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What's your favorite multi-tool? I mean that folding one you keep with you at all times at work.

JohnNY
JohnNY Member Posts: 3,284
Gerber Multi-Plier?
Leatherman?
Swiss Army?

Let me know, please.
Contact John "JohnNY" Cataneo, NYC Master Plumber, Lic 1784
Consulting & Troubleshooting
Heating in NYC or NJ.
Classes

Comments

  • kevinj_4
    kevinj_4 Member Posts: 91
    Leatherman Wave
    MilanD
  • I've tried them all, and don't like any. Maybe I am strange, but I always want the right tool in my hand for every job.

    Except, perhaps, when I cheat with channel locks once in awhile... :)
    New England SteamWorks
    Service, Installation, & Restoration of Steam Heating Systems
    newenglandsteamworks.com
    kcoppdelta T
  • BobC
    BobC Member Posts: 5,491
    I had a few leathermans but settled on the Kershaw because it had long nose jaws that I found handy. I was working as a tech on mail sorting machines at that time and carried that on my belt for 8 years.

    Bob
    Smith G8-3 with EZ Gas @ 90,000 BTU, Single pipe steam
    Vaporstat with a 12oz cut-out and 4oz cut-in
    3PSI gauge
    JohnNY
  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 22,787
    I could never get on board with them either, something about a folding tool that seems compromise. Also too big for your pocket and too much technology on your belt with phones now being a must have.

    A good quality 4" lock blade for reaming, stripping wire, sliver removal, lock picking, etc. Just remember to leave the knife home when you fly ;)
    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream
    JohnNYkcopp
  • JohnNY
    JohnNY Member Posts: 3,284
    edited November 2017
    Yes. We all agree on "the right tool for the right job" thing, and I'm on a 20-year CRUSADE to get my guys to stop using channel locks, but doing estimates and walk-throughs, it's handy to have something in my kit to open a control cover or strip a piece of wire to jump out a couple of terminals. Today I needed a file.

    My Skeletool came up short.
    Contact John "JohnNY" Cataneo, NYC Master Plumber, Lic 1784
    Consulting & Troubleshooting
    Heating in NYC or NJ.
    Classes
    RLuck
  • Jamie Hall
    Jamie Hall Member Posts: 24,100
    Leatherman Crunch. Always on my belt. However, if I'm actually going to go and do something and I know I am, I take along whatever is really right... it's when I hit something walking by that the Crunch comes into play. But that's the nature of what I do.
    Br. Jamie, osb
    Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England
    JohnNYj a_2
  • RickBlackford
    RickBlackford Member Posts: 6
    Leatherman Super Tool. Loosened up a little bit to flip open easier.
    JohnNY
  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 16,068
    Gerber.
    I prefer having the right tool but when I am 2 blocks away and 40' up away from my truck......................I use what I got
    JohnNYj a_2
  • hvacfreak2
    hvacfreak2 Member Posts: 500
    Sog Power Plier , I've had mine for 18 years .
    hvacfreak

    Mechanical Enthusiast

    Burnham MST 396 , 60 oz gauge , Tigerloop , Firomatic Check Valve , Mcdonnell Miller 67 lwco , Danfoss RA2k TRV's

    Easyio FG20 Controller

    JohnNY
  • Mad Dog_2
    Mad Dog_2 Member Posts: 7,397
    Military Spec. Leatherman. Plus an amalgamum of assorted little, proprietary devices on my keychain that would give Schneider from "One Day at a Time" a run fo' his $$$$$...Mad Dog
    JohnNY
  • MilanD
    MilanD Member Posts: 1,160
    Not many multi tools have a file. Leatherman Wave does. I lost count on how many times I used just the file.
    JohnNY
  • Solid_Fuel_Man
    Solid_Fuel_Man Member Posts: 2,646
    Swiss Army (Wenger) with the nail clippers. Best nail clippers I've ever had and used as much for the pesky metal/wood sliver. Had this one for over 10 years. As a rule, at work I always keep a hot stick (non-contact voltage detector) and an 11in1 screw driver. Those 3 tools keep the MacGyver in me satisfied.

    Have a couple of leathermans, but always find them too bulky to keep on my person at all times like a Swiss Army knife.
    Serving Northern Maine HVAC & Controls. I burn wood, it smells good!
    JohnNY
  • RayWohlfarth
    RayWohlfarth Member Posts: 1,613
    I like the all in one screw driver from Home Depot, the orange one. That color is easy to find It can get me into almost any control panel as it has 1/4" 5/16" nut drivers and philips and flat head bits.
    Ray Wohlfarth
    Boiler Lessons
    JohnNYSolid_Fuel_Man
  • delta T
    delta T Member Posts: 884
    I will be the heretic against you @JohnNY, I always carry a pair of channel locks in my side pocket. They are very useful as a way to pick up things that are hot (something just soldered for example), pull the odd nail if you don't want to go all the way back out to the truck for a hammer or nail bar, the list goes on and on. I use them all time and feel naked without them. I will say that as a substitute for a pipe wrench they are horrible, and I don't use them for anything like that. Right tool for the right job....

    I have gone through about 10 different multi tools, and I don't like any of them. Doing a walk through, I usually just take my tool pouch which has screwdrivers, allen keys (metric and SAE), wire strippers, dikes, nut drivers, small crescent wrenches, small end wrenches, and some linesmans pliers. Usually have everything I need and it can go around my belt or over my shoulder.
    Solid_Fuel_Man
  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 22,787
    As a youngster I always carried a Boy Scout scoutmaster knife, the pre-Leathermen tool. Bought one every Christmas for my dad, he wore them out.

    Later I graduated to the biggest Swiss Army knife, great quality and tons of unique blades. I even used the tweezers and magnifying glass, carried it in a leather sheath on my belt.

    I've downsized to this handy card.



    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream
    Solid_Fuel_Man
  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 16,068
    @RayWohlfarth , I think those orange screwdrivers are made for HD by "Buck Brothers". I have a few of them. Dirt cheap and they hold up really well
  • ChrisJ
    ChrisJ Member Posts: 16,123
    I had many Victorinox knifes.........kind of collected them for a while.

    I don't think I've ever found a "multi-tool" I truly liked. I wanted to like them..........I liked buying them, messing around with them but never found them actually useful.

    I recently sold my mint, never used Swiss Champ XLT on Ebay for a lot of money. I guess they stopped making them or something. It had pliers, scissors, even a small bit set in it.




    I've been tempted to buy one of the plier type ones that fold out from Leatherman but I've got a feeling I'll dislike it as much as any other.
    Single pipe quasi-vapor system. Typical operating pressure 0.14 - 0.43 oz. EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Control for Residential Steam boilers. Rectorseal Steamaster water treatment
    JohnNY
  • BillW
    BillW Member Posts: 198
    I have a SOG Tool-Clip that I've carried around for at least 20 years. It has a blade, saw, screwdriver/file and pliers/wirecutter. The only thing I don't like is that the blade doesn't lock, and can close back at the most inopportune times.