Catch a Coyote by its Tail ANNIVERSARY GIVEAWAY!

[enki_ck]

Leatherman has been very kind to us again this year and has sent us a bunch of tools and flashlights to give away to our awesome members. Thank you Juli and all the Leatherman staff.  

You can visit their site at: www.leatherman.com

So let's start the celebrations by giving away a Leatherman OHT, Coyote Tan.

 



http://www.leatherman.com/product/OHT

This one is open to everyone worldwide as long as you're of legal age.

How about mixing it up a bit? Instead of the usual numbers game, tell us a story of how carrying a multitool saved the day. You can have as many replies/comments to the thread as you like, but only one of those will be the entry for the giveaway. This is open till the 7th of July, 20h CET (server time). I'll make a list of all the entries on Sunday and draw the winner using random.org.

Good luck to everyone.

[Millhouse]

Ok, this is not about how having a multitool saved the day, its about how not having one didn't save the day.

I was on the way home from a day's walking, stopped at a cash machine to make a withdrawal. In front of me was a rather good looking young lady. When she put her card in, the card made it 95% into the slot then stopped. You could see the card, but couldn't get fingers around it.

She looked at me and asked if I could try and get it. No problem I thought, the Squirt P4 on my keys should be able to grab the card. Only it wasn't there. I had taken it off for the walking trip. In my pack was a Charge Ti, but that was in the car. Anyway, the card got sucked in and retained by the machine, and my opportunity to save the day and flirt was gone.

[k12cop]

Kinda boring, but a leatherman wave helped remove a fishhook from my face...never stand directly behind your kid when teaching him to fish...

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[Philby]

Got a call from the police to say that our cows had got out, and that they had managed to herd them onto the local cricket club green   Used my leatherman Kick to cut the fence to get them out, rather than take them back onto the main road.

[detron]

Not the most impressive, but I walked into a network equipment room,
 And my coworker was holding up a shelf that held a radio console.  (about 6 feet up) He was re-running the antenna cable and the shelf gave way.  Using just my Surge, I was able to cut the zip ties, tap the wall to find the studs (something the previous installer missed) move the shelf over 5 inches, and drive the screws into the studs!  The day was saved!

[Chako]

This happened in the early 90s. My father and I were traveling east on the Trans Canada Highway when our Lada Niva he was driving overheated. We pulled up on the side of the highway around Mississauga Ontario. Opened up the hood only to find that the engine ate the fan belt. We had no tools but my American Camper. I remember my dad saying he wished we had my mother along...as a pair of nylons would come in handy at that moment. We did some rummaging and found a package of zip ties in the trunk along with a few odds and ends that wouldn't help us. Out of desperation, we improvised a zip tie belt whilst using the American Camper multi-tool to tighten the ties, and trim them neatly. I remember our driving back home and having to do this over and over again as the zip ties would break after a while. We did just manage to get the Lada home...with if memory serves me correctly, a few zip ties left in the once brand new unopened bag. I was very happy to have that American Camper strapped onto my belt that day.

[Monrogue]

I've shared this story before, but it's the only example of saving the day in my rather mundane MT/SAK typical use that I can think of off the top of my head.  This was the first time I had been able to help a stranger out with my multitool.  I consider that one of the reasons that it is never a bad idea to carry one (or more) as you never know when you may save the day for someone else. 

While I was delivering some supplies to the main office here at work, the UPS guy drove in to pick up any packages and whatnot from the dropoff box.  As I was exiting the building, he asked me if I had a phillips screwdriver in the truck he'd seen me unloading from.  There are no tools in that company vehicle, so I happily replied, "No, but I have one on me."  He asked, "Oh, you have a Leatherman on you?"  To which I proudly replied, "Yes I do."

So I reached into my back pocket, pulled out my Rebar, got the phillips screwdriver out and handed it to him.  He needed to remove the lock from the dropoff box as it had been broken for some time and no other driver had bothered to fix it.  He mentioned that he normally has a Leatherman on him, but had forgotten it that day.   

[colt 1911]

It's not just one story for me, there is just to many. The leatherman Wave is a trusty companion that is used countless times daily. I can't even pick a story. Good luck you guys and please pull me from the drawing.

[bmot]

Funny, when I think about it, most of my stories are about when sailing... 


Well, let's see.


I was sailing, once, and we were approaching a bridge. When we arrived at the bridge, going down wind, we saw that the mast was just a few centimeters too high to fit under it. I rushed to the front of the boat, used my LM Wave (which I always had on me at the time) to undo the nut and bolt holding the mast up, and lowered it just enough to fit under the bridge, this all while all sails were still up. It was quite exciting how good it worked, actually .

[enki_ck]

Some great entries so far guys.

[farrierphil]

Although i use my Leatherman everyday i suppose im glad i had it the day i found a customers horse tangled in wire. The single strand bullwire was wrapped around its leg three times, how it did that we never knew. Id gone up to catch it and it was two fields away from the yard but i shouted down to the owners when i saw her.(covered in sweat and foam and distressed) Thankfully i had my Sideclip on my belt! Once i calmed the horse it was easy to cut the wire and free her. By the time help came with cutters id got her out and was walking back to the yard with her. Ive never been without my Leatherman since. Its a must have where horses and wire are concerened!

[pblamar]

As a photographer, the multitool always saves the day.  It's not good to have the bride walk out with a store tag dangling from her veil.  Out comes the multitool.  We've got to just make sure that only the tag is cut off !!!!!

[El Rago]

my dad an I where chopping some live lumber. He uses a chainsaw. While pruning a branch the saw got stuck and the branch did not cut all the way. The position and the weight did not allow us to simply pull it out, and we could not risk losing the chain, as it was our last one (we where out in the woods), so I pulled the wave and cut the branch with the saw to liberate the chain.

if we had pulled and twisted we might have broken the chain and lost a days work.

leassons learned, always carry spares of everything plus a multi

[derekmac]

Sweet give away!

Hmm, let's see.  This isn't the greatest story, but one day at work at lunch time, one of the guys I work with brought a can of soup but not a can opener, so he used my Swiss Tool to open it. He was really hungry, so he was quite happy I had it!

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 4 Beta

[airballrad]

Nice giveaway!

Just last week I was using my new-to-me SOG/Paladin PowerPlay to punch down data lines to a patch panel (as you do), when the custodian was cursing from the other side of the room. He was trying to tighten a bolt through the wall but the nut kept turning on him. The plier jaws on the PowerPlay handled the job very well, and yet another person who rolls his eyes at my MTs on a regular basis had to say "Thank you". 

[captain spaulding]

I was camping and it came time for dinner. We had the fish we caught earlier going. Corn in the fire, and a few cans of Chili no one could open.  Until I saved the day with my Leatherman Wave.  I can't believe no one had a Leatherman. I wouldn't even think of going camping without mine.  Thank you Leatherman for feeding all the unprepared people I was with. 

[Cupboard]

One evening last month I was out helping someone move our irrigator, we re-started the pump and water was pouring out of the end perfectly as it should for 30 seconds then the flow stopped, pressure shot up and the engine tripped out. After much cursing it, we got to the gun and found something stuck in the nozzle on the end, so that needed to come off.

Now most of our tractor have toolboxes on them and most of the guys will put their own in at the beginning of the day, but because we'd just nipped up to do a quick job in the evening in a small tractor, there were no tools with which to dismantle the gun. Out comes the trusty Wave (but that could equally well have been the Spirit I hasten to add), whips off the Jubilee clip and we find a pretty large (M20 ish) bolt wedged in the end of the nozzle. We removed that, I left the guy I was with to put it all back together whilst I ran back to the start of the run to re-start the engine. I arrive and get a call from him that he can't put it back together because he hadn't got any tools  Run back over the field, drop off Leatherman, run back, re-start engine, go home and hour and a half later than planned (but a good hour earlier than if I hadn't have had my Wave with me).

Sorry, that's a bit long.

[Farmman]

These stories of heroics are great guys, but pack up now I have this one in the bag.

While attending a summer fair I was walking past a child who was bawling his eyes out, and his father who was trying to get into the packaging around a toy the kid had just won.  The toy was fastened in well and was beating his keys/ coins assault hands down.  I asked if I could have a go.  The father explained he needed a knife to cut the clam pack. A pair of pliers to cut the ties and a screwdriver to remove it from the mounting plate.  With a smile I pulled out my XE6 ( UK legal, folks).  The package didn't stand a chance.  One toy car liberated. One happy child.  As a bonus my own child basking in the reflected glory of having a dad with a multitool succeed where other dads fail.

[Gilliand]

(...) I was on the way home from a day's walking, stopped at a cash machine to make a withdrawal. In front of me was a rather good looking young lady. When she put her card in, the card made it 95% into the slot then stopped. You could see the card, but couldn't get fingers around it. (...)

Blast! My story was supposed to be almost identical 
With only three differences:
1. There was two pensioners instead of young lady.
2. Some vandal jammed card slot with a coin.
3. I did have my P4 and managed to save the day.

Eh...

OK, so there's another one:

I was going back home from work with my fiancee. It was quite beautiful day and I was in a good mood (perhaps there would be no story to tell otherwise).
Near one of benches in the park bench I saw drunk hobo trying to get up from ground.  I noticed he has not only a hangover, but also blood on his head and face. I don't know if he had a nightmare and fell of the bench or was beaten up by some lawful citizens, but either way my "love the world" mood kicked in and I decided to help.
Actually half of my EDC was useful :
I helped him to sit back on bench, used PST2 scissors to fix some dressing for his wounds, gave him a nut bar I carry for emergency snack and stayed for a little while to make sure if he's OK.

It was a sad surprise to find out that he was not only grateful for help, but also for even THINKING to help him. He said that it was first time in few years someone seemed to care for his fate. My faith in humanity and my good mood was quenched a little, but it proved me again that it's a good thing to carry an EDC with at least basic multitool.
 

[Zed]

So many stories  ok about a month back while on a night shift we had a gentleman staying at the home where I work,I work with elderly with dementia, well this guy sadly was very restless so wandered all night,he broke so many things,the worst one though was a radiator cover,he managed too pull it right off but also damaged the radiator so it leaked,water was going everywhere and I needed to turn the rad off but no handle,so pulled out my Ti and shut it off,lm saved the day again 

Great giveaway, good luck guys and gals 

[kirk13]

So many stories,so few of them exciting...my ones anyway.

There was the this one time,at band camp...

There was last year,at work on a Saturday,when one of our overhead lights made a determined effort to leave the overhead.The only pliers in the shop that afternoon were on my MP425.Guess what cut through the retaining cable so the light could be safely lowered to the floor without dragging half the roof down?

Or the time my PST was the only thing available to shut down the stopcock,thus stopping the flooding,or my personal favourite the other day,when one of my younger,cooler,more...street coworkers pulled the ring pull off his pilchards,and needed a can opener...Spirit to the rescue ,and another victory for age and experience over image


Thanks to Leatherman for a generous prize!

[Billy Ruffian]

As others have said, multi-tools come in useful just about every day they are carried, but only once has a tool really made me feel like a true boy scout. The scenario is, that one evening a few years ago, I had got off the train on my way back from work, a woman approached me in a bit of distress, she had a boy with her aged about 7 or 8. "Can you help?" she said, "My son's got a load of rope tied around his hands and he can't get it off".

Sure enough, this lad had somehow managed to really tightly knot some twine around his hand, it was that nasty, thin nylon type of cord, no chance of unpicking it and you could see by the colour of his arm it was starting to affect his circulation. All I had on me then was a Micra but the scissors made pretty short work of it and that slightly blunt-nose design they have was ideal for sliding under the cord without risk of spiking the boy's skin.

[sbakker]

Most recently, Leatherman saved my hide when my wife went through my tool cabinet looking for some pliers.  She encountered my rather... enlarged multitool and flashlight collection and expressed (with feeling) her displeasure.

I countered by presenting her with her own (my) orange Juice S4.  She was skeptical, but now carries it daily and can't get over how useful it is!  I think she has her eyes on my Squirts...

Anyway.  Nice save, Leatherman!  And nice giveaway too, thanks for the chanceM

[Cupboard]

There was the this one time,at band camp...

 

[Cupboard]

picking up on Billy Ruffian's post with an incident a couple of years ago. I was part of a crew rigging my university college's ball tech. Girl comes up to a few of us "can you help my friend, she's got a bit stuck"... turns out she's found a cable tie that was lying around and tied it round her wrists like handcuffs 

Out come the Leathermans* 

*at that time, I had come across plenty of decent Leathermans (Wave, Charge, Blast, Kick, Sideclip) and one crap Gerber (Suspension) and had eyed the other Gerbers with suspicion. As far as I was concerned Leatherman were the only MTs of note. I now have MTs from four brands, of which I would buy from three again

[stressmaster5000]

OK here is the only story worthy of telling that I have.

Last year during spring we had a bad hail storm that knocked out my front windshield and dented the car up pretty bad. I have a Lincoln Town-car with a soft cloth top. The cloth was in pretty good shape so we fixed the windscreen and left the rest alone since we planned on replacing the car. My brother-in-law died suddenly at age 54 so we needed to travel out of town for over 100 miles and when the funeral was over we stayed for a bit but needed to come back home that same day. Well little did I know the cloth had developed a small spot where it came loose. We are driving in a dark and desolate area of Texas when I heard "riiiiip"! and loud flapping outside. I slowed down and made it to a lighted rest stop(basically a parking lot with lights but nothing else). The cloth top had started to tear away on the passenger side. I made some repairs with duct tape and some bungee cords that I thought would do the trick.

Off we go again and after about 3 miles the whole thing ripped loose from the passenger side and front covering the driver side windows and the rear window so I could not see out. This time we are in the middle of nowhere with no lights. I pulled off at an exit to (nowhere?), seriously it was in the middle of it. So out came my Wenger Swiss Grip that I have in the glove box, a large black user model I have. I made short work of cutting the material off while my wife held our little key chain photon lights so I could see. I folded up the large cloth and threw it into the trunk and away we went.

[Blackbeard]

Had a leaking rubber hose in car right near hose clamp, was able to slice the bad part off with Leatherman Wave knife and tighten hose clamp with bit driver, its still holding up after 4-5 months! Thanks for the great giveaway.

[Jailbird]

My story happened just this past weekend. My wife and I were traveling to a wedding for our side business. Our vehicle to transport all of our gear is on its last leg, but we're trying to limp it along as long as we can. Anyways, we get to the venue, 2 hours from home, and start hauling gear in. Someone else that was there setting up said, "looks like you've got a bit of a problem with your car". I go outside to take a look and there's coolant pouring out from underneath. Low and behold, we blew a radiator hose. All I had with me was my Wave and a maglite. After about 2 hours, a borrowed vehicle, 3 trips to auto zone, and a busted knuckle, we were back up and running.

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[Bensasupertool]

 Great stories everybody!
 
 Just a pair of memories using MT's

    The first and most recent was my brother telling me WTF is that and why is it working on my Switch? Hes the prim and proper older brother with this cocky hier in his head. Dork! Were hicks and he just couldnt embrace it. I just recived the the BO wave and couldnt wait to test it out doing some "DETICATED TOOL" related work with it.had a fun time workin the new toy on some paid work. He got over the Multi tool use when that Multi installed the 3-way switches he always wanted. Plus I told him it had a cuticle pusher and nail file for his soft feminine hands. Then a jab to the ribs followed.

     The other time was testing out the then new Skeletool with the ST300 on the old ratty push mower. Gave it a tune up after the winter for the seasons work. New air cleaner,spark plug,fuel filter,oil change,fuel change,wheel snugging up and a little throttle adjustment.(long long grass}The whole time this was goin on Sage the hound dog barked,howled and growled at me and the old mower. I couldnt have been happier at that moment. My puppy,10+year old mower and a new glimmering Stainless multi tool.

[Svadilfari]

Well..it's an old tale, but here goes. More years ago ( most def pre-Leatherman era) I was in a friend's car, driving down a back road when we spluttered to a stop, miles from any town.
It sounded like a fuel problem, so up with the hood for a check out. Eventually we figured it was a blocked jet in the carby. Only problem was my friend had left his tool box behind 
So, out with my trusty Swiss Army knife and we soon had carby stripped down and jets cleaned. Yay for SAKs Not a very exciting tale..but I taught me the value of carrying some sort of what's now called a multitool