[Closed] What multi tool with pliers on a budget

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Leatherman Squirt PS4 but might be just over your budget - just checked £43 or so.

Mine is an Ebay jobbie, works perfectly well, i think it was £20 or so.

Gerber Suspension for full size
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gerber-Suspension-Multi-Tool-Black-Size/dp/B000EDPT9K

Edit: A bit cheaper here
https://www.tooled-up.com/gerber-suspension-multi-tool-pliers/prod/322143

Gerber Vise for the smaller (Squirt) size
https://cpc.farnell.com/gerber-tools/vise-black/vise-multitool-black/dp/TL18387

The Crivit one from Lidl is good, but heavy, 300g with its pouch. About £7 though.

How good does it need to be? I've got this one in.my toolkit which is really tiny and light

https://www.blacks.co.uk/15930876/gerber-dime-mini-multi-tool-15930876

But it is probably a bit wee for anything bigger/tougher than tubeless valves

Dirt cheap though

Leatherman Style PS is nice and small, has useful pliers (strong/wide enough to actually do something) and clips on to things.

As a bonus it has scissors but no knife blade so it won't get confiscated at security (remember when we used to fly to places?).

Im with OTS, have had a Gerber Suspension for a number of years now, usually in my pocket or bag. Still feels good and is very handy to have on you.

That Gerber is lovely !

Gerber Suspension is good, very heavy though.

The leatherman looks great. I have a small opinel so not worried about it having a knife or not.

sent you a mail re gerber suspension

The suspension is good but it’s heavy (despite looking lightweight) and bulky and uncomfortable in your pocket.

you do get an immensely long warranty - basically new for old swap if you break anything for something nuts like 20 or 30 years-  with it but it’s best in a bag or toolbox you’d get bored of carrying it.

I gave up on mine because it was never to hand when I actually needed it and because the saw clogs up on green wood.

replaced it with a sidekick which lives much more happily in a pocket and the saw works

I have a Leatherman Charge tti plus (way over budget)

A Leatherman Skeletool CX (knife, pliers, bottle ioener and driver bits - that's it)

And a little Leatherman Style CS (no pliers, but I've usually got a van full of tools anyway)

The one that gets used the most? The little Style, as it's always on my keyring

Skeletool for the win.
Hardly ever used it on bike rides though. My Crank Bros Multitool or my Silca Italian Army Knife always seem to have a use.
Only ever used pliers to get a tubeless valve out for someone banging a tube in.

Multi tool fan here, I reckon I have about a dozen. Lots of Leathermans (sp? Leathermen) and Victorinox with a couple of others here and there. Leatherman for the bike is a Skeletool, lighter than the Wave or others and just as useful. I have a Squirt PS4 on my keys, has been there for years, really useful. I also have the P4 and S4 and it's better than both of those. Juice line up has now been discontinued but the blades don't lock which is nice for worry free carrying.

Nice tools are nice, get something decent and it'll last for years. Leatherman warranty is most excellent!

If you can up your budget to £60-£65 I would strongly recommend the Gerber MP400. I have had one for around 20 years and it’s still as new

the gerber suspension is daft heavy for a "just incase" tool.

I have a squirt with the pliers and a wee set of scissors too. while the pliers are tiny they are way more precise than the gerbers and install a bit of confidence.

its so bloody small i think I have lost it again though.

I bought the Gerber suspension when Amazon were doing them for ~£23 and tbh I wasn't impressed, heavy as noted above and the quality/finishing isn't as good as Leatherman. Also the Gerber & Bear Grylls collaboration is a good enough reason on its own to go with Leatherman instead.

https://www.toolstation.com/hilka-large-multi-tool/p29896

Ive got something like this which is cheap, light and tough enough to carry for brutish bodge jobs.

I got a Draper branded one from B&Q for about £20. Had it years now. Can't compare it to something more expensive but it does the job I want.

I've the leatherman sidekick, but tbh it fails in that using the pliers the grips have sharp edges which kind of cut in annoyingly.
A friend has Gerber, where the pliers slide out, meaning the grips were smooth where you gripped them and didnt cut into your hand.
Couldnt tell you the model, though this was at least 20 years ago.

Those are still lying somewhere at the bottom of Inverkip marina. Ahem.

I've got one of these mini planetx ones (although paid half the current price of £6 IIRC).

Similar to a similarly small Gerber tool I've had for years.

PX version is not quite as nice a feel but works fine for fettling on the trail and small enough that it doesn't get chucked out of the bag for weighing a ton. The pliers are small enough to use as an emergency tool for undoing reluctant quicklinks.

Even at the current price you've plenty of change in your budget (or a pair for every bike tool pack in the shed).

https://www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/TOJOSMT/jobsworth-folding-9-way-steel-multi-tool

On the bike I take a Leatherman Style PS and a Topeak Hexus multitool (current combined price about £45).
The Style PS is small but very well made with decent mini pliers. Surprisingly useful for its size. I've used it for jobs like valve cores, gripping/pulling gear cables, dealing with quicklinks and cutting zip ties. It also has a clip so it's more difficult to lose.

If you're after a full size multi tool with pliers for the bike I'd avoid the Gerber suspension. I have one and it's a big chunk of metal and way too heavy to take on the bike imo. I'd look for something lighter.

I’d split it out. I’ve got a Leatherman Squirt and in fairness it’s pretty poor for pliers compared to a full size option.

Personally I’d get a set of 1/4” bits for whatever you need, a cheap Opinel blade (well they all are), and a Knipex 87 00 100 as the tiniest set of decent pliers you’ll find. Use them as the driver for your bits, or for bending stuff, or as pliers

My lad needs one for college- just pliers and a short knife. Any recommendations for a full size one without all the saw shenanigans.

Any of the Leatherman range will do you right for their warranty alone. The Squirt PS4 is good but it’s size can have limitations depending on what you actually need it for, my current user is the Wave but I’ve never carried it on a ride.

I had a Gerber ‘Suspension’ and while it was good for the money I found it quite bulky and heavy. Some of the cheapo ones are half decent but have a habit breaking (in my experience) when you need them most.

The Leatherman ‘Wingman’ is a decent option and can be found for sub £40 on occasion with deals, sort of a less refined Wave with a few less whistles and bells, mine lives in the car.

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My lad needs one for college- just pliers and a short knife. Any recommendations for a full size one without all the saw shenanigans.

The Skeletool CX that I posted above

I had a Skeletool for more than a decade. It went everywhere with me as it is so slim and light. It cannot do everything of course, but it helps with pretty much every job you'll find that needs to be done then and there. This wasn't just in the UK either, I had it when I lived on a small island in Thailand and in the middle of nowhere in Australia.

I had it confiscated by the police when I moved back to the UK. I wish Leatherman would do a non-locking version.

Skeletool CX is great but I've lost mine 🙁

Holy crap that Knipex!

I've a Gerber Suspension and a Leatherman Wave, both of which are banned from work 'cause of the blades. Can anyone suggest something similar but bladeless?

I've got a Gerber crucial. It's got everything you'll need used much more than the skeletool. You'll be surprised at how little you actually use day to day.

Neila, can you not take out the blades and replace with a washer or something

^jkomo That could work, I'll have a rummage to see if I have anything suitable.

The Gerber Crucial seems good. The drivers look a bit weedy though.

Gerber tools often seem to have a single flaw that puts me off. I really like the Dime, but it has that daft bottle opener sticking out all the time, guaranteed to tear holes in your pocket. I wonder if you could saw it off?

... and what is the obsession with bottle openers? Every multi-tool boasts of this function, as if it's the single thing we most need. I can take a bottle top off with a key on the rare occasions I need to do it. They be better off replacing it with something else, such as a bit driver.

@neila: Leatherman do a knifeless Rebar...

https://www.facewest.co.uk/leatherman-knifeless-rebar.html

I did see that and to be honest I think the saw would fall foul of 'the man' Apparently we have to be protected from accidently stabbing or slashing ourselves though to be fair I have been tempted to poke some of my co-workers so there may be some merit to the ban on blades. I'll have a play with blade removal first.

Soooo, I got the slightly bigger Knipex for myself, and the Gerber for the boy, £30 as a ‘second’ it’s ace and no saws! Perfect. Might get one for myself.