For some reason I find myself drawn to owning a leatherman.

Therefore can someone recommend which one and the best (read lowest priced) place to buy one.

Cheers

Ash

Not much better but far more expensive than Gerbers.

Depends – with or without the big handlebar moustache? 😀

Drac are gerbers good? Not particularly drawn by the brand but more by the product.

Very good.

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/psa-gerber-multi-tool

Lowest price place to buy one? The States 😉

On a more serious note; in my experience, they don’t tend to be discounted too much, so i’d recommend getting one from one from Amazon, thus saving money on Tax… If i recall correctly, you can have it engraved if you buy direct from Leatherman.

Personally, i wouldn’t bother with the smaller ones; the “Wave” is always reckoned to be the best / most popular. Whichever one you buy, i don’t think you’ll ever NEED to buy another. I’ve had a “Crunch” for over a decade and it’s still as good as new, having been used most days at work. I’ve been trying to justify buying another for years… I love them.

Edit – Personally, i much prefer them over Gerbers. Your results may vary.

So as an entry level what would you recomend. Obviously drawn to the most expensive. Although can get the bear grylls one for 26 £ off amazon.

The Gerber suspension linked above.

I have the Leatherman Charge Ti and Gerber Suspension from the link that Drac posted. The Leatherman is in a different league to the Gerber but then so is the price. I wouldn’t expect the Gerber to let me down but the Leatherman feels like a well thought out tool and each of the functions work perfectly. The Gerber is still very good and if I hadn’t used the Leatherman before then I would have no fault with it.
The Gerber Suspension at £20 as it is now is an absolute bargain compared to the Leatherman Charge and you won’t be disappointed.

Cheers gentlemen I will get one on order!

I can’t argue with the price of that Gerber…

Is the Wave worth 4-times the price? Perhaps not. But it’s still the one i’d buy!

My recommendation. 25 year warranty, too!

Never liked the idea of a multi tool like these. Then in 2000 I was given a Leatherman Wave as a present and I now feel bereft when I don’t have it to hand. Most used parts are the small screwdriver, serated blade and then pliers. Never had any fault or complaint. Get one! No idea where from though.

Now I am 40 I can get away with having such a hand tool on my pocket. Just ordered from link above, now all I need is my mobile phone in a handy wee bag that clips to my belt loops and I am complete.

I got a Leatherman Rebar. Chunky old-school looks and only has tools that I actually use, nothing obscure. Comes in black which makes you look hard.
Price isn’t that big a deal since you’ll only ever buy one.

i would never have paid the prices for a leatherman, but was given one as a gift about a decade ago.
it sees regular use, and still looks and performs like new.
had to sharpen the knife blade a couple of years ago but thats all.
my dad has been using his (at work, hes a sailmaker)for a good while before i got mine, he still has it, and its like new too.
my verdict= pricey, but work out cheap because they last.

I have a Leatherman Surge, which has seen a lot of action around the world and has stood up rather well. It could do with going in for a service, but I’ve never gotten round to posting it off.

I used to have a Victorinox swisstool which was even better, but I forgot to check it before a flight so it got binned at security 🙁

Leatherman engineering & quality is vastly superior to Gerber IMO. Yes, the current discounts on Amazon make them a bargain (I got a suspension) but to say they’re on par with a Leatherman would lead me to believe you haven’t used a Leatherman much. You definitely get what you pay for. As to which one to go for, just think about which tools you’re likely to need. In my saddle pack I have a smallish one with just pliers, wirecutter & knife (to be used alongside normal multitool). In the toolbox at home I have a bigger one with more tools available. Remember the more tools they have, the bigger & heavier and potentially more cumbersome to use they are.

Leatherman Wave, recieved as a gift, but now that I’ve owned one I’d recommend one to anybody. I’d begrudge paying any more than £100 though, because I’ve seen them available for that a few times.

Another vote for Gerber. Mines been excellent

i sell a range of gerbers at work, and the leatherman wave
we probably get about 60% of suspensions returned broken, i assume the rest get lost, they’re are fudge, the diesel and flik are better
but the wave is the best by far, its quality you can feel as well, we sell them for £94.95

My leatherman wave has gone rusty in my camelbak 🙁 I don’t leave it in a wet state so not impressed

I’ve a couple of leathermen. A normal sized one and a micra. Both were free, courtesy of a friend who works in airport security. Seems people think the can carry them onto planes in their pockets. It must be this mentality that causes them not to bother collecting them on the inward journey too. He has given away loads of them to mates and has quite a collection himself.

Had a Leatherman Wave for over a decade, brilliant bit of kit and pliers and other tools have got me out of a few scrapes on the trails.

I lost my original case and went to buy a replacement, never type in “Leather man” on the internet!!!!!!

I’ve somehow ended up with a leatherman, a gerber and a victorinox, if you don’t mind the weight the victorinox blows the others away.

The main thing I like about the leathermans is they don’t have a locking blade, good idea in this day and age of police jumping up and down…

If anyone wants a leatherman kick for £25 delivered, nearly new but I cant find the box then let me know.

My Wave has locking blades.

Awesome tool though – well worth the money IMHO.

The main thing I like about the leathermans is they don’t have a locking blade

mine does

Ok so some of the leathermans don’t…

Leatherman engineering & quality is vastly superior to Gerber IMO. Yes, the current discounts on Amazon make them a bargain (I got a suspension) but to say they’re on par with a Leatherman would lead me to believe you haven’t used a Leatherman much.

I’ve used several of each brand in anger over the last 17 years. Different models have different strengths and weaknesses. The only ones I broke were Leatherman brand.

Gerber Suspension is a perfectly good tool… If you’re using it a lot, then Leatherman of some sort, I like the Wave but it’s personal taste. Leatherman works that little bit better but also lasts better IME.

Mine is just a toy now really so if I was buying another I’d get a Suspension.

I think a suspension would be a good start, as an entry point into multitoolworld.

£20 if I dont use it not too much of a waste whereas £50+ on a leatherman and not using it is a waste.

When in the RAF, the Gerber was our engineers “belt tool” of choice. Not as slick/chromed as a leatherman, but a very good working tool.

Leatherman charge tti here… brilliant. The waranty is solid too. I recently snapped my 8 year old charge Ti and the tti was sent free as a replacement. now have the blade sharp enough to shave. Leatherman seam to have improved the temper of their steel, as previously I prefered my swiss champ.

Have a look at lighthound.com or another USA site.

I bought my Charge tti from America via fleabay a few years ago and even with tax worked out way cheaper – not sure if that’s still the case though.

It’s a lovely well made piece of kit too. I’ve driven over it with one wheel of a 2.5t pick-up and it was unmarked.

I used to use these things daily and they had a very rough life. The leathermans lasted a lot longer, we’d often see the gerbers in pieces but some of the lads liked them for the one handed opening. Got any mates in the forces? Much cheapness from the PX.
The gerber knives are pretty good though. I’ve still got one I’ve had for 12 years.

I have got a mate in the forces. What do you mean on the px.

Im still stuck between the two to be honest.

PX is the American version of the Naafi. If s/he’s going anywhere there’s likely to be one, they’re normally 1/4 of the UK price. I think I paid $15 for my gerber knife.
I have a LM wave BTW. It refuses to die.

Long time Leatherman user here, an old PST that is still going strong, but mostly now made redundant by the Charge Ti. Micra on my key ring (along with a Fenix LD01) gets used the most, daily. Have just ordered two of the Gerber Suspensions for 20 quid each. One for me to try or stick in the van as a backup and one for a gift.

I had a Gerber over Leatherman due to the broader pliers and ability to lock down the tools when in use. My only gripe with it is the edges of the handle are actually quite sharp if you are using the tool in anger ie screwdriver on tight screws.
I am also impressed with Gerbers repair/warranty dept as I treated the now ex son in law to a gerber when he passed through basic army training.He snapped the blade having severly dulled it using it inappropriately in Afghanistan. They did it quick turn around for free on his leave!!
Every man needs a multitool.

I think I will try the gerber and if I use it well enough I can always upgrade, or I might be pleasantly surprised by the quality.