ARC P2 / ARC lite
I hope this post finds someone that is as obsessive over their Multitool as me. lol
I believe I’ve come across “MY” perfect EDC Multitool. My first leatherman was Skeletool that I carried for about 3 years. I loved it because it was small and light and had just about everything I needed in a multitool except for scissors. I broke the pliers once but got it warrantied. That was one thing I did not like is how weak the pliers were. I then went all out and purchased an ARC and carried it every single day for the past year. I beat the shit out of my ARC. I work in audio/video installation along with security cameras and sometimes computer stuff. For that type of work I always need a blade to cut the straps off tv boxes, screwdriver (mainly Philips, flat, & 4-5mm hex), scissors to cut through zip ties, awl bore holes & poke stuff lol & pliers to pull anchors out of walls or hold bolts that have screws on the other side. I rarely need a Saw, file, micro bit, or can opener. I found that I had to make an excuse to use those tools when I could just get the right tool for the job. I’m also my own hand man at home lol. I do all my electrical, plumbing, painting, drywalling, etc. I’m no pro at any of those but YouTube and a lot of trial and error have taught me so much lol. I put the ARC through its paces doing all that work at my house. It had been the perfect EDC up until I came across people modding P2’s with ARC parts. My P2 arrived 2 days ago and I immediately swapped out parts with the ARC. I use to carry the ARC regardless of what shorts or pants I’m wearing. Even in gym shorts and the weight did not bother me. But now with the P2 body, it’s amazing how that ounce lost makes a difference in carrying!! It’s also slimmer and feels better gripping the pliers. I could always feel the file on the ARC on the handles. Not a big deal but something to note. Sorry I’m rambling but I’m kind of obsessive about EDC lol. Back to the parts that I’ve decided to swap out. I swapped the P2’s blade for the ARC’s Magnacut obviously. I have no need for serrations and blade steel is way better. No brainer for me. Like I said I have no need for a file or can opener. I also don’t need that ruler thing. So I swapped those with the Bit driver and kept the Awl. I kept the Philips/bottle opener and Flat/Pry package opener on one side for quick access to the two main drivers I use. I’ve heard some reviewers saying they don’t like the Philips because it’s too big but I have had no issue with it. I’m a Dad of 2 under 3 years old and have a lot of toys I need to assemble and battery boxes I need to get to and the Philips driver gets to most screws just fine. Also, for the screws that are more recessed in the holes I’ve actually used the AWL with the small flathead at the end to get to them and it’s worked perfectly!! So I’m all covered for and kids toy that comes my way! lol. The bottle opener is also a plus on the Philips because I do like to open some cold ones with my multitool from time to time. Haha. I’ve decided to keep the original Pry bar flat head instead of the ARC’s because it also has a sharp edge for opening packages. I usually open packages with the knife but it might be something that could be useful when opening something that could be damaged by the knife. Also I don’t need another bottle opener lol. The pry bar is honestly one of my most used tool. It’s super useful to have something to jam into things. On the other side I have the ARC’s bit driver with a 4-5mm bit because I run into a lot of tv mounts that use that as a security screw. I also like to keep that bit with me because I can also use it to tighten or build furniture. I’m also wanting to get into bike riding and I believe it’s one of the common bits used to tighten things lol. It’s what I use to have on the skeletool in the bit storage. The AWL was probably my least used tool but now that it has a mini flat head on the end makes it way more useful! I sometimes have to work on thermostats at work and they use the tinniest flat head screws. I’ve already mentioned how great it works on the kids toys too! As a Dad, scissors are a must. I’m always cutting tags off kids clothes and loose threads. At work I’m mostly cutting zip ties. Scissors was definitely something I missed on the Skeletool.
To come to an end to this post because it’s annoyingly longer than I wanted, i just wanted to share my experiences with the multitools that I’ve owned. I believe this is the best multitool for me. Coming from a Skeletool and an ARC this is the perfect middle ground. Smaller and lighter than the ARC with all the essentials and no fluff. One handed use. Premium Blade, Robust pliers, all the drivers I need, & scissors. It’s also the best fidget toy ever!
Sorry again for the rambling.
Thank you to whoever reads this whole post lol
Feel free to ask me anything or leave some feedback.
This is my first post so be nice to me 😂