Not The Charge+ TTI: This Leatherman Has The Most Tools

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Leatherman usually tops the list of the best multitool brands whenever the subject comes up. The company offers a range of multitools with various combinations of implements, often designed for a specific user base or activity. The Leatherman Signal, for example, is designed for camping and outdoor exploration, featuring implements such as a fire-starting ferrocerium rod and a safety whistle.

If you want a multitool that really emphasizes the "multi," though, you'll want to set your eyes on the Leatherman Surge. At the time of writing, it's the Leatherman multitool with the most implements: 21. The Surge is all about versatility, with its loadout making it suitable for several kinds of jobs, including electrical and automotive tasks. Its robust and durable build — it's made out of 420 stainless steel, and Leatherman claims it's one of the company's beefiest products — makes it suitable for heavy-duty use.

The Leatherman Surge is a plier-based tool that goes for $159.95, less than some smaller Leatherman products with fewer implements. The Surge unfolds to 7 inches, while its main blade is 3.1 inches long. It's on the heavy side, at 12.5 ounces, so don't expect to hang this multitool from your keychain. Then again, it has to be big, given its 21 tools.

The Leatherman Surge contains two pairs of pliers (regular and needle-nose), a pair of knives (straight and serrated), small and large screwdrivers, a combination wood/metal and diamond-coated file, three sets of wire cutters (replaceable, replaceable hard-wire, and stranded wire), and a combination can and bottle opener. It also includes a saw, spring-action scissors, a bit driver, an 8-inch ruler, a wire stripper, an electrical crimper, an awl with thread loop, and a blade exchanger.

The driver also comes with a double-ended bit that can be used both ways — one end is a Phillips #1-2, and the other is a ³⁄₁₆-inch slotted head. The blade exchanger is one of the few features not on the Leatherman Charge+ TTI, which had 19 implements total (and was subject to a recall). The T-shank blade exchanger lets you swap between the saw and the double-sided file — and yes, that means you can't use both simultaneously.

Technically, that means the multitool only ever has 20 (or 19, when the two-way file is removed) implements at any time. However, swapping them shouldn't take more than a minute. Swapping blades may be a bit inconvenient, but it means you can use any T-shank jigsaw blade — quite handy, given one of the common problems with Leatherman multitools is dull blades. The other tools rotate individually, meaning you can grab one at a time without fumbling through others. Leatherman supports the Surge with a 25-year warranty.

Leatherman makes many different multitools and knives, introducing new tools and discontinuing others from time to time. Some of these could match the Surge's array of tools — the Free P4, for example, also had 21 tools — while others, like the Leatherman Tread, put the Surge to shame with 29 different implements. That said, the Tread wasn't a pliers-based multitool and was instead a bracelet that let users keep tools flat across their wrist.

Quantity doesn't always mean quality, though, and some other Leatherman multitools are arguably more popular than the Surge despite having less versatility. One of Leatherman's best-selling multitools is the Leatherman Arc, which costs $90 more but has one less tool. Other best-sellers include the Skeletool CX, popular in the EDC community, and the Wave Plus, GearLab's pick for the best Leatherman tool.

The Wave Plus, while more affordable than the Surge, costs $129.95, which is still a pretty penny. If you're after value, the Leatherman Wingman makes a good case for itself, offering 14 tools (two-thirds that of the Surge) for just $50. Redditors on r/leatherman also like the Rebar, Super Tool 300, and Wave Plus for value, although the Surge's 21 tools earn it quite a few nominations as well.