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Tim Leatherman 35 Years Road Show

es Offline ThePeacent

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Tim Leatherman 35 Years Road Show
on: June 14, 2018, 10:56:31 PM
Hi folks!! I just came from the 4 hour event with Tim Leatherman that puts an end to his route through the EU to celebrate the 35 years of the company.
 :multi:
It's 23:00 PM now and I won't write everything but I'll share all with you (there is news regarding the company's future, and other stuff) and will divide it in 4 chapters with pics of each because it is huge.  :ahhh

I'll put the pics in Spoilers so as to scroll down the page quickly  :salute:

1- The Event: Who came, why, what did they do there, what could be found there
2- Tim and his life: His speech (30mins), his story and first tools and projects and how the company became to be what it is
3- The numbers: data, trivia, information and stuff about the company in the present and the past, miscellaneous information
4- The future: what does Tim want to do with LM, where is it going and what decisions will be made the next years

Each new post will be a new chapter, I'll start today and will keep on it tomorrow. Thanks and excuse my grammar! I am tired  :angel:
My toys:

MTs: Surge (2x), Skeletool CX, Rebar, Blast, Fuse, Micra, Squirt (3x), Wave, Crunch, Mini, Spirit (2x), Pro Scout, MP700 (2x), Diesel, Powerlock, PowerPlier (2x), PocketPowerPlier, Blacktip , ST6 (2x), 5WR, A100

SAKs: Bantam, Executive, Ambassador, Minichamp, Classic Alox, Champion, Farmer, Explorer, Swisschamp, Golf Tool, Wenger Champ, EVO 52, Pocket Tool Chest


us Offline Obi1shinobee

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Re: Tim Leatherman 35 Years Road Show
Reply #1 on: June 14, 2018, 11:01:25 PM
 :ahhh :ahhh :ahhh :ahhh :ahhh :like:


es Offline ThePeacent

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Re: Tim Leatherman 35 Years Road Show
Reply #2 on: June 14, 2018, 11:13:39 PM
THE EVENT:

Took place in Barcelona, lasted 4 hours,
Tim came with his wife Cho in a caravan (ala road trip) with the team, lots of nerds and aficionados congregated and were given bracelets with a number (to enter a draw at the end of the event)

People of all ages, countries (lots of foreigners living in Spain came today), and all mileages. As you imagine someone would've thought  :think: what was going on with so many people with sheaths and tacticool stuff on the belts and packs  :gimme:

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free catalog and T-Shirt at the entrance  :whistle:

Inside you could find a replica of Tim's car (when he visited the EU and came up with the idea), a stand with all the Leatherman tools to date and some (current production) for sale, including all the heritage series

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There was also a maintenance and sharpening table (with staff to repair your tools, they had a Spyderco Sharpmaker, Worksharp and dozens of hand tools...I knew some of the folks from 2014 when I went with my tools to repair and met Tim the first time) and a tool engraving machine  :tu:.

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I met there a friend from Spanish forums there who showed me his Sideclip, here next to my PX (he had it engraved, his first LM)  :cheers:

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Also lots of walls with info panels, data and history of the company and cool logos

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a "Survival" expert famous here (from the Spanish version of TV show "Alone" making fire with the LM he had and carried while strayed)

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Tim and his wife before the speech
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My toys:

MTs: Surge (2x), Skeletool CX, Rebar, Blast, Fuse, Micra, Squirt (3x), Wave, Crunch, Mini, Spirit (2x), Pro Scout, MP700 (2x), Diesel, Powerlock, PowerPlier (2x), PocketPowerPlier, Blacktip , ST6 (2x), 5WR, A100

SAKs: Bantam, Executive, Ambassador, Minichamp, Classic Alox, Champion, Farmer, Explorer, Swisschamp, Golf Tool, Wenger Champ, EVO 52, Pocket Tool Chest


es Offline ThePeacent

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Re: Tim Leatherman 35 Years Road Show
Reply #3 on: June 14, 2018, 11:39:47 PM
sorry guys I wrote 250 lines for chapter 2 and it just got erased, I am at a loss for words!!!  :rant: :ahhh :facepalm: :facepalm:
My toys:

MTs: Surge (2x), Skeletool CX, Rebar, Blast, Fuse, Micra, Squirt (3x), Wave, Crunch, Mini, Spirit (2x), Pro Scout, MP700 (2x), Diesel, Powerlock, PowerPlier (2x), PocketPowerPlier, Blacktip , ST6 (2x), 5WR, A100

SAKs: Bantam, Executive, Ambassador, Minichamp, Classic Alox, Champion, Farmer, Explorer, Swisschamp, Golf Tool, Wenger Champ, EVO 52, Pocket Tool Chest


es Offline ThePeacent

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Re: Tim Leatherman 35 Years Road Show
Reply #4 on: June 14, 2018, 11:52:53 PM
to avoid further loss of written text, I'll put the CHAPTER 2: Tim and His Life in different parts, all in spoilers:

TIM AND HIS LIFE:

Part 1:

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- Tim was from Portland Oregon. He did a road trip to the EU with his wife Cho in 1975. There he carried this knife which helped him in some things but failed to fix the furniture at the hotels they stayed and do car maintenance when the battery or other components failed



Everything in between “ ” from now on is Tim’s own words paraphrased



- He came up with an idea because he needed a grabbing implement and wrote in a paper note “Add pliers to pocket knife” and he put that in his Shirt pocket for the rest of the trip

- Once at Portland he told her wife that this idea had potential, she told him “OK, tell me how much time you need and I’ll work to bring money and food for us until you have it” He answered “I need a month” and went into his garage to work on it.  :salute:

- He came up with a cardboard prototype  :rofl: while in Teheran and back in the US he made a wooden model, then added screws, then stepped up to pivots and all metal construction and finally after three months and using a hacksaw, hammer, files and just hand tools he came up with the first prototype.

Here is the progression from left to right






- He then thought “I’ll now sell the idea to a company and I’ll make a million dollars in no time”. During the next three years he was unsuccessful.
Cutlery and knife companies told him “That’s not a knife it’s a tool, no interest in it”, Tool companies told him “that’s a gadget not a tool, it won’t sell”

- Desperate, he partnered with Steve (forgot his second name), whose father had a big tool shop and could mass produce the idea. Steve aid a bare minimum of 2000 tools would have to be asked in their first contract to be able to carry on with the idea.

- But “Who needs 2000 tools?” They first thought of the US Army but the Army was not interested :P. Then they thought “Of course, a telephone company with lots of employees doing repairs” but the telephone company didn’t want it  :-\

- So for the next 7 years they tried different options, They sent the idea to 279 different Mail Catalogs, and received zero responses. Finally one day a Catalog from Seattle told them to bring their idea to them in person (3hrs drive from Oregon) and they rushed to the car.

- Once there the company asked “Ok how much for it” and Tim answered “I’ll sell it to you for $40”, they said “No way  ::), we’d have to sell it for $80 to make a profit and it just won’t sell” but they added “if you could do three improvements to it, it might have a future”


« Last Edit: June 15, 2018, 12:13:55 AM by ThePeacent »
My toys:

MTs: Surge (2x), Skeletool CX, Rebar, Blast, Fuse, Micra, Squirt (3x), Wave, Crunch, Mini, Spirit (2x), Pro Scout, MP700 (2x), Diesel, Powerlock, PowerPlier (2x), PocketPowerPlier, Blacktip , ST6 (2x), 5WR, A100

SAKs: Bantam, Executive, Ambassador, Minichamp, Classic Alox, Champion, Farmer, Explorer, Swisschamp, Golf Tool, Wenger Champ, EVO 52, Pocket Tool Chest


es Offline ThePeacent

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Re: Tim Leatherman 35 Years Road Show
Reply #5 on: June 15, 2018, 12:04:18 AM
TIM AND HIS LIFE

Part 2:

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- The three improvements were:  :whistle:

1-   Learn from the Swiss to make scissors, precise and strong. If you can’t just add a screwdriver instead of them  :D
2-   Remove the clamping feature of the pliers  :twak:
3-   Simplify the pliers (not so many gizmos and tools overflowing the main frame)  :rofl:

- He went back to Portland and to his shop, and a week later he came up with this:



Which we all know as the PST, or Pocket Survival Tool  :cheers:



- Back to Seattle with the new tool, Tim presented it and the managers said “How much for his version?”  and he said “$24 for you”. It seemed like he finally had the contract, but then they said “how many will you do for us?” he said “2000 units for a start”  :angel:

- Unfortunately they sold “no way we’ll sell 2000 of these, sorry  >:(” so back to Oregon Tim and Steve went. They wouldn’t give up though and they sent pictures of the new version of the tool to the old 278 other Mail Catalogs that ignored them the first time  :ahhh

- Only one of the Mail Catalogs answered back. It was the now famous Cabela’s  ;)



- In April 1983 Tim received a letter from Cabela’s, eight years after his road trip in the EU, telling him if he could fill an order of 500PSTs. He immediately accepted even though it didn’t reach the 2000 minimum they had in mind
The purchase order was for 500 PSTs and $12.000.
My toys:

MTs: Surge (2x), Skeletool CX, Rebar, Blast, Fuse, Micra, Squirt (3x), Wave, Crunch, Mini, Spirit (2x), Pro Scout, MP700 (2x), Diesel, Powerlock, PowerPlier (2x), PocketPowerPlier, Blacktip , ST6 (2x), 5WR, A100

SAKs: Bantam, Executive, Ambassador, Minichamp, Classic Alox, Champion, Farmer, Explorer, Swisschamp, Golf Tool, Wenger Champ, EVO 52, Pocket Tool Chest


us Offline SteveC

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Re: Tim Leatherman 35 Years Road Show
Reply #6 on: June 15, 2018, 12:09:39 AM
Very cool TP !  Not sure why you are using spoilers though  :think: 


es Offline ThePeacent

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Re: Tim Leatherman 35 Years Road Show
Reply #7 on: June 15, 2018, 12:14:49 AM
Very cool TP !  Not sure why you are using spoilers though  :think:

to save some scrolling, and lso because I am still editing and adding pics as I get them uploaded to iMgur.

I just updated TIM AND HIS LIFE Part 1 with data and pics  :salute:
My toys:

MTs: Surge (2x), Skeletool CX, Rebar, Blast, Fuse, Micra, Squirt (3x), Wave, Crunch, Mini, Spirit (2x), Pro Scout, MP700 (2x), Diesel, Powerlock, PowerPlier (2x), PocketPowerPlier, Blacktip , ST6 (2x), 5WR, A100

SAKs: Bantam, Executive, Ambassador, Minichamp, Classic Alox, Champion, Farmer, Explorer, Swisschamp, Golf Tool, Wenger Champ, EVO 52, Pocket Tool Chest


us Offline Poncho65

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Re: Tim Leatherman 35 Years Road Show
Reply #8 on: June 15, 2018, 12:15:51 AM
Very awesome event Peacent :ahhh I was wondering when you were gonna write about it :dd: Thanks for taking the time to do this :tu: You didn't have to put the spoiler tags but some with lower bandwidth might appreciate it :cheers: It is very awesome that he did this reoad trip and I really hope he does something like this in the States :2tu:


es Offline ThePeacent

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Re: Tim Leatherman 35 Years Road Show
Reply #9 on: June 15, 2018, 12:24:37 AM
TIM AND HIS LIFE

Part 3:
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- This was April 1983 and they had 7 months to produce the tools for Cabela’s, using the Garage Shop from Steve’s father. Short after this the Seattle company called them back and said they had given it a second thought and maybe Tim could produce 250 PSTs for them.



- He said “Sure, nice to have you as a customer”. The Seattle company called them again by December 1983 asking “here are our tools?” because they had already pre-sold the 250 tools and needed more to keep up with the growing demand. :tu:

- They wanted 500 more PSTs to fill the demand in a two months time, and after that they needed 750 more tools to sell to their customers.
The customers shared and showed these tools with friends and the popularity skyrocketed after Cabela’s dedicated an article to the tool, and the Seattle catalog a special 2/3rds of the back page to the PST. :)





- Two weeks later the Seattle company wanted 1000 more PSTs to sell and most of the 279 mail catalogs wrote or called back Tim to buy his idea after initially dismissing it. :D

He said “Glad you changed your mind, how many do you need?” ::)

-. This was the beginning of 1984, since then the numbers of sales of the PST speak for themselves:





- Then came all the other ideas, models and stuff now that Tim and Steve had the money to develop and further explore the concept.

- By the end of the Speech he insisted that the original idea was to bring a “Quality and reliable tool to solve the issues that he and others had in their daily lives” and that he never imagined “the tales, stories and people that would become part of it and make it what it is now” :drink:

- Of course to prove the “Quality and reliability” point he did his famous Nail test.

He took his Charge Ti out and said  :multi:

“This is the test I do to demonstrate how I trust y tool to perform, this Charge has cut this nail at least a thousand times throughout all these years, it is the same original Charge I carried since 2008”  :like:



“As you see the pliers are so precise that the wire cutters can cut paper like scissors would (proceeds to cut paper). Now I’ll cut this nail but I’ll hold it in this stand as I can’t put enough force with my arms to cut it in half, and I’ll stand on my tool  :ahhh



 “(Proceeds to put nail in wire cutters and cut it by jumping onto the tool) Now this that has gone flying could be my tool, but look (takes the pieces from the floor) this is the nail split in half and now (takes paper) the cutters will still cut paper (cuts paper cleanly without issues)”



My toys:

MTs: Surge (2x), Skeletool CX, Rebar, Blast, Fuse, Micra, Squirt (3x), Wave, Crunch, Mini, Spirit (2x), Pro Scout, MP700 (2x), Diesel, Powerlock, PowerPlier (2x), PocketPowerPlier, Blacktip , ST6 (2x), 5WR, A100

SAKs: Bantam, Executive, Ambassador, Minichamp, Classic Alox, Champion, Farmer, Explorer, Swisschamp, Golf Tool, Wenger Champ, EVO 52, Pocket Tool Chest


es Offline ThePeacent

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Re: Tim Leatherman 35 Years Road Show
Reply #10 on: June 15, 2018, 12:28:20 AM
At the end of the Speech Tim and his Marketing Director greeted everyone, made an Important Announcement and the questions time started.  :pok:

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A total of 8 questions were asked randomly by the public and they answered with help of a translator. I understood Catalan, Spanish and English very well so I could keep my eyes peeled in case the translator made a mistake  :D, which she didn’t (she also translated the speech nicely)  :)

they also made the draw for the winners (3 people) of two PSTs Heritage Edition and one trip to Portland Oregon for two people  :drool:

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the three awarded at the back  :whistle:

What they announced then and the answers to the questions will be below in Part 3 The Numbers” and Part 4The future” mixed in between the two.  :salute:
« Last Edit: June 15, 2018, 12:30:11 AM by ThePeacent »
My toys:

MTs: Surge (2x), Skeletool CX, Rebar, Blast, Fuse, Micra, Squirt (3x), Wave, Crunch, Mini, Spirit (2x), Pro Scout, MP700 (2x), Diesel, Powerlock, PowerPlier (2x), PocketPowerPlier, Blacktip , ST6 (2x), 5WR, A100

SAKs: Bantam, Executive, Ambassador, Minichamp, Classic Alox, Champion, Farmer, Explorer, Swisschamp, Golf Tool, Wenger Champ, EVO 52, Pocket Tool Chest


es Offline ThePeacent

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Re: Tim Leatherman 35 Years Road Show
Reply #11 on: June 15, 2018, 12:36:31 AM
THE NUMBERS
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Tim and her Marketing Director told news, a cool new idea presented here for the first time in their history and in the world.  :o
They are conceding a Grant of $100.000 (A hundred thousand USD  :gimme:) to those who can be the next "Tim Leatherman" and present and develop ideas to change people's lives and the world for the better.

The Grant will be split between 10 to 15 non-profit organisations  :o that can come up with a revolutionary concept or useful idea in the lines of the Leatherman tool or similar feats (not specific if it's limited to engineering, technology and manufacturing or open to other fields  :think:) with 5 to 15 thousand dollars each to finance their projects and take the lead in the way that Tim did in 1983.  :ahhh

To quote him, they want companies or projects that "Envision the pioneer spirit of Tim to change the world".
For more info on this grant and project and to apply for it you can visit Leatherman.com/grants (I guess they should be updated by now  ???  or soon enough in the next day or hours)
My toys:

MTs: Surge (2x), Skeletool CX, Rebar, Blast, Fuse, Micra, Squirt (3x), Wave, Crunch, Mini, Spirit (2x), Pro Scout, MP700 (2x), Diesel, Powerlock, PowerPlier (2x), PocketPowerPlier, Blacktip , ST6 (2x), 5WR, A100

SAKs: Bantam, Executive, Ambassador, Minichamp, Classic Alox, Champion, Farmer, Explorer, Swisschamp, Golf Tool, Wenger Champ, EVO 52, Pocket Tool Chest


us Offline Glockfan

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Re: Tim Leatherman 35 Years Road Show
Reply #12 on: June 15, 2018, 12:49:10 AM
Great stuff. Thanks!!

 :like:


es Offline ThePeacent

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Re: Tim Leatherman 35 Years Road Show
Reply #13 on: June 15, 2018, 01:22:40 AM
THE FUTURE:

Apart from the news about the grant the questions asked were interesting. They were made by the public so hard to quote word by word  :think:, but more or less they were:

1- Has a Leatherman tool been in Space?

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Yes, in fact one of the Astronauts on board of the ISS was a neighbor from Tim in Portland. He bought two Waves because he had two twins and wanted to give them a Wave each, when they grew up, that had been in space! So he carried both to the ISS.

Once there he made a video about how he repaired his watch with the Wave's drivers in microgravity.  8) He sent the video to Tim, who he had met on Earth years before that. The man was to be brought back to Earth with his Waves in the Challenger, but unfortunately that vessel exploded (we all remember that catastrophe  :cry:) and he had to wait a few months and finally be brought back in the Soyuz.

But the Soyuz was tiny and small (Tim visited the module reproduction on Earth and confirmed it was really tiny) and the astronaut wa able to only bring one tool which he augmented would be useful in case of an emergency in re-entry or afterwards in landing.
Months later an Astronaut brought the other Wave back  :gimme:

2- Can a person from outside the US work at Leatherman USA? (and some numbers and facts)

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Yes they can if they have a US work permit, otherwise they can work out of the US as distributor.
They have 400 plus workers on their 10000 square feet factory at Portland plus in between 450 and 600 foreign employees in distribution, warranty and marketing centers.+ all over the world, they seel in 70 different countries.

Since 1983 they have sold up to 70 million tools and today they produce and build an average of 800 tools daily   :o :o

3- Why the 25 year warranty? Why not lifetime or 10 years?

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Tim and his mate Steve saw the ads on the mail catalogs when they first started producing the tool:
"Pakistani Imitation Buck Knife for $3.95, Lifetime Warranty!" or "Hack Saw with Set of replaceable blades for $9.95, Lifetime Warranty!"

They felt it was abused and an overused term that tainted the true meaning of "Lifetime warranty "In relation to the quality and durability of the tool" so they decided to have a solid , long warranty with a big number of years (hence 25 :salute:) but that was different from the overused and now meaningless "Lifetime Warranty". The idea stood out in the catalogs so they kept it  :like:

4 - What is your personal favorite tool, Tim?

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He said he has a "Sentimental favorite" which is the PST because of all the work behind it and it was his first creature.  :dd:But his "Carry favorite" is the Charge Ti he carries since January the 10th 2008 (date he engraved on the tool) and the one he's used and carried almost every day since then, the same tool you have all folks seen that he uses to cut the nail and do his tests  :cheers: 

I can confirm that because in every pic and toru of him it's the tool with him and it was what he carried back in 2014 when I met him. Here's a pic I took of his carry gear when he had signed my tool   :whistle:  the Charge and bit extender and a flashlight (maglite?  :think:)



I can only imagine how the cutters will be by now after dozens of nails  :D

He also added that on rare occasions he carries the Rebar because it reminds him so much of the PST and is essentially his original design but with modern features

5 - Me and my son (he brought his son to the show  :D) are lefties, have you thought of us? Any tool for lefties?  :think:
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Tim:
"Well unfortunately I have made no specific left handed tools, bt there is an implement I was never given credit for by the left handed, on the PST.

The leather punch on the original PST was easy to open with the left hand, not so much with the right, it was an implement specifically aimed at left handed people and not a single left handed person has given me credit or recognition for that in these 35 years!!" (true words, that is what he said)  :rofl:

6 - Any plans on a book about all your tools, and the amazing number of PST variations  for the future? Us collectors would love an index and reference material about all your designs, and the PST variations specifically as they changed through LM's history  :salute:
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Tim:
No plans yet, it's been discussed previovusly but not so specifically (about the PST's minuscule details and differences through the years) but never say never  ::) and we'll talk about it at Management  ;)

7- What did you think it would become of Leatherman and your tool at the beginning?

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He just honestly wanted to bring a useful tool to the world to improve the life of every and any one, like it improved his own, but never conceived the dimension and growth that the company would reach in these three and a half decades.


8 - Not really a question but a gratitude message for your tools and what you've done
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Tim: you're welcome, it was a really tough 8 years when I started this all but nowadays I wouldn't take them back for nothing, they are my best memories.

Then Cho (his Wife) and Tim received a Rose (she) and a book (he) in accordance to the Catalan tradition of Sant Jordi (Saint George) which is based on a centuries old story about a dragon that killed villagers and the only way to stop it was sacrificing people from time to time by doing a random draw.

One day the Princess was chosen in the draw and brought to be sacrificed to the dragon to keep it at bay and save the people, and just when the dragon wa going to eat her Saint George appeared in his horse and speared the beast, killing it and saving the Princess. :cheers:

From the blood river of the dragon grew a bunch of blood red roses and the Princess gifted Saint George a book in gratitude for saving her and the village.  :o

Since then every April the 23rd (Saint George's day) we the Catalan men gift a rose to our wife, our fiancée or a girl we love or appreciate
and said girl gifts a book back to his wife, his loved one or his significant other   :tu:

Tim received a book about the traditional handworkers and hand-jobs that have been lost through the years in the Balear Islands due to the progress of technology and evolution of society, Cho's rose was a beautiful one

tomorrow I'll post other stuff, many pics and my personal experience the event, my signed tools and my own conversation with him, Cho and the staff there if anyone is interested  :salute:
My toys:

MTs: Surge (2x), Skeletool CX, Rebar, Blast, Fuse, Micra, Squirt (3x), Wave, Crunch, Mini, Spirit (2x), Pro Scout, MP700 (2x), Diesel, Powerlock, PowerPlier (2x), PocketPowerPlier, Blacktip , ST6 (2x), 5WR, A100

SAKs: Bantam, Executive, Ambassador, Minichamp, Classic Alox, Champion, Farmer, Explorer, Swisschamp, Golf Tool, Wenger Champ, EVO 52, Pocket Tool Chest


us Offline Poncho65

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Re: Tim Leatherman 35 Years Road Show
Reply #14 on: June 15, 2018, 02:01:42 AM
More great stuff Peacent :tu: :like: I am glad you took so much time to do this and TIm to do this with the tour :tu: :like:


au Offline Huntsman

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Re: Tim Leatherman 35 Years Road Show
Reply #15 on: June 15, 2018, 02:15:49 AM
This is great TP

Well done Tim and Leatherman for putting on this show

And big thanks to you for going, piccies  and writing up - really appreciate it

I am really looking forward to reading this properly at the weekend - At work now!!


us Offline chrono

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Re: Tim Leatherman 35 Years Road Show
Reply #16 on: June 15, 2018, 02:29:41 AM
Just a small correction that his wife's name is Chau (Châu in proper Vietnamese).  :tu:


us Offline Nix

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Re: Tim Leatherman 35 Years Road Show
Reply #17 on: June 15, 2018, 02:46:10 AM
Great write-up, El P!

 :like: :like: :like:

Thanks for taking the time to post up your observations of this event. Wish I could have been there!   :gimme:


us Offline LoopCutter

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Re: Tim Leatherman 35 Years Road Show
Reply #18 on: June 15, 2018, 03:22:23 AM
Great write up T P, I was hoping you were not prevented from attending.

I will read in more detail on Friday, but so far a great job.   Many thanks for taking the time to share your experience.
 :like: :like: :like:
PS: Did you get any strange looks photo bombing your PX in the snapshots with LM tools?  Neat touch! :whistle:
If I start and end the day above ground, it is a good day!

Hope yours is as good!

A SMART man always knows what to say!
   A WISE man knows whether or not to say it!!!


us Offline Aloha

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Re: Tim Leatherman 35 Years Road Show
Reply #19 on: June 15, 2018, 07:25:05 AM
Thank you TP for posting this.   :like:

Tim Leatherman, total class act. 
Esse Quam Videri


00 Offline Mechanickal

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Re: Tim Leatherman 35 Years Road Show
Reply #20 on: June 15, 2018, 12:33:03 PM
Cool write up!

However, it saddend me that LM didn't promote the tour any better.

I have no clue if they stopped close to me.
If they did, I have no clue what time/date.

I'm not a die-hard LM fan, but  interested none the less, yet I didn't see a single ad...
Not even on their FB page?

Nothing I hate more then wasted opportunities.


us Offline Poncho65

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Re: Tim Leatherman 35 Years Road Show
Reply #21 on: June 15, 2018, 02:25:08 PM
If not for the Vendor Rep telling me Tim was going to be at the Smoky Mountain Knife works a month after I was there, I would have never known either :ahhh I was waiting for it and saw maybe 1 thing about it on their page but nothing on LMs FB page :facepalm: So they do need to advertise more with things like this :salute: He is such a great person that they truly need to get it out so more people can meet him :cheers: :like:


es Offline ThePeacent

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Re: Tim Leatherman 35 Years Road Show
Reply #22 on: June 15, 2018, 02:39:08 PM
Just a small correction that his wife's name is Chau (Châu in proper Vietnamese).  :tu:

Apologies, Vietnamese is a completely unknown language to me and I went by pronunciation and how it sounded in my mind  :facepalm:


PS: Did you get any strange looks photo bombing your PX in the snapshots with LM tools?  Neat touch! :whistle:

I did get some looks from bystanders and a comment from the lady at the LM selling point, she said "that's a nice one, before working for Leatherman I only carried and knew about Swiss Army Knives   :rofl:"

However, it saddend me that LM didn't promote the tour any better.


yes they didn't promote it enough, I completely agree.  :salute:

I just knew about it because I received an email form them, they had my mail from when I asked for their warranty in 2014  :ahhh and I subscribed to their newsletter. Truth is I know many other people who missed this in my country, sad  :(  and I really don't get it given the company's magnitude and reputation

If not for the Vendor Rep telling me Tim was going to be at the Smoky Mountain Knife works a month after I was there, I would have never known either :ahhh He is such a great person that they truly need to get it out so more people can meet him :cheers: :like:

Yes he is a wonderful person and very down to earth, the money and success haven't clouded his head, nor his wife's.  :tu:

I stumbled upon him by accident too when I personally brought my tools for warranty repair and he happened to be there at the time planning his next event in Barcelona the next day, so it was totally by chance and I never knew he was going to come to my city  ???

To all those who I didn't quote, thank to you for keeping the enthusiasm and interest that has made this company grow and expand, resulting in this symbiotic relationship:  ::)
Leatherman giving us joy and satisfaction while we the customers give them our hard earned cash and passion to them  :cheers:

Later I'll add here my personal experience of yesterday's event and some other pics and info  ;)
My toys:

MTs: Surge (2x), Skeletool CX, Rebar, Blast, Fuse, Micra, Squirt (3x), Wave, Crunch, Mini, Spirit (2x), Pro Scout, MP700 (2x), Diesel, Powerlock, PowerPlier (2x), PocketPowerPlier, Blacktip , ST6 (2x), 5WR, A100

SAKs: Bantam, Executive, Ambassador, Minichamp, Classic Alox, Champion, Farmer, Explorer, Swisschamp, Golf Tool, Wenger Champ, EVO 52, Pocket Tool Chest


es Offline ThePeacent

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Re: Tim Leatherman 35 Years Road Show
Reply #23 on: June 15, 2018, 05:08:11 PM
Ok, folks, thanks for watching,  ;) now I'll put other info, pics and my experience in Spoilers so as to avoid cluttering and endless pages.
Cjapetrs will be:

1. Pictures of the event and cool stuff there
2. Catalog for this year and new products
3. Tim signing and my signing experience


1. Pics, because why not?! Some notes on some of them  :salute:
Show content


first time I could handle the Raptor!!  :D



Tim's signature Charge for the Heritage series in a cool wooden box  :ahhh  and my PX for the cheap shot  :D



my first time with a OHT, I brought my competitor's choice to compare the flicking action  :whistle:  you should've seen their faces with the Vic and the Gerber  :facepalm:





lots of people with "tacticool gear" and the bald man is Leatherman's Distribution Director in Spain, who I met in 2014  :tu:



FIAT that Tim drove in his trip in Europe in the 70s  :multi:



catering service was very polite, fast, good and tasty  :drool:  with some Catalan and Spanish traditional dishes (Croquetas, Fideuá...)



the draw winners, two PSTs Limited Editions and a trip to Portland, Oregon, and the 10 000 square feet LM factory  8)
My toys:

MTs: Surge (2x), Skeletool CX, Rebar, Blast, Fuse, Micra, Squirt (3x), Wave, Crunch, Mini, Spirit (2x), Pro Scout, MP700 (2x), Diesel, Powerlock, PowerPlier (2x), PocketPowerPlier, Blacktip , ST6 (2x), 5WR, A100

SAKs: Bantam, Executive, Ambassador, Minichamp, Classic Alox, Champion, Farmer, Explorer, Swisschamp, Golf Tool, Wenger Champ, EVO 52, Pocket Tool Chest


es Offline ThePeacent

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Re: Tim Leatherman 35 Years Road Show
Reply #24 on: June 15, 2018, 05:26:45 PM
2. This years' catalog is non-standard EU size (the other one I have is a DIN-A4 size I believe) and much more portable

Show content
Tim in his friend's (Steve) garage shop (well, his father's  :D) back in the 80's doing the first PSTs in the cover



First page:
I'll translate for you (my translation, take it for what it's worth  :D):



"They have to be perfect, my name is on each tool" - Tim Leatherman

"Tim Leatherman (born in Oregon, USA) graduated in Mechanical Engineering in the University of Oregon State. During a trip around Europe in 1974, Tim and his wife Chau had to face water leaks in their hotel's pipelines and field repairs while driving their old FIAT on many occasions. Tim realised he needed a multi-purpose tool based around a pair of pliers. "I carried a scouts pocket knife and used it for everything, from cutting bread to repairing the car. "How much would I have appreciated having a pair of pliers!".

When Tim returned to the US, he took his idea of a "multi-purpose tool", some sketches and drawings he made during his trip and put himself to work"

He is smiling with a PST in his hands on the other page  :D



cool logo with some of the most representative tools and an index



New for 2018, part 1



New for 2018, part 2



PST Heritage with specs (it comes with driver bits it seems... :think:)



this says: "included bits" and a list of different bit heads which apparently come with the PST Limited Edition



catalog that Tim signed for me (I brought a marker pen, and seeing that I was the only one with the idea and others asked for it I gave it to Tim to sign others' catalogs when mine was done  :angel:)



here with my signed tools, this makes it my second Leatherman catalog signed by Tim!  :ahhh
And they also gave you a pin with the PST at the entrance, which you can see here

If any of you wants more pics or info of the catalog just tell me  :tu:
My toys:

MTs: Surge (2x), Skeletool CX, Rebar, Blast, Fuse, Micra, Squirt (3x), Wave, Crunch, Mini, Spirit (2x), Pro Scout, MP700 (2x), Diesel, Powerlock, PowerPlier (2x), PocketPowerPlier, Blacktip , ST6 (2x), 5WR, A100

SAKs: Bantam, Executive, Ambassador, Minichamp, Classic Alox, Champion, Farmer, Explorer, Swisschamp, Golf Tool, Wenger Champ, EVO 52, Pocket Tool Chest


es Offline ThePeacent

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Re: Tim Leatherman 35 Years Road Show
Reply #25 on: June 15, 2018, 05:53:31 PM
3. Tim signed at least 250 tools that night  ::)
Show content
I rushed with my forum mate to the queue because I knew it would be a loooong way to Tim otherwise: we got the 4th and 5th places in the queue  :whistle:

There were people who brought suitcases and boxes full of tools (obviously there is always that kind of guy) but they said "limit of two tools per person" so I chose two special ones,



special because both were given to me by members of this forum, and one is discontinued since long ago (MINI!  :ahhh) and the other is already "signed" with the cool Multitool.org logo. They entered the event as seen above



And went through stress and pain under Tim's engraving tool  :D  The man above is the friend from the Spanish forums getting his Sideclip and Wingman engraved. What the bald man is holding is a Hybrid, and he had other weird Leatherman models



here is he signing my MINI!  :ahhh



my MINI now signed, and meeting the "Sharpening and Repairs" team. They were very quick and efficient and touched up anything you brought to them, some repairs I saw were really  :o  and they gave nice tips and counsel to avoid damage, wiggle, or other problems.  :tu:

the man that asked Tim the public question about left-handed tools  :) wanted to see if his Crater C33 could be swapped to be a lefty oriented design  :think:, but unfortunately their magic didn't reach those standards  :P



these are my two signed tools this year,  now part of the "Signed by Tim Team:ahhh :multi: below:



and my LM Wave blade with his signature




from the day he signed my Surge and Juice



I think that's all folks and hopefully I provided some entertainment  :drink:
If there is any question or favor I can do for you just tell me or write it here!

Have a nice weekend you all  :cheers:!

« Last Edit: June 15, 2018, 05:56:24 PM by ThePeacent »
My toys:

MTs: Surge (2x), Skeletool CX, Rebar, Blast, Fuse, Micra, Squirt (3x), Wave, Crunch, Mini, Spirit (2x), Pro Scout, MP700 (2x), Diesel, Powerlock, PowerPlier (2x), PocketPowerPlier, Blacktip , ST6 (2x), 5WR, A100

SAKs: Bantam, Executive, Ambassador, Minichamp, Classic Alox, Champion, Farmer, Explorer, Swisschamp, Golf Tool, Wenger Champ, EVO 52, Pocket Tool Chest


us Offline Nix

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Re: Tim Leatherman 35 Years Road Show
Reply #26 on: June 15, 2018, 07:47:39 PM
Thanks for sharing your experiences there.  :tu:

Looks like it was a lot of fun!   :like:


it Offline balvenie

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Re: Tim Leatherman 35 Years Road Show
Reply #27 on: June 15, 2018, 11:28:31 PM
Very very interesting... Than for sharing with all of us.
I have nothing against corkscrew, i'm Italian!!


pt Offline pfrsantos

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Re: Tim Leatherman 35 Years Road Show
Reply #28 on: August 10, 2018, 04:08:55 PM
Very very interesting... Than for sharing with all of us.

+1

:hatsoff: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:
________________________________
It is just a matter of time before they add the word “Syndrome” after my last name.

I don't have OCD, I have OCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ.

I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous.

Eff the ineffable, scrut the inscrutable.

IYCRTYSWTMTFOT



pt Offline pfrsantos

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Re: Tim Leatherman 35 Years Road Show
Reply #29 on: August 10, 2018, 04:09:52 PM
Did you mention the scissors spring problem in the Style PS? Or asked for them to bring the Mini back? Or at least for Tim to join MTo?

 :pok: :pok:
________________________________
It is just a matter of time before they add the word “Syndrome” after my last name.

I don't have OCD, I have OCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ.

I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous.

Eff the ineffable, scrut the inscrutable.

IYCRTYSWTMTFOT



 

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