Cruising a few sporting goods stores this weekend, I noticed the local Academy Sports shop was carrying a few Skeletools. Without signs or any fanfare, they sat quietly among the hunting knives and other Leatherman products.

So, if Amazon has sent you the very polite yet disheartening email that they don’t have any more, and your order will have to wait an eternity plus ten years before they get more in, you might consider this alternate strategy. We also found one or two of them laying around at different retailers, but those shops seemed to be about $20 more proud of them than the sporting goods stores who’re charging the already-full retail price.

Skeletool [Leatherman]
Academy Sports and Outdoors [Corporate Site]

We stopped to chat with the Leatherman reps about the vaunted Skeletool. We had to wait about five minutes for the throng of people to complete their assault on the poor guys behind the booth, but we finally got our shot to ask the same question that everyone before us had asked — when can we have one?

The answer is soon. To be a little more accurate, the Skeletool is technically out now, but they aren’t going to be shipping more to stores just yet. Demand is through the roof, and they’re stepping up production to get the next batch in stores by May.

Skeletool CX [Leatherman]

The tool market seems to offer a multi-tool for every possible need. Now Leatherman, seeing a niche to fill, offers the Crunch, which sports the usual assortment of tools plus the addition of locking pliers. If you often need things to stay put, hands-free, you might want this multi-tool in your pocket or on your belt.

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Not satisfied with the mere five ounce weight of their new Skeletool, Leatherman is planning the release of an even lighter and more stripped-down multi-tool, the Freestyle. The Freestyle is heavily based on the Skeletool, and it’ll feature a 420HC straight blade, lightweight pliers with wire cutters, a combination Phillips/flat driver, and a hybrid bottle opener/carabiner.

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Leatherman makes this bit driver extender/adapter for the current generation of multi-tools and knives which accept Leatherman’s proprietary removable bits. The bit extender increases the tools’ reach by 3-1/4″ and accepts both Leatherman’s unique flattened bits and standard hex bits. This greatly expands the driving capabilities of these tools since the flattened bits are costly, in limited variety, and sometimes hard to find in a timely manner.

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Leatherman originally scheduled the Skeletool’s release for Nov. 2007 — finally, after a number of delays, they released it two weeks ago. The Skeletool CX is still on hold until possibly later this week, and its list price on Amazon has almost doubled in the last week. Presales of the Skeletool and Skeletool CX have supposedly outstripped the initial production run according to comments on Amazon’s customer forum.

Toolmongers had a lot to say about this new multi-tool when we featured it back in Sept. Did Leatherman create an over-hyped frenzy, or have they hit on something? Have any of you got your hands on one, or are you still waiting? Let us know in comments.

Skeletool [Leatherman]
Skeletool CX [Leatherman]
Skeletool Via Amazon [What’s This?]
Skeletool CX Via Amazon [What’s This?]

To celebrate their upcoming 25th anniversary Leatherman is releasing a special edition of the Charge multi-tool, one of their top products. Leatherman makes many versions of the Charge family of multi-tools, with slight tool variations and aluminum or titanium handles. This special edition, however, will be hand-crafted from sterling silver!

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Leatherman’s new Skeletool is a stripped down, lightweight (five ounces!) multi-tool with all the tools you expect from a Leatherman: a screwdriver, a knife, and pliers.  And unlike with previous Leathermans, the knife and the bottle opener (the hook at the back) are accessible without opening the tool.  Oh yeah — it also looks bad ass.

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Amazon currently lists the Leatherman Hybrid Pruner w/Sheath for $46.83, but if you add the coupon code “PRUNER07″ — which should remain good through the rest of this month –  you’ll get an additional 10% off, dropping it to $39.81.  This would be great for pruning and trimming your houseplants or clipping an occasional yard-box plant while you’re mowing.

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Sizod sent us notice of this deal on an assortment of 42 bits that fit various Leatherman tools including the Charge, New Wave, and Removable Bit Driver — all enclosed in a branded nylon case.  He writes: “At this low a price, this would make a great addition to your Leatherman.  It’s also perfect for when you need to get your MacGyver on.”

It includes a variety of metric and standard hex, Robertson, Pozi, Torx, Phillips, and slotted bits as well as — my favorites — Phillips and standard eyeglass screwdriver bits.

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Stuey caught this one.  He writes: “Leatherman’s New Wave tool is now $58.50 at Amazon right now.  You have to add it to your cart to see the price. You also get a free pair of Binoculars - see the product page for details.  This Leatherman is $70 at most stores — Sears, Dicks Sporting Goods, etc.  Figure in about 7% in taxes, and that’s $16 in savings.  If this deal is still allive by the time this can be posted, don’t hesitate! Hesitation might turn into disappointment!  Also, don’t forget that with $150 in tool purchases, you get a free B&D driving tool.”

Buy It Now from Amazon [What’s this?]

Before anyone tells us in comments, we’re completely aware that the MAKE Warranty Voider is a Leatherman Squirt E4 with MAKE’s logo and title screened on it.  MAKE makes no effort to hide that fact, even going as far as shipping it in the original Leatherman box.  So, you can consider this a hands-on both with the Warranty Voider and the E4.  And, (as we’ve said before) we’ll happily pay a few bucks extra for the addition of the phrase “Warranty Voider.”  How cool is that?

Read on past the jump for some hands-on time with an extremely cool pocket tool.

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Roscoe writes: “The Leatherman Juice S2 is, in my opinion, the most functional multitool out there.  This is the only Leatherman I know of that combines the functionality of pliers, with the convenience of scissors.  One of the biggest benefits of this multi-tool over others is that the knife blade is located on the outside of the handle, so you don’t have to open the pliers to get to a knife.  I carried one of the original Leatherman knives a few years ago and didn’t find it very comfortable to use, and sure missed my scissors and easy access to a knife.  This is a great, simple tool.”

The Juice S2 [Leatherman]

Related:

• Make’s Warranty Voider
• ‘06 X-Mas Buyer’s Guide: Pocket Knives
• The Leatherman Vista

If you’re out in the wilderness, multi-tools rock.  You’ll spot this kind of tool attached to the belt of more than one hunter and woodsman.

Besides its grass-colored non-slip handles — so if you drop it in the brush you’ll never find it – the Vista offers a good set of features that make sense for the purpose in which it was meant to serve.  The Vista’s wire cutters differ from other multi-tools’ standard pliers, and they look like they might be useful in the brush.  Then again, the standard pliers are pretty handy, too; just ask a friend of ours who spent a few hours using a pair to pull porcupine quills out of the mouth of a catch dog that didn’t know the difference between a hog and a porcupine.  The awl/punch will allow you to scratch hard surfaces like metal or poke through tough materials like leather. 

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