Transcription
[Music] When I bought my Leatherman Surge, the very first thing I did was buy the bit kit and extension, cuz they're really cool. But, in hindsight, I realized there are way better options to level up your Surge kit.
For $55, the Leatherman bit kit cost $30 and includes 21 double-sided bits that cover 42 fastener types. They're super compact because they're flat, two-dimensional bits. But the flip side is they tend to slip, and they get chewed up pretty quick. Instead, I think you should pick up the Wiha 13-piece double-ended bit set. It only cost $16 and covers 26 types of screws, including Phillips, slotted, hex, Torx, pad drive, and square (AKA Robertson). Wiha makes some of the best bits out there, and they are miles better than the Leatherman versions because they arrive in a simple plastic bag. I slid them into this basic bit holder that cost less than a dollar.
Size-wise, the Wiha bit set is actually smaller than a pair of Leatherman bits. Yeah, there's fewer bits, but this is more than enough for EDC. Problem is, these don't work in the Surge because it has a flat bit holder optimized for their two-dimensional bits. Fortunately, they fit great in the Leatherman bit extension because it has a standard quarter-inch bit holder on the end that's deep enough for them to seat correctly. The official Leatherman extension is $25, but there's a few generic versions on Amazon for around $12 that will do the trick. So, instead of spending $55 on the Leatherman bit kit and extension, I'd go with the Wiha double-sided bits and a knockoff extender for $28.
If you spend any time driving screws with a Surge, you quickly realize the ergonomics aren't great. The tool is heavy, and the driver isn't centered. So, although it works, it's not particularly efficient or comfortable as a screwdriver. If you have room, carrying a dedicated bit driver like this Wera 813 rents the Wiha double-sided bits really well, and that's a feat most bit drivers can't do because these are longer than normal. Now, they don't fully lock, but they're held firmly by the strong magnet. I keep the Phillips number two in the Wera, so it's locked and ready to go. There's no need to search around and find a bit when you're in a hurry. The Wera adapter also holds Leatherman bits tight, which is something most bit holders can't do. Together, the Wiha bit set and Wera driver only cost $35 and works so much better as a screwdriver; it's not even close. If you happen to buy the extension, it locks perfectly into the Wera driver, and I found it comes in handy to give you more reach or fit into tighter spaces. Even with all three tools, it's still $8 cheaper than the official Leatherman bit kit and extension.
Leatherman also sells a ratchet accessory with a unique inline design. It's pretty cool, but they can't seem to keep these in stock. So, unless you want to pay $100 to $200 for one on eBay, it's not an option for most people. If you want a ratchet to drive screws faster and get some leverage, I'd pick up the 7Eleven mini ratchet for $20. Since this is designed to slide into the flat Leatherman bit holder, you can use this in one of two ways: you can use it directly in the Surge or lock it into the Wera driver handle for extra torque. 7Eleven also sells a flex head version for $40, but I'm not so sure it's useful enough for me to justify the premium price. So, for the same $55 you'd spend on the Leatherman 2D bits and extension, you now get 26 high-quality quarter-inch bits from Wiha, a comfortable locking bit driver from Wera, and a reversible ratchet from 7Eleven. Give you extra torque and speed when you need it. These feel like real tools, not the compromised multi-tool versions that just kind of work.
I've carried my Surge in this small camera case that lets me carry the accessories I need to round out my grab-and-go tool kit. In the original version of this kit, I added a bunch of sockets and nut drivers to the front pocket, but they were heavy. I eventually stopped carrying them, but I've been in a bunch of situations where I really wished I had some sockets on hand. I've been looking for years for a set of sockets that didn't take up much space but could cover all the common bolts I run into. A lot of you suggested I buy a universal socket, and although they're kind of interesting, they're bulky and tend to break easily. Luckily, I recently figured out, by testing common bolts I can buy at the hardware store, that I can get away with just sizes 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14 mm to cover a wide range of both metric and Imperial bolts.
Klein's flip sockets seem promising because they're double-sided, which means half as many sockets to carry. I've had the Imperial set for a while now, but I don't use them much because they never seem to be the right size. But recently, they came out with a metric version that's close to perfect because it includes sizes 7, 8, 10, 12, 13, and 14 mm. With just three double-sided sockets for $20, that covers metric bolts M8, M6, M5, as well as 3/8 and 5/16 on the Imperial side. The only common size bolt this doesn't cover is M7 or 1/4 in. The 12 mm socket will somewhat work on these sizes, but it's pretty loose. So, if you happen to have the Imperial version of the Klein flip sockets, the 7/16 is the perfect fit for both. Klein sells this set with a long version of their proprietary quarter-inch shank that holds three sockets. This keeps everything organized, but having three sockets on a long shank feels very heavy, and it's really annoying to shuffle the sockets around when switching sizes. This design is great on paper, but somewhat awkward in the real world. Luckily, they sell a short version of the same adapter for $10 that includes the 8 and 10 mm flip socket, and you can never have enough backup 10 mm sockets. The short shank version feels great because it's way less front-heavy and easier to control. I can mount this on the Wera bit holder to use it as a nut driver or snap it into the ratchet, so there's a lot of flexibility.
After fiddling around, I found you could make a very compact stack by sliding the shank onto the 14 mm, stacking the 10, 12 mm onto that, and placing the 7, 8 mm on top. This combo only weighs 102 g or 3.6 oz and packs a ton of utility for $30. Since I happen to already own the 7/16 flip socket, I nested the ratchet inside that to make a second stack. At this point, I have 26 real quarter-inch bits, a high-quality bit driver, reversible ratchet, and six popular sockets for $85. These really compliment the Surge and make it a much more useful toolkit on the go.
As an alternative to the separate bit driver and ratchet, check out the 7Eleven lollipop driver. It has a unique, patented design that acts as a comfortable and precise bit driver with a knurled finish, and when you need more torque, the tail swings out into an L-shape to give you lots of leverage. You can switch between modes very quickly, and it's super satisfying to use. This feels like it can handle a lot more torque than the micro ratchet and is very efficient and fast to drive screws and bolts, so I don't miss the ratchet. It works great with the Klein sockets and some of the Wiha double-sided bits, but others don't sit deep enough to work. To solve this, I added the standalone Wera Rap adapter from my tool check plus, and you can buy it standalone for $17. If you want the double-sided bits to 100% lock in, you can swap the Rap adapter with the Wiha CentraFix bit adapter. It's expensive at $26, but it is the same mechanism as the Wiha Cix bit driver that I honestly think is the best in the world because it can lock into any type of bit, even Leatherman and double-sided bits with zero play. I love using the lollipop driver, but it's quite expensive at $55. The workmanship is insane with all the milled parts and super-tight tolerances, so it's a fair asking price. But this with the CentraFix is a whopping $81. That's double the price of the Wera bit driver and 7Eleven ratchet combo, so it's definitely a premium option, but man, the lollipop driver is so satisfying to use and as great as a fidget toy.
All right, I want to show you how I pack all these into this kit for quick access. I personally think the Surge is too heavy to carry on my belt, so I don't use the stock sheath. Instead, I pack this into a small camera case with two pockets to organize my tools. I tend to keep this in my car or junk drawer as a quick grab-and-go kit, and I've had it for a few years now. The Surge itself is packed with tools; it has four locking outside tools: there's a main blade, serrated blade, scissors, and a file that can be swapped up for any T-shank saw blade. So I carry both wood and metal blades. There's beefy pliers with wire cutter, all small and large flathead, opener, and bit driver with double-sided Phillips and flathead. In the back of the camera case, I store the file and extra jigsaw blades. On top are the Wiha bits, the Wera bit driver with Phillips number two pre-loaded, and the Surge. In the front pocket is a Stanley 3-ft tape measure, the set of three Klein flip sockets with adapter, a 7/16-inch socket with ratchet nested inside, a RoyVon A8 flashlight, the Leatherman bit extender, a small mechanical pencil from Oto, some paper, a small roll of duct tape, and Uncle Bill's tweezers. I also tuck a small magnet in here that I can use as a stud finder. I didn't include the Leatherman ratchet because it's so hard to find, but that fits in here too. I've been debating if I should keep the Knipex 4-in Cobras in this kit, but honestly, I feel like the Surge is enough for my needs. That said, it will fit in the main compartment if you want to carry it.
I recently picked up this Pressa Cycle Mini pry bar for $10, and it works great in the Wera driver for scraping and prying. At just 13 g or half an ounce and 2 in, it's much less to carry than a traditional pry bar. The Surge alone weighs 355 g or 12.2 oz, and the whole kit is roughly double that. That's pretty good considering all the utility that's packed in. I've been using this setup for a few years now in various forms, and it really works great for small repairs. If I need more tools, I can grab my portable tool bag and be ready for anything. As with any EDC video, you need to find what's right for you, so not everything in this kit will be what you need, but hopefully this gives you some good ideas on compact, high-quality tools that you can use in your Surge kit. All right, everyone, till next time.