Thread: Leatherman vs Swiss knife

3year of abuse for the Leatherman vs 15year of abuse for the Swiss knife



Both spend their time in the Ute door storage compartment.

Guess the new multitool will be a Swiss knife…

The Swiss is in great shape for 15 years in a ute door. Swiss is general less expensive then Leatherman as well which makes Swiss great value for money.

Or get a Victorinox Swisstool and have the best of both worlds

Originally Posted by MichaelB

Or get a Victorinox Swisstool and have the best of both worlds

I didn’t know they exist thanks for that

The coated multitools seem to offer better corrosion resistance, I have had a Gerber on a tool belt in the marine environment for about 5 or 6 years along with a Victory serrated diving knife and a yachting type pocket knife and shackle breaker. The pocket knife/shackle breaker has aluminium scales and it's nearly fooked - white fuzz has consumed most of the ali on it.

The Victory is a little corroded and showing it's age - the Gerber (a MP600 type needle nose) is by far the best looking of the three tools. I did coat it with a wax product when I got it (along with everything else) and it seems to have been good for the Gerber but crap for the shackle tool.

That looks like a fairly early type Leatherman, not sure that that means anything but the Leatherman ones I have (Blast -now retired and the Raptor). They seem to not have a problem with corrosion either, but the good thing with Leatherman tools is they are fairly easy to pull apart and clean. The Swiss tools are not able to be stripped down so that is one thing.

Ah, just blew the photo up - that isn't an older model my bad. Still the current series Supertool 300... I'd pull it apart and give it a clean with either a small brass wire brush, a bit of either white or purple scotch brite or a bit of stainless wool with some light oil on the metal work. The screws are one small one with a male thread, and the other is longer and the small one screws into it. Take note of where the spacers sit before you pull the pin out, and there is likely a spring in there somewhere for the release lever. Also, take a photo of each end so you know which tools go where!!!

Originally Posted by No.3

The coated multitools seem to offer better corrosion resistance, I have had a Gerber on a tool belt in the marine environment for about 5 or 6 years along with a Victory serrated diving knife and a yachting type pocket knife and shackle breaker. The pocket knife/shackle breaker has aluminium scales and it's nearly fooked - white fuzz has consumed most of the ali on it.

The Victory is a little corroded and showing it's age - the Gerber (a MP600 type needle nose) is by far the best looking of the three tools. I did coat it with a wax product when I got it (along with everything else) and it seems to have been good for the Gerber but crap for the shackle tool.

That looks like a fairly early type Leatherman, not sure that that means anything but the Leatherman ones I have (Blast -now retired and the Raptor). They seem to not have a problem with corrosion either, but the good thing with Leatherman tools is they are fairly easy to pull apart and clean. The Swiss tools are not able to be stripped down so that is one thing.

I have one of the original Gerber multi tools, its what the MP600 was based on - "Mr Pinchy" is what they are known as the world over as when you use the pliers and slip off you give yourself a nasty blister
I think there is some randomness with the patent numbers on them to from memory

Ha yeah, the true collectible Gerber. I think the early Leatherman tools had a built in safety mechanism for that - the edges of the handles are so sharp you could never squeeze them hard enough to get into that situation...

If the Leatherman is less than 25 years old send it back - there is a NZ dealer and they will fix or replace it for free...

Not sure that applies with corrosion though? They also don't fix them any more I think, it's a replacement as far as I know. The last one I sent back for repair just got straight out replaced with a different model of the same tool which annoyed me a little - it didn't have two blades one serrated and one straight just a combined serrated and straight and then a set of scissors. Not quite such a useful tool. Also gave me a hard time about proving ownership which was a bit hard as I was given the thing as a gift but brand new...

Originally Posted by No.3

Not sure that applies with corrosion though? They also don't fix them any more I think, it's a replacement as far as I know. The last one I sent back for repair just got straight out replaced with a different model of the same tool which annoyed me a little - it didn't have two blades one serrated and one straight just a combined serrated and straight and then a set of scissors. Not quite such a useful tool. Also gave me a hard time about proving ownership which was a bit hard as I was given the thing as a gift but brand new...

i had a similar issue. My leatherman, given to me on my 50th lived in my pocket at work for 2 years. Gave it heaps. sharpened a couple of times. ended up breaking one of the plier snouts off twisting something i shouldn't.
Enquired about getting the end replaced, even off an old one. Wouldnt of cared, silly enough to say it was a present. yeah nah.
Put it on the back burner and its been over a year now ill have another go and just say i i lost the reciept. Hope he doesn't remember the plier thing lol