The more I look at alternatives, the more I realize, nothing can give you this much functionality in this small a package, while being so high quality and reasonably priced. Popular (machine-assembled) versions regularly go for $25.
The one caveat is that it falls behind modern knives in terms of safety and ease for opening/closing. I'd love to see a next-gen SAK without nail nicks. This model is the Mountaineer.
I mean, OP wrote “simply the best pocket tool”, which is arguably wrong. I had Swiss “army” knives as a kid (yeah, it was normal at the time, rounded tips and dulled blades weren’t part of the offering) but the somewhat sharp blades would go dull in a matter of days (given how many sticks I would bring it to…), and they would invariably break after a while.
They are cheap, but their durability is somewhat relative, so you gotta keep buying them. Especially the models made with plastic exterior, since a single drop on a stone is often enough to break the shell off.
Now, as OP said, the simplest Swiss knife (with plastic shell) is 20 bucks. There isn’t much you can get at this price point in the multitool universe. However, as written above, those are fragile, and the simplest with metal shell is 50 bucks (or slightly less if you dig a bit, but definitely over 40).
Now, the closest one can get to this price with leatherman is the Rev. It is also available at 50 bucks, but this one has 14 tools (two counted twice, so 12 really): Pliers, Wire Cutters, 420HC Knife, Package Opener, Wood/Metal File, Can Opener, Bottle Opener, Ruler (1.5 in | 3.8 cm), Phillips Screwdriver, Medium Screwdriver, Small Screwdriver, Wire Stripper. The belt/pocket clip isn’t counted as a tool 🤡. Unlike the Swiss Army Knives, Leatherman multi tools have locking blades, and are user serviceable, which is IMHO an absolute game changer (I cut myself more than once with a Swiss army knife folding back on my hand).
If you start searching for other brands, there are other seemingly good tools like the Gerber Suspension, at the same price point.
Buy I stand by Victorinox’s quality! Have you see the Swisstool Spirit MX Clip? The tolerances and fitment are better than Leatherman tools according to many youtubers.
I’ll be honest, I don’t how it is since the new millennia… I just know that the store I went to, near Switzerland, swore by Wenger, and carried no Victorinox models whatsoever. So I dunno if it’s real or if they pretended because of a bigger margin, but they didn’t seem too fond of Victorinox knives.
Gerber is shite.
Never tried. I’m really happy with my leathermans. I only mentioned it because of some reviews I found. But yeah, I never actually got one.
I do wish Victorinox had more one handed models, and pivots you could disassemble like LM.
Yeah exactly. This is one of the best aspects of leathermans IMHO.
Anecdotally, my Mountaineer is shaving sharp, and I’ve batoned it through firewood and it’s still that sharp
OK so it would seem that the quality did, in fact, go up, since I was a kid. For the blades at least. That or my knives were given to me with dulled blades. I actually couldn’t tell.
“Community” behind it is apparently originating in Berlin, and is now a “nonprofit foundation in Switzerland”, but has no publicly disclosed legal structure anymore.
“Community” behind it uses discord, but not revolt, matrix, simplex or others.
“Community” behind it uses twitter, but not mastodon.
Hold on, is that a grant or a donation? (The difference is that a donation is definitive, while there are conditions, such as failing to fulfil an obligation, under which a grant has to be repaid)