# 1 IN 5 ??



## grinner (May 15, 2008)

Someone sent me this and I was surprised that the figure was as high as 1 in 5.

who owns one??
If you own a cheaper copy, is it any good?
The following is just a paste of the "leatherman " article

Imagine designing a product that can stop a bullet, save you from being drowned by a whale - one man used it to cut away the anchor from his boat after one caught the line - and can cut your toenails as well.

Believe it or not, the Leatherman, a multitool device used by millions of people around the world, has done all these, according to the founder and creator of the product, Tim Leatherman. But, he adds, the pocket tool is generally favoured for the fact it incorporates a set of pliers.

The US-based Leatherman first got the idea for such a device when he was travelling through Europe with his wife in the 1970s and his car kept breaking down. With only a pocketknife to help him fix it, he wondered about the possibility of designing a tool that incorporated a pair of pliers and screwdriver.

"After I returned to the US, I initially approached some knife companies with my idea but they said it was too much of a tool and not enough of a knife," Leatherman says. "That's when I decided to set up my own business. I spent years refining my ideas and eventually took on a business partner, Steve Berliner. Then eight years after I started out, we got our first order, from a catalogue company."

Today, one in five Australians owns a Leatherman and the country is the company's No. 2 export market after Germany. More than 100,000 of the tools are sold each year in Australia, while many millions are sold around the world.

Tim Leatherman is out in Australia this month to help celebrate the company's 30th anniversary. He says he found the main challenges with building his business was inventing the tool, selling it and inventing a way to make it, especially after the orders began to come in.

"We were growing so fast at the start that it was hard to meet demand," he says. "This gave our competitors time to come in but we just kept on going. In the first 12 years we had 50 per cent compound growth a year. I think this is because in the public's mind we were a quality product that offered innovation and functionality - there are a lot of features in a lot of space. And these are features that work."

Leatherman says he believes the product sells well, particularly in the US, largely because it is made in the US. (The company is based in Portland, Oregon, where every tool is handmade. It's privately owned and Leatherman says it will always remain that way.)

"There is a lot patriotism associated with the product," he says. "Our major competition are the copies that come in from China, which are inferior, and then our competitors."

Innovation is key to staying competitive, Leatherman says. This year, a new product designed for children, called Leap, is being launched, which features blades that aren't as sharp. Several other products have also been recently launched that target action sports such as surfing and skateboarding.

Leatherman says he expects these products to do well in Australia. "This country is an excellent market for the multitool product," he says. "There are higher sales per capita than the US and I think that has a lot to do with the lifestyle here. When you're in the outback somewhere and find yourself in trouble, then you need something to get you out of trouble."

It was a Leatherman copy that Aron Ralston, whose story was turned into a book and movie, used to cut his arm off to free himself when he was trapped in a canyon. Ralston has since toured the Leatherman factory and now owns an original.

While innovation is key for success and for survival, Leatherman has some additional words of advice for today's entrepreneurs wanting to create an iconic product.

•Self-educate. Learn what you need to learn.
•File for a patent before you go to a company. Companies often won't talk to you unless you've done this. They want the intellectual property established before they see you.
•When you do go and visit a company, go with a prototype, not a drawing.
•Don't get what is known as inventors' paranoia - the feeling that if you show your idea to someone, they will steal it. It is more likely you will be begging for someone to have a look at it.
•Expect the time taken to be successful to be twice as long as you expect, and the cost to be four times as much.
•If you're not getting anywhere attracting companies to take an interest in what you've got, start your own company - if you can


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## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

theyakshed.com


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## Funchy (Dec 3, 2011)

I have a couple, love'm


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## mudpat (Feb 21, 2011)

I still have my original one from my military days. 
We convinced the CO that they were an essential piece of kit, he agreed and ordered one for all of the crews, about 180 of us at the time.
Also have a Gerber, both excellent pieces of kit.


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## Smylea (Mar 22, 2014)

I have a 300 in Black. great bit of gear.

Ray 8)


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## jbonez (Jul 9, 2013)

Meh mine got surface rust first time it went salt.. even though it copped a good wash and didnt spend time dunked not too sold on them.


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## suehobieadventure (Feb 17, 2009)

I just rinse mine and spray it with oil every couple of trips. Cost a bit so worth looking after.


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## kayakone (Dec 7, 2010)

Don't they rust? I'm sure I had one and it rusted so badly I couldn't open anything. They are certainly not 316 or 420 stainless. I'll eventually find mine which I ended up throwing in a junk corner somewhere.

Functional yes, but it ought to take some salt exposure. Similar thing happened to a Goretex jacket...a few outings in the kayak in (an apparently not so) dry bag and the main zip is so corroded it is useless. Not happy to pay for 'good gear' that performs like that.


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## nickdec (Aug 13, 2010)

Invaluable and strong,
I have 2 Leatherman Waves and a SOG multitool.
The Wave used to be the only Leatherman that is fully stainless, it still gets a film of rust slowly (as any stainless) and gets a little tight to open, but frees up easily with lube. It is great for the Yak. I have 2 because I lost the first one and after I had turned the garage and Yak upside down, thought it had gone to Davey Jones, I bought another about 3 months later, knowing it would probably turn up soon after ... it did - 4WD centre console .. don't remember ever putting it there!

I have the SOG for my off road M/C toolkit as it has the compound leverage pliers, can undo the smaller bolts with it if necessary and cuts through serious wire - very handy, but it rusts quickly in salt water,

Nick


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## kayakone (Dec 7, 2010)

yaqdoq said:


> Mine had / has negative buoyancy


You needed a leash on it Paul. :lol:


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## paulo (Nov 1, 2007)

Ive had a wave since the early 90s. The bone saw is awesome for gutting and gilling. It never rusts. I also have 2 skeletools that have both been replaced twice. They rust up a bit on the kayak but its only surface rust and i hit them with a bit of steel wool and they come up like new. Lanox keeps them working. 
I bought the Crunch for its vice grip. Its come in handy more than once yak camping.
If you have one thats faulty its a very simple procedure to have it replaced and takes about 1 week. no questions asked. Just go to their Aus website.


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## Cresta57 (Oct 30, 2011)

I've had a "Sidekick" for a couple of years & bought a black "Wave" a few months ago. Both are awesome products, I just spray them with silicon spray & wipe off the excess with a dry cloth.


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## kayakone (Dec 7, 2010)

paulo said:


> If you have one that's faulty its a very simply procedure to have it replaced and takes about 1 week. no questions asked. Just go to their Aus website.


Very re-assuring Paul.


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## jbonez (Jul 9, 2013)

If I buy another multi tool I wont be going past a teflon coating,

I have a SOG brand knife i take out with me teflon coated and its always getting salty, the edge is not coated but just regular washing does it fine.


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## anselmo (Aug 26, 2008)

Junglefisher had a skeletool that he "left" in the snow for several months: viewtopic.php?f=17&t=66385&hilit=skeletool
Maybe he'll chip in on how useful it is now

I have a wingman
I also have a Leatherman Wingman, har har
I haven't used it fishing, but it's very useful around the house


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## RhubarbTheYeti (Oct 28, 2013)

anselmo said:


> I have a wingman


Hope AEW doesn't read this - roasted bollocks :shock:


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## cam07 (Sep 12, 2008)

I use one every day at work when I'm not at a site where I may cut my arm off or kill a small villiage with it. I only recently bought a new one after I lost my original one I had since mid 90's. I broke a blade off the saw the other week but I assume they weren't built to be run over by a loader. The biggest gripe I have with them are the pouches I find they wear out quickly and break I also prefer them horizontal on my belt


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## spork (Jan 21, 2012)

Have had several "micras". Broke one - using it as a mini crowbar. Shop said "doesn't matter - lifetine gaurantee" and replaced it on the spot.
Airport security took one (I no longer keep it attached to my car keys).
Lost one - because, you know, micra...
Also have a skeltool. Gets a little surface rust when in salt and sand, but nothing a good clean and a spray with inox doesn't fix.
Love 'em, and wouldn't leave homw without one. (or two).


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## anselmo (Aug 26, 2008)

RhubarbTheYeti said:


> anselmo said:
> 
> 
> > I have a wingman
> ...


Fishing wingman
Although I prefer to call him wingnut


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