Head to Head – Leatherman Juice CS4 v Victorinox Huntsman

An occasional series where I put some kit head to head “like wot it says in the title.”

I was asked to have a look at the Leatherman Juice CS4 by Mark at http://lakelandbushcraft.co.uk and thought it might be an idea to put it up against an old adversary - a Swiss Army Knife.

I chose the Victorinox Huntsman because of the size similarity, the similar number of accessories on each tool and the fact that both knife blades are sub 3 inches and non-locking. First of all, here are some specifications:

The Juice CS4 has a closed length of 82.5 mm (3.25 in) and weighs 155 grams (5.5 ounces). £75-£80 (Feb 2010)

• Needlenose Pliers.
• Straight Knife.
• Wire Cutters.
• Hard-Wire Cutters.
• Extra Small Screwdriver.
• Small Screwdriver.
• Medium/Large Screwdriver.
• Phillips Screwdriver.
• Lanyard Attachment.
• Can/Bottle opener.
• Corkscrew with assist.
• Scissors.
• Saw.
• Awl.

The Huntsman has a closed length of 91mm (3.5 in) and weighs 99 grams (3.5 ounces) £28 - £35 (Feb 2010)

• Large Blade
• Small Blade
• Corkscrew
• Can Opener
• Small Screwdriver
• Bottle Opener
• Large Screwdriver
• Wire Stripper
• Reamer, Puncher & Sewing Eye
• Hook
• Scissors
• Wood Saw
• Keyring
• Tweezers
• Toothpick

So, that’s have a look at some features:

The Chassis and scales

The Huntsman has plastic scales and is about one cm longer than the Juice. The Juice is slightly wider but the main difference is the weight with the Juice coming in quite a bit heavier. The Juice has anodised aluminium metal blue scales. I prefer the warmth of the plastic, especially as they are rounded making for a comfortable grip. It’s well known that you can make your own scales and replace the plastic ones. For general handling, pocketability and weight, the Huntsman is a winner here.

Build Quality

Both tools are good on build quality although I have found some of the accessories stick against each other on the Juice, but not to any excess. All accessories on both tools are non-locking but I like the positive “click” of the Juice as the accessories are snapped into place. I think the Leatherman has the edge here.

The main knife

The Juice’s blade is slightly thicker but not as wide. I’m not sure I like the hollow grind with secondary bevel of the Juice and although it seems solid enough, it just doesn’t feel as well built as the Huntsman; nevertheless, I carved a little tea-spoon with the Juice. My preference though is with the Huntsman.

Scissors

Both scissors are adequate but the Juice’s are longer. They also seems a little more robust and sharper. So the vote here goes to the Juice.

The awl/reamer

Both awls are more or less the same size but the Juice’s awl is strangely blunt. The Huntsman has a sharpened edge to the awl which is handy, acting as a reamer. I would vote for the Huntsman’s awl here.

The Saw

Both saws are excellent. The Huntsman’s saw has a bi-directional cutting stroke while the Juice cuts on the pull stroke. I like the effortless style of the pull-stroke so I will go for the Juice here.

Corkscrew, can and bottle opener

The Huntsman has a strange way of opening cans. You must push and cut instead of the expected pull and cut. The corkscrew and bottle opener are pretty standard. On the Juice, the can opener at least cuts the right way but isn’t really sharp or good enough to do the job. I’ve yet to sharpen it myself, which must make it at least functional. The corkscrew on the Juice isn’t as solid as the Huntsman but it is advertised to be used in conjunction with the bottle opener to pull the cork in a bottle of wine. The can opener is meant to act as a lever. A good idea in theory. In practice, it’s difficult to make it work although it does work after a fashion. This part of the contest goes to the Huntsman.

Screwdriver

There’s a screwdriver of sorts on the Huntsman (on top of the bottle opener) but I’m afraid it’s more than useless. The Juice has 4 separate screwdrivers including a Philips head. They are pretty powerful screwdrivers as well. An interesting feature of the flat head screwdrivers is that they are wedge shaped so you could possible file them down to make a small chisel. The Juice is way ahead here on points.

Pliers/wire cutters

The Juice’s piece-de-résistance. Even though the tool is relatively small, these are undoubtedly very powerful pincers! The Huntsman of course does not have this feature.

Other bits

The other bits are all on the Huntsman. There’s a toothpick, a small blade and tweezers. The small blade is a great little whittling knife and the tweezers are great for removing splinters. These are two big pluses for the Huntsman.

Conclusion

The Juice is more of a tool in the strict sense of the word i.e. it has pliers, wire cutters and screwdrivers. The Huntsman is more of a knife plus additional accessories. This gives you an idea of where you may wish to lean.

Of course price may well be a deciding factor. There’s a big difference between £75 and £30. Of course you can get cheaper versions of both the Juice and the Victorinox range and perhaps the Leatherman Squirt might be a better as a price comparison. It also depends on whether you want to use the Juice or Huntsman as a stand-alone EDC or use it with other kit you might take into the woods.

I had this dilemma when I had to choose between the two when I went to Namibia.  I decided that it was worth the extra weight to have a tool instead of another knife, so after taking that and all the above into consideration, I chose the Leatherman Juice.

Drop into Mark’s on-line store at http://Lakelandbushcraft.co.uk to see his full range of Leatherman's. Ask if it’s not there. Mark will always get it in for you.