What is your perfect multi-tool if you could design one?

My perfect Multi-tool:
Leatherman Wave style pliers (beefed up) and folding design

Outside tools (locking)
1. main blade: 154cm, or better, hole opening plain edge drop point/true spear point blade with bronze washers
2. file: leatherman style with crosscut and diamond (if possible make it removable so it can be used as a knife sharpener)
3. one handed opening sheepsfoot fully serrated blade with cutting hook on back (A la Leatherman Charge XTI)
4. saw: Gerber style saw adapter

Inside (locking)
1. can opener with medium screwdriver at top (like Victorinox) and wire stripper base (A la Leatherman wave)
2. small sized flat screwdriver (as on Leatherman wave )
3. reamer/awl (w/ sewing hole)
4. large lanyard hole (A la Leatherman Crunch)
5. removable tweezers
6. hex bit adapter with a long double sided philips/flat bit (large flat, regular philips)
Also, if possible add a corkscrew and glasses screwdriver in there somewhere.

Case should be molded nylon with a thick opening and should have a place for bits and saw blades, if possible use a good belt clip and make it possible for horizontal carry. (Tec-lok?)
How about you?

Paul810:

Don't forget the wide padded shoulder straps to hold up your pants after you mount that thing on your belt.

My perfect multi-tool would be a solar rechargable, waste fuel powered, self-maintaining robot that could recognize voice commands and have whatever I need on its body.

Simple commands like "build me a shelter" would allow the robot to view the terrain we are in and use what ever is at hand to conform to the request.

In case of injuries to myself, I could always have it carry me while the robot sucks air from our environment and breaks it down into potable water.

Until then, I'll do the best with what I have, and I prefer a tool pouch with a slip jaw pliers (plumbers pliers), needle nose pliers, a knife, sharpening stone, multi-tipped screwdriver, and a short pistol handled saw with different blades. This should serve me well enough in the Wisconsin area.

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

I´d like to have good scissors on mine and no hook on the sheepsfoot blade. The cutting hook makes it harder to control the blade when you hold the tip. The hook would also weaken the blade. I´d also like to have 10 cm main blade with drop point tip. The 154 cm main blade was a typo, wasn´t it? I have a sword that´s shorter than that.

154cm is a type of steel.

It can be a funny thing when you have forums that are used internationally. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I stand corrected and learned something new. Thanks for the info.
Our metric unit set put me on a totally wrong track <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />.

Yea, 154cm is a crucible made blade steel similer to ATS-34. Leatherman will be using it on the new Ti tools. I have used it in Benchmades for years and I like it, not quite as good as S30V, but still a great steel.

Ah, my pet peeve on multi-tools. Scissors. I have never really seen a use for carrying them on a multi-tool. I haven't found much, if anything, I can do with tiny scissors that I can't do with the plain knife blade, serrated blade, and file already on the tool. For something that is meant to conserve space, scissors just never seem to be needed in there to me. I was recently told however that fisherman find the scissors extremely handy, so I guess mileage may vary. <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Actually, if done right it wouldn't be any heavier then a Leatherman Supertool. If produced it would probibly weigh about the same as the new Leatherman Ti.

Excuse my ignorance, but if the USA doesn't use meters and centimetres, do you still work in feet and inches? (We officially gave them up in 1971 if I remember correctly)
It must make trade between the USA and Europe that much more complicated. Wasn't the initial flaw in the Hubble space telescope due to a misunderstanding in the terms of reference?

The misunderstanding on my part was intronduced by the facts that 154cm isn´t really common here and we use upper case letters for steel designations.
I saw a documentary about the Hubble telescope. AFAIR they said that a flaw was introduced because a tiny flake of paint was missing and the shiny metal fouled up the measuring. However differences in units and reference systems can and do cause problems. Doing conversions the wrong way is not going to be a highlight in one´s CV.

Yup, the U.S. is I believe the last place to still use standard instead of metric. We're pretty stubborn about it too. They tried little by little to change to it starting in schools, but there was (and is) basically a huge resistance to it. We like what we have and it works so why change it? <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Thats why we Brits always drive on the right side of the road <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Acutally I'm an architect and feet and inches are the standard on this side of the pond. However outside of the U.S. it seems the norm to use metric units. We've had several German clients over the years and have converted drawing dimensions to metric for them.

Hard to know why we haven't changed.

....
... which happens to be the wrong side ... as everybody knows .... <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Paul810:

We like what we have and it works so why change it?

Because it is obsolete, antiquated, not as accurate, bullheaded thinking, and the world will leave us behind as the rest of the world moves on without us.

Only one exception should be allowed, and that is that the .45 caliber auto designation must live forever. NO METRIC CONVERSION EVEN IN NAME FOR THE .45 auto!!!!!!!!

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

In the interests of International harmony, I drive down the middle of the road (Especially when searching for my glasses when they fall between the seats.)

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

AFAIK everyone used to drive on the correct left hand side of the road <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />. This was based on the fact that people walked past each other on that side to keep it easy to draw a sword. It was easy just to continue the habit on to horses, carriages then cars.

Napoleon was left handed. He therefore wanted his soldiers to pass him on the other side <img src="/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />(egomaniac - surely not). Therefore he changed the etiquette to suit himself. Logically this then continued to the present day for the same reasons and the French drive on the right.

Everywhere the Brits went people drive on the left and everywhere the French went people drive on the right. The significant exceptions (no Brits or French colonisation or trade) such as Switzerland and Japan also drive (quite sensibly IMHO <img src="/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />) drive on the left since again most people would be right handed and therefore want to freely draw swords unemcumbered when meeting people.

OK, now we get to the USA. When we Brits were in charge you rode and drove carriages on the left. After some squabbling over taxation you changed. Just so that you could be different. When Mr. Ford invented the motor car he of course made it to drive on the right. When other countries imported cars who were not previously committed to left or right handed roads (or didnt have roads!) they also imported driving on the right.

Seems reasonable. I am going to be so dissapointed though if that bit about Napoleon is an urban myth though!

How about the perfect military multi tool?

IMO the current multi tools have too much useless crap on them. The perfect multi tool for an 11-B would have a real deal wire cutter. ?The kind of wire cutter that can cut concertina and commo wire all day and night and come back for more. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> It would have a large sebenza type blade (maybe out of S30V) with a dead solid lock. It would have a can opener and a ?rope wrench? spike.

Just my $.02.

Gary

The different units are pretty obvious. Over here we still stick to some obsolete units too because they are handy in everday life. I think that´s just part of the culture.
Some European countries have different grid references and zero levels. Not too long ago the ends of a bridge failed to meet because of that. Of course they only noticed it when was too late to keep it secret. At our office we had a good laugh about that (needless to say that we weren´t involved in the construction work). Many people still wondered how this could happen.

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

Do you mean the 11,43 mm caliber ?????
<img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Dave,

That's very interesting. I've noticed at the office that most people tend to bear to the right when walking down the hallway, chatting on their cellphones and drinking coffee, same as when their driving their cars. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Frenchy:

Blasphamy! I say blasphamy Frenchy. You have hurt me to the quick. For the world, I say metric, now and forever, but for John Brownings .45 auto, I say NEVER!

I'm a poet and I know it cause my feet they show it---------they are LONGFELLOWS. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

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

The sword bit brings back thoughts of how women were deceived into thinking that men kept them on the left because it was close to their hearts, instead of letting women know that the real reason was that if their current beau was challanged by a better looking hunky knight, they wouldn't be tempted to thwart the beau's sword draw. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Bountyhunter

Don't worry ! Only kidding ...
When I think about my Colt Commander, I think of it as a .45, not an 11,43 .....
Thinking of it ..... I haven't got any ammo left ... should do some reloading pretty soon ...