#LEATHERMAN MARLIN SPIKE DRIVER#
#LEATHERMAN MARLIN SPIKE FULL#

The Wichard was simple, light, and comfortable to use. The Victorinox Swiss Champ leads the way in the features, possibly too many – which add bulk, and while the blades lasted well in an oilskin pocket, the plates between them showed signs of corrosion. You’ll have to prioritize which tools you want the most and which you will actually use.

The only other tool that all the knives had was a bottle opener we checked these all worked well.

All the multitools had very sharp blades, and no one blade stood out for sharpness during the test period. There’s a lanyard loop, but using it impedes the screwdriver.ĭespite playing with knives for many days, our crew’s fingers remain intact, and any cuts are healing nicely. Care needs to be taken folding the scissors they can be easily damaged. There’s a small reversible screwdriver fitting for flat/cross head screws (other bits are available), as well as a fine reversible screwdriver.

It has good needlenose pliers, with wire cutters and strippers incorporated into them. Both cutting blades can be opened singlehanded. The wood saw was easily the best on the test and ferociously sharp. This knife has four main blades: straight, serrated, wood saw, and metal saw with coarse and fine files, all of which can be locked open. While the saw blades were short, it was good to see how they would cope in an emergency.įinally, we soaked all the tools in seawater and left them for a month in plastic bags – as tools left in wet oilskin pockets can be – to see how well they fended off corrosion. Saw blades were tested on a 2inx2in a piece of timber.

#LEATHERMAN MARLIN SPIKE DRIVER#

Screwdrivers were tested by driving brass screws into seasoned pine, with no pilot holes, to assess the tool’s grip on the screw and whether the driver blades would fold in. Where a knife had a shackle key, this was tested where it didn’t, we used the tool’s pliers.Īll knives had to have one or the other to make our selection. Next, the blades were tested, cutting rope on a flat surface and looped. The best knife in the world is no good if you can’t get into it, so all the knives were opened, if possible, with one hand, two hands, bare hands, and gloved. No one multitool had the same tools as the next, so we devised several challenges typical to those one might find on a fraught voyage with our crew. Some are also better for sailors than others, so we selected eight popular models to see how they cope with life on board. There are so many to choose from, and all have different features and uses. These are buried deeper in my tool locker depending on the severity of the problem, but a multitool lives either in my pocket while sailing or on the chart table so I can find it night or day, in calm or panic. Onboard my boat, I have several ‘levels’ of toolkits, each with more tools.

#LEATHERMAN MARLIN SPIKE FULL#

A multitool is often considered a jack of all trades and master of none, and while using the correct tool for a job should yield better results, it’s not possible to carry a full toolkit in your pocket on board, or have all the tools on hand, especially when working alone or in the confines of a yacht. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve made use of knives, pliers, screwdrivers, files, or saws on my multitool while cruising, saving me time by not having to access the boat toolkit.

Leatherman marlin spike