I have never owned a Leatherman, as a matter of personal preference, but I have used one many, many times. My first exposure to the utility of knives came in the form of my father’s old Leatherman, which he carried with him everywhere, and which I found a great many uses for. But as I grew up and began making my own knife choices, I tended to make other selections when purchasing pocket knives for a variety of reasons.
I understand that today, in America, Leatherman has become somewhat synonymous with pocket knives because they are an American company that makes high quality multi-tools which have a handy design. The fact that all the tools are stored within the handle means, when closed, there is a lesser likelihood of damage to the components, and, when in use, there is a smooth grip. The design, which is focused around the fold-out set of pliers, are a staple among fishermen.
The Kick has the pliers, dubbed as both needle nose and regular for the two variations of gripping jaws, and wire cutters/strippers. It holds only one size blade, a 420HC stainless steel, clip point, straight edge. As well, there are two sizes of flathead screwdrivers, a Phillips-head, bottle opener, can opener, and an 8 inch/19 cm ruler.
I found this a surprisingly light knife, compared to most Leatherman models of old, but perhaps that is because the Kick has a rather limited selection of tools. The handle is stainless steel and will assuredly take a beating. The Zytel Comfort-grip inserts were very nice for when the pliers are being used, a good improvement from the old style I remember as a kid.
But for me, and this is where my bias comes in, there has always been a lack of convenience to a Leatherman multi-tool. For one, to change tools I have to unfold the handle, which isn’t complicated or costly in time, but just annoying because the tools always seem to stick difficultly together when I try to extract them, so if I want the large flathead screwdriver, I have to pull it out and then separate the small flathead and the Phillips-head and whatever else is on that side of the handle. These are complications which, for me, can be solved by purchasing another style of pocket knife.
But most other companies, because of the problems of incorporating pliers into the design, haven’t come up with any other great ideas. Victorinox has the Swiss Tool, and Gerber has its own line of multi-tools, but no real improvement on the Leatherman. I like what Spyderco is coming out with. They have some interesting designs and approaches to the multi-tool. Their Byrdrench has it’s own faults, but I expect to see some improvement in their future products.
Find this Leatherman Multitool:
