Tool Guy D looks at the new Leatherman Freestyle multitool, scheduled for a May release. Inexplicably, it appears they’ve ditched the screwdriver, which might make it all thinner, but would seem to diminish the usefulness of a multitool quite a lot. The Freestyle and the Skeletool are certainly the coolest Leatherman tools out there, but it still seems the New Wave is the most multi of their multitools.
Previously:
- Leatherman tools that cost lots of money – Boing Boing Gadgets
- Leatherman Freestyle: A Cheaper Skeletool – Boing Boing Gadgets
- Leatherman Skeletool: Lightest Full-Sized Multi-Tool – Boing Boing …
- Spyderco Byrdrench is Literal Multitool – Boing Boing Gadgets
- Gerber Artifact multitool has tiny, replaceable blades – Boing …
I’m still rocking the Sideclip from a few years back.
I’ve only had it replaced for the clip breaking once even after years of field service work where it saved the day on more than one occasion.
A screwdriver is kinda redundant, innit? in a real pinch you can use the knife.
i love my skeletool. no way would i get rid of the screwdriver or bottle opener.
I have the Skeletook CX (Carbon Fiber makes anything cooler) and I have to say that while the tool feels great and looks awesome, I hate the screwdriver design. Kudos for making a way to have replacement bits, and a place to put them, but the piece that holds the bits in provides a very shitty lock, and I’m constantly dropping the bit. I lost it for a couple of days once, luckily I found it later. There’s no spring in there, just the friction of the metal against itself holding the bit in place, so it’s not a great design.
I’ve had my Wave tool for years now, and the thing has never failed me. It’s been dropped in grease, mud, and the Great Salt Lake, and it’s still kicking ass. best tool ever.
deejayqueue,
I have four tools with the same bit holder, and they all lock tightly. Perhaps yours is defective? Don’t forget about Leatherman’s 25 yr warranty!
DeeJayqueue is right about the screwdriver. There actually IS a spring in there, but the thing gets pocket lint in the pins and friction gets stronger than the spring. I squirt it full of goof off, work it and hit it with the air gun every now and then, which helps, but a strong magnet would be 10x better.
The good news is that replacement bits are $9 for 10 or something, but that piece needs a resesing.
But the bigger issue – No Beer Opener/caribiner clip in the new one?
fail. EPIC, EPIC, FAIL.
The instant out bottle opener gets used 10x more than any other feature (and yes, I know I can open beers with the flathead driver, pliers, back of the blade or even side of the steel cage).
As a multi-tool fan in general and a Leatherman fan in particular (I have a Wave, a Skeletool, and will be getting one of the Make-branded Squirts once the Arduino kits are back in stock), I don’t much see the point of this.
I’ll buy a Leatherman when they offer lefty versions, meaning never. Ah well.
Due to financial circumstances, I can’t justify buying another Leatherman until my first one breaks; I don’t have upgrade fever. 8 years down, ?? years to go.
MMBB – given the leatherman warranty, you’ve got 17 years to go. I know of someone who managed somehow to get their Leatherman to completely fall apart (trying to use it in ways that are definitely beyond the call of duty) and they honoured the warranty.
Toolguyd:
Don’t forget about Leatherman’s 25 yr warranty!
I called them about this, and they had no suggestions as to what to use to clean the tool with, and told me I’d have to ship it to them (at my cost), wait a week or 2 and then have them either fix it or send me a new one. I use the tool every day.
Actually, now that I think about it, I’ve got a gerber that I can use for the interim, which is almost as nice, but about 4x as bulky as the Skeletool.
The Victorinox Spirit is a good alternative:)
A Freestyle is simply a Skeletool *without* the carabiner/bottle opener and screwdriver bit and it weighs 0.5 an ounce less.
If you want the extra parts and don’t mind 5 ounces vs 4.5 ounces of heft, by all means, get the Skeletool. It hasn’t been discontinued, they just added a “Skeletool Lite”