In praise of the Leatherman Super Tool 300.

[powernoodle]

The Super Tool 300 has been in production since September, 2009, and the passage of time tends to push fine multitools like the ST300 - along with fine cars, movies and women - into our collective past.

But let me tell you something - the ST300 is still a great multitool that competes favorably with the best multitools of 2024.

What's so good about ST300?  Let's think about it.

For one, the ST300 is a large, heavy duty multitool with simple, old school, dare I set retro design elements and engineering.  The inside-opening tools are simply nested, with no hunting and flipping the multitool back and forth to find what you are looking for.  The locking mechanism is simple, easy to use and robust, being the culmination of the Super Tool, ST200 and Core bloodline.  As someone approaching retirement age, I appreciate the simplicity and utility of the past.  It works and its comfortable.  The ST300 has no neodymium magnets or DLC coated, Rodeo Drive blade steel because, well, it doesn't need them.  It doesn't exist to impress as a spendy piece of pocket jewelry.  Its exists to turn bolts and screws, cut carpet, saw branches and grab things.

And speaking of spendy, in an age where inflation and other factors are driving multitool prices to absurd highs, you can still buy the ST300, in stainless or black oxide finish, with a quality sheath, for a quite reasonable, dare I say retro $99.95 shipped.  That's somewhat mind-bending.  Its as if the marketing folks at Leatherman forget to raise the MSRP to $149.95.

Each to his or her own, but in my view the Super Tool 300 competes favorably with the $229.95 Leatherman ARC.  I cannot tell the difference between the blade steels, and actually prefer the old school deployment of the ST300 tools over (for me, anyway) the ARC's awkward, magnetic deployment.  The ARC loses the ST300's awesome, long shank phillips driver - maybe my favorite tool on any MT - giving you instead a stubby 2-dimensional pseudo phillips.  Gone on the ARC is the ST300's serrated blade, which I find more useful than the scissor and eye glasses driver the ARC gives you. [I'm a scissor snob and only use Victorinox scissors].  You get 3 sizes of flat drivers on the ST300 - the largest serving as a medium duty pry tool - and 1 on the ARC.  Were they priced equally, I would have a hard time choosing between them.  The outside-open main blade on the ARC is nice.  But is it worth a $129 upcharge?  Not for me.

Don't get me wrong.  I bought a used ARC, and would be muchly happy to win this month's donation giveaway ARC.  Its a solid multitool no doubt.  And all of the cool kids say its the future of MTs.  I'm just advocating the idea that the sleeper Super Tool 300 competes with it on more or less equal footing, and at 43% of the cost.

The winds of change are blowing through the multitool industry, and we have seen many trusted friends vanish.  Think about the Leatherman PST, Blast, Core, Crunch, Juice, PS4, OHT and others.  Friends, I mean multitools, we thought would live on forever.  I can envision the Super Tool 300 disappearing from the Leatherman website some day without notice (sadly, that's how they do things at Leatherman), or seeing the MSRP jump up by 50%.  Either way, now is the time to buy a Super Tool 300 at $99.95 - or better yet, one stainless and one black oxide.  Someday you may thank me.


 

[IMR4198]

Blade HQ keeps saying the ST300 is discontinued and out of stock.  Best wishes.  G
 

[0880]

I can see the appeal of a multitool that doesn't have any pieces or parts that can separate. And this tool is nicely robust and looks the part.

Sent from my GS23 Ultra using Tapatalk

[SteveC]

(Image removed from quote.)

The Super Tool 300 has been in production since September, 2009, and the passage of time tends to push fine multitools like the ST300 - along with fine cars, movies and women - into our collective past.

But let me tell you something - the ST300 is still a great multitool that competes favorably with the best multitools of 2024.

What's so good about ST300?  Let's think about it.

For one, the ST300 is a large, heavy duty multitool with simple, old school, dare I set retro design elements and engineering.  The inside-opening tools are simply nested, with no hunting and flipping the multitool back and forth to find what you are looking for.  The locking mechanism is simple, easy to use and robust, being the culmination of the Super Tool, ST200 and Core bloodline.  As someone approaching retirement age, I appreciate the simplicity and utility of the past.  It works and its comfortable.  The ST300 has no neodymium magnets or DLC coated, Rodeo Drive blade steel because, well, it doesn't need them.  It doesn't exist to impress as a spendy piece of pocket jewelry.  Its exists to turn bolts and screws, cut carpet, saw branches and grab things.

And speaking of spendy, in an age where inflation and other factors are driving multitool prices to absurd highs, you can still buy the ST300, in stainless or black oxide finish, with a quality sheath, for a quite reasonable, dare I say retro $99.95 shipped.  That's somewhat mind-bending.  Its as if the marketing folks at Leatherman forget to raise the MSRP to $149.95.

Each to his or her own, but in my view the Super Tool 300 competes favorably with the $229.95 Leatherman ARC.  I cannot tell the difference between the blade steels, and actually prefer the old school deployment of the ST300 tools over (for me, anyway) the ARC's awkward, magnetic deployment.  The ARC loses the ST300's awesome, long shank phillips driver - maybe my favorite tool on any MT - giving you instead a stubby 2-dimensional pseudo phillips.  Gone on the ARC is the ST300's serrated blade, which I find more useful than the scissor and eye glasses driver the ARC gives you. [I'm a scissor snob and only use Victorinox scissors].  You get 3 sizes of flat drivers on the ST300 - the largest serving as a medium duty pry tool - and 1 on the ARC.  Were they priced equally, I would have a hard time choosing between them.  The outside-open main blade on the ARC is nice.  But is it worth a $129 upcharge?  Not for me.

Don't get me wrong.  I bought a used ARC, and would be muchly happy to win this month's donation giveaway ARC.  Its a solid multitool no doubt.  And all of the cool kids say its the future of MTs.  I'm just advocating the idea that the sleeper Super Tool 300 competes with it on more or less equal footing, and at 43% of the cost.

The winds of change are blowing through the multitool industry, and we have seen many trusted friends vanish.  Think about the Leatherman PST, Blast, Core, Crunch, Juice, PS4, OHT and others.  Friends, I mean multitools, we thought would live on forever.  I can envision the Super Tool 300 disappearing from the Leatherman website some day without notice (sadly, that's how they do things at Leatherman), or seeing the MSRP jump up by 50%.  Either way, now is the time to buy a Super Tool 300 at $99.95 - or better yet, one stainless and one black oxide.  Someday you may thank me.


 

 

The Rebar and the ST300 are my go to Leatherman's for work   

[powernoodle]

[powernoodle]

Blade HQ keeps saying the ST300 is discontinued and out of stock. 

Blade HQ has the BO version available, and both flavors are available on Amazon, knifecenter.com and leatherman.com.  So who knows.   

Hoard them now!   

[Alan K.]

The ST 300 is the tool I add to my belt when there is a hurricane or tropical storm on the way, and it stays on my belt for the duration. I'd hate to see it discontinued.

[genevabuck]

The ST 300 is the tool I add to my belt when there is a hurricane or tropical storm on the way, and it stays on my belt for the duration. I'd hate to see it discontinued.

Same here. Well, unless there is a ST400 with outside opening tools on the way.

[LoopCutter]

Spot on message POWERNOODLE!

The ST300 is actually my FIRST MT that actually was bought for my work and it saw a good deal of action daily in my construction job installing and maintaining Parking Structures and AWL Equipment associated.  Car parks in the European countries.

I found it at Lowe’s, marked for 1/2 price, paid just shy of $40 with tax.

It never failed me and that SS model looks almost the same as the first day.  I also have BO model that came my way even for less $, actually free, found in an old discarded locker in storage in the maintenance garage at the YMCA.  A PT gig after retiring from full time.

I do not expect the ST300 is going anywheres in LM lineup. An email last month list the top 10 LM MTs.

The ST300 was listed as BEST LARGE LM MT.  The Surge not even listed. 🤪

And, it’s little copy the REBAR, was list as BEST MT for the home DIY er.

[Farmer X]

Well, smurf. If they're gonna be discontinued, I'll have to make getting one a higher priority.

Great write-up, powernoodle!

[Vadim]

Thank you powernoodle!
For me, the Super Tool 300 is the best heavy duty multitool.
My FREE P4 was returned and now ... I want another ST300. 

[SteveC]

(Image removed from quote.)

[powernoodle]

[LoopCutter]

ST3 and coffee.

Always in the game.
  [ You are not allowed to view this attachment ]  

[Poncho65]

Great thread about the ST300

I pre-ordered one when they came out in 2009 and carried it daily until the Rebar came out in 2012 I mostly carried the Rebar for about 4 years or more daily but still carried the ST300 quite often as well Just an all around great tool

[Vadim]

The ST300 and Micra complement each other very well.

[LoopCutter]

My two ST300s posed for a picture.
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The SS has 0115 stamped in both handles, bought new at Lowe’s that year or 2016.

The BO has 0314/0514  stamped in the handles. This was found at the Y’s maintenance garage when I was repurposing a section of old lockers for a youth room and was clearing the contents. Turned in and then given back as supervisor said I was had a better appreciation for the gadget than others. 😆

[Farmer X]

 

[genevabuck]

The ST300 and Micra complement each other very well.

(Image removed from quote.)

Phenomenal pic

[styx]

it has been my main edc for the better part of the year. can't complain about it all and you're right it does have an old school appeal

[BPRoberts]

The ST300 is my favorite "toolbox replacement" multitool. It's a little big for me for EDC (though its little brother the Rebar does nicely) but I've done many a job with it on my hip rather than going back to the toolbox.

[MrToolJunkie]

Powernoodle is an enabler...now I just have to have a Supertool! I do enjoy my Rebar...and think it has the perfect toolset for my needs. I too rely on a companion knife for scissors and other implements not included or as refined as in the Rebar. I have long held my Surge as king, but agree that having full drivers and not the soft flat bits is an advantage and using the little bit extender gives easy access to every possible 1/4 inch bit.

[powernoodle]

Powernoodle is an enabler

   

[powernoodle]

A wounded warrior from a few years ago.

[Poncho65]

Never had a ST300 break but I had 2 separate Cores do that very thing

[Vadim]

Phenomenal pic

Thank you! 

[powernoodle]

Never had a ST300 break but I had 2 separate Cores do that very thing

That's what happens when the user has too much thumb strength.   


Leatherman Core.

[Poncho65]

 

[JonesE]

A wounded warrior from a few years ago.

Let me know if you need a replacement lock. I have a couple spare black oxide ones if you should need one and don’t care about color. You could sand off the black oxide if it pings your OCD. Just send me a PM if interested.

Great thread. The ST300 is my favorite Multitool. Very robust, relatively easy to mod and replace broken parts.

JonesE

[powernoodle]

Thank you.  I sent that one back to Timmy Leatherman, and he sent me a used ST300.  But thank you.