What are your thoughts on Leatherman?

O

Obvious

Joined
Aug 7, 2017
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It seems like a lot of people on this forum are in love with the Swiss. I just got my OHT from Leatherman in the mail today and I couldn't be happier. How do you guys feel about their products?
 
Leathermans are great tools. I own a Wave, Skeletool, Juice Cs4, Sidekick, and a squirt. The Sidekick i keep in my glove box. I dont carry one on my person usually but I wear a Tread at all times. And when I travel, I think a Leatherman is a more complete tool to bring along.
 
To me Leatherman is the best for multitools.
I've had my Leatherman fuse on me every single day fod the past 5 years and it's pretty beat but still going strong. The non replaceable wire cutters still work ok, and the pliers still have good grip. He doesn't even know that he's not made of traditional tool steel either, he thinks he's made of the same stuff my channellock slipjoint pliers are.
I've got a first year Micra from 1996 that's also still going strong. I've had to sharpen the scissors a bit and had to take it apart because I spilled paint on it ( not meant to be taken apart ) but that didn't stop it.
The knife on my Leatherman fuse is a little on the soft side, but I don't carry it as a knife anyways.
I don't like how they've mostly done away with the slim rectangular shape when closed, so I may not buy a brand new Leatherman at any point, but I also don't think my fuse is ever going to quit on me.

Victorinox makes a great multi function knife, but Leatherman gets my love for multitools.
 
They hit the sweet spot between value, function and class. Add to that a fantastic warranty, and they can't be beat.
 
I was never a Leatherman fan, just though them an answer to a non existent problem. Never liked the plier based tool. Grew up with scout knives so a SAK was my go-to pocket tool for decades.

Then I was gifted a Leatherman micra by a forum member who was a huge advocate of them to the point of, well lets just say he was saturated by the Kool-aid. I tried the micra for a while, and I admit it was heavier duty than my little Vic classic, it was a PITA to open it up all the way to access any tools like knife blade or screw driver. But the better half liked the scissors so she has it now in her purse.

Then a forum member gifted me a squirt. That was sort of a game changer. The tools could be accessed while closed, the little pliers actually got used once in a while, and it was small enough to fit in a watch pocket in the jeans. I actually got used to having it on me, and missed it when I didn't have it. For the first time I liked a Leatherman product. To this day, a couple years later, the little squirt is still on me, and gets used very often. I like how easy the tools are to pul out, and the mini pliers get used more than I thought they would. The ends of the plier jaws are so flush I can used them as tweezers, and they crack open those pistachio nuts that are not split already. The mini Phillips makes a great staple remover, and the scissors clip stray hairs from my mustache. The file also has been used on a regular basis. I have fallen in love with the squirt.

On the other hand, I find no use for the bigger Leathermans. I keep an emergency tool kit in the car, and at home Have real tools. To me, the big Leathermans still seem to be an excessive product. Once you have pliers and a flat and Phillips screw drivers, you're there. The newer Leathermans seem over loaded, over hyped with tools that seldom will be needed, like the bigger SAK's. I don't even see the need for the four layers and up SAK's with tools that seem added just for bragging rights or sales hype.

I can see having a small screw driver and scissors, and the small plies do come in handy now and then. But the Original Leatherman seemed a good thing but it's gotten out of the realm of reality now. Like a lot of cars, and guns, they have gone too big and expensive for real world use. A very small tool kit can be assembled for less cost and maybe even less weight.

But I do love my squirt. And even the larger SAK's are still pocketable.
 
Leatherman's are great for on the job. Always had one on my belt back when I was wrenching for a living. As far as EDC, the only thing they have over the SAK is the pliers. I don't like the LM can openers and the screwdrivers just don't work as well. Also they're a pita deploying the different tools. The smaller pocketable LM's have too small of main blades for my taste.
 
I only own a wave, but it's great!

It feels a bit cheaper than my victorinox multitool, bit the wave to me has the better tools and design.

The fact that you can open and close the knife one handed, no tool seems to be missing and every tool on it belongs there.

The only thing i would change is changing the vile to a sissor, and the small sissor to a small vile. Other than that it's imo the best design you can get in a small multitool.

Oh the bottle opener isn't as good as the vic, but it still works every time.
 
Of the multi tools I've owned SOG and Gerber were not of the same quality as my Leathermans. Admittedly I liked the Gerber but after getting pinched enough times I gave it away. I now buy a Leatherman Rebar for every one of my truck drivers.
 
Great company, great tools. I carry a Surge in my bag and it has proven itself repeatedly. I'm always somewhat amused because the only tool that I don't think I've ever used on it is the plain edge blade.
 
I've carried a Leatherman of one model or another almost daily for nearly 20 years ... and they have saved me trips home or trips to town for tools ... and even when I sometimes think ... I'll probably never use that ... something comes along and I end up getting good out of all the tools.

A Leatherman Wave and a Leatherman TTi Charge ... one or the other on my belt 95% of my days. And rarely use the knife blades unless it's for something I don't want to dull up my knife on ... so they get the dirty work so to say.
 
while I tend to carry Gerber, SOG and Vic multitools more often than the Leatherman ones I sure appreciate the innovations they've brought to the industry and their great ideas.

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Gotta give them a thumbs up for the Skeletool, Wave, and interchangeable flat bits concept, the excellent replaceable wire cutters and great (absolutely fantastic) warranty

Their ergos are not the best, and they have other flaws, but are working tools, dependable and very serviceable for a huge variety of situations
I have to add that I am with those that prefer older Leathermans to the newer ones, but all have a well thought out design and serve their purpose

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I own more than I care to admit. Oh hell, here goes: A Wave, two Micras, a Juice S4, a Skeletool, a Kick, and a Squirt. Love 'em all, and I really admire the company and how they stand by their products.

With that said, I don't think I'd buy another one. One day as I was gazing into my navel it occurred to me that a good SAK plus a pair of pliers (which I rarely use; a pair in the glove box, gig bag or backpack would suffice) equals a multi-tool ...... for a heck of a lot less money. Plus, this setup allows me to hold a screw in place with the SAK while I tighten the nut with the pliers. Try THAT with a Wave.

Still if you prefer a pliers-based MT, Leatherman is a fantastic option.
 
mnblade said:
I own more than I care to admit. Oh hell, here goes: A Wave, two Micras, a Juice S4, a Skeletool, a Kick, and a Squirt. Love 'em all, and I really admire the company and how they stand by their products.

With that said, I don't think I'd buy another one. One day as I was gazing into my navel it occurred to me that a good SAK plus a pair of pliers (which I rarely use; a pair in the glove box, gig bag or backpack would suffice) equals a multi-tool ...... for a heck of a lot less money. Plus, this setup allows me to hold a screw in place with the SAK while I tighten the nut with the pliers. Try THAT with a Wave.

Still if you prefer a pliers-based MT, Leatherman is a fantastic option.
Click to expand...

The like button does not have multiple clicks, so I chose to make a separate post to give five thumbs up to the above post.

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:
 
I have the wave, a micra, and a style ps. I used to own a style cs.

They're good, strong, working tools.

Leathermans tend to have more sharp and rough edges. They are also heavier than saks. They're a tool I don't have to worry about tossing into the truck bed, or dropping it off of a roof. So I tend to carry these tools when i know I'm going to work with tools.

However, they're not as pocket friendly, hand friendly, and other other item friendly. In other words, the edges being rougher and sharper than sak, I hesitate to carry a leatherman for pocket edc. I feel that they tend to wear and rip out the pockets of my pants, and I wouldn't feel comfortable putting a leatherman in the same pocket as a cell phone. I think the leatherman would put scratches into the back of the cell phone and potentially crack the screen.
 
mnblade said:
I own more than I care to admit. Oh hell, here goes: A Wave, two Micras, a Juice S4, a Skeletool, a Kick, and a Squirt. Love 'em all, and I really admire the company and how they stand by their products.

With that said, I don't think I'd buy another one. One day as I was gazing into my navel it occurred to me that a good SAK plus a pair of pliers (which I rarely use; a pair in the glove box, gig bag or backpack would suffice) equals a multi-tool ...... for a heck of a lot less money. Plus, this setup allows me to hold a screw in place with the SAK while I tighten the nut with the pliers. Try THAT with a Wave.

Still if you prefer a pliers-based MT, Leatherman is a fantastic option.
Click to expand...
I always have a MAC 4" adjustable wrench on me so I don't have that problem, but I do agree that something like a VIC Tinker and a good 6" pair of slipjoint pliers does pretty much equal a multitool and can definitely cost less.
You can get a Vic tinker for 20$ and a pair of channellock #526 for under 10$.

Sometimes the Leatherman wingman goes on sale for under 30$, but not often.
 
I've carried a Leatherman of one model or another nearly every day for thirty years or so (the exceptions being vacations when I was flying somewhere since 9/11 and formal occasions when I was dressed up, so all but about two weeks). I've worn out or broken more than a dozen of their tools, and they've warrantied them all, even when I told them flat out that the damage was entirely my fault. I'm fairly sure I have enough Original Waves to last me the rest of my life (although I may pick up a couple more in case I live to be more than 100). As far as I'm concerned, the Original Wave was the pinnacle of Leatherman Tools, and "improving" it was the worst thing they have ever done. I think the flat bits are an atrocity and should be illegal, but then I'm not a fan of having small, separate, easily lost parts on my multitools, probably because of past experiences using and losing such parts working outside in the wintertime.
 
I'm quite fond of Leatherman and Victorinox plier based multitools. I keep one in each of my backpacks and briefcases. I find them too bulky to carry in my pocket (at least the full size models with extra bits) but I still like to have one close at hand.

I carry a two or three layer SAK on my person, usually with tools that complement whichever multitool I might have in my backpack.

Plier based multitools have pretty much replaced large SAKs like the SwissChamp from my EDC.
 
I am a big fan. My two bits is that they make a better product than Gerber. As a steel snob, they're also the only multitool maker who has regular options for upgraded blade steels. That option combined with the move towards tools that can be accessed without opening the pliers, combined with the advent of the bit driver over the fixed screw driver blades really makes them useful.

Although ironically I almost never use my Leatherman's knife blades. Pliers? Screwdrivers? All the time.
 
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