Leatherman PST chronology project

[stack]

well, I just got this tool.                      

[stack]

It has solid screws, It doesnt have leatherman tool on the handle or portland origon. I think its safe to say its old.   I would also like to add that I finally moved up to sr member!

[AHB]

It has solid screws, It doesnt have leatherman tool on the handle or portland origon. I think its safe to say its old.   I would also like to add that I finally moved up to sr member!

Which means the right thing to do is sending that mighty fine stamped PST to me to celebrate.. 

Good work Stack..

[Smitty44]

Congrats Stack you have one of the very original PST's,and it looks in great condition.

[stack]

It has solid screws, It doesnt have leatherman tool on the handle or portland origon. I think its safe to say its old.   I would also like to add that I finally moved up to sr member!

Which means the right thing to do is sending that mighty fine stamped PST to me to celebrate.. 

Good work Stack..

   

[stack]

It has been sharpened and there are some light surface scratches. Overall though, pretty good shape. I just happy I found one to go in my collection.

[Poncho65]

Another nice oldie there Stack You have quite a collection now don't ya

[stack]

Another nice oldie there Stack You have quite a collection now don't ya

Thanks Poncho65     There are many more I want but getting this one is a real load off my shoulders.  The hunt continues.   

[J-sews]

Good one Stack! Is that the one I saw up for sale recently? (the one somebody outbid me on?) Congrats buddy!

[stack]

  Yes I just won this one. At least you know someone got it that really appreciates it for what it is.  I guess it was just my turn to win won.    Thanks!

[David]

Thats a good one there Stack.       

[stack]

Thats a good one there Stack.       

   Thanks.

[Smitty44]

I just rechecked my US Pat,#,and it is the same as yours Stack,mine was sold out of Cabela's catalog, so yours was probably sold out of Earl Winter mail order catalog in 1983 also,Congrats again,that means that yours and mine are the two oldest ones in the forums.

 

[stack]

  WOW!  That is awsome and I love this thread. If it were not for this thread I would not know what to look for. Thanks M.T.O.

[1983 Leatherman Man]

  Hello Everyone!! I'm thinking I will recieve an early Christmas Present from my wife,(now I owe her,lol), of a very early Leatherman pst. Mine will vary slightly from the Chronology here, but thinking I may be able to shed some more light on the early Model PST. Interested!?! They may be for sale in the future...may I post a for sale item here? Thanks guys for any help. (newby here  )

[AHB]

Welcome.. 
Items for sale can be posted here: Multitools for Sale, but please share some more info on your PSTs..

[1983 Leatherman Man]

Think I'm getting a very early 1983? Leatherman pst soon.  Mabey I can re-shed some light on the subject. At a later date, it might come up for sale. Can I list it here or somewhere? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks guys.

[1983 Leatherman Man]

Welcome.. 
Items for sale can be posted here: Multitools for Sale, but please share some more info on your PSTs..

Thanks for the quick response. I shoud be able to pick this gem up right after Christmas, (thought sooner  ) I'm very excited, I'm thinkin' I'll get the box too! I will be able to share pictures at that time too if that is permissable?
Little side note: the last post I see is from July '08. Am I missing something? )

[Kender]

I've got three, but two are identical with the exception that one of them has a "Marlboro Country Store" logo engraved on one side.  My father got it for me out of the old Marlboro catalog when I was a kid first Leatherman, first multitool, best friend.)  I found one that (I think) is the same model, non-Marlboro version, at a pawn shop for $12 and snatched it up.  And just the other day I got two Leatherman tools off of Craigslist...  At first I was disappointed because I was led to believe they were both Super Tools, when in fact one was a Super Tool and one was a PST...  But since it's a different version of the PST, I'm less disappointed since it has a place in my growing collection.

PST #1 (I believe this to be the "Type 5" in the first post of the thread)
•   Rivets or knurled screws?
Rivets.
•   Lanyard attachment?
Yes.
•   (Old) small diameter or (new) large diameter plier pivot?
Old.
•   LEATHERMAN alone cast into plier pivot? Or with USA? Or TOOL?
Just "Leatherman", no USA or TOOL.
•   A hard wire cutter notch?
No (but there is a notch in the jaw where someone tried to cut hard wire... grr.)
•   Handles stamped with what? (see pictures in next post for examples)
Large "LEATHERMAN (R)", small "TOOL", below is smaller "US REG'D TM 1325473", reverse blank.
•   Inch ruler only, or inch/metric?
Inch only.
•   Date codes?
Nada.
•   Drop point knife blade or clip point? (saber?)
Drop point.
•   Knife blade tang stamped LEATHERMAN alone? Or with USA? Or JAPAN?
Knife tang sports just the word "LEATHERMAN".
•   Screwdrivers: pivot-in or pivot-out?
Maybe I missed something somewhere, but I don't understand this question.

And the other two that I have, inc. the "Marlboro Country Store" one (I think these are Type 7):
•   Rivets or knurled screws?
Screws.
•   Lanyard attachment?
Yes.
•   (Old) small diameter or (new) large diameter plier pivot?
Old.
•   LEATHERMAN alone cast into plier pivot? Or with USA? Or TOOL?
"LEATHERMAN" and "USA", no "TOOL".
•   A hard wire cutter notch?
No.
•   Handles stamped with what? (see pictures in next post for examples)
Small-font "LEATHERMAN(R) TOOL", and below it "US REG TM 1325473" on the left and "PORTLAND OR" on the right.  One has the "Marlboro Country Store" logo etched into the other side, otherwise blank.
•   Inch ruler only, or inch/metric?
Inch/metric.
•   Date codes?
No.
•   Drop point knife blade or clip point? (saber?)
Saber.
•   Knife blade tang stamped LEATHERMAN alone? Or with USA? Or JAPAN?
LEATHERMAN USA
•   Screwdrivers: pivot-in or pivot-out?
Still don't get it.

Also, I didn't go through the entire thread, but there are several additional differences that I noticed between these two models:

In the trademark line, the Type 5 has "US REG'D", whereas the type 7 just has "US REG" (it dropped the " 'D")

The Type 5's file's "tang" is not stamped, but the Type 7's is stamped "LEATHERMAN" (but not "LEATHERMAN USA" like the blade).

The outside of the plier jaws on the Type 5 are much more angular than the Type 7's, which are much smoother and rounder.

The orientation of the files is reversed.  On the Type 5, if you hold the tool with the pliers facing to your left and open the file so that it points away from you, the "cross pattern" of the file will face up, and the "/" pattern will face down.  On the Type 7, the "/" pattern will face up, and the cross pattern will face down.

Also, the file on the Type 5 appears to be slightly (about 1/32nd or even 1/64th) thicker than the Type 7.  The notch ground into the outer side of the file (to pull it out of the tool) on the Type 5 is also about twice the size of the Type 7's notch.

The Phillips screwdriver on the Type 5 does not have a stamp on its "tang", but the Type 7's has an "F" inside of a circle stamped on one side.

The two models have can openers with similar shapes but that are visibly rather different.

As with the file, the notches on the large slotted screwdriver and the knife blade are much larger on the Type 5.

The awls are different (as noted in the first post of the thread)

The other thing that I have noticed is that the Type 5 (Japanese-made) model has a little bit of difficulty closing because of the positioning of the awl.  The pliers have to displace the awl a bit to close, and as a result when you unfold the tool, the awl and surrounding tools come out a little bit.  I don't know if this is a problem with the design of the Type 5 PSTs or if it's just a defect with the one I have.

I hope this helps!

(Oh, and hi, I'm new here.)

[AHB]

Welcome to MTO Kender..
Any pics of those PSTs..?

[Kender]

Not at the moment, but when I get home from work, I'll see what I can do!

I'll do a side-by-side comparison of a few of the differences I noticed.

[J-sews]

Here are some examples of the screwdriver differences. When pushed hard, the early screwdrivers tended to "pivot inwards" under pressure. This was improved on later models, which featured screwdrivers that pivoted outwards against the stop the harder they were pushed.  

Benner pictures





DaveK picture showing the three types of medium flathead screwdriver

[Kender]

Ah, I see.  All three of my PSTs have the older "Pivot in" style then.

Working on getting some photos of the three I have.  I noticed that the two Type 7s that I have are practically identical, except that one (as mentioned earlier) has an F stamped on the tang of the Phillips driver, and the other one (now that I'm home to take a look at it) instead has a "2".  They otherwise appear identical with the exception of a slight difference in the shape of the plier jaws (one is just slightly more angular than the other).

Anyhow, I'll have pictures up for those major differences between the Type 5 and Type 7.

[Kender]

Alright, I have a few photos.  Sorry for the poor quality, but I haven't got great lighting conditions for an impromptu shoot and had to use the camera on my phone, as I can't seem to find my "real" camera...

Anyhow, here's what we've got.



First off, a comparison of the casings.  You can't see the top one very well, but it's the Type 7, and below is the Type 5.  If you look closely, notice that the trademark line dropped the " 'D" from "REG'D".  Also, the Type 5 doesn't have the "PORTLAND OR" stamp.



Okay, second:  notice the shape of the pliers.  The outside of the jaws is smooth on the Type 7 (left) but very angular on the Type 5 (right).



A few things here.

First:  Notice the stamp on the bottom of the file on the left (Type 7).  It's absent on the Type 5 (right).

Second:  Notice the patterning.  Both tools are oriented the same way, but the orientation of the files is reversed.  On the Type 7, when oriented like this we see the cross-pattern side of the file.  On the Type 5, we see the one-way pattern.  Each file has the opposite pattern on its reverse.

Third:  Notice the size of the thumbnail grooves.  The Type 7's are about half the size of the Type 5's.



This is a picture of both PSTs I have that I believe to be Type 7s (the Type 5 is not in the photo).  This is a closeup of both of the Phillips screwdriver bases.  Note that one has an "F" stamped on it, and the other a "2".

I'm not sure what the markings on the Phillips screwdriver mean.  Does anyone have any idea?

[Kender]

Instead of listing everything I just took a few comparison pics. The one that is dated is # 0495.

I just realized that in this post (two years ago), WH847 posted pic for pic EXACTLY what I just took pictures of.  X.x...

Except for the phillips screwdrivers.

I also noticed one distinct difference, however.  My Type 5 says "US REG'D...", but his lacks the "US" part.

That suggests that there may be two "Type 5" tools: one with "US" and one without.

EDIT:

I can't believe I never saw it for all these years AND missed it when I was looking closely earlier today:  My Marlboro Country Store edition PST DOES have date codes: 1294 on one side, 1094 on the other.  The other USA PST that I have does not have date codes (I looked this time) meaning they ARE different models after all.  So, to revise, I have...

PST Type 5
PST Type 7
PST Type 8

I've noticed that both my Type 7 and Type 8 say "US REG", not "US REG'D".  Any idea when the 'D was dropped?

[darkhawk]

hay i just got my first PST 2, I know I know but better late than never

Well thanks to this post I found it was a tenth version and from 96
thanks
i took her appart to clean and buff and got it moving real smooth.
I love the size its really quite compact.
anyhow thank for helping me learn what kind I got!
I actually like this version alot says leatherman tool, metic/imp scales, simple clean looking says USA and not all ground out. 0496/0496, blade has i believe saber with a searated bottem half.  score. lucky find!

peace

Oh and I called leatherman to ask about a new knife and they said if i send it in ill get a blast in return and there is no parts there to maintian mine. In Canada anyway.

[woofer]

hay i just got my first PST 2, I know I know but better late than never

Well thanks to this post I found it was a tenth version and from 96
thanks
i took her appart to clean and buff and got it moving real smooth.
I love the size its really quite compact.
anyhow thank for helping me learn what kind I got!
I actually like this version alot says leatherman tool, metic/imp scales, simple clean looking says USA and not all ground out. 0496/0496, blade has i believe saber with a searated bottem half.  score. lucky find!

peace

Oh and I called leatherman to ask about a new knife and they said if i send it in ill get a blast in return and there is no parts there to maintian mine. In Canada anyway.

wow, blast from the past.  FYI, darkhawk, that GoogleDoc hasn't been updated in a VERY long time.  I started to try to record the changes, but realized that the components don't necessarily follow an easy chronology.  I don't recall where in this thread it's stated, but I believe that someone from Leatherman did affirmatively say that the various tools could have been used/introduced at any given year.

[darkhawk]

oh interesting
ya total blast from the past I put an add on Kijiji looking for used leathermans and this was what i got. HA I actually really like it
Took her all apart cleaned it, got t looking great and the only damage it had was the blade i think was sharpened with a file or on a brick, but i got a decient edge on her so far. part of the charm of a used old tool.
As for the google doc thingy ya no porb i was not sure what it was fully but thought why not fill it in, people alwasy say search things before posting.
ok peace

[robibotti]

this is like mine and it's date is 0395

[Kender]

Today I received what I think is a PST II that I purchased on eBay, but I was under the impression that PST IIs had always had a "PST II" logo on them.  It has all of the tools that the PST II is described as having.

Also, curiously, it is stamped with logo and trademark information on both sides, unlike the three PSTs that I own.

Both scales feature a date code of 0196.

Can anyone clear up my confusion?