Leatherman collectors?

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knife_daddy

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Feb 13, 2025
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Anyone know if there is a big Leatherman collectible community? I know there are several knife specific brands that people collect, but I never thought about Multi-tools. I found a NIB Leatherman Style PS that I know is discontinued. I thought I had bought one many years ago, but it wasn't with any of my knives or EDC stuff. I just found a really small Leatherman box yesterday with something in it, and found the PS that I had bought. People are paying up to $144 for these things on E-bay, not just a listing price....actually buying them for that price. It must have been $25-$30 new at most. The only explanation I could come up with are for collections?
 
jmgruber said:
It’s the only TSA approved multi tool!
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I have a Nextool Mini Sailor that is TSA approved and honestly like it better. $22. Even if it was the only one, $144 seems ridiculous. The Squirt PS4s are going for about $50 and the Style CS for about the same. Both discontinued and neither on of them are TSA approved. I have all three. The Squirt is still loved, so don't think I could let that one go, but the other two never impressed me.
 
I found this a while back, new in (old) box. I'm just keeping it as it was, unused.

I'd probably sell it, but I'd need far more than its probably worth.

WAUYpdn.jpg
 
knife_daddy said:
Anyone know if there is a big Leatherman collectible community? I know there are several knife specific brands that people collect, but I never thought about Multi-tools.
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I'd say there is a collector market for just about anything.

The question is the size of the market.
 
knife_daddy said:
I have a Nextool Mini Sailor that is TSA approved and honestly like it better. $22. Even if it was the only one, $144 seems ridiculous. The Squirt PS4s are going for about $50 and the Style CS for about the same. Both discontinued and neither on of them are TSA approved. I have all three. The Squirt is still loved, so don't think I could let that one go, but the other two never impressed me.
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Does the mini Sailor have tweezers?
 
I have an original Leatherman with handle dates of 1996 and 1998, anyone have any insight on this? I bought it new and it wasn't a refurb. It is not a Wave.
 
Murphy Slaw said:
I found this a while back, new in (old) box. I'm just keeping it as it was, unused.

I'd probably sell it, but I'd need far more than its probably worth.

WAUYpdn.jpg
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My wife has one just like that it was her Dads. He carried it frequently so its not in the same condition. Really nice to it.
 
knife_daddy said:
Anyone know if there is a big Leatherman collectible community? I know there are several knife specific brands that people collect, but I never thought about Multi-tools. I found a NIB Leatherman Style PS that I know is discontinued. I thought I had bought one many years ago, but it wasn't with any of my knives or EDC stuff. I just found a really small Leatherman box yesterday with something in it, and found the PS that I had bought. People are paying up to $144 for these things on E-bay, not just a listing price....actually buying them for that price. It must have been $25-$30 new at most. The only explanation I could come up with are for collections?
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There is a sizable community. Some of us are at https://forum.multitool.org/
Others are on Reddit and Facebook.
 
I don’t think of myself as a collector of Leathermans but I have accumulated 6 different models over the years. I guess I don’t think of them as a collectible because I just use them as i do other tools. I keep them in my vehicles and I carry one around about half the time now that I’m retired. When I was still working I carried a Wave+ almost every day and when I’m doing outdoors activities I usually carry a Signal. I recently got a Arc I really like and have been carrying it occasionally.
 
fjblair said:
I have an original Leatherman with handle dates of 1996 and 1998, anyone have any insight on this? I bought it new and it wasn't a refurb. It is not a Wave.
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Totally normal, the date stamp is for the manufacture of the handle, not the date of final seembly.
I have a couple of PSTs that are like that
 
I agree and hope you are right about the trades. My Dad was a union Electrician my 5 uncles were union carpenters, my entire family tree is tradesman.
 
Murphy Slaw said:
There were a lot of Dad's with Leatherman's. I think eventually there WILL be a huge collector market. Young men are getting back into the trades after several decades of decline and what better multi-tool company to collect?
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I think I’m one of those younger guys you’re referring to and I agree with you. Where it’s due to opportunity, interest, or financial reasons, a lot of us are picking up skilled trades. With the older generation of tradesmen retiring there is lots of opportunity, plenty of us would rather be wrist deep in an engine than behind a desk. I wrench for a living, I enjoy it, it feeds my family.

To keep this on topic, I’m not sure if Leatherman will become super collectible. The company seems to be going in an interesting direction though. They seem to be focusing more on high end top dollar tools. Hell their quintessential multi tool, the wave model, is a buck twenty, I think they’re trying to be the snap on of multi tools. There is certainly nothing wrong with that, but I think it will exclude a segment of the market.

All I know is this thread makes me regret selling my waves and my surge. And definitely my style cx of they’re really going for that much used.
 
U.S.A. production cost more, but it's a lifetime tool if not abused, and you're supporting American workers.

Everything has tripled in price, I remember when new trucks were 15K and a new Leatherman was $40.00.

I now own several $35.00 guitar picks.
 
LM is facing competitors that are dumping product on the market at below reality level prices. Moving upmarket is the only option for US makers.

As to the Style PS, it is just like the knife-less Gerber Dime in that it is discontinued, but there is still demand for it. Interestingly, travelers like myself found out that despite being approved by the TSA, the actual agent at the desk is the final word on whether or not you can fly with one in your carry on. Some amusement parks have gone so far as to state no tools are allowed.

I like knife-less multitools in this size because I'd rather have another tool than a poor knife blade.
 
SharpBits said:
LM is facing competitors that are dumping product on the market at below reality level prices. Moving upmarket is the only option for US makers.
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And re-training people to buy quality products. There are entire generations who were raised to buy the cheapest possible "thing" and simply replace it when it failed. Expecting it to fail.

My Dad and Granddad bought stuff and kept it the rest of their lives. A knife, a screwdriver, a set of wenches. I have a brace and bit set that was once my Grandads. I've probably bought a dozen electric drills in my life, and I'm probably not done buying them. His folding rule lasted him decades, it's what he built stuff with.

I yearn to be more like my Grandad.
 
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