Leatherman

Leatherman Tool Group, Inc.
Private
Industry Manufacturing
Founded July 1983 (1983-07)[1]
Headquarters Portland, Oregon, USA
Key people
 Tim Leatherman (Chairman of the Board and Co-Founder)
Steve Berliner (Secretary/Treasurer and Co-Founder)
Benjamin Rivera (President/CEO)
Products Multi-tools
Folding knives
Number of employees
 525[1]
Website leatherman.com
Leatherman Pocket Survival Tool
A Leatherman Sidekick tool showing on board tools
A Leatherman Wave with all tools unfolded
Leatherman Super Tool and belt holster
Leatherman Surge
Leatherman Micra, both open and closed
Pieces
Leatherman Tread

Leatherman is an American brand of multitools and knives made by Leatherman Tool Group of Portland, Oregon, US. The company was founded in July 1983 by Timothy S. Leatherman and Steve Berliner in order to market his idea of a capable, easily portable hand tool with multiple functions. That same year Leatherman sold the first multitool, which was called the PST (Pocket Survival Tool).

Company history

Timothy S. Leatherman, a 1970 mechanical engineering graduate of Oregon State University, and his business partner, Steve Berliner, formed Leatherman Tool Group in 1983.

Leatherman was inspired to design a "Boy Scout knife with pliers" while he and his wife traveled Europe and the Middle East in 1975, often attempting to use a simple pocketknife to repair their repeatedly malfunctioning car and leaky hotel plumbing.[2][3] He spent several years perfecting the "Mr. Crunch" prototype and received his first U.S. patent (4,238,862) in 1980.[4] After additional refinement, Leatherman’s first product was introduced in 1983 as the Pocket Survival Tool (PST) and initially sold through Early Winters' and Cabela’s mail-order catalogs.[3]

Leatherman sold nearly 30,000 tools in 1984, fueling additional product development, and rapid growth both in the company and manufacturing capacity.[5] By the end of 2001, the company had sales of $100 million annually and had sold more than 20 million tools.[6]

Almost 10% of the manufacturing facility area is concerned with the repairing and rebuilding of any tool that needs it, either domestically, or sent from distributors from around the world. Their system is to replace and return any tool sent in with an equivalent item, reducing the time the owner is without the tool, unless the owner requests return of the same physical tool for sentimental reasons.

Folding knives were introduced into the Leatherman product line in 2005. In 2007, the company opened its first retail store, located at its manufacturing facility, that has since relocated to a retail store at the Cascade Station shopping center near the facility and Cascades MAX Station in Northeast Portland.[3] The same year, Tim Leatherman was inducted into the Blade magazine Cutlery Hall of Fame in recognition of his design impact on the cutlery history.[7]

In 2011, the Leatherman Tool Group acquired German light manufacturer, LED Lenser. The brands and companies are run separately, under the Leatherman Tool Group, Inc. umbrella. Leatherman Tool Group also manufactures a line of multi-tools designed specifically for military and law enforcement personnel, as well as accessories for carrying and expanding the function of its tools. As of February 2011, Leatherman produced 50 products sold in 82 countries, with U.S. market share estimated at 55 percent.[1]

Leatherman has a sponsorship deal with the Major League Soccer team Portland Timbers. Specifically, the company is the shirt sponsor for the team's mascot, "Timber Joey".

Products

Leatherman’s primary products are multi-tools and knives. Most Leatherman multi-tools are built around a pair of pliers, with up to 21 additional tools stored in the handles, including knives (straight and serrated blades), screwdrivers (flat, Phillips), saws, wire cutters and strippers, electrical crimper, bottle opener, and can opener. Most models have a built-in safety mechanism that locks the active tool in the open position when fully unfolded. Models range in weight from the 12.5 ounce (335 g) Surge to 0.81 ounce (23 g) Style.

Leatherman currently produces folding knives under the Crater name. Models range from two tools (knife blade and carabiner/bottle opener) to four (blade, carabiner/bottle opener, flat, and Phillips screwdrivers).

NameTypeDebutRetired# Tools
PSTFull-sized1983200414
PST IIFull-sized1996200415
Wave - OriginalFull-sized1998200416
Wave - NewFull-sized2004—17
Wave+Full-sized2018—17
Wave - Damascus Ltd EdUnknownUnknownUnknown3
SideclipFull-sized1998200412
CrunchHeavy-Duty1999—15
FlairFull-sized1999200416
PulseFull-sized2000200415
BlastFull-sized2004201216
Surge - OriginalHeavy-Duty2005201321
Surge - NewHeavy-Duty2013—21
CoreFull-sized2005200919
KickFull-sized2004201210
FuseFull-sized2004201213
Charge TiFull-sized2004200817
Charge XTiFull-sized2004200816
Charge ALFull-sized2007—17
Charge ALXFull-sized2007—18
Charge TTiFull-sized2007—19
Super ToolHeavy-Duty1994200118
Super Tool 200Heavy-Duty2001200518
Super Tool 300Heavy-Duty2009—19
Super Tool 300 EODFull-sized2010—19
SkeletoolPocket2007—7
Skeletool CXPocket2007—7
Skeletool SXPocket2013—7
Skeletool RXPocket2016—7
WingmanFull-sized2011—14
SidekickFull-sized2011—14
MUTHeavy / Military Duty2010—16
MUT EODHeavy / Military Duty2010—15
Mini ToolPocket1986200410
FreestylePocket2009—5
Freestyle CXPocket200920125
Juice KF4Pocket2001200516
Juice C2Pocket2001—12
Juice S2Pocket2001—12
Juice CS4Pocket2001—15
Juice XE6Pocket2001200618
Juice ProPocket2002200315
Juice SC2Pocket2003200512
Juice SX - NewPocket2014—11
Juice SX - OriginalPocket2013201411
MicraKeychain1996—10
Squirt P4Keychain2002201010
Squirt S4Keychain2002201010
Squirt E4Keychain2003201010
Squirt ES4Keychain2010—9
Squirt PS4Keychain2010—9
StyleKeychain2010—5
Style CSKeychain2010—6
Style PSKeychain2012—8
RebarFull-sized2012—17
OHTHeavy / Military Duty2012—16
RaptorEMS Duty2013—6
LeapPocket2014—13
RevFull-sized2015—14
TreadWearable2015—29
Tread QM1WearableTBD——
SignalHeavy-Duty2015—19
Z-RexFull-sizedUnknownUnknown4
GenusUnknownUnknownUnknown9
VistaUnknown200620099
HybridUnknown2006200911

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Leatherman Media". Leatherman Tool Group. Retrieved 2015-05-05.
  2. ↑ Monroe, Bill. The Oregonian, December 10, 1981.
  3. 1 2 3 "Making History". Leatherman Tool Group. Retrieved 2011-02-08.
  4. ↑ US patent 4238862, Timothy S. Leatherman, "Pocket multiple tool", issued 1980-12-16
  5. ↑ Brock, Kathy. Once again, Leatherman Tool outgrows plant. Portland Business Journal, September 27, 1996.
  6. ↑ "Leatherman Tool Group, Inc. History". Funding Universe. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
  7. ↑ "Hall of Fame." Blade Magazine. July 31, 2007.
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