GearFlogger

Leatherman Skeletool Multitool

Some marketing exec at Leatherman is sitting around one Saturday morning, probably stoned, watching Masters of the Universe and eating a third El Capitan-sized bowl of Crunchberries. Because stoned, because Colorado because legal now. "Skeletor," s/he thinks after watching the evil villain be defeated by yet another dumb do-gooder trick, "is a Skeletool!" Hmm, s/he thinks, I could use that...

Luckily the product engineers are sober (ish) and able to convert, and the result is the best backcountry multitool available. It's light at 4.9oz, and it's efficient, with just what you need: blade, needlenose/regular pliers, wire cutters, four double-sided bits (Phillips #1 and #2, flathead 3/16 in. and 1/4 in.), removable pocket clip and wiregate 'biner clip that doubles as a bottle-opener. A $12.95 bit kit available separately gives you a chromosome's worth more double bits (40 total) including Pozi #1 and #2.

The feature set is impeccable, the quality typical Leatherman high-bar, and the usability great with an adjustable. The fine blade is a versatile drop-point with a thumb-hole for one-hand opening. The CX version costs a worthwhile $20 more over the full stainless version and adds four things: a scratch-resistant coating (nice), a 154CM blade (very nice), a piece of carbon fiber in the handle (um, OK, subtract 1 gram in weight - no, I'm not kidding) and a serrated bottom half of the blade (best for cutting cord and webbing). Kudos to Leatherman, this is the perfect backcountry companion.

$89.95 at REI

Leatherman MUT Multitool

Leatherman is an iconic American company at this point, but they don't rest on their laurels. A sweet piece of innovation that benefits our men and women in harm's way is their MUT, a multitool with features specific to maintaining and repairing firearms.

The MUT is a little beast of a tool, weighing in at an even thirteen ounces with the enclosed MOLLE sheath. Along with the usual assortment of blades, pliers, and drivers are some more exotic and interesting tools: wire cutters, electrical crimpers, a hammer (yes!) and a replaceable cutting hook.

When it comes time to work on your bang stick, there's a bolt override tool, cleaning rod/brush adapter, punch and carbon scraper. Feel the need to solve your problems with high explosive? No worries, there is an EOD version as well with extra features for working with blasting caps.

The MUT is useful not only for soldiers and law enforcement, but for anyone needing to operate a firearm in the backcountry. If you've ever had to depend on your rifle, shotgun or handgun for food and safety while far afield, you'll appreciate the extra margin of independence provided by the MUT.

$149.85 at Amazon

Leatherman Charge AL multitool

Multitools! Gaaaahhhhh, so shiny! Avert your eyes if you are prone to shiny-shiny syndrome. The Leatherman Charge AL is a beefy chunk of one-fisted love for those of you who like to abuse your tool. You know who you are. Get help.

The 6061 T6 aluminum alloy handles are tough enough to take what you got. Weighing in at a solid 8.6 ounces the Charge AL is a thick little tank engine that is designed to be squeezed and squeezed hard, so if you're using the pliers a lot this is the tool for you.

Beyond pliers the Charge AL has a serious 154CM stainless steel blade and a separate serrated knife to boot. There are almost too many doodads to list. Almost! How about needlenose pliers, regular pliers, wire cutters and strippers, hard-wire cutters, saw, scissors, wood/metal file, diamond-coated file, large and small bit drivers with 8 double-end bits, 8-inch ruler, fixed and quick-release lanyard rings, removable pocket clip and last but not least a can and bottle opener. Oh, and you can put it in a sock and use it as a prison sap. Just in case, right?

Seriously, if you are looking for an end-of-the-world zombie-scenario multitool that's still relatively pocketable, check out the Leatherman Charge AL.

$100.49 at Amazon

Leatherman Style CS multitool

We absolutely love the Leatherman Skeletool, so we were stoked to hear about a mini-Skeletool. Along comes the Style CS, and imagine our disappointment. We were expecting a tool that could complement the Skeletool with scissors and such, but what we got was a purse tool. In fairness, it's listed on the Leatherman site as a keychain tool, but dammit, it looks like a Skeletool! My brain asplode!

So here's the thing: the tiny 3-inch long Leatherman Style CS is a keychain multitool, and for around-town use it works just fine, although why you would want a terminator-styled keychain tool for townie use is beyond us. A Swiss Army knife style would take up less space., and Leatherman does have other offerings that do a better job.

The spring-loaded scissors work great, the inch-and-a-half knife is fine for small cutting, the nail file is very skinny and barely adequate and the tweezers are almost useless: way too flexible. The bottle opener is just big enough to work if you pay attention, and the screwdriver is a tapered flat head that will work in most Phillips slots as well. Just don't expect it to crank with any power, it's just too small. The carabiner clip will not fit around a full-size or even some compact biners or webbing, although it will work on cord and those skinny keychain biners. So... an adequate keychain design, if you really want the scissors it works well, but don't be fooled by the industrial design: it's not a Skeletool.

$17.49 at Amazon

Leatherman Expanse E33BX knife

Leatherman has some very creative gnomes working in their forges. We GearFloggers are very fickle about our knives and multitools, yet after more than a year the Leatherman Skeletool CX is still our tool of choice for pretty much any backcountry adventure, up to and including Denali.

Along came a 3.7oz knife. Leatherman's Expanse series of cutlery comes in 33 (2.6in blade) and 55 (3.1in blade) drop point formats, each with either a straight blade or a combo straight and serrated. I always go for the combo because of the rope and cord cutting utility. The 154CM stainless steel blade from Crucible Metals is very balanced: it's tough, holds an edge and resists corrosion. The E33BX handles well too, with a seamless match between the steel and plastic scales.

The tension in the blade is adjustable, and there are two means of opening: a standard thumb stud and Leatherman's interesting Blade Launcher. The launcher is under your index fingertip on the back of the knife, and a small movement of the switch deploys the blade. At first I thought it was completely redundant to the thumb stud, but it's actually a faster and more economical movement that you'll probably end up using exclusively.

The B in the name is for bit driver. The handle is significantly thicker than a blade-only design, but it makes the knife easier to hold and to handle, and it hides the flip-out driver. It comes with a double-ended #1 and #2 Fillips bit, with a 1/4 and 3/16 flat bit tucked into a slot in the handle, and it's quite servicable. There's a carabiner clip that doubles as a bottle opener folded into the handle. You can put it away or use it as the situation demands, it's a nicely flexible option, as is the removable pocket clip. The only nitpick is the liner lock, which is recessed a bit too far although with practice you'll get used to it, and it does make accidently folding the blade during use - an already unlikely event - highly unlikely. All in all, a nicely designed package if you're looking for this exact combination of functionality.

$37.35 at Amazon