Leatherman 'By the numbers' No.8 - ...hmmm :-\

[babola]

Received one of these latest pocket tools from Leatherman yesterday. I went for personally most attractive model with  Metric wrench. Not really sure what to say, judge for yourself.    I haven't seen much being written about these little tools so decided to add few of my thoughts for those still undecided or about to 'pull the trigger'.

These have been likened to some of the more popular pocket pry tools and also labeled as "blatant Atwood copy" etc. I don't quite subscribe to the 'copy' thing. These are slightly unique in their own right and closely follow the design clues and lines from the rest of the PocketToolX pieces Letherman inherited with the purchase of that company few years back.

Needless to say, if you are one of PocketToolX, TT PocketTools or Atwood's tools owners, no reason to worry - these lettle $11 are far from being a match to one of those. Also if you happen to own a little Brewzer for example but longing for something slightly larger/substantial and more capable, save your pennies and look elsewhere. These are exactly what Leatherman intented to do - capture a market with clever marketing for a multitude of cheap and cheerful pocket tools derived from the slightly more serious tools like Piranha, Croc, Brewzer etc.

Few photos below.

The first thing you notice is how tiny the tool is:




Then you notice how thin it is...a "whole" 2mm    It matches the thickness (or lack thereof) of Croc tool, so thinner than both Piranha and Brewzer which are 3mm thick.
Number 9 on the top, then Brewzer, Crock and Piranha on the bottom.


The finish is a boring fine-bead blasted Letatherman seems to prefer on many new tools they release these days. Brewser is also bead blasted but nicely stonewashed. My personal pick is Croc, tubled or coin washed than stonewashed.




The well known questionable Leatherman QC hits again...   If you pay attention you will notice that the slanted pry/flat screwdriver tip is cut at an angle instead of straight, left side cut is longer than the one on the right.


Anyway, there you have it - a cheap little, mass produced, machine cut metal shards, some more attractive than others but all a little too thin, small and light to be a serious contender to other more popular pocket tools available today.

[Kampfer]

Thanks, good info.

[zoidberg]

Thanks, good info.

+1

I really liked seeing the comparison pics. 

Where did you get it?

[abcdef]

For the type of job an 8 is meant to do, is the tool adequate, especially at the price?  I know this is subjective, but would like to know what members think. 

Thanks. 

[babola]

For the type of job an 8 is meant to do, is the tool adequate, especially at the price?  I know this is subjective, but would like to know what members think. 

Thanks.

It will work OK as a basic pry bar for light jobs as well as beer bottle opener. I tried the wrench and it should work well for smaller nuts (first 2 smallest) which arent tightly fastened...any larger nuts will be a struggle as there's not enough leverage and grip required available.

Bottle opener, while functional, it makes the box cutter press into your finger to the point of almost piercing the skin if you aren't careful.

The tool is too thin to handle with your fingers and palm  for any but light jobs.

Its advantages are its low price and lightness as a key chain piece. I wouldn't carry it alone in the pocket due to its diminutive size...it's not really a 'pocket tool' in true sense of the name.

Cheers.

[babola]

Thanks, good info.

+1

I really liked seeing the comparison pics. 

Where did you get it?

Mate, see if you can ship it from US as part of a larger package, shipping from Leatherman within US is free.

In my case shipping ended up being free to NZ as it came bundled up with some other stuff I bought from Amazon.

Otherwise I wouldn't have bought it...$11 is most I'd pay for a middle of the road type pocket tool which leaves you longing fo something more.

Cheers.

[zoidberg]

Thanks. So where abouts are you? I'm in Canterbury.

[babola]

Thanks. So where abouts are you? I'm in Canterbury.

Jafa... 

LOL

[zoidberg]

Thanks. So where abouts are you? I'm in Canterbury.

Jafa... :pok

LOL

RimfireNZ is around there somewhere. 

[n4vgm]

I picked a #4 and it had an issue with the opener tooth as well. Like a wee bit of extra left on or something. I tried filing it off but at least the steel was hard enough to make it difficult.

I think the fee shipping encouraged my purchase. At $14 delivered it was more like a retail price of $10 + shipping.

[rongallo]

I have had a Leatherman 1 for a couple of months and it is on my keychain. I use it daily for scraping adhesive labels off and opening boxes. I rarely use the screwdriver and cap lifter but it worked well when I did. It has worked exactly as I expected. For $11 and free shipping this was a no-brainer. Glad to see Leatherman offer these tools.

[PTRSAK]

Thanks. So where abouts are you? I'm in Canterbury.

Jafa... :pok

LOL

RimfireNZ is around there somewhere. 

<----  me ex jafa

[zoidberg]

Thanks. So where abouts are you? I'm in Canterbury.

Jafa... :pok

LOL

RimfireNZ is around there somewhere. 

<----  me ex jafa

 

[BIG-TARGET]

I have the Number 5.  If any Croc/Piranah owner is looking for something a wee bit smaller.  The 5 is worth considering

[ToolJoe]

Is the Piranha worth it? Anybody carry one of the Leatherman btn's?

[chris777]

Did leatherman discontinue this model as well as the #2?

[parnass]

Is the Piranha worth it? Anybody carry one of the Leatherman btn's?

I paid about $30 for the original Leatherman Piranha and regret the purchase.  It is too wide and a little heavy for keychain carry and I don't use the screwdriver bit.

At half that price, the newer Piranha 2 may work for some people.

[Kampfer]

Is the Piranha worth it? Anybody carry one of the Leatherman btn's?

I bought the first P2 in MTO, nice tool. I keep it in a shealth with LM bit kit, very handy.

[ToolJoe]

I have a Doohickey on the way (Thanks Nate). Going to try that out and see how it works..

[lucky13don]

I had a company send me one as a promo gift.I don't carry it.I'll have to dig it out.thought it was cool,but I wouldn't buy one.