Best Leatherman?

[BIGRED1 71]

I am looking to get a leatherman for my gear but i have no idea what works best in fire department conditions. does anyone have any suggestions? they all look pretty much the same but i thought the Surge and Crunch looked good. please share your input on the subject.

Pros

Cons

[SRS131EMTFF 471]

If you need a leatherman, the Wave is the best one out there. It is small, light-weight, strongly built and has all of the tools that one would need. However as for fire department use...it is not practical for use in an emergency setting because it can not be used one handed. Thus, you should get a single bladed knife that can be used one handed. In my turn-out both me and my dad have a Columbia River Knife called the Mo'Skeeter.

Here is a description I found on the internet:

Columbia River Model 6422 Mo'Skeeter. The Mo'Skeeter is a lock back design. The one piece handle is made out of molded Zytel for sure grip. AUS 6M stainless steel blade pivots on Teflon bearings with dual thumb studs. It is equipped with removable Teflon plated pocket clip. AUS 6M stainless steel blade hardened to 55-57HRC, Blade length: 2.75", Closed length: 3.75", Weight: 2.1 oz. $24.99

Here is the website link: http://www.knifeworks.com/index.aspPageAct...ROD&ProdID=1538

This is a smaller more compact blade that is really cheap and can be painless to replace.

If you really need a leatherman type multi-tool then get the rescue multi-tool from the Galls website.

Galls® Rescue Tool

This incredible tool was created especially for firefighters and EMS! Convenient folding design includes the most versatile, essential tools for your job in a lightweight, compact unit. Stainless steel. 9"L open, 6.9"L closed

-Hammer

-Window punch

-Spanner wrench

-Oxygen tank opener

-Gas shut-off wrench

-Seatbelt cutter

-Straight blade

-Foldout bottle opener

-Saw style blade

-Twelve assorted bits w/ holder

-Nylon holster

Here is the link for the Galls multi-tool:

http://www.galls.com/style.html?assort=gen...=FE389&cat=2938

My father has it and has used it several times and it is by far the best rescue tool that my father or I have ever used.

[HFD750 6]

I agree go with the Galls Rescue tool... It really comes in handy.

[Graham26 8]

Ive found a good kinda tool u might be looking for its a little different and heavier then a leatherman its the winchester brand of multi-purpose tool. Ive found it as much as $20 to $39 at wally world/walmart its cheaper than a leather man and a little heaver and different overall but ive been using it just over a year and it still works great. The galls rescue tool is also a good choice but u would want to buy a better side pouch or something if ur gunna wear it i didnt like the one it came with. As for rescue ops i really dont konw. You have to see what outs there and try them and see... Good Luck

[Guest bibbles10504]

The Charge TI is a very good leatherman tool. I am not sure how good it is as a rescue tool. But one nice feature about it is that the knives are on the outside, so you do not need to open the entire thing to take out the kinfe. My suggestion would be to get a leatherman or something similar (the galls tool looked pretty good) and i would also get a seperate knife that is easy to use one handed. Eather a regular knife or a rescue knife with a dull tip.

Thats just my thoughts

[CPAGE 2]

I like to keep a 4 in 1 screwdriver and a robo grip and a plain lock blade knife. Thats what works for me and it only cost about 20 bucks and the leatherman is about 60 bucks.

[res6cue 67]

As far as the Leatherman brand goes, the Crunch is definitely the best model for fire/rescue conditions because of the bigger, locking Vise Grip type jaws. The regular needlenose pliers on the other tools is all but useless for gripping the bigger things you'll need to grip in a fire/rescue situation, such as a gas service valves.

[Guest]

Wave. Period.

[Guest alsfirefighter]

The best advice I can give, is try them out somewhere. Make sure you can get to it and operate it with your gloves on and with one hand if you plan on having it for self-rescue application. Also you need to ensure that you can cut multiple sizes of wiring with the cutter, and again you need to be able to use it one handed to be able to do so.

[BIGRED1 71]

thanks als, this weekend i was actually in EMS in eastchester with my gloves on trying to use tools. should have seen the faces on the customers, i am leaning towards the surge because it has the wire cutters and the knives can all be opened from the outside so you don't need open the whole thing to gain access. I saw the crunch online on the leatherman site Crunch and it great that it has pliers but i have a feeling it would be a PITA to engage them in a smoke condition. with the others it is more of a one handed operation. still have not made the final decision but thanks for all the help guys.