Leatherman vs Victorinox

[@anthonyschumacher9925]

I have that same Victorinox now for 25 years and it has not let me down once. I definitely have an emotional attachment to that chunk of steel. Like you, I have ventured to others here and there but no other multis hold a candle to the Swiss tool in function and quality. Still my go to.

[@Knifeandkompass77]

Well said indeed

[@namelesske]

You need to restore that Leatherman, deserves a second chance. Oil it well to protect it.

[@Knifeandkompass77]

Yea I think you are right

[@jaggiecz]

I have two leatherman charge multitools since 2004. And I never had any rust on it. But after I used them, I clean them. And I use them inside and outside in all kind of weather.

[@Knifeandkompass77]

Most of my rust is from working in snow removal constant moisture and a lot of salt on everything Most steels suffer but my Leatherman did pretty good My Vic just did better I know leathermans can last a life time

[@AnonYmous-cf2ci]

I coat mine in petroleum jelly for storage and wd40 once or twice a month down here in Georgia. Never have problems with rust. Gun grease works well too.

[@TheStoyanbahchevanov]

Hi, great video. I have swisstool, wave+, curl, spirit x, spirit mx clip. I love them all, but definitely victorinox has better quality. Swisstool is the size of the ST300 and Surge. If you want a lighter and compact tool from victorinox, definitely check swisstool spirit x or spirit mx clip(one hand blade) you won't regret. I've had rebar and used the warranty three times and sold it. I've used victorinox warranty as well but never on plier based tool. I have videos on that, if you are interested. On my Curl the pliers jam all the time, you should send yours for warranty. Your swisstool is the first gen, no longer sold, second gen has slight changes. Also it depends what you were introduced to first. Definitely Leatherman is struggling lately with quality and design flows. Cheers mate 👍

[@Knifeandkompass77]

Thx for the comment I’ll take a look at the spirit I am aware of it but never owned one Yea the curl was a shame I may just end up sending it off to them for repair

[@a.i.a3949]

Yeah leatherman bottle openers are crap. Its because they've tried to make it a bottle and a can opener simultaneously and it does both jobs really badly. Victorinox is sensible puts them in two separate tools with integrated screwdriver parts on each on and they work so much better without having any less tools.

[@Knifeandkompass77]

I agree entirely

[@getsmart3701]

"Hands down, Victorinonx". Seconded here. The build quality of the two brands is far superior. Nothing wrong with Leatherman, I had a Charge TTi for 15 years and it never let me down, so huge respect to Leatherman but my Victorinox Spirit build and tool quality is a level up. Personally, I sport a Victorinox Forester One hand and a Knipex Corba XS and I find that covers me nicely both around the farm, ski touring and hiking (for cycle touring I bring an accessory tool kit). Nice video mate.

[@Knifeandkompass77]

Thank a lot!

[@bushleague3472]

Couple things, the "bottle cap opener" on the Leatherman is also a can opener. The Vic cap lifter will not open cans, the Vic can opener will not lift caps and IMO does not work as well as the Leatherman for opening cans. I've had my Wave for over 15 years, and even using it for saltwater fishing/ working in a pulp mill full of caustic chemicals, with regular freshwater rinses it has absolutely no rust. All that said, I still carry a SAK Hiker way more than my Leatherman as I feel the utility/ bulk ratio is better.

[@CanItAlready]

The Victorinox can opener works great. The Leatherman style feels backwards to me.

[@bushleague3472]

@@CanItAlready I grew up with a Wenger, so the Leatherman feels more natural to me. I think it takes a longer bite each time you lever it, and the end wont get caught under the can lid if you go a little too far. That said, the little screw driver on the end of the Vic opener is brilliant, amazing how many philips screws it will actually work on. On a compact knife I think the Vic does make more sense, on a big multi-tool not so much. JMO.

[@MrDkgio]

Interesting that you mention it’s a big win that you “could” disassemble the the Leatherman to clean the tools… The irony is that you obviously didn’t need to do that with the Swiss tool over your entire adult life, yet the Leatherman is a rust bucket after 5 years…

[@Knifeandkompass77]

Yup not sure why it rusted so bad

[@edgaraquino2324]

You have a Swisstool, not a Swisstool X...The Swisstool has a serrated blade, the X has scissors...You are lucky to have the red banner & the cross & shield & I believe "Victorinox" stamped on the plier head...The Wave + deserves a new lease on life...once you clean, sharpen & oil it, maintenance will be minimal if you check it on a regular basis...Good video...😊

[@Knifeandkompass77]

Thankyou for the info Yea I’ve always been unsure of my Vic model I think wen I have the time I’m gonna try to restore the Leatherman

[@edgaraquino2324]

​@@Knifeandkompass77You are most welcome! A Happy New Year to you!😊

[@patrickbledsoe2176]

Pretty good video sir I'm a leatherman fan myself. I took the rebar pliers and put in my wave.. ( if you do it and the straight blade doesn't function right swop the handles around on the pliers ) also I took the awl and swoped the scissors out.

[@Knifeandkompass77]

Very Kool ! And Thankyou so much For watching

[@Fhyrion]

That corrosion is an interesting data point for comparing both tools. I've heard that Victorionox steel has high level of cromium in it. I wonder if that allowed it to survive longer in your work environment. Either way, it seems victorionox may be the way to go if corrosion is a consideration outside normal use levels. I think I still prefer the toolset of my Surge, but I'm not dunking it in saltwater every day either. Thanks for the info!

[@Knifeandkompass77]

I believe your right about the chromium And it probably did help

[@pjpearce1390]

The bottle cap opener on the leatherman doubles as a can opener as well. That’s probably why it doesn’t work as well as the victorinox at opening bottles.

[@Knifeandkompass77]

Very good point

[@garyjoy3536]

I used to work on boats, and I've tried a lot of different multi tools, and I've had the same experience with my leatherman charge rusting all the gerber's I've had are worse imo. But I haven't had any problem with my black oxide surge over the past 8 years. Sak is more corrosion resistance and leatherman is tuffer so for me I have both and depending on what i'm doing for the day that's how I base my carrier.

[@Knifeandkompass77]

Good to know the coating works

[@marcdee4427]

I’ve had a couple of leathermans snap on various tools. The vic just seems tough, but that’s just my opinion

[@jooky5]

Might be worth sending that back to leatherman. Seems like an insane amount of rust. I have a sidekick in my fishing bag that gets submerged every now and then when I wet wade in the summer and it only has a spot or two of rust

[@Knivesarelife]

Love them both

[@stefanocappella9612]

The pliers on my Leatherman are loose. They wabble side to side. Have used it for 31 years. May try victorinox 🇨🇦

[@Knifeandkompass77]

Couldn’t hurt but if that all for 31 years . Hey that’s pretty freakin good

[@juhansuits6555]

31 years of use is a mighty long time for any EDC tool. The Leatherman tools of that era were very well made, but I personally have retired them to the memorabilia drawer and carry other newer tools that I can possibly break with no major regret.

[@Northanteus]

Wondering why you don't clean the rust off the Leatherman and put oil on it? I found a high carbon steel wire clips (made in Japan, surprisingly enough) in a shed in the new house I moved into and cleaned the rust off, now it has little dark spots where rust once was, but they're oiled and ready to go. Look at it like battle scars. 😁 I have one Victorinox so far, might get a swiss champ in future. Right now I have Ranger Grip 79. I think Victorinox put a lot more chromium in their metal because, remember, these are SWISS ARMY knives. That means they had over a century of hard use in the field where it snows and rains, so they had to learn which metal to use so their tools did not rust easily in the field for soldiers to deal with in combat. Leatherman came out in the 70s or 80s, and they did not have all that experience, time or money to put into testing which metal to use to stop it from rusting easily. Just my viewpoint on that issue. Today, they should definitely change up their metal. Guess they just don't feel like it.

[@Knifeandkompass77]

Good points on the Swiss army steel 100% they had much more experience I am planning on cleaning it Just need some time lol

[@Northanteus]

@@Knifeandkompass77 If my memory is correct, I just used vinegar and salt to scrub the rust off my tools. I learned to use this to scrub my copper and brass items as well. I think letting the tool soak in acidic liquid (like vinegar) will help break up the rust, thus making it easier to scrub off. And it's not toxic chemicals, so no worries on the fumes. I'd wear plastic gloves anyway. I buy big boxes of disposable plastic gloves to use for many things around the house that I'd not want my skin touching. 😁

[@Knifeandkompass77]

@@Northanteus I’ll give it a try thx!

[@rmpruitt228]

Consider contacting Leatherman's warranty service. Most likely they will repair or replace your Wave. I have had good luck using their warranty.

[@Knifeandkompass77]

I’m sure they would

[@simonh6371]

Thumbs up for actually comparing like for like. Many LM vs Vic comparisons compare apples with oranges by comparing a Squirt PS4 with a Vic Rambler, or a Wave with a Huntsman. For me in the UK where LM prices are at least 50% higher than in the US those comparisons don't make sense. A Vic Tinker Deluxe costs 20% less than a Squirt PS4 and is superior in every way, except that it doesn't have a file - but you could buy a dedicated file with the difference in price lol. As it happens I don't own a Vic pliers-based multitool like the Swisstool or Spirit, but I own a bunch of SAKs, and a LM Squirt, Rebar and Bond. Not impressed with the Squirt as the scissors spring broke, and even before it did there was so much play between the blades that they were pretty much useless. The Rebar is good, I'm especially impressed with the wire cutters, but was surprised by how flimsy the saw on it is compared to those on my regular SAKs. My Bond gets carried sometimes but because of that I too had problems with rust, which I know I wouldn't get with a Victorinox. Having said that I am not planning to buy any more multitools, as I've found it way better to carry a SAK with a pair of pliers (Knipex Cobra XS), and sometimes a dedicated bit driver too (Wera 813). Admittedly that's because here in the UK I can't generally EDC any tool with a locking blade.

[@Knifeandkompass77]

Awsome! I’ve always wondered about these cobra pliers. I may have to try one soon

[@simonh6371]

@@Knifeandkompass77 They look almost comically small but punch way above their weight. Because of the design you can get way more grip and torque or twist with them to your heart's content, than with a pliers-based multitool. Furthermore the oft mentioned 'lack of leverage'' isn't an issue, since once you have locked the jaws onto an object, you only need to push against the upper handle, so in fact you can apply way more force. The pro vs needlenose or other pliers is that you can work with fasteners, the con is that you can't cut wire. But in my daily life I'm far more likely to have to twist a fastener or similar, than to cut wire.

[@Knifeandkompass77]

@@simonh6371 I’ll have to look into them more then

[@MrPsiman]

Leatherman has turned into schlock with the implements made in China and they assemble them in the U.S. Victorinox build quality is day and not over Leatherman

[@Knifeandkompass77]

I do agree but I also still use my Leatherman tools a lot . Mostly due to better pliers atleast in my opinion

[@chrishoesing5455]

I've had a wave on my belt since version one and I don't believe I've ever had one rust. I will say that the quality has gone down over the years because lately they are really stiff and take forever to break in. Also I liked the finer serrations on the pliar jaws a few years back. I've never had a vicrorinox tool, but they look nice. I'm just too used to having the tool set of the wave to want to change ya know.

[@Knifeandkompass77]

There is definitely a possibility that the quality is different today

[@pjpearce1390]

I love my wave! I had a leatherman Free P4 before that and I loved that one as well. You can open everything with one hand with the Free p4 and I do miss that feature but the wave is definitely a bit beefier.

[@Gerald-do9yg]

Try them, you'll like them, esp. at only 2.5- 4.0 ozs. for the smaller models! Blsgs, gg

[@Hexsyn]

If you want pliers, leatherman. If you don't, vic (imo). I have many of both and think they both have their place. I have a squirt, a surge, a crunch, and as of Christmas, an arc, and my wife has a wave. I also have a vic ranger grip 78, a trekker, a swisschamp, and both my wife and I have a midnite manager@work, and she has a nail clip.

[@Knifeandkompass77]

Leatherman arc! Gee somebody must have been extra good this year lol

[@Gerald-do9yg]

Absoutely refuse to choose between the two! There will Always be room in my pockets for both!! After 50+ years of faithful service from my SAKs (Vickies and Wengers both!!) 20+ years for the original Leatherman PST, 5+ with a Chi-Com knockoff ($3.00 at Pic-n-Save) Take my advice, alone or together, they're great companions! PS: Carry a Leatherman Squirt on occasion also, Blsgs, gg

[@Knifeandkompass77]

Well said !

[@bjs71285]

Just send it in for warranty

[@MrDkgio]

I think you are being way to lenient with leatherman, the Victorinox have a lifetime warranty, if you were to send it back it would come back with a minimum of new pliers, a lot of people get the original sent back along with a brand new replacement. Many people moan about the steels that Victorinox use, but just looking at your examples the Victorinox wins hands down.

[@Knifeandkompass77]

Yea but I mean Leatherman is still great I carry my rebar a lot I’m just not sure why that ol wave rusted so bad lol But yes Victorinox is better in my opinion another commenter stated that Victorinox is much older company so they have had a long time to perfect things

[@Lil_Twiggy69]

lol that’s the can opener

[@Knifeandkompass77]

I think it’s both lol

[@Lil_Twiggy69]

@@Knifeandkompass77 my ex was the same way

[@patrickmunneke8348]

You gotta Clean off that rust😅😅😅

[@Hectorszenshopedc]

cool show.. wow. that rust would make me sick if I touched it and rubbed my face without paying attention.. rust makes me itch

[@davidbailey5933]

Are you not embarrassed about not looking after your leatherman, I have a 15yr old one and no rust! Sea fishing, camping, and at work.

[@Knifeandkompass77]

No. It was exposed to highly corrosive enviroment and cleaning and caring made little difference

[@Hectorszenshopedc]

you know whats funny.. I have everything swiss army LOL

[@Knifeandkompass77]

It’s good stuff!

[@Hectorszenshopedc]

@@Knifeandkompass77 my favorite word is durable.... I am durable... jk lol youtube brother.. don't forget about my numbers

[@themegasexybasterd]

I will never buy a Leatherman tool because of its price,BUT in its defence that is NOT a bottle opener its a CAN opener and in my eyes much more useful!

[@Hectorszenshopedc]

leatherman sucks. jeez. i can't stand rust, it is junk

[@Gerald-do9yg]

Friend Zen, Many fine tools will rust, even stain- LESS steel, if exposed to corrosive agents! A wipe-down with a good oil/rust preventative will lessen or prevent this. Blsgs, gg

[@Hectorszenshopedc]

@@Gerald-do9yg I bought vanax and magnacut steel blades for testing. I have a channel

[@pricexs4129]

That’s probably the dumbest comment 😂

[@Hectorszenshopedc]

@@pricexs4129 medical bills are more expensive than a rusty leatherman just for the wisdom

[@pricexs4129]

@@Hectorszenshopedc because a tool rust makes it bad? Victorinox tools don’t rust as easy because the steel used, it has less carbon so the blades don’t stay sharp as long and that means things like the screwdrivers won’t be as tuff as Leatherman. That’s like saying an made in america Irwin vice grip was junk because it rusted