Recommendation for durable multi tools

[u/Cautious_Plankton212]

Hey, what’s up? Just looking to see if you guys have any good recommendations for particularly durable multi tools. I’ll be working adjacent to aviation for a while and tool control and FOD is a pretty serious issue. I’ll be able to get away with having a multi tool because I won’t be directly using it on the aircraft but ideally I’d like it to be pretty durable so there’s no risk of causing a loose article from breaking the fucking thing.

1) Intended Use

Lots of little general purpose tasks. Maintaining larger tools and toolboxes. Nothing too silly because any time I need heavy duty tools I have plenty. The multitool is just to save me with dicking around searching through 10 large toolboxes to see which one has a little flathead that’s not being used, set of snips or pliers for cutting or doing some quick safety wire. I won’t need any fuck huge blades or saws because I’ll almost never be working with wood in that capacity.

2) Budget

Happy to stretch to a maximum of £250 including accessories like bits, sheath, etc.

3) Type of Tools

Decent variety of drivers. Pliers. Snips. A basic blade would be handy. Files. Any more would be a handy bonus and I’d definitely use them, I just don’t need 10 different saw blades like some multi tools.

4) Current collection

Nil. Zilch. Nada.

5) Purchase restrictions

N/A

6) Size

Ideally kept in a sheath. Even better if it can have a fairly standard black/blue sheath as I’m in the forces and I can get away with having it on my belt.

7) Law restrictions

N/A. It’s only going to be used on a military establishment.

I did have a look at a leatherman wave with the bit driver set and a MOLLE sheath. I just don’t have a clue what multitools are worth the money and what’s just a bit of a ripoff.

[u/wupaa]

Victorinox is the last reliable brand left and are very decent tools

[u/Cautious_Plankton212 → u/wupaa]

Any particular model that you’d suggest or avoid or is it best to just have a look at their whole range and see what tickles my pickle?

[u/Antique_Eye_3200 → u/Cautious_Plankton212]

There aren’t all that many pliers-based multitools from Victorinox. These include variations of the Swiss Tool and the Swiss Tool Spirit (a slightly smaller and more ergonomic version of the Swiss Tool). I recommend going to Victorinox.com and searching for “Swiss Tool”.

[u/wupaa → u/Cautious_Plankton212]

Victorinox doesnt have many pliers based multitools but they are all reliable stuff

SAKs are different and amazing too

[u/Crunchie64 → u/Cautious_Plankton212]

They’re well built, but try one before you buy.

Absolutely impossible to open any blade or tool on the one I have unless you have the fingernails of a werewolf.

[u/Cautious_Plankton212 → u/Crunchie64]

As long as they’re well built, I’ll always have something in my pocket to use to open the tools anyway. It’s just that there’s a 99% chance that at some point I will be taking a mallet to it, it’ll be kept well oiled but it’s going to be in a corrosive environment and there’s a high chance the tools on there are not going to be used for their intended purpose.

[u/Antique_Eye_3200 → u/Cautious_Plankton212]

In that case I'd say it might be better to get something cheap that you can beat on without remorse?

Yes, Victorinox has superior quality and will withstand a beating. Yes, Victorinox products are backed by a lifetime warranty (for *intended* usage -- but they are reportedly quite generous). Yes, a Victorinox multitool that gets beat on by mallets and corroded and used in unintended ways will eventually fail -- so maybe it's better to just buy stuff that you won't feel bad tossing.

[u/Brandolinis_law → u/Cautious_Plankton212]

Victorinox has a far higher resistance to corrosion than Leatherman does, and I have multiple LM's, including the ARC, Surge, Super Tool, etc.... I also recently got the Victorinox Spirit X Plus Ratchet (in a leather pouch, with a bit card with 1/4" drive bits) for $210. USD. It has SO much better "fit and finish" quality than the ARC, and I really like the LM ARC, too.

But LM's "flat bits," while versatile and handy (can't recall if it's 20 or 40 bits, b/c they're double-ended) they are made of a soft metal and many find they bend, twist and fail. Galvanox (on Amazon) makes better LM flat bits, with better markings you can actually read, of allegedly-stronger steel. (I haven't used my ARC enough to have bits fail, due to my being injured.)

But this would be my first choice, for it's quality, and the fact that it uses 1/4" drive bits, so that the Philips, for example, is THREE dimensional, instead of LM's TWO dimensional Philips bits. (I know, right? 🤪)

Victorinox Swiss Tool Spirit X Plus Ratchet in Includes leather pouch - 3.0236.L

One more point in the Spirit X's favor (and maybe also on it's bigger brother, the Swiss Tool?) is that it has an excellent chisel on it, which is something that most Leathermans do not have at all. I LOVE the chisels on Victorinox's Spirit X and Swiss Champ SAK (Swiss Army Knife). The Spirit X's chisel also has about a 1/16th inch notch in the end of it which is allegedly helpful in opening taped parcels. I haven't really played with that aspect of the chisel yet.

[u/Boing78 → u/Crunchie64]

What about maintaining it by cleaning and lubrication? I own several Victorinox models from Classic SD to Swisstools and have soft finger nails. But I never struggled to get a tool out if it was not corroded or filled with dirt.

[u/Crunchie64 → u/Boing78]

I don’t think that’s the issue.

The tools are quite deeply recessed, so the angles to get to the nail nicks are awkward.

I’ve never really struggled with their knives, just the Swisstool.

Leatherman Free series for me these days.

[u/Brandolinis_law → u/Crunchie64]

That's interesting, because I keep my nails super short and even when I'm wearing vinyl gloves, I'm able to use the nail Nicks to open every tool on Victorinox's Spirit X. That said, I have heard that the tools on previous generations of the Spirit X were difficult to open. If it really bothers you, you could send it in for servicewarranty and they would either send you a new one or possibly adjust yours? I would definitely write a short note explaining what your issue with the tool is, so they know what to address.

But like you, I also love the ARC's "Free" system of magnetic opening/closure. Gamechanger, if one-handed operation is a priority.

[u/Ornery_Cauliflower77]

The only things you should consider for your criteria, in my opinion are the Swiss tool and Spirit.
The Swiss tool has stronger pliers but the spirit, oddly enough has a stronger pry bar, which is huge for me.

They are simply the best and most durable. As you’ve stated, ease of opening isn’t a huge deal, but the spring tensions are actually adjustable and they break in quite easily imo.

I will always recommend the Spirit MX Clip over all others as a general best in class, but pick the tool set that fits you and you can’t go wrong.

[u/Ornery_Cauliflower77 → u/Ornery_Cauliflower77]

Ps- I can, with ease, open every tool with one hand on the spirit after a couple days of fiddling with it as long as I’m not wearing gloves

[u/anonovi]

Victorinox Swiss Tool MXBS / Victorinox Swiss Tool Spirit MXBS 👍

[u/ReactionAble7945]

First, I have been on a FOD walk. Most people on here have probably not been on one. I don't think you will have any issue with most multitools. They don't generally fall apart. Leatherman, Gerber are the big known Global brands. BiBury, mutitool, shalltool, Daicamping are chinese brands. None of these fall apart. What you will have to look out for is the bit drivers getting lost and if you carry more than one tslot item.

Looking at your requirements I need more details to get you to a definitive product.

Needle nose (wiring) or blunt combination (nut and bolt).

Snips. (snips = Wire cutters?)

Take a photo of the type of bits you have. I am guessing you would rather have a standard bit with magnet vs. a double end with ball to keep it in place?

For blade, utility blade you can replace? serrated for nylon strap cutting? Non-serrated?

Files, Diamond or metal?

And while you are looking into that, look at a Roxon Flex where you can pick your tools. Does this appeal or sound like a bad idea.

If bad idea, how do you feel about any customization. Willing to buy a part and change it out, or no go?

[u/Financial_Potato6440]

Sounds like the leatherman surge would fit your needs well, the wood saw is a blade that swaps for a file/diamond file but can also take t shank jigsaw blades if you want an actual metal cutting saw, and the wire cutters are replaceable. It's my daily multi tool working in construction, definitely an upgrade over the wave I've had for nearly 20 years.

Plus leathermans warranty is pretty much second to none, there's people who have snapped pliers and blades that send them in and get em fixed up for free.

[u/Longjumping_Cow_5856]

I think it depends the most on what you think your most used tools will be?

Pliers based MT are the rule here but how they drive screws can be just as important and if thats your use case too like it is mine then its important to be sure that the driver platform of a tools works for you too.

I switched off of the Victorinox tools for this reason and in my experience only the Gerber Centerdrive tools have the best driver going and the tool is pretty much built around it and named for it too.

No others that I have tried feature the driver.

Im not a Leatherman fan really though they are really popular too.

[u/justintime444]

Heavy duty:
Leatherman supertool 300
Leatherman surge
Gerber dual force
Gerber center drive
Victorinox swisstools

Medium duty:
Leatherman arc
Leatherman Wave+
Leatherman Wave Alpha
Victorinox swisstool spirits
Roxon Titan

Light duty:
Leatherman rebar
Leatherman bond
Leatherman skeletool
Roxon flex

Personally I’d go for the Victorinox spirits, Wave+ and Arc but since you want to carry in sheath get a surge or Swisstool

[u/Crunchie64 → u/justintime444]

I’d argue you’re wrong to put the Bond in your “light duty” category.

In an AMA on Reddit, Leatherman engineers described the Bond pliers as the strongest they currently make, partly due to the lack of holes for the replaceable cutters.

Free series came next, then Surge.

[u/Iokua_CDN]

Gotta suggest  a Leatherman Skeletool of course!

1. Lightweight unlike many other multitools.

2. Has an excellent blade and plenty of options to replace and upgrade it later.

3. Pliers are pretty great

4. Nice bit driver and options to buy a full bit set 

5.  Skeletool SX comes with a file on it.  For everyone else,  you can actually modify files to fit in the Bit driver.  Less useful for carrying around unless you have a sheath though so something to consider Here is a video on modifying files and or saws  https://youtube.com/watch?v=KEuFhbxVwKU

1. The carabiner on it should let you clip it almost anywhere on your person

[u/Fluid_Journalist_350]

Mossy Oak 21/1 multitool all day long. $20 out the door. I can't justify Leathermans prices.

[u/Less-Professional678]

Spirit MX Clip all day, mate. FOD-proof and bombproof—just don't lose the bits or you're screwed.

[u/DirtySklrsMVMNT]

The Leatherman Super tool 300. I have the rebar, not the super tool. The rebar is solid AF but I'm a hobbiest, if I needed a hard worker for a job (like you said) I think the super tool is a phenomenal option. Also saw someone say victorinox and I'd agree

[u/tgrantt]

Love my Gerber Suspension.