Thread: New Leatherman tool gripe

Darn it! You guys just made me regret selling my Leatherman K503x to a friend.

So I ordered the Leatherman Skeletool CX (another friend of mine bought his on Amazon.com back in April and says he can't live without it.). I'm a Amazon.com Prime member, so it should be here in two days...

The Skeletool looks ok...but I can't stand partly serrated blades.

Sorry to hear about your Core failing though. I've heard that the Core isn't all that good. The Surge nothing but good reports but the core seems to fail a lot of people.

Still in love with my Charge however.

Well I dunno I've used both the gerber and the leatherman and would have to go with the gerber. The gerber is fast to open, just a snap of the wrist, and from the open position I can easily get any tool I need with one hand. In general I find most leatherman very stiff, usually requiring 2 hands to pry open, only to find very stiff blades inside. I bring my gerber fishing and wear it on my wading belt, with a lanyard attached just in case I drop it. Nine out of ten times when I reach for the gerber I'm already juggling a fish, rod/reel, a bunch of fly line, and to top it off I'm in the middle of a river, finicky multiltools just let me down in these cases.
G

Still liken the SOG. Easy to openwith one hand, Good grip from the plier, made in the USA stamped in the side, and it will cut a plastic zip tie.

Don

Originally Posted by gomez

Well I dunno I've used both the gerber and the leatherman and would have to go with the gerber. The gerber is fast to open, just a snap of the wrist, and from the open position I can easily get any tool I need with one hand. In general I find most leatherman very stiff, usually requiring 2 hands to pry open, only to find very stiff blades inside. I bring my gerber fishing and wear it on my wading belt, with a lanyard attached just in case I drop it. Nine out of ten times when I reach for the gerber I'm already juggling a fish, rod/reel, a bunch of fly line, and to top it off I'm in the middle of a river, finicky multiltools just let me down in these cases.
G

It's personal preference all the way I guess. I don't need a one-handed opening tool. I can openmine one handed but I hardly ever do. Besides I don't like the tools to flop open that easily. But I can imagine the advantage of that when you're fishing.

Oh yeah....and my leatherman cuts zip ties just fine But if you're happy with the SOG then that's the one for you.

If I was not so happy with my Charge, I would go for one of those new fangled Skeletools. They look awesome

Just got a Skeletool CX, going to try it soon, I think.
My job is hard on multitools; I've snapped the jaws off one multitool and bent another so badly they do not meet. At least the one I snapped has a lifetime guarantee (BUCK). I also have one of the original Leatherman "WAVE" tools-wonderful tool btw-that I torqued so badly that it now opens very stiffly (the new one is fine).

The Skeletool seems to be a different concept, putting only the tools used most in the multitool. It has a pocket clip (a plus if one doesn't have the ability to wear a sheath, especially) a snap hook that doubles as a bottle opener, a small proprietary bit driver with 2 bits, one with 2 sizes of phillips, 1 with 2 sizes straight slot. Of course pliers, and the 154CM blade opens with one hand while the tool is closed (420HC on the regular model).

I noticed the jaws are a little thinner than some of the beefier multitools I've carried, so going to see how well these things are made. It's guaranteed for 25 years, otherwise.

Just based on toughness alone, however, my vote is with SOG. I think I could squeeze a dent in a steel bar with those pliers, all the tools are well made, the thing opens quickly (like a butterfly kniife). The only issue I had with it, on the handles are "covers" that (I guess) provide protection for one's hand when using the pliers, but get in the way of opening the other tools; it is also a bit bulky unless one opts for a smaller model than the one I had. Perhaps I'll get a new one for my pack or something.

Gerbers are great, my biggest beef with them is that it is hard to really put a squeeze on something with the pliers, because the handles are nearly touching each other when the jaws are closed in most versions. This is ok for small tasks but does not allow one to grasp objects (such as shell casings twisted in unimagineable ways inside the jammed workings of a minigun...which has eaten more multitools than almost anything else I can think of).
I'll report back on my Skeletool after I get to use it awhile. Right now it is just pocket dressing.

John P.