Fool4Blades said:
How many of you carry an Original Leatherman PST? I mean the VERY first model that Leatherman came out with...
I still have one I bought about 10 years ago, before there were so many models to pick from, and I find it's simplicity to be refreshing. I know that newer models have more blades, locks, etc...., but there is just something about the first one that seems very classic. I also own a Wave (new version) Supertool 200, Flair, and a Charge XTI in Realtree camo, but the good ol' PST still sees pocket time. Anyone else out there go PST?
About 10 years ago I was at a weekend retreat in rural Tennessee with my wife. While she and her group were attending workshops, husbands and other non-essentials were on our own in the countryside doing stuff. I was hanging with a guy named Ted whose young son had learned of a good fishing pond and wanted to check it out. None of us had brought any tackle, so we had to improvise.
My attention was caught by Ted's Leatherman, the first time I had ever seen one in use. He used the knife blade to cut and strip wood for poles, the pliers to bend stiff wire for hooks and the file to sharpen them. This guy was a regular McGyver. All weekend he was making and fixing stuff for himself and others, all with this little bitty tool.
When I asked about it he said his older son, a military policeman, had been issued a PST and found it so handy he sent one to Ted for a Father's Day gift. Since then he had never been without it, and I could see why.
As soon as we got home, I got one for myself and also one for my son. Although I liked it well enough, a few months later Target was selling out Supertools at clearance prices, so I picked up one of those. It was bigger, stronger and had locking tools, so the PST went into semi-retirement while the Supertool became my EDC. It still got some use, mostly by my son who borrowed it when his went missing (eventually found) and later as a loaner when his broken and mangled PST went to Leatherman for repairs (the boy has always been hard on his stuff).
In May of 2004, preparing for a month in England, I was advised that the Supertool was not legal carry there because of blade length and lock, so the PST went with me instead. It got some use, but mostly I learned to appreciate the light weight and smaller size. I could easily pocket the PST, while the Supertool was strictly belt carry, and it could do just about anything that a multitool could handle. So, back it went into my EDC rotation. These days I actually carry it more than the Supertool.
I agree, it's a classic. Even though I own and appreciate other Leatherman models, the PST gets its share of chores and due recognition for its usefulness and quality.
