To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

So Why Do I Want a Leatherman?

ajchien

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 3, 2010
Messages
2,649
Location
Los Angeles, stuck on the 60 freeway.
I would guess the only time I don't carry one is when I go to the gym...

I carry a Leatherman 300 at work, a Sidekick when not working. They saved my **** frequently when I was on a power line staking job in SoCal, working in remote locations that I hiked into, using patched-together equipment. The sidekick is nice, having a small scissors on board. Came in useful two evenings ago, cutting yarn for steelhead drift fishing.

The only thing I wish they had is a 5/64" (I think) hex, for the little Allen screws in surveying equipment. But the keys don't take up that much extra space. Well, a beer tap would be nice. Probably not very practical, though.

They do have a 5/64 hex, (if your leatherman model accommodates interchangeable bits) included in their bit set:

http://www.leatherman.com/931014.html
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

ajchien

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 3, 2010
Messages
2,649
Location
Los Angeles, stuck on the 60 freeway.
I have a skeletool somebody gave me. Considering it IS a multitool, it works. But it is still a multitool, and isn't nearly as good as the right thing.

I used to have it in my vehicle as a mcgyver tool, for those emergency situations. Then I had a heater hose blow off and I had to re-attach it on the side of the road. Needed both pliers and a flathead screwdriver for the job that should take 30 seconds...

...never, ever again have I relied on a multitool of any kind. And that leatherman was, in my opinion, about the best on the market.

For me, this was the solution to that problem:



It's 19" long, 4" high and about 6" wide, and will fit with your spare tire, or under the seat of the truck in my case.





Yes, all that came out of that little toolbox...

Some may say it's a little over the top, but I've changed everything from u-joints, to alternators, to thermostats and even once a transmission crossmember that broke and started to fall out (obviously I also have a jack, and a 1/2 drive breaker bar not pictured). I have around 150 bucks in the entire setup, most of the stuff was used or on sale, it's exclusively a travel kit, I have a real toolbox at home. The blue thing at the top is a bluetooth code reader that goes to my phone, and in the box are zip ties, electrical tape, a roll of wire, some nails, screws and bolts, and lots of spare fuses and relays.

The leatherman now goes in the tackle box for sport fishing exclusively.

Nice compact toolbox. :thumbup: I have a similar setup.

Where's the knife and saw? :thumbup:
 

gte718p

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 12, 2009
Messages
3,972
I'm late jumping in the thread. My opinion is 99% of the time a leatherman is the wrong tool for the job. The pliers are okay at best, the screw drivers ****, and the knife blades are sub par. However, it is amazing how many times a leatherman has gotten me out of a jam. When SHTF a leatherman is a nice thing to have. I have a wave in my truck and an older one in my camping out door bag.
 

Bigplum

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 9, 2013
Messages
564
Location
Cotswolds England
Just go and buy one,
its probably less than the price of the shoes / dress/ handbag your wife has just bought:) ( and in a few months the shoes etc will be out of fashion/ dress makes her bum look too big / handbag is the same one seen being used by a cross dresser on telly)
Or just buy two , that's how much getting her hair done costs
If you really want to go mad and buy one of every multi tool ever invented, just check out the retail cost of all the wrinkle creams ,potions and war paint of the average woman's collection , it'll fund a lifetimes of collecting multitools then some:)

* I know this by eavesdropping on a group of ladies , I'm now in hiding with a price on my head
 

CreteCoater

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 4, 2010
Messages
542
Location
Central PA
I had a leatherman....... until the TSA discovered it in a carry on bag that the boy packed without checking all the pockets :(

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk
 

vartz04

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 17, 2009
Messages
1,882
Location
LaSalle County IL
If you want one to carry every day the skeletool is the only one to have. The rest are all too heavy and I always quit carrying them.
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!

Wanna Ride

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 28, 2010
Messages
2,790
I prefer the Gerber multi-tools. About ten years or so ago, WalMart had them for about $22 dollars (with the nice, cordura sheath!) at Christmas time, and I bought a boatload of them. Genuine, fullsize Gerbers, with the traditional, lifetime warranty.

I still have several of them, and some spares! One in the door-pocket on my truck, one in the door-pocket of my wife's car, one in the saddlebag on my bike, one in the door-pocket of my daughter's truck, one in my desk drawer at home, and one in my desk at the the office! I travel extensively for work, and work at live events. I keep it in my checked bag when I fly, and on my belt all day, every day onsite. Perfect for when you just need a blade, or a screwdriver, or pliers, or to cut a zip-tie, you name it. I wouldn't buy the $5 cheapos, though.

Absolutely love them. I'd feel naked if I didn't have one close by, at all times. Now that being said, when I'm home, working in my garage, I NEVER use one because the fully-equipped and well-stocked toolboxes are just a few steps away, and all the formal, "correct" tools are in there.

Using one in a lot of various conditions doesn't make you a hack, it makes you efficient.

If you buy one, post a pic!
 
Last edited:

Thumper68

Well-known member
Joined
May 16, 2013
Messages
5,134
Location
Duluth MN
I wouldn't be without one!! Right now my tool of choice is the Leatherman Surge, on my 2nd one. Bought it to use while the first one was away for service.

Is it the perfect tool, not by any measure but It has saved me more extra steps then any tool I could think of.

If I worked in a shop with a fully stocked box 10 steps away that would be awesome but I don't I work all over most of the time at the top of a ladder or on the floor under a desk. A multi tool on my belt is better than having a runner.

Truthfully I have one of the heavyest tools on the market and I carry it every day I don't even notice the weight anymore.
 

Hpozzuoli

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 11, 2013
Messages
3,428
Location
Rhode Island
Never thought I would ever use my leatherman wave. I started taking it when we go on vacations. It has proved invaluable. The pliers and screw drivers come in very handy when repairing strollers, luggage and even toys. It's all those small things that you think nothing of while at home. When the whole family goes on the road your tools never do. It's nice to have some basic tools in a small package for when the kids break things in hotel rooms or things get stuffed in the craziest spots on a rental car and you need pull the door panel off. I am referring to american girl doll accessories being dropped in the doors when the widows are down. You be surprised at the things a leatherman can be used for.
 

parnass

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 3, 2013
Messages
69
Location
Kendall County, Illinois
I carried a folding knife daily since the 1970s, then switched to carrying a multitool when the early Leatherman PST became available.

There are dozens of uses mentioned here. Beyond those, I have used a multitool pliers to pick up pieces of trash I found which I didn't want to touch with my bare hands. One item was a small bag which looked like it was used for a street drug.

I have also used pliers tips to grab a splinter and to hold a lit match to avoid getting my fingers burned, e.g., when relighting a furnace pilot.

Think of a multitool as a more powerful extension of your hands.
 

Brad54

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 13, 2006
Messages
4,646
I have a Leatherman "Core," and a Sog Paratool, both in leather holsters that go on my belt.
I carried the Sog for years, until I put too much force on it and broke the pliers pivot.
I got the Leatherman, which is bigger and heavier, as a replacement for Christmas, and was going to throw the Sog away until I happened to think it might have a warranty. It did, so now I have both.

I carry the Leatherman every day, and use it all the time for countless things... It's done everything from open boxes to get me into the swap meet when the track owner changed the gate lock and didn't bother telling me (I had to unbolt the latch on the main gate). I've cleaned deer with it, fixed my gun, tightened furniture for impromptu "Honey Do" requests, gotten my cars back on the road, taken parts off cars at junk yards, kept the ******* door closed at a restaurant when the door's latch was broken...

At the end of the day, I take my belt off, fasten the buckle and hang the belt on a hook in my closet--with the Leatherman in its sheath attached to it, so it's there every time I put the belt on.

Carry one, and you'll wonder how you got by with out it.
Throw it in the glove box or your underwear drawer, and you'll wonder why you bothered getting it.

-Brad
 
To avoid these ads, REGISTER NOW!
Top Bottom