March 2008

14 Years and Going Strong!

I joined the National Guard in 1994 as a Howitzer crew member. I was told by several fellow soldiers that it would be handy to have a Leatherman tool. I bought my Leatherman in August of 1994, and have been carrying the same tool, in the original leather sheath, ever since. The only day that I did not have it with me was my wedding day. I personally think a Leatherman adds a nice touch to a tuxedo, but my wife didn't think so.

My Leatherman is pretty basic, only 12-15 functions is what the box said, I think, but I have made it a much more versatile tool (smirk). I have used it for all those things that a "Jack of all trades, master of none" like myself, needs a tool to do. It has become a paint can opener, a hammer, a door wedge, a window punch, and a whole lot more. I have exposed it to extreme heat, extreme cold, being submerged in water, buried in sand, and it still looks and performs like the day I took it out of the package. This tool has seen me through 8 years as a soldier, 2 years as a firefighter, several years as a computer technician, and 14 years of cut this, tighten this up, bend this, do that, can I borrow that thing, etc... I could go on for hours about how many times, and all the situations where this tool has proved to be handy, but I just don’t have the time, and this page isn't big enough.

Okay, so you may be thinking, "that thing has to have some flaw, right?” Well, the only thing that comes close to a flaw would be this: I was doing some work in the garage, and I was using the knife blade as a pry bar (while beating it with a hammer) to separate two pieces of rusted metal, when about a 1/2 mm of the knife blade broke off. Was I upset? Not in the least bit. I don't know for sure, but I'm pretty positive Leatherman never meant for the tool to be used in that fashion. Regardless, that wasn't the first time I had done something like that, but it was the first time anything happened to the tool. I probably could have sent it to the company to be fixed or replaced, but I was not willing to go without the tool for that long. Anyone who owns one will understand that. Instead, I filed the blade down a bit and put a point back on the knife (not easy to do, as the knife blade was pretty hard).

This was by far the best purchase I have ever made. I hope to buy another Leatherman product some day, but as long as this one keeps serving me so well, I don't know if I'll have to. I know they are a little fancier, and have a lot more functions now, but it's hard to part with a tool that has become a piece of me, and my day to day life. Leatherman, I can't thank you enough. If only we could expect this kind of quality in everything we buy, the world would be a much greater place. Thank you.


Jason F.

Waynesburg, PA