I usually carry a small pocket knife when working around home, but frequently find myself going to the toolbox for a pair of pliers, wire cutter or screwdriver. It might be time to buy a new multitool.

I've had an original Leatherman that is rarely used. I think one hand opening may be the key to making a new tool useful for me to carry.

My top criteria would be: Good pliers/cutter, decent knife, changeable bits on the driver.

Beyond that, lighter and smaller would be better, but not at the expense of function.

Leatherman OHT? Gerber Center Drive? Other?

Thanks

This message has been edited. Last edited by: MNSIG,

Leatherman Surge has served similar needs for me. A bit bulky to carry daily perhaps, versatility and real tool sizes have accomplished in one package many home repair tasks. My 5 star vote.

Been carrying one called a Leatherman Side Clip since the late 90's Daily carry before retirement in 2011.

My multi-tool is a Klein zippered bag, about 12" x 7". With half a dozen or so select tools within, contents rotate depending on what is going on. This is immediately after a trip to a friend who is selling their house after five decades.

Right now, Channellocks, snips, strippers, packing crate hammer / pry bar, small cold chisel, James Allen keys, slotted (chisel/lever) screwdriver, 6-in-1, 9-in-1, 7/16" hollow shaft nut driver. Leather bag suitable for kneeling upon.

I like my 20 year old Leatherman Super Tool a lot, but have to admit that my Leatherman Wave is easier to carry and work with.

I like Woodman's approach; it's similar to my own because I prefer to use individual tools rather than multi-tools. But if I had to pick a multi-tool for home rather than carry, I agree with the Leatherman Surge suggestion.

quote:

Originally posted by Woodman:
My multi-tool is a Klein zippered bag, about 12" x 7". With half a dozen or so select tools within

That's what I do as well. I keep most of my tools in the garage, but keep a handful of the most frequently used basic tools in a small bag in the pantry. Hammer, tape measure, screwdriver with replaceable tips stored in the handle, side-cut pliers, vice grips, allen key set, and tape measure.

quote:

Leather bag suitable for kneeling upon.

That's a great idea. I use a nylon bag, but I think I'm going to look around for a slightly larger leather bag.

The older I get, the more I notice kneeling on the floor for extended periods.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:
The older I get, the more I notice kneeling on the floor for extended periods.

Someone else will be along shortly to address that part I'm sure.

I've actually gone from a Leatherman Wave to a Gerber artifact, and now to a Kershaw dividend.
Seems I've acknowledged that all I typically need is something sharp.

However, my to do lists have become much shorter than they used to be. The OP lists a Leatherman OHT, which I wasn't aware of and that looks really good.

Leatherman Wave. If you've got the extra scratch, the Charge Ti has an upgraded S30v blade. It's plenty useful and I've set out and finished a number of projects with nothing but the multi tool.

But if you are going to set about the house to actually do a project, you should get a small tool box. I have 5: one with my drill and driver and all the measuring and marking tools you would use with them; an electrical kit with wire strippers, diagonal snips, multimeter, and extra gang boxes, wire nuts and Romex, etc.; an auto kit with sockets and wrenches; a general purpose kit with pliers, prybar, hammer, soft mallet, chisels, hack saw, etc; and a painting bin with all my rollers, brushes, trays, sheeting, and tape. I can accomplish most tasks with two kits without ever returning to the garage.

I should have been more clear. This is to carry on my belt for incidental use.

quote:

Originally posted by Aeteocles:
But if you are going to set about the house to actually do a project, you should get a small tool box. I have 5: one with my drill and driver and all the measuring and marking tools you would use with them; an electrical kit with wire strippers, diagonal snips, multimeter, and extra gang boxes, wire nuts and Romex, etc.; an auto kit with sockets and wrenches; a general purpose kit with pliers, prybar, hammer, soft mallet, chisels, hack saw, etc; and a painting bin with all my rollers, brushes, trays, sheeting, and tape. I can accomplish most tasks with two kits without ever returning to the garage.

That's very similar to my approach. In addition to the basic tool set inside the house, much of the rest of my tools in my garage are subdivided into sets.

-Caulking/paint
-General tools
-Drill, impact driver, and drilling/driving accessories (bits, screws, etc.)
-Saws and cutting accessories (blades, pencils, squares, measuring tape)
-Socket set
-Dremel set

For example, I keep most of my hand tools in one of these from Duluth: https://www.duluthtrading.com/...commander-78072.html



The shoulder strap leaves my hands free for carrying other items. The multiple divided compartments keep everything organized. And the open top allows me to store most of my hand tools vertically. I can grab it, carry it to wherever I'm working, then get out the tools I need without having to dig around inside a box/bag with all the tools piled on top of each other.

I very much prefer to keep things organized. My dad was the opposite, where all his tools were just in jumbles in toolboxes and totes. Having to spend 15 minutes digging out the tools I needed for a 5 minute job used to drive me bonkers. Especially with something like a socket set where all the sockets were just in a giant pile.

Squatting in a sweltering garage during the height of a Texas summer, squinting at tiny markings on the sides of sockets picked from an endless pile of random sockets while searching for the one socket you need, would probably be my personal layer of Hell.

quote:

Originally posted by MNSIG:
I should have been more clear. This is to carry on my belt for incidental use.

If all you require is those three tools, the Leatherman Skeletool might be perfect for you; however, the Phillips bits may not be to your liking.

quote:

Originally posted by Woodman:
My multi-tool is a Klein zippered bag, about 12" x 7". With half a dozen or so select tools within, contents rotate depending on what is going on.

^^^This, with a twist. I use a $8 HD organizer inside an old 5 gallon bucket with an assortment of tools to take to the job as opposed to having to constantly return to me toolbox.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Hu...r-82079N14/307699286

My version of a multi-tool is a Victorinox Tinker model Swiss Army knife. I have been carrying one since I was 10 years old. It does not have pliers but I'll be dammed if I didn't use the other tools ten times more than I would have those on a Leatherman type tool, including the pliers. It has two flat tips, one dedicated Phillips, and the small flat tip easily works on smaller crosstips. Hole punch and two blades, it's the perfect companion.

Although some may consider it 'old fashioned' lol. I popped into a turret once that had thermal bleedover into the day sight. Easy fix, the filter/clear/shutter switch was out of adjustment. Most likely from a rough gunner or a good tank commander who trained said gunner by whacking his head into the GPS lower panel with his boot when he screwed up. Popped out my Phillips blade, pulled the lower panel, fixed the switch, and got it back together. As I was doing this the young mech who was watching me said "Is that like a World War Two Gerber?"

Leatherman Wingman. Everything you need with less bulk.
Back that up with a Victorinox Tinker. And Victorinox makes an insert that that screws into the the corkscrew that has a mini screwdriver that is perfect for eyeglass maintenance.

quote:

Originally posted by Aeteocles:
If you've got the extra scratch, the Charge Ti

This is my EDC tool kit.

quote:

Originally posted by YooperSigs:
Leatherman Wingman. Everything you need with less bulk.
Back that up with a Victorinox Tinker. And Victorinox makes an insert that that screws into the the corkscrew that has a mini screwdriver that is perfect for eyeglass maintenance.

Tinker has the Phillips head screwdriver. Spartan has the corkscrew that can hold the optional eyeglass screwdriver.

Surge has the 42-bit presto-changeO driver bits; it also has a handy extension nut & socket driver; I especially use the replaceable-to-any-Bosch jig saw blade feature. It alone made it possible to finish a piece of trim molding in a convenient and handy manner.

Belt wearable in the spiffy holster that carries the 42 bit kit tucked in I don't wear it often but do have it close at hand for most projects.

I carry SAK swisstool on my duty belt, used all the time. What I really like is tool accessible while closed and they lock.

quote:

Originally posted by oddball:

quote:

Originally posted by Aeteocles:
If you've got the extra scratch, the Charge Ti

This is my EDC tool kit.

Yep. Been carrying one since they first came out and it covers just about everything. Made my own leather holster for it though as I don't care for the nylon jobbers Leatherman provides.