Who has the most complete collection of Leatherman tools?

[gerleatherberman]

I hope to have a sizable LM collection one day. I have been inspired by many here (particularly Chako) in my collecting and have made several decisions based on what I've been told.

I think I do pretty well for a guy making $1.4k/month.

[gregozedobe]

I hope to have a sizable LM collection one day. I have been inspired by many here (particularly Chako) in my collecting and have made several decisions based on what I've been told.

I think I do pretty well for a guy making $1.4k/month.

All collectors had to start somewhere.  My advice to collectors starting out is to take things slowly until you have a good handle on how rare a particular item is and also what prices things usually fetch. Refining your searches and being persistent also helps a lot.

I know I over-paid on a few less common MTs when I first started because I was enthusiastic and didn't know whether I'd ever see another one for sale.  For many that I considered rare it was surprising how after a year (or two, or three, or more ) I would come across more examples for sale, and often just after I bought one I would find another one in better condition for a lower price. 

Of course for prototypes and genuine one-offs (eg pre-production tools) it comes down to how badly you want it and can you afford to pay the asking price, as you may never see another one. 

Another consideration for rarer MTs is that rarity alone doesn't mean it will fetch a higher price, more significant is how many other collectors want that particular tool and how deep are their pockets.

The final issue is to not spend more than you can afford - it isn't a good idea to cause yourself financial problems chasing a hobby.  IMO family, food & shelter should always take priority over collecting.

[Chako]

Words of wisdom. 

Mind you, for me, I didn't really care if an item was rare...if I didn't have it, I would try to acquire it...within reason of course. Because of that, I make no distinction based on rarity. I  just tried to get one of everything if I could.

[Aloha]

Great advice Greg. 

[Grant Lamontagne]

Here is the Z-REX. The final product is the one on the top. There are plenty of Z-REX prototypes floating around...some are rather more crude than the one I have. I might be mistaken, but I believe this one was the version prior to the final product...but I could be totally wrong on that. For all I know, this might just be production series 1 and series 2, and not a prototype. Maybe someone on here could fill me in on that.

Crude Z-Rex prototype?  You mean like the original T-Rex? 



This is where the idea started- it was originally someone looking at the sheet of metal after Skeletool blades were cut out of it and thinking "we could make those into rescue cutters!"  You can sort of see the tip of the Skeletool blade shape in the V cutter.



Then the other goodies were added- the 1/4" bit driving wrench, the O2 bottle opener (because everyone carries an O2 bottle, right?) the glass breaker, bottle opener etc.  You know, all the classic One Piece Tool functions.



Of course the design changed significantly between this and the Z-Rex, a name that was chosen because of the Z shape of the reversible blade, something they had to do because the T-Rex name was already trademarked.



It also makes sense, as these types of blades are notoriously hard to sharper, so a reversible/replaceable blade makes perfect sense.

Def

[gerleatherberman]

I hope to have a sizable LM collection one day. I have been inspired by many here (particularly Chako) in my collecting and have made several decisions based on what I've been told.

I think I do pretty well for a guy making $1.4k/month.

All collectors had to start somewhere.  My advice to collectors starting out is to take things slowly until you have a good handle on how rare a particular item is and also what prices things usually fetch. Refining your searches and being persistent also helps a lot.

I know I over-paid on a few less common MTs when I first started because I was enthusiastic and didn't know whether I'd ever see another one for sale.  For many that I considered rare it was surprising how after a year (or two, or three, or more ) I would come across more examples for sale, and often just after I bought one I would find another one in better condition for a lower price. 

Of course for prototypes and genuine one-offs (eg pre-production tools) it comes down to how badly you want it and can you afford to pay the asking price, as you may never see another one. 

Another consideration for rarer MTs is that rarity alone doesn't mean it will fetch a higher price, more significant is how many other collectors want that particular tool and how deep are their pockets.

The final issue is to not spend more than you can afford - it isn't a good idea to cause yourself financial problems chasing a hobby.  IMO family, food & shelter should always take priority over collecting.

Thank you for the excellent advice, Gregozedobe!

I am slowly approaching the top-ten on amount of MTs vs. Variety(eight different brands are in the mix now + C&C tools) And it is getting hard to manage, to be honest. But, I've got several collections I try to maintain in parallel(watches, radios, cameras, etc.). I respect you guys that have such vast & complete collections of MTs. I am learning that it is a LOT of work. You guys are an inspiration.

[Chako]

Very nice Def. I haven't seen that one before.

Any Bear & Son?