It’s not often you get the opportunity to pit a multitool directly against a competitor as the variety of functions makes almost every model different from every other one. Occasionally though, we manage to find a couple that are close enough that we can match them against eachother in a very fair fight- last year it was the Leatherman OHT vs the Gerber Center-Drive and it resulted in a draw. You can see last year’s match up here:Both tools are compact, lightweight EDC tools with a basic tool loadout featuring blades, pliers, bottle openers and screwdrivers- just the necessities. And, both tools are meant to be pocket carried, with no sheaths, bit sets or other addons.
As with last year’s battle my feelings on this fight are well documented, and again I am not in Leatherman’s corner, but I will look at each and every aspect of this bottle objectively and award points on each tool’s merits. I have even made my preference on this one known on video.
But, enough of that- let’s get this show on the road!
Part 1- Tale of the Tape
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| Leatherman Skeletool |
SOG Reactor |
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| Length | 105mm | 97mm |
| Width | 34mm | 30mm |
| Thickness | 18.5mm | 22mm |
| Weight | 145g | 114g |
| MSRP | $59.95-79.95 | $67.00 |
Overall the Reactor is significantly more compact than the Skeletool and because of that, the Reactor draws first blood by taking the first point. When it comes to a compact EDC tool you just can’t help but award the prize to the most compact tool, and with over an ounce less weight (31g = 1.1oz) but the same number of functions it’s a significant difference.
Price wise I would like to score it a tie- some iterations of the Skeletool are more expensive than the Reactor while others are cheaper. The bottom line is though, the Skeletool is available for less money, but with all of the functions, or even cheaper if you want to start whittling away functions, such as the KB or Freestyle series, but those are a bit of an offshoot and not really relevant to this discussion.
SCORE- SOG 1, Leatherman 1
Stay tuned for Part 2 tomorrow, and if you have any questions or comments on today's installment you can reach me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or read other's comments ON OUR FORUM!
