How to use a Leatherman

Leathermen are a special kind of EDC tool, which might have features such as; bottle cap opener, screwdriver, charging cable, Pendrive, blade, or cutting tools attached to them. It is used to rapidly and reversibly associate segments, most eminently in basic security frameworks.

Leathermen are the little guys who have broad areas of usage. Generally, they are utilized by a mechanic or a technician, but this multi-functional tool comes in handy to everyone, especially campers. Even so, they are small, we use them in our daily life overlooking their importance.

One of the many and truly the most prominent benefit of a leatherman is it might include as much as 30 to 40 tools within its small and compact body. However, before turning to how to use a leatherman, let us discuss its history first.

Brief History of Leatherman:

Timothy S. Leatherman, a mechanical engineer with an adventurous heart and curious mind, founded the company leatherman in the year of 1983. He along with Steve Berliner wanted to showcase his concept of a fit, effectively versatile hand device with various capacities. That equivalent year Leatherman sold the first multi-tool, which was known as the PST (Pocket Survival Tool).

Leatherman was inspired to structure a "Cub scout blade with pliers" while he and his spouse voyaged Europe and, therefore, the Middle East in 1975. Frequently endeavoring to utilize an easy folding knife to repair their repeatedly failing vehicle and defective lodging plumbing poped the idea in his mind.

After extra refinement, Leatherman's first item was presented in 1983 because of the Pocket Survival Tool (PST). This small compact tool got popular almost overnight. At present days leathermen are of different types, not only in shapes and sizes but also in uses. Let us take a look there.

Types of Leathermen:

Different types of leathermen have different properties. These properties include verities of shapes, sizes, build material, etc. And these properties of leathermen differentiate the quality, durability and the use of them.

The product leatherman had a verity and abundance of versions produced over the years. In the following table, it will be discussed chronologically.

Usage and size-wise there are almost five types of leathermen:

• Full-sized
• Heavy-Duty
  
• Keychain
• Pocket and
  
• Pocketknife

1. Full-sized Leathermen:

PST, PST II, Wave – Original, Sideclip, Flair, Pulse, Wave – New, Blast, Kick, Fuse, Charge Ti, Charge XTi, Core, Charge AL, Charge ALX, Charge TTi, Wave – Damascus Ltd Ed, Super Tool 300 EOD, Wingman, Sidekick, Rebar, Rev, Wave+, Charge+, Charge+ TTi, Free P2, Free P4 etc. are some of the popular Full-sized Leathermen.

These leatherman tools debuted from 1983 to 2019 have 10 to 21 tools attached to them. It is one of the best Leatherman for backpacking while you are going to hilling or camping.

2. Heavy Duty:

Super Tool, Crunch, Super Tool 200, Surge – Original, Super Tool 300, MUT, MUT EOD, OHT, Surge – New, Signal etc. are some of the popular Heavy Duty Leathermans. These leatherman tools debuted from 1994 to 2015 have 15 to 21 devices attached to them.

3. Keychain:

Micra, Squirt P4, Squirt S, Squirt E, Squirt ES4, Squirt PS4, Style, Style CS, Style PS etc. are some of the popular Keychain Leathermen. These leatherman tools debuted from 1996 to 2012, have 5 to 10 tools attached to them.

4. Pocket:

Mini Tool, Juice KF4, Juice C2, Juice S2, Juice CS4, Juice XE6, Juice Pro, Juice SC2, Skeletool, Skeletool CX, Skeletool, Skeletool CX, Freestyle, Freestyle CX, Skeletool SX, Juice SX – Original, Juice SX – New, Leap, Skeletool RX, Free T2, Free T4 etc. are some of the popular Keychain Leathermen. These leatherman tools debuted from 1986 to 2012 have 7 to 18 tools attached to them.

5. Pocketknife:

Free K2, Free K2X, Free K4, Free K4X, Skeletool KB, Skeletool KBx etc. are some of the popular Keychain Leathermen. These leatherman tools debuted in 2017 have 2 to 9 tools attached to them.

These PST Leatherman tools are not only strong and durable but also stylish and have cool extra features (such as; bottle cap opener, screwdriver, charging cable, Pendrive, blade or cutting tools attached to them).

These features make these leatherman a stand out, attractive product for the customers worldwide to use as a handy tool and get the additional benefits.

How to use a Leatherman

Leatherman is a very compact tool, and it can be a little heavy as it is usually made with stainless steel. However, leatherman has so many things in them which makes it a very worthy tool to carry for camping, backpacking or trekking.

Also if you keep a leatherman tool in your car, you can be free from any worries as you can always depend on it on situations when you need one!

A leatherman generally always comes with pliers with which you can hold on to a small object or you may lose or tighten a screw or bolt with the help of it.

With the pliers, there’s usually always several knives or blades (at the very least two), each of which has different functions, for example: to cut things or to pierce through something.

In survival situations, these blades become the most useful tool of all! Besides, leatherman tools have screwdrivers and files which are always useful for technical purposes.

Different types of leatherman tools available in the current market has different types of usability. Generally, we might think that the more tool a Leatherman has the more usable it becomes.

But in practical life usage, it might not be the case. Quality is more significant than quantity in the case of leatherman and usually, one tool serves in various purposes in a quality Leatherman multi-tool.

Cautions while using a Leatherman

Leathermen are extraordinary multifunctional tools that have a lot of features and always come in handy when needed.

Yet, this tool consists of sharp objects and pointy tools by which any person might get injured severely if he or she is not careful. And certainly, they must be kept out of children.

Also, while traveling internationally, airport security will not allow anyone to carry tools like this in your pocket, and this applies to other private properties, malls and other restricted areas.

Before coming to an end, let us acknowledge the safety guidelines of using a Leatherman tool.

Safety Guidelines

It is always amazing to own a multi-functional tool like leatherman for everyone! However, before buying one, we must be aware of the safety guidelines for using this compact and efficient multi-tool.

• Always use a protective cover (preferably made out of leather) for the leatherman tool. Cover it before and after its use.
• Use the sharp tools carefully. A pair of hand gloves is recommended while using a leatherman tool.
• Keep it in a dry place. If it gets wet, let it dry.
• Clean the tools after using them. If you use it regularly, clearing at least once in a week is suggested.
• Opening several tools is not recommended. If you use a sharp instrument and the pliers or the screw-driver, you should open the dedicated tool for each circumstance, otherwise the sharp object may cut your skin or harm you.
• Keep it far away from the reach of children for their safety.

FAQs:

1. Does the Leatherman come with a Cover?

Answer:

Well, it depends on how costly the tool and the manufacturer company is. Some Leatherman tools ships with its own cover such as the Leatherman Wave. Whereas some don’t come with one and you need to buy one for it from the store.

2. Does the Leatherman tools corrode?

Answer:

The tools are exclusively made out of stainless steel and promised not to get any corrosions. But they must be kept clean and dry.

3. What to do if tools get stuck within the Leatherman?

Answer:

These extraordinary tools are made with perfection and usually don’t get jammed. Yet if you face such a scenario, you should apply some mechanical oil and unstuck those tools. A little wiggle with tweezers will defiantly help in this circumstance.

4. There are so many models of Leatherman tools, Which one should I buy?

Answer:

It depends on your way of use (what you plan to do with it). It is recommended that you should buy the model which has all the necessary components you need. Quality is also a determining factor while choosing one, rather than quantity.

The Leatherman Wave is the most popular model of all and has a wide range of usability. Yet, there are always new models with excellent features and good quality Leatherman tools are being launched in the market.

End Notes:

This superb tool, leatherman, is a blessing. It not only has the best design but also they have remarkable multi-functionality which always comes in handy.

They are available in the shops and online markets and anyone can easily buy them from e-commerce sites like Amazon, eBay or Alibaba form 30 US dollars and up to 100+ US dollars.

They are cheap regarding their usability and easy to be found. Now that you know how to use a leatherman, you might not want to miss the chance of owning one!