Originally Posted By: hikermor
Hello, my name is Hikermor and I suffer from multotool addiction (mania,if you will)...
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I turn pale, becoming agitated, nauseated (dry heaves and all that), and unpredictable when unable to access at least the PS4 and the Skeletool. Do I have an addiction problem? It all started with a Swiss Army Knife, back in college....


I'm not an addict. Not me. No way. I'm more of a social multitool user. I only have about 5, more or less.

I have an original Leatherman, the simple one. Also another identical one made by Leatherman, but with Cabelas name stamped on it. And a couple of Leatherman "Juice C2", which I find is a good compromise between being small and lightweight but still having a pliers robust enough to actually use.

The one that sees the most use these days is a Leatherman "Kick", which is pretty simple, and no longer available. It is similar to the original (with only a pliers, knife, can opener, phillips screwdriver, and a couple of regular screwdrivers), but has a plastic insert that makes it easier on the hand when using the pliers. Since I retired, I find myself frequently dealing with "honey do's", so the Kick rides on my hip most days around the house.

I think the real utility of multitools around the house are for the very simple jobs. Cut or bend a bit of wire, tighten a screw, etc. Having a multitool on my hip can save me a trip to the garage to get into my toolbox.

The other big use for a multitool is in a small field repair kit for fixing simple outdoor gear items. Mine is a small nylon bag with one of the Leatherman, a small crescent wrench, a small roll of Gorilla tape, a bit of wire, a tiny can of WD40, a small sewing kit, some fabric repair tape, a tiny tube of seam seal, a little tube of superglue, and a few zip ties. It's a bit too heavy and bulky for backpacking, but rides nicely in my sea kayak, or other situations when I don't need to lug it on my back.

I don't much care for most of the currently available multitools by Leatherman and others. It seems like they try to cram more and more stuff in, turning them into bloatware. They are too fat and heavy, and have too many things I rarely if ever need in a multitool. If the job really requires a bit selection, it probably also requires other real tools from my real tool box.

Your views and experience may differ. But I'm a keep it simple kind of guy.
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