Counting quickly my wife and I have at least seven Leatherman multi-tools between us. I also have three Gerber, a couple of SOG, and one Victorinox (the SwissTool). There are a couple of cheap Chinese things kicking around but as they don't bear comparison with the others I won't mention them again.
The Victorinox is the one that lives on my belt. I've used all the others routinely at some time or other, but with one exception the rest don't now see a lot of action, they live in assorted kit bags etc., or on the bedside or coffee tables, or hanging in a pocket by the door. The exception is one of the SOGs (an old Toolclip, I don't think they make it any more) which lives by the fireplace and gets used more or less daily. The Toolclip is horribly uncomfortable in sustained use and it bites. Unless you're a collector and you value its rarity, don't get one.
The Victorinox is about as comfortable as I think you can expect from a multi-tool (similar to the Wave, Charge, etc) and if it has any bad habits I haven't found them in at least ten years of more or less daily use. The pliers aren't quite as fine as I'd choose if I had a choice, but they do a lot of work for me anyway. I couldn't be without them when I'm camping.
Duncan (FGYT) has a strong point, if you don't often need the pliers then a SAK has a lot going for it. In fact if I didn't use the pliers on my Victorinox so much when I'm out and about, or if I needed to suit the pliers more to the job, then I'd probably go for that option. The pliers themselves are probably worth thinking about more than any of the other tools. Do you want something with a fine point, or something heavier? The SOG Power Plier is very impressive, and would be my second choice after the Victorinox or if I needed the finer points and extra grip on the pliers on a regular basis. The pliers on the Gerber Suspension are lovely and fine but apart from that I've never very much liked the Gerbers that I have. That's mostly because the tools are mostly awkward to get out, although they work fine and the blades are sharp -- as are the blades on all of the quality multi-tools that I've used.
The screwdriver bits on most multi-tools leave a lot to be desired. The Victorinox is no exception and I think that's been mentioned here before. Something like the one of the Leatherman tools which can accept interchangeable bits has a lot going for it if you think you'll be using it a lot for driving screws, but I'd have to ask at what point do you say enough is enough and go find a screwdriver. My multi-tool is there for odd quick jobs, not for when I'm fitting a kitchen. If I'm doing that then I'll break out the tool box.
As far as the SwissTool is concerned, the things that really swing it for me are the saw, and the awl, and the fact that you can get a knife blade out without opening up the rest of the tool. The Victorinox saw is what all the others are compared with. I'd willingly swap one of the SwissTool's knife blades for a pair of scissors, which is mainly why I also carry (in another little pouch on my belt) a tiny penknife which has a pair of scissors. I love the shape of the plain blade on my Gerber 600 but it isn't worth the faffing around to get to the blade (nor to the pliers) to use them.
So there you are. Nothing is perfect, try a few if you can and then take your pick.
) and it goes with me everywhere.
