment it was inappropriate for me to pack my Cold Steel SRK or my Swamp Rat Battle Rat, or even one of the many hatchets or axes, as it would tend to alarm the security personnel and general public a bit to see a 6'6" 260 lb man with a large bladed item moving through the crowds. However, if I am heading for the woods for some reason, you can bet your bippie that one or more of those and other items will be going with me. In the vehicle I like to keep one of my single bit axes (full length) and one of my portable hand chain saws, along with a host of other utility items.

Chris made an excellent statement comparing the tools we would use to the way we layer clothing. Not everyone dresses the same way.

I happily welcome our diversity. I think we each have the knowledge to make the right decisions, and we choose what suits us as individuals. These discussions enlighten us all and help to reduce the ignorance that brings peril.

I used to carry a leatherman wave with me all the time, that was before I got a job were having a multi-tool on the belt was not well recieved. Before the leatherman I carried a gerber. While I was on active duty I used it all the time to tighten screws on my personnal gear, cut wire, cut 550 cord and other items of field craft. I could have used several tools to do the same job but it would have required me to carry more than one knife. Once I became company armorer, my leatherman was my go to tool. I fixed all sorts of weapons, actually next to my leatherman the most used tool i had was my hammer. When i deployed to Iraq, I drove a humvee, dang near from one end of Iraq to the other. I did several repairs using my leatherman, even when i had other tools. it was just much faster to whip out my leatherman do what I had to do and jump back in. I broke the tips off my pliers trying to connect a slave cable (jumper cable), twisted a scewdriver bit to the point where it pretty much was useless, but then i had a few other screwdrivers on the tool I could use in replace of it. I cut flex cuffs, MRE's and even pinched the skin on my hand in the backside of the plier (that was a come to Jesus moment). When I am going out in the woods I am never far from my leatherman wave. If I could get a pocket clip for it, it would be riding in my pocket everyday.

Like it's been written here already, different strokes for different folks. I edc an Emerson CQC7, and it's all the tool that i need on an everyday basis. I also own a Gerber Recoil Auto-Plier Tool & tried to carry it on my belt, but felt silly doing so. I feel the same way about carring a cell phone in the same fashion..but thats another story.I love the Gerber, it's a well made tool; but it's too bulky for edc IMHO.that's why i keep it in my glove box and put it in my pack whenever I head ot to the woods.Because of my lifestyle, i perfer to go with the less is more attitude, when it comes to the gear i carry..

The visual I got from your description of a "6'6" 260 lb man with a large bladed item moving through the crowds" was priceless. I suddenly saw Rambo in an office ignoring the workers and stalking from cubicle to cubicle! gotta love that. But I understand why you wouldn't want to walk around like that. I'm pretty lucky, I work at a feed store where we sell things like that! In fact, we have a pile of tools like axes (single and double bit), shovels, saws, rope, chain, torches, and many other things that would come in really handy in a SHTF situation. It might even be better if it happened to me while at work. Most people however don't work in such a testoterone charged place. Most days I wish I didn't. But it does afford me the unique opportunity to get alot of great gear at a substantial discount.

To me personally, There is no substitute for the leatherman. I carry it always and I keep using it. Many times, I am using it in ways that I am sure the designer probably never envisioned.