ToolguyD giveaway, leatherman winner

[Kracin]

Well i told stuart after he sent me the email saying i'd won the leatherman giveaway that i'd be sure to give a review and such on the leatherman after i got it. so here's what i got.

handwritten letter from the leatherman team congratulating on winning this fine multi-tool. and it feels pretty good, can't say i have much use for the case though, was never a multi-tool case kind of guy. never found them to be anything but extra bulk outside of pants pockets.

the tool itself feels good in the hand, i really like the spring loaded pliers operation, the pliers themselves feel decent, but not powerful. and the tips have some side to side bend to them, but they are needle nose so that is expected (well, a hybrid needle nose)

the other tools feel good, the knife is very sharp, the line cutter looks to have a good edge, and i plan to put it to the test at work, i'll be sure to try to get some review time in on it after a few months or so at work, or however long i feel it takes to get a good solid review in on it.


my only gripe right now is what looks to be the flimsiest part of it, the hinge..... it is literally two pieces of thin metal riveted together, no way to adjust or anything if it starts to get lose, just a rivet, and the two pieces have slop if you move them in opposite directions. hopefully that doesn't prove to be the weak point.

i remember watching a review where someone reviewing it said they thought the "plastic" outside would be flimsly, but it's obviously not plastic, just tan painted metal as it also serves as the joint.

^ note the rivets holding the two halves together.




i have a comparable gerber as well that i haven't used as much because i kept it in my truck most of the time. same basic design, except what i like about this vs the gerber is that the gerber has to be opened to get to the tools (tools on the inside, vs the outside). whereas this can be accessed without opening the pliers, also one handed open is easier on this.





so thank you to stuart at toolguyd.com for the prize and thanks to leatherman for sponsoring him in his endeavors to put some cool stuff in our hands for free!

 

[wornoutoldman]

I really like the "cut the seatbelt in case of emergency" blade feature. I'd keep it in my car for that alone.

 

[Kracin]

I really like the "cut the seatbelt in case of emergency" blade feature. I'd keep it in my car for that alone.

well i'd say its more of a twine/rope/cord cutter, this is a "military" version. there are two others in it's category, one of which is specialized towards gun use as has things like cleaning attachments and gun disassembly helper tools.


not to say i won't get use out of it, always have something to cut or poke at while at work

 

[Kracin]

so it's been about 4 months (close) and i've put some use on the leatherman.


and this is my honest opinion about it.


The Good:

It's holding up fine, haven't broken any tools, didn't misuse any though but still put some torque on the drivers, especially the phillips head, which is pretty good for its shape and size.

knives stayed sharp, the saw worked pretty well for cutting through thick plastic rails (i have no wood to cut where i work haha).

The quick deploy is nice, it "flings" out better than my gerber does, and the spring loaded action is nicer because it means less fumbling to open and close the tool.



The Bad/Mediocre:

The cutters were a big disappointment. you can't cut much of anything with them as they don't shear anything, the gap between them is too large for things as small as welding wire to get a clean cut, and you can move the jaws apart with your fingers to make the gap even worse. these would have been better off with a pinch type for the size of the jaws because of how much seperation they have.

the needle nose themselves are decent but they aren't great, the grip isn't spactacular but it gets the job done for minor things. and i do like how the last bit of the tip is smooth.

the Body design is disappointing. it looked great from pictures and first glance, but a closer look reveals a rolled lip to make it look like the body is thicker than it is, and there is a bit of play if you move the handles opposite of each other, you can see the gap where the rivet is that holds the two sides together.


and lastly the backs of the tools were left with a 90* edge, almost unfinished type surface. instead of putting a slight bevel on the backs of the tools the edge they have will dig into your hands when you put pressure on the handle because all of the tools are location on the outside and not the inside.





it's a solid tool, but it could use a bit of polishing before it would be my favorite. still use it alot for the multi-tools on it. just wish the jaws were better.