Leatherman weights!!

[Farmer]

Are the weights on the Leatherman website accurate? If so its a crying shame really.
I know my writing isnt the best but this is my opinion on the weight vs tools on the new leathermans. I was fidding with an old PST eariler today and compared it to a Surge and thought WOW!!!

The grandfather of em all, the PST, weights 5oz. You get pliers, knife, three flat blades, phillips blade, a knife, an awl, can/bottle opener, a metric and english ruler,and a double sided file. The PSTII replaces the Awl with a nice pair of scissors, adds a better file and partially serrats the blade.

Updating the PST came at the price of an ounce but added blade locks, curve grips and dropped the partially serrated blade. It also added a small amount of bulk. With that came the Pulse.
Also weighing 5oz was the Sideclip. A little smaller than the PST brothers but it had all of the tools except for the file and awl/scissors but added a pocket clip.A very popular newcomer in the Leatherman line is the Skeletool. Leatherman boasts on what they call fullsize pliers, a knife blade(one handed though), bit driver and a carabiner/ bottle opener. I personally dont consider a carabiner a tool. Whens the last time a carabiner has saved you from going to your toolbox to get another tool? Gone is the ruler, file, and awl/scissors. Also Leatherman has the Kick, a more modernized version of the Sideclip. The Kick has the option of adding a pocket clip but looses one screwdriver(who needs three flatheads) but adds some really nice, comfortable grips and only .2oz of weight but a little girth. I declare this one a worthy succesor. After retiring the PSTII and the Pulse Leatherman brought out the Fuse and the Blast. The Fuse loses the file and the medium screwdriver but adds the updated grips,locks and 1oz. The Blast is the Big Boy of the classic line. Say goodbye to the medium screwdriver and hello to a double sided eyeglass screwdriver, locks,and a woodsaw. The Blast weighs 6.9oz. From 5oz to 7oz I feel like I could live with the 2oz for the locks and saw.
   The Mini tool has always been known as a novelty because of its lack of tools. At 4ozs it have fullsize pliers, a laughable knife, bottle and can openers and a combination file/large flat screw driver. The file can also be used as a light duty scraper and the corner works fair on phillip heads that are not too tight. Leatherman brags about how light the Freestyle is. The Freestyle weights 4.5oz, half an ounce more than the mini tool and consists of some, in my opinion, uncomfortable(for big hands) pocket size pliers and a knife one handed, semi serrated blade. The blade on the Freestyle blows the Mini's away but the rest to me is pointless.
   In 1994 Leatherman introduced the Super tool. Clearly designed to be the fat brother to the PST it consisted of big pliers, a standard and serrated blade, three flat screw drivers, phillips driver, awl, bottle/can opener, file and metric and english rulers. All blades locked and the weight was 9oz
   Today the Super Tool has spawned three modern day childen. We have the Super Tool 300 and the Core with the exact same tools. Both have comfortable curved grips and modernized locks but they're both much bulkier and  the Core adds some plastic. Leatherman claims the Super Tool 300 only weight .6oz more than the original but im not so sure of this. The Core weights 10.8oz. The last child would be the Big Boy Surge. The Surge has four locking, outside accesible blades. It has one handed opening regular and serrated blades. Also it has a hefty pair of scissors and a blade exchanged for a file, wood saw or other blades from your local hardware store. On the inside it has a large flat screwdriver, small eyeglass driver, large bit driver, awl, and bottle/can opener/wire stripper. Also along the grip is a ruler. The Surge weights in closer to a pound at 12.5oz and im not sure if thats weighing with the second blade. Thats over three Minis!!
   My point here is that im not sure about the other brands but Leatherman needs to put the majority of its tools on diets or we're gonna need a cane for our right sides when we're older from carrying these beasts. On the flipside Leathermans tools,in my opinion, are second to none! This is a crying shame!


This is a rough draft and I've already realized I've forgot about the crimpers and electrical wire cutters on the fullsizes but I've got some rewriting to do anyhow. Enjoy.

[DaveK]

I think the main thing is that with that extra weight comes extra strength, as it's usually caused by more steel.

If you look at the PST for example, I have (I think) 3 or even 4 different designs of plier heads, each one getting thicker and therefore heavier. Then things get bigger still as you move onto the Kick, Fuse and Blast, and then to the Core / Surge, and finally the super beefy Supertool 300.

I happen to agree that the Surge is too big and heavy, certainly for EDC, but some actually like that I believe.

The only part of your analysis I would slightly disagree with is the relationship between the Supertool and the Surge. I would say that the 3 successors to the Supertool would be the Supertool 200, Core and Supertool 300. I see the Surge as a parallel lineage, and is basically just a big Wave. Even the name Surge is another word for a big Wave!

An interesting take though - I enjoyed reading it

[Farmer]

I agree the 200 was and is a very good tool. It just slipped my mind. Good point on everything being stronger.

[Gareth]

I follow you're logic. Having a Pulse, Fuse and Blast I can tell you that I haven't carried (and barely used) the two more modern ones since getting the Pulse.  Not only do they weigh the same or more, but also they are both far more bulky.

I'm a huge fan of the Pulse as I really do think it's the tool in which LM got the balance of size, weight and functionality just right.  Of course not everyone has the same needs and wants as me so it's not the perfect multi for everyone but it certainly works for me.  

[Farmer]

I got a beat up Pulse the other day and expecting a good one tomorrow or Saturday. Im really loving the Pulse. From a pictorial standpoint I wasnt liking the locks and had planned of cutting them off and using it old school Super Tool style but once getting it in hand its not so bad. I love the old school look but has the newest PST style pliers so its almost as heavyduty as the new ones. Im making the Pulse my Weekend/Evening out carry. Its a little bigger than a PST but fits even my big hands like a glove!

[DaveK]

I think those Pulse locks (like the ST200) just take some getting used to. I have RA and found them at first to be quite painful, but I eventually hit on a technique that was easy and pain free.

I tend to carry a PST II more than the pulse, simply because it's slimmer, and look like a PST. Did I mention that I quite like the PST?

[Farmer]

Only PST Iv'e ever had was a Japanese Model I had and sent it off for warranty work and got a refurbished one back today. One handled stamped 05/95 and the other 11/97 with the same style pliers as the pulse and old wave. I really love the size of it. It seems to be very pocketable if needed. I also really like this one compared to the riveted model. It just seems so much smoother around the edges. Not sure I'll ever use it though. Its like brand new so I think I'll just store it.

[DaveK]

I'm not sure I should tell you this, but those Japanese Riveted PSTs are quite sought after and collectable around here. How bad was the damage?

[Grant Lamontagne]

I cannot comment on the weights coming from Leatherman, but I will say that according to the Comparative Weight Chart here in the Multitool Encyclopedia, almost all of the tools listed there have been individually weighed by me.  They differ slightly from many of the manufacturer's listings, but these were all done with the same scale, so if my measurements are off, they should theoretically be off by the same amount each time.

Def

[Farmer]

I feel like my biggest dissapointment is the freestyle and skeletool. They weight the same as the mini tool/sideclip/pst but have have the tools and not built as heavy. To each his own though I guess. Somebody must like them because they're selling enough of them!!

[Mr. Whippy]

My PST was replaced by the Skeletool.  For climbing and camping, it can't be beat (IMO).  The only thing you give up is the file.  The blade and the bit driver are a marked improvement over the PST tools (again IMO).  Adding the pocket clip and to me, it's a slamdunk winner over the original PST.

Nevermind that the carabiner means I can put it on my harness and not worry about it for the rest of the climb.

When I do need the file (for ice climbing for example), I bring a Wave or Charge.  The diamond coated file is da' bomb.

[DaveK]

That's a fair point Farmer. They are sold as lightweight, minimalist tools and they aren't any lighter than the PST.

I know that the fact that the CX versions of those tools aren't any lighter either irks some people, but I just think they look cool

[django.cj]

I really need to send in my Skeletool in for repairs.  The spring that holds the bits in the driver is broken, so the bits won't stay in place. That pretty much makes it a freestyle, and pretty damn useless for me.

[Farmer]

Both my Surges I've had has had that problem. The first I lost and the second got super glued in! As common as it is you would think they would glue them in at the factory or something. My wave never had a problem though.