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| Customer Reviews: | | Average Customer Review: ( 125 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
65 of 67 found the following review helpful:
 Right tool for the job Feb 16, 2008
By J. F. Washburn
"Colorado Cowboy"
I'm a rancher. I carry a multitool every waking hour. I've exercised the warranty on a Wave three times in three years. I've broken the detente that prevents the knife blades from bending beyond straight. I've broken the tips of the pliers pulling cotter pins, and I've chewed up the hard wire cutter. The Surge seems to do all these things and more with greater ease than the Wave, and it seems to be taking the day-to-day punishment. If not the fourth Wave is waiting as a backup.
As for the size aspect: I wear gloves in large size. The Surge is not too big for my hands and I can't imagine it'd be too big for medium size hands. IMO, frequent and continued use of the pliers with small hands could be tiring.
I depend on these things everyday. A Leatherman has never let me down even when they've broken. If you use one this much then I'd highly recommend the nylon sheath. The leather case and snap are not as convenient.
BTW, it may not be the perfect tool for the job, but when its the one that 's handy it gets the job done.
I've had the Surge for 6 months now. For whatever reason I took the Wave the other day. Its too small! I won't go back to the Wave. The Surge is the right size. For what I do, the Surge the best tool out there.
24 of 24 found the following review helpful:
Perfect multi-tool! Apr 02, 2007
By E. Bartoli
I dont know whats the problem with the size of the surge...seeing the reviews on here I thought that when I saw this thing I would have said "omG ITS HUGE!!" ...but...uhmm...its the size a STRONG, STURDY and DEPENDABLE multi tool should be! I hate small multi tools because I dont want to feel as if Im going to break the thing while im using it (tighten some screws, etc) or when im using the saw or something. The design is great and personally I can say that the SURGE is the best multi tool out there!
22 of 22 found the following review helpful:
Surge on the high seas May 18, 2011
By W. Courtney
I bought the Leatherman Surge as a replacement for a Wave multitool that was tragically confiscated by TSA some time ago. Having bought a Gerber FliK in the meantime and finding it woefully inadequate, I was left needing a reliable tool to carry during a 4-month term aboard a cargo ship. I needed something with a good and sizable blade, for ropework and other miscellaneous cutting purposes, a pair of pliers for loosening shackle pins, tightening wire, wingnuts and other fasteners, and screwdrivers for light prying and tightening screws without heading 12 stories down to the engine room for a phillips head driver. Reviewing Leatherman's product line, the Surge caught my attention due to several factors. I liked its larger size, as I always thought my Wave was a little on the small side. I liked the dedicated flathead for prying, as well as the bit adapter for other driver heads. I especially liked the outside opening scissors, being bigger and easier to access than my Wave's. And I was intrigued by the awl, which really at the time presented no specific purpose as much as many interesting possibilities.
My Surge arrived the day before I headed out to sea, so it's trial was by fire. To sum up the experience, it is no exaggeration to say that I used this tool literally every one of the 107 days I was aboard. The following sums up some of the good and bad points that I noticed:
-The pliers are big, beefy and strong. They grip pretty much anything, and hold on like a vice. However, the wire cutters pretty much suck.
-The blades are excellent, as are most Leatherman blades. they do require somewhat frequent sharpening, but I used and abused this tool, so that's not really shocking.
-The scissors are AWESOME. Super sharp, and large enough to cut pretty much anything with ease. Having them on the outside is a MAJOR improvement over the other tools in the line. I used the scissors as much if not more than the knife. Keeping them lubricated does help with the unusual, but very handy, locking mechanism.
-Strangely enough, I think my favorite tool on the Surge is in fact the awl. It serves those tasks that lie in the gray area: where you need something pointy but dont want to stab what youre working on (or you); where you need an edge to scrape, but not cut, something; where you want to put a hole, rather than a gash, in something. Ive used it for everything from spearing WD-40 cans to get the last little bit out (chief mate wasnt too happy about that), to rigging chafe guards on mooring lines, to scraping paint off of a hydraulic ram, to leaving the customary "mark" of my school in waterfront bars around the world. All in all, an awesome little addition to this multitool that I cant believe I went this long without.
-The screwdrivers get mixed reviews. The large flathead is great, no complaints there. the large bit driver is good as well, although the spring that holds the bits in does break. I rigged mine with a little cotter pin, but a better design is needed. Its functional though. Im mixed about the little screwdriver. On one hand, I really have found very few uses for it, and think that it would be better replaced with something else. On the other hand, its the PERFECT size for screws on sunglasses, electrical connections, etc, so maybe it belongs there.
-The exchangeable saw/file is a pretty neat idea, although it does eat up some of the usable space of the tool. I've never used the saw, seeing as it has pretty limited uses aboard the ship. The file is pretty good, however. One of the best features of the removable file is that it can be taken off and the diamond side used to sharpen the knife blade! Which is very handy. I haven't bought any other blades for it, although jigsaw blades do fit right into the exchanger.
-Its hard to screw up a can/bottle opener, and this one is no exception. For a combination, it works very well, and as I prefer my beer in bottles, it is a necessity. It does take a bit of prying finesse to pry off a cap without punching through it; the best way is to turn it so you pry along the edge of the cap. Good reason to carry the Surge on shore leave.
-Like most Leatherman products I have used, the body and blades of the knife are prone to a bit of rust. No big deal; it says "stainLESS", not stainPROOF. A little bit of oil and a rag cleans it right up, and it doesnt hurt to keep it well oiled anyway. Its a tool, treat it as you would any other.
-The leather/nylon sheath that it comes with is absolutely terrible. the snap is hard to open, the fit is loose, and I just generally hated the look of it. I used my old Wave nylon velcro sheath at sea, which didnt really fit, and ordered a Surge velcro sheath when I got back. I cant comment on the all leather one that is offered, but alot of people seem to like it. My original Wave sheath lasted about 4 years before it wore out, which I think earns it its $10 of utility.
All in all, the Leatherman Surge is the best multitool I have ever owned. For my purposes, it is the closest to the ideal combination of any manufacturer out there, and I cant see using any other multitool with the same effectiveness. I recommend to everyone I know that is going out to sea for the first time, and you can bet that it will be on my belt for my second sea term. No matter what your application, if you need a heavy duty, well-appointed multitool that can take more beatings than you can throw at it, the Surge is for you.
30 of 34 found the following review helpful:
 Heavy Duty (Did I mention heavy?) Jan 12, 2007
By W. Maxwell
"wdmax"
I bought one from one of Amazon's partners and the tool arrived in it's sealed clamshell package in used condition. The tool was scratched, dirty and the scissors were loose as well as the knife looked used. I returned it to the company I bought it from and they sent me a refund. I sent an email to Leatherman about my experience and they sent a reply stating that this was a unique experience and that they would check with their quality control dept to see if there is a problem.
I purchased another Surge from Amazon directly and the tool arrived in the clamshell sealed in its packaging. I opened it up to find that the tool was in acceptable condition except for the fingerprints and what looked like cleaning compound still on the blades and handles (just like the one I bought and returned earlier). The scissors were a bit loose also, but not as much as the first (Sounds like Leatherman has some quality issues).
I have had the tool for about a month and I have no other real issues to talk about, it performs well and handles most jobs it was designed for. The tool is solid, well engineered and dependable. The tool feels great in the hand and is easy to open with one hand if needed. The tool is big and on the heavy side (If you are going to wear this tool on your belt, you will always know it's there). A little quirk in the tool is a rattle when it is closed, this does not happen every time it's in the closed position, just sometimes.
Except for the cosmetic issues I mentioned earlier, this is a good product. I plan to keep this with me for quite a while and I do not doubt that it will perform as it should without fail. I keep it with me in the shop, studio, backyard, garage, and when hiking. Great tool, did I mention it was heavy?
16 of 18 found the following review helpful:
I must be freakishly large Aug 29, 2006
By G. E. Williams
"Nunah"
I recently gave my daughter my Leatherman "Supertool" when she moved away to start a new job, telling her that it had most tools she would need. Then I saw a gift set display with the "SURGE" with a very nice Leatherman knife that has two screwdrivers and a set of bits to use in the interchangeable screwdriver... I couldn't resist, and have been very pleased with the whole set... with the small exception that the leather case rides too high on the belt, I switched to a nylon case I had which works fine but doesn't hold the extra bits. That being said I like the "huge size" of this tool,it really is big, (compared to other multi-tools) but I need to use tools all day every day, so it might be a lot to carry if that was not the case. I still carry the blunt nose Gerber always as it can turn a bolt when needed, and is easier to use one handed than any Leatherman tool, but this tool the SURGE, can do more things well than any of the other multi tools out there.
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