I carried a Leatherman PST II from sometime in 2000 until late 2011. I loved that tool, used it daily. It finally got worn enough that I went looking for a replacement. Bought a SOG Powerlock and instantly found reason for regret.
Now recently I’ve bought another Leatherman, and I’m living in fear. I got the PST II in a proper knife shop and thought I was going to have to prove myself worthy before being permitted to plunk down my $75. The proprietor wished me to understand that this was not just any tool. And indeed it wasn’t. It was a faithful friend, withstood more than ten years of daily use and only let me down once – and that under severe misuse.
So now enter the Leatherman Wingman…
…and as far as I can tell it’s a perfectly fine machine. It’s got the tools I use, doesn’t subject me to that dreadful reversible driver-bit nonsense, and the knife is literally sharp as a razor. But it cost half as much as the PST II, came in a bubble-pack in a Lowe’s and doesn’t say “Portland, Or.” on it anywhere. I’ve a feeling that’s because Chinese people don’t know how to spell Portland, and I hate Chinese stainless.
And now there’s this. My old Leatherman would have thrown itself on its own knife blade before failing in such an ignominious way.
Not sure if you are planning or have used the Leatherman Warranty, but two of my nephews have each come by badly damaged Leatherman tools and when I sent them (the tools) to Leatherman, they were replaced without question. Seems to be a quality company.
I have the wingman and as a maintenance man I beat it to death and its still kicking a year later I wouldn’t have bet on it when I bought it. And now that I jinxed myself we will see what happens
I have a leatherman wingman. Hardly used. If you would like it I will send it your way. Just let me know how to pass it along. I just don’t like it as much as my worn craftsman multi tool.
I already have one, Matt. But thanks for the offer.
Send the Leatherman to them. You may be amazed by what they do. I abused the crap out of my wave. They fixed it and shipped it back shaving sharp. I’m about to send it again. Mine is indispensable to me.
Includes a five shot .22 revolver!! Sort of hard to figure out where to find what you want in all that, but it would certainly be a beautiful thing to have. Obviously, it’s not for sale. 🙂
The Mother Of All Swiss Army Knives
http://modernsurvivalblog.com/preps/the-mother-of-all-swiss-army-knives/
…a multi-tool created by John S. Holler in Germany sometime around 1880. The knife predates the Swiss Army Knife, which started production about a decade later in 1890.
That’s a nice one. But this MacGyver multitool is the only tool you’ll ever need.
http://www.bitrebels.com/geek/macgyver-multitool-colletcors-item/
I would also recommend contacting Leatherman for warranty service. They’ll either repair it or replace it.
Minotauro-
At my age I don’t think I could pull off a mullet ‘do.
Oh man, I purchased the same tool a couple of months ago. Local McCoys had a pair of Leathermans (Wingman / Micra) for $25! With the agricultural exemption, $22 for a pair of Leathermans – hell yeah! Even my wife bought a pair for herself.
I wouldn’t sweat it too much but getting a spare is ALWAYS a good idea with multi-tools. You carry them all day long and they are bound to get left behind somewhere temporarily. The big item for the Leathermans is the pliers for me. A pair of ignition pliers (about $12 at Sears) is a godsend. And pawn shop bought Leatherman Waves can be found for around $20 as well.