I'm really posting this because I was tired of seeing the post from the spammer showing as the latest thread, and also I was bored.
So, I have a 1998 PST and I have a couple of these Chinese copies. I decided it might be interesting to do a side by side comparison. The tool compliment is almost identical. The primary difference is that the PST has a two sided file and the Chinese version has a serrated sheepsfoot blade instead. It may be hard to see in the picture, but there is a file section on the side (just the one side) of the serrated blade. The Leatherman obviously is a quality tool as one would expect, but I honestly like the Chinese copy better. Let me explain why. The Chinese copy feels a little more robust and I like the ruler markings on the side instead of on the outside of the handles. The plier head is the same length. Not quite as pointy as the Leatherman but it has a crimper. I have had occasion to crimp wires together so I appreciate that feature. The handles are just a touch wider than the Leatherman and just as well finished. There were no sharp edges or hot spots when squeezing hard on the handles of either tool. The knife blade on the Leatherman was sharp even though I received it used. The Chinese copies were typically dull even though I got them when new. The Leatherman awl might be sharper and narrower, but the Chinese copy's awl has an interesting taper to it that I think will actually make it easier to push through a tough material. Haven't tried either one though, so I can't say which is definitively better. The large flat blade on the Chinese copy is also a bottle opener where as you only have the one opener on the Leatherman and it does tend to pierce bottle tops when you're trying to pop them open. The can openers are pretty much the same and I don't like either of them anyway because neither opens a can as cleanly or efficiently as I'd like, but that's what SAKs are for. That's about it. I've owned the PST for just a couple of years and the Chinese copies since sometime in the early 1990's. They were premiums from a tobacco company so I got them for free. I have always had other tools so they never got used very much, but when I was in the mood for a light weight, basic tool that had way more utility than you might expect, one of the Chinese copies was easy to slip in a pocket and one of them lived in my truck glove compartment for nearly 20 years. I still tend to grab one of the Chinese copies before the PST and I enjoy using them.
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