Leatherman Signal Review

[David Bowen]

Leatherman Signal

Multitools have been a part of our lives for several decades and have been engineered to be a do it all tool box. Manufacturers include everything but the kitchen sink to ensure that we have the tools we need for any occasion and to keep us prepared. The downside to this is the tool is not specialized for a specific task and this general design makes the tool heavy. It also can be a deciding factor in which tool you purchase or edc if you have a collection like me. Several tool companies are designing tools that are specific to a job title, recreational activity or task and the Leatherman Signal is one of those tools. The Signal is patterned after the Leatherman MUT design and scaled down so it’s not such a massive beast. Weighing in at only at only 7.5oz the Signal is enough tool for the task and light on the tools so it's easy to carry where ever your headed.



   The Signal is a tool designed for the outdoorsman and is geared towards general camp duty. Plus it has some added features that could get you out of a pinch if you were put in a survival situation. The tool is a standard butterfly style tool with pliers as the focal point of the design. Closed the Signal is 4.5 inches in length and comes with  two methods of carry; a stainless steel pocket clip or a carabiner.

The outside of the tool gives you several different items that you can use to aid you in your camping trip or urban survival. First off we have a one hand opening knife; there are several Leatherman tools that feature an outside opening blade but this one is thicker than on some Leathermans. The blade is what I would call a modified sheepsfoot style with a combo edge that is composed of both a standard edge and a serrated edge. The combination of this blade style and thickness make it good for general utility and it can withstand more stress than most Leatherman blades of this size.



Opposite of the blade the Signal has a wood saw that is accessible from the outside. This saw is great for removing small limbs around camp and works well for its size. The saw is not a bi-directional style but rather this one cuts when the saw is pulled on a draw cut.  This style is standard on most Leatherman tools and does not get bound up too easy. I found the works well on green wood as well as dry and could comfortably handle up to 2 inch branches.



On the opposite end of the tool it features a carabiner which also doubles as a bottle opener. Like the MUT this tool also incorporates a hammer. The hammer is not  intended to be used for driving nails but could be used to drive tent stakes and other tasks which require a quick tap and a hammer is not handy. The hammer is a backup feature that is there when you have no other tool available. This hammer also incorporates a 1/4 inch and 3/16 hex drivers. The 1/4 came in handy when using an accompanying adapter to accept standard driver bits. Using them in this configuration allows for greater torque when driving screws.





The defining features of this tool are the emergency whistle, ferro rod and diamond sharpener. These tools were designed for a worse case scenario in which a person would be stranded in the woods with little on them to survive.  The emergency whistle is released from the handle by a retention spring that is on the inside of one of the handles. The whistle is quite loud and could easily be heard a mile away. It's not as good as some of the other whistles but for what it is it will work in a situation that demands one. On the back side of the whistle is the ferro rod. The ferro rod is rather small and works well for being small. I was able to throw a good amount of sparks using the back of the saw and starting fires was quite easy. The life span of this ferry rod isn't a long one and could get a lot of use on camping trips. Leatherman does offer replacements via their store and they are quite affordable.

The last emergency tool is the diamond sharpener. The sharpener is housed on the outside of the tool and is released by depressing the locking mechanism for the inside tools and sliding the sharpener downwards.  This sharpener is small and would only be good when all your chips are down and you have nothing else to sharpen your knife with. It could also be used to sharpen fish hooks and other things in the field if the situation called for it. The sharpener does have a nice shape to it and due to its location makes holding the tool more comfortable when cutting material.



The tools on the inside of the Signal are the bit driver; which uses Leatherman proprietary bits. The bitdriver comes with one double sided bit that has a phillips on one side and a flat on the other. This will get you out of most situations and could be coupled with a bit kit for more versatility. The can opener which does as the name implies and an awl which has an eye for threading material, if you needed to any kind of emergency sewing in the field. The awl I feel isn't as good as some of the other tools Leatherman produces. I felt it wasn't as sharp and didn't bite real well when using it to bore a hole in wood or other soft material.



Finally we have the pliers of the Signal when the tool is fully opened. These are the same pliers that Leatherman is incorporating on their new tools. The head is larger and features replaceable wire cutters that are hardened to resist damage. Being made out of 154CM stainless they are really quite tough and better than carbide bits on other manufacturers tools. I personally like the new head design because the teeth are more pronounced and I feel I get a better grip on objects than the original plier design.

Overall the Signal is a nice addition to the Leatherman lineup and they hit home on a lot of design elements.  This could be put to use as an everyday tool or one you carry when your out in the woods.  I don't feel the tool is gimmicky and I love the fact Leatherman is making tools for niche markets and not just run of the mill toolbox tools.  I look forward to what else Leatherman has up its sleeve.

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[David Bowen]

Been trying to get this review done for a month and finally got it slammed out. Got the Tread next for review a long with some others like the CRKT Bivy

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[Grant Lamontagne]

Great review Dave.  I'm still not sold on it though.  I don't see anything there that justifies the price on it.

Def

[ducttapetech]

Great review man! Way better than the ones I do. How do you like the blades shape? I am thinking that blade would be sweet if it was PE and not a combo edge.

[Etherealicer]

Great review man! Way better than the ones I do. How do you like the blades shape? I am thinking that blade would be sweet if it was PE and not a combo edge.

Love the blade shape, but second the motion for a PE blade.

Great review Dave.  I'm still not sold on it though.  I don't see anything there that justifies the price on it.

Def

Hey, it is the single greatest tool that LM ever made
I'm still not happy with the plastic bits of the Signal, but the rest rocks.
Seriously, why did they ever make MTs without a hammer.. The frame I find more comfortable than the Wave, mostly because it doesn't have any sharp corners. I absolutely think that this frame is the future for LM, with the additional small tool slot in the long tool slot (awl position) and the hammer.

[Aloha]

Its really a neat tool.  Despite the misgivings I initially had the tool really is a great platform from which to build.  I love the hammer.  A PE or fully serrated blade would be better than the combo blade.  I know they are trying to get the best of both worlds here but stop, commit to one or the other please.  A ferro rod could have been done differently.   I also thought about a system like the LEEP removable blade for this tool.  Be a neat way to get more function.  Now admittedly I dont use mine however I have given the 5 I had come thru my hands a good play.  Its really a neat tool. 

[Aloha]

Very nice review BTW 

[David Bowen]

Great review man! Way better than the ones I do. How do you like the blades shape? I am thinking that blade would be sweet if it was PE and not a combo edge.

Love the blade shape, but second the motion for a PE blade.

Great review Dave.  I'm still not sold on it though.  I don't see anything there that justifies the price on it.

Def

Hey, it is the single greatest tool that LM ever made
I'm still not happy with the plastic bits of the Signal, but the rest rocks.
Seriously, why did they ever make MTs without a hammer.. The frame I find more comfortable than the Wave, mostly because it doesn't have any sharp corners. I absolutely think that this frame is the future for LM, with the additional small tool slot in the long tool slot (awl position) and the hammer.

I have a few opinions I didn't add to the review but thought about them when you commented. I like the design but I prefer the wave layout better. The handle splay is wider than the wave and just don't like that. It's uncomfortable to use pliers with handles set too far apart for a long time. Due to the configuration of the handles with regard hammer; the pliers can only be held in one way similar to the Skeletool. This makes it so the tool can only be held one way which is feel sucks when it comes to tool design. The pocket clip works well but I wish the tool would ride lower in my pocket, sometimes I don't like that much tool sticking out of my pocket. I personally like the combo blade because serrations come in handy when a blade is dull and its good for fibrous material like rope. I would also like to see some add-ons been issues in the future where the outside plastic tools go. Maybe house some extra bits or something.  It's a fantastic tool and the review was aimed at its design purpose. For what it's designed it works extremely well and can even be pushed into service for an urban environment, even though it's a survival/camp tool.

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[Poncho65]

Another excellent review with some great pics David and the Signal is one that is on my list if I can find one for the price I am willing to give for it

[zoidberg]

Given it's been bumped I will throw in my 2 cents.

The awl is plain terrible. WTF LM. Test your product.
Hammer - hahaha - here's a tip, don't hammer with the handles closed or you might bend (jam) the little clip that holds the handles together.
Pocket clip should (IMO) position the knife tip up and pliers weight down.

On the up side it has THE most comfortable pliers handles coupled with the better pliers head.
The bottle opener is second to none. Well done LM.
And for someone who doesn't like combo blades, I really like this one. So much better than those easily bent blades on the Rebar.

[Dwest]

Thanks for the review. I personally would not buy it. Seems over priced for what it is. And what it offers. You give up useful tools for a whistle, a picce of a fero rod, and a tiny sharpener and then pay more for it.

[Monrogue]

Great review   It's no secret that the Signal became one of my favorites (surprised me really), despite the fact that it really isn't aimed at me as a user.  I don't do any outdoorsy stuff.  I did swap out the saw for the diamond file though.  I do agree with the price issue.  It was/is too expensive for what you get compared to cheaper MTs. 

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[King_Gorilla]

Great review man! Way better than the ones I do. How do you like the blades shape? I am thinking that blade would be sweet if it was PE and not a combo edge.

Love the blade shape, but second the motion for a PE blade.

Great review Dave.  I'm still not sold on it though.  I don't see anything there that justifies the price on it.

Def

Hey, it is the single greatest tool that LM ever made
I'm still not happy with the plastic bits of the Signal, but the rest rocks.
Seriously, why did they ever make MTs without a hammer.. The frame I find more comfortable than the Wave, mostly because it doesn't have any sharp corners. I absolutely think that this frame is the future for LM, with the additional small tool slot in the long tool slot (awl position) and the hammer.

I agree with Etherealicer. 

I wanted to buy a Mut for so long because I loved the idea of the replaceable wire cutters and the hammer.  I also felt that the bit driver, blade and saw were the 3 most useful tools.  But sadly, I don’t own an assault rifle.   I feel like several of the Mut functions would have been wasted on me. 

Then they made the Signal.    EVERYTHING that I loved about the Mut plus a can opener, an awl, and a ¼ inch box-wrench style bit driver!     And about 35% lighter!  And a price tag about 40% cheaper! 

I bought the Signal as soon as it came out and it has been my EDC for about 6 days a week since I bought it.  If they ever make a Signal 2 or update it in some way, I would accept the extra weight for two more outside tools.  I want them to add a file and replace the combo blade with a separate plain edge and serrated blades.  ( I would not change the blade design however, I love the shape and how thick it is)

I’m not sure why people have a problem with the awl.  I think the design is genius.      The grind on the blade and the awl are positioned opposite one another so that the two tools rest in the same slot effectively utilizing nearly every usable cubic millimeter of space in that part of the tool.  Then some brilliant person said, “let’s cut a little tiny corner off the hammer so that the awl can stay open when the tool is closed!!!”  When I held this tool in my hand and opened the awl, my mind was blown.  I just kept wondering why nobody mentioned this in the Shot Show videos! 

[zoidberg]

I’m not sure why people have a problem with the awl.  I think the design is genius.      The grind on the blade and the awl are positioned opposite one another so that the two tools rest in the same slot effectively utilizing nearly every usable cubic millimeter of space in that part of the tool.  Then some brilliant person said, “let’s cut a little tiny corner off the hammer so that the awl can stay open when the tool is closed!!!”  When I held this tool in my hand and opened the awl, my mind was blown.  I just kept wondering why nobody mentioned this in the Shot Show videos! 

The problem is the Signal awl doesn't work well.
IMO the design is so ass backwards that it leaves very little room the end user to reshape it to improve function.
A smaller version of the ST300 awl (or a 93mm alox awl) would have been much better.

[JP]

The MUT is useful for more than an AR15. I have used it on a Remington 878 successfully.

It is also a handy yard and garden tool.

Get a MUT. We all need a MUT. You need a MUT.




I need a Signal.

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