A Leatherman for All Seasons

By Lev Grossman Sunday, Mar. 24, 2002
    • Everyone has a dream, and Tim Leatherman's dream was simple: he wanted a single tool that was both a knife and a pair of pliers. In 1983, after years of tinkering, he created a distinctively double-jointed multitool that looks like two Swiss Army knives caught in the act of mating; in addition to a knife and pliers, it had a dozen other doodads on it to boot. Since then it has become a cult classic, with 25 million units sold; Sunday night's Oscar presenters got them in their gift baskets. And, yes, Leatherman is his real name.

    Purists scoff at multitools as gratuitous gadgetry, unfit for serious jobs, but they're missing the point. Multitools are about expecting the unexpected. When you and your buddies find yourselves locked out of your Honda Civic in the parking lot of TGI Friday's at 3 a.m., you want to be the guy who can fashion a crude lockpick using only a beer can and that wire-crimper thingy on your Leatherman.

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    If only it had a patent lawyer on it too. The multitool market has been flooded with knock-offs, leaving loyal Leatherman owners to wonder, Is the original still the best? To find out, I put four high-end, fully loaded multitools through their paces: the Leatherman Wave ($99), the Gerber Multi-Plier 800 Legend ($136), the Victorinox SwissTool ($75; by the makers of Swiss Army knives) and the SOG PowerLock ($75). Be warned: prolonged exposure to multitools can fuel the dangerous delusion that you secretly are Batman.

    Measured by the sheer number of doohickeys on board, these tools are about equal. They also weigh about the same, and locking mechanisms are standard across the board, so the blades won't close by accident and sever a finger. But look more closely, and you will see trade-offs. The SwissTool has a metal-saw blade, great for prison breaks, but it lacks scissors--a deal breaker in my book. The Leatherman has the most balanced selection, but it lacks the useful miniruler that's etched into the casings of the Swiss-Tool and the PowerLock.

    There are trade-offs in design too. The PowerLock is built around a pair of gears that give you extra leverage when you're plying your pliers; they also give the whole tool a deliciously smooth unfolding action--it's the only one you can actually flip open one-handed. (The gears also give the tool a complicated look I find irresistible.) On the downside, the PowerLock has its blades positioned along its inside edges, so you have to unfold it into pliers mode to use them. Awkward.

    Bottom line? They're my children, and I love them all, but it's still Leatherman by a needle nose. Why? Better engineering. The parts fit perfectly, the locking mechanism is simple but effective, and the blades are top-quality high-carbon steel--the saw really saws, and I know from experience that the blades hold their edges over time. So when the unexpected comes along, you'll be prepared, diamond-coated file, wire stripper and lanyard attachment at the ready. Batman always is. Hey, we all have dreams.

    Questions about technology? E-mail Lev at lev@timeinc.net