LM Skeletool , my thoughts

[Dunc]

When I first saw the Skeletool it was allot smaller then I had thought it was going to be. I spent a good few minutes looking for all the features until I realised there weren't very many. This is what put me off straight away.
   Due to its size I immediately compared it to a Victorinox Spirit which is packed with tools and features. I even started a thread about it here  http://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,6157.0.html      .
     There seemed allot of people defending the Skeletool so I thought I would give it another look and test it out while I'm on holiday .There’s no denying its lightweight and clipped to the inside of my pocket I didn't notice it was there .The pliers open with a nice positive click that would even make a Swisstool raise an eyebrow and look over in its direction .The pliers are quite small and thin and its obvious they are not designed for heavy duty use .They are however very good for detail/fiddly work and combined with the LM bit holder I imagine model makers will welcome this tool with open arms .The bottle opener works very well as does the combined carabineer clip .Although I'm not a huge fan of LM's bit holder it fits in very well on this tool .
   My favourite feature of this tool is the knife blade, what a lovely shape, great for slicing and chopping. I like the way it sweeps up at the tip .The factory grind on this one was very good and a couple of strokes on the sharpmaker had it shaving hair.
   One concern was the grating noise that could be heard and felt through the blade when opening and closing .On closer inspection this turned out to be the raised blade stop on the lock bar rubbing on the blade. After cycling the blade many times the blade stop had worn away a fair bit and although the action isn’t smooth its better .The other problem was the pocket clip came loose. I bought a No.8bit and that solved the loose clip, only time will tell if it stays tight. I also managed to solve the loose spare bit problem easily but will talk about this in another thread.
    Besides the problem with the lockbar the build quality is the best I’ve seen from Leatherman to date, fit and finish is top notch.

   Looking like it fell off the Terminator the Skeletool is like nothing we’ve seen from Leatherman before .I can’t help thinking they should have used this for Bionic Lobster instead of the Wave.
   It’s going to be interesting to see if LM stays with this design and if they do what will they come up with next.


Time for pics , one or two of these may appear else where on this forum .













































Dunc

[MultiMat]

Nice one Dunc, again great pics too. I have said it before but I will say it again , it would be cool to have a up sized skeletool a " Super Skeley ".

[DaveK]

Nice review Dunc, and fair play to you for giving it another chance!

I think comparison to the Spirit (or in fact the Wave, Charge etc) the Skeletool is going to come up short. To my mind, gaging it on its own merits is the best way to go, because it is (so far) unique.

I think your thoughts about it are probably similar to mine. It excels at being a lightweight, limited use EDC, but some people may want a bit more in their pocket most of the time.

Great review and pics as always Dunc 

[Leatherman123]

Nice job, Dunc! 

[J-sews]

Nice words and great pictures Dunc!




Saaaaaay, since when are Leathermans and Vics allowed to intermingle in the same photo?

(Image removed from quote.)

[Dunc]

Thanks for the kind words everyone 

Heres a little update as I have been back from my hols for about two weeks now . I've just taken two photos of the raised blade stop on the lock bar so you can see just how much its worn down . Theres no sand or grit to help it and its oiled too . I had to slightly tighten the blade so its kept retained .





Dunc

[DaveK]

There's been a few comments about the blade stops on both this and the CX version hasn't there?

It doesn't seem to be all of them (I've handled maybe 10 of these from new, and none had a problem), so I wonder if it's a quality issue, rather than a design flaw. It's well documented how they struggled to keep up with demand after release, so maybe the usual QC was skipped a bit. Shame really.

I think I recall someone saying that they had seen a prototype that used a ball-bearing for this - I wonder if that worked better, and whether it was ditched for cost?

[Anthony]

Great review

I noticed the detent starting to wear down on my CX...the blade opens and closes pretty smoothly now when at first it was horribly tough.  

Can't wait to hear what you did to keep the spare bit in place...mine doesn't fall out, but even a short drop onto a carpeted floor sends the bit flying  

EDIT:
Some ideas I had were wrap a thin layer of tape around the bit, or slightly bend in the opening of the compartment where it goes..

[NeitherExtreme]

Nice pics and review Dunc.

But that detent sure doesn't look right, does it.

[cncguy]

Nice review and pics, Dunc

I'm waiting for my skeletool cx to arrive so i can try it for my main EDC tool. I'm using a Kick now mainly because I like the light weight and pocket clip. I'm hoping the skeletool will suit me better as it has all the tools the Kick has but is thinner and lighter still. And has a much better knife.  I've been hearing a lot of complaints that the spare bit keeps falling out so I'm a little worried....

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Great review and pictures matey

Still don't want one though

[J-sews]

Great review and pictures matey

Still don't want one though

Holding out for the Freestyle are you Mike?

[Poncho65]

  Great review Dunc

Glad your getting on with the Skeletool

and great pics as usual

Great review and pictures matey

Still don't want one though

Holding out for the Freestyle are you Mike?

 

[Dunc]

One thing I have noticed is that although the blade stop has worn down is getting alot smoother so perhaps it will settle down at a certain point . Remember we can always send them back for repair .

If your worried about the spare bit holder being loose I will start writing a thread about it now  and will post it in the LM forum . Give me half an hour or so 


Dunc

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

Great review and pictures matey

Still don't want one though

Holding out for the Freestyle are you Mike?

Erm, no

[EZ822]

Nice job Dunc

[Sea Monster]

Ooo, Dunc is in love.



I'm a bit surprised to hear you rave on the fit and finish.


Would you think it is Blade-centric enough to replace a dedicated folder in someone's kit?

[Dunc]

Ooo, Dunc is in love.



I'm a bit surprised to hear you rave on the fit and finish.


Would you think it is Blade-centric enough to replace a dedicated folder in someone's kit?

Depends if that person carries a Sebenza or not 

But seriously I have EDC'd it and its fine but its not my first choice being honest . I always have a knife and a multitool . I will never just carry one , simply because if it got lost then you would have nothing or if one blade gets blunt you still have another .


Dunc

[Sea Monster]

Depends if that person carries a Sebenza or not  Tongue

But seriously I have EDC'd it and its fine but its not my first choice being honest . I always have a knife and a multitool . I will never just carry one , simply because if it got lost then you would have nothing or if one blade gets blunt you still have another .

Where's the squinty smiley...

So if you had your trusty Supertool on you, would you consider having the Skeletool as your folder?

Maybe I should just buy one

[Dunc]

Depends if that person carries a Sebenza or not  Tongue

But seriously I have EDC'd it and its fine but its not my first choice being honest . I always have a knife and a multitool . I will never just carry one , simply because if it got lost then you would have nothing or if one blade gets blunt you still have another .

Where's the squinty smiley...

So if you had your trusty Supertool on you, would you consider having the Skeletool as your folder?

Maybe I should just buy one

No , If I had my Supertool on me then I wouldnt have the Skeletool but I would have a Seperate folder .

Yes get one , if you dont you will always wonder about them .Its for someone who wants to carry light , just the basics in one tool . Although I like the tool I cant see it getting too much EDC as I carry loads and the weight doesnt bother me .

dunc

Dunc

[Sea Monster]

Yes get one

Before or after I get a Spirit? 

[Freudian Frog]

After, like me! I just bought mine for $38. =D

[Dunc]

Yes get one

Before or after I get a Spirit? 

After , you have to get your prioritise right 

Dunc                                               

[Freudian Frog]

Yes get one

Before or after I get a Spirit? 

After , you have to get your prioritise right 

Dunc                                               

Thass righ, Dunce!

[Dunc]

Yes get one

Before or after I get a Spirit? 

After , you have to get your prioritise right 

Dunc                                               

Thass righ, Dunce!

  it was a good night

Dunc

[Freudian Frog]

Yes get one

Before or after I get a Spirit? 

After , you have to get your prioritise right 

Dunc                                               

Thass righ, Dunce!

  it was a good night

Dunc

Odd thing is, at the time of posting I hadn't even noticed your horrible hate crimes against the english language...

I was just slurring my words as I would on my own for fun. But I guess it all works out.

[getpower]

I have to say that I am on the same boat as you.

Back in february I bought a Skeletool and as soon as I opened the box I was not impressed. I ended up trading it for a Swisstool.

This isnt to say that I wont get another one. For some reason, now I have been lately intrigued by them and I may get a CX version.