Leatherman Skeletool - A Reduced Down, Lightweight Tool Made With The Most Popular Tools Created By Leatherman

I have owned a couple of multi tools in the past, but never really had a use for them. I have packed one for adjusting saddles and horse gear whilst on the go for a short period of time but wasn't too happy with them.

For the most part they are a collection of inadequate miniature features with way too many ornaments and toys attached to be very useful for jobs except the most minor of tasks.

When the better quality tools started to appear they were large and chunky again, perhaps with too many unusable tools attached. For a while it became evident that the multi tool brands wished to make the biggest clunkiest, heaviest pocket tool for sale. It reminded me of the mobile phone race with all manufacturers trying to pack as much stuff as possible into a multi tool. It seemed pretty weird for a while.

For hiking trips I just carried a small tool kit with what I knew I needed instead of a bulky tool. It weighed in at a very slightly more than a pound but I expected it to get used at least once on a longer trip. The kit was normally made up of a small stubby screwdriver, a pair of pliers, some spare screws, plus some wire. I have just learned about a multi tool that does make sense to bring with me though.

Ironically, they had been around for a while but I overlooked them. A while back, I had to install a shower attachment but had no tools. I ended up doing it with purely a can opener and a pair of scissors. I decided this would be a good time to start making use of my multi tool again. I sorted through the junk drawer and it showed up later that night, I then remembered why it got stuck there there in the first place. Because it was junk.

Enter the Skeletool from Leatherman:

At around 5 ounces it could sit in my pocket without notice most of the time and it eliminated the need for two items from my tool kit. The super thing is that for the world of camping where you may have to fix a gas cooker, a metal buckle on a rucksack, the zip on a tent, or tighten up a faulty canoe seat; the Skeletool is all you need without any of the fluff.

First off the pliers are pretty standard for multi tools. They have incorporated wire cutters and they cut through coat hangers reasonably easily so will deal with the brass wire I carry.

Next the blade, simple to open with one hand using a thumb hole. The blade was sharp enough to chop the corner off a piece of paper with no problems.

The screwdriver attachment is supplied with two phillips and a couple of slotted bits. The bits are exclusive to Leatherman instead of industry standard, despite this they do lock into the unit with a spring clip. The extra one neatly stores in the handle and is a friction fit.

In summary, its well constructed and put together by my standards - I am pretty fussy with stuff like this. I purchased my Leatherman Skeletool at Leatherman Store and they also sell the Leatherman Skeletool CX.

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