Displaying items by tag: Leatherman

The Early Days

Leatherman's story began in the mid-1970s when Tim Leatherman and his wife, Chau, embarked on a road trip across Europe and the Middle East. Faced with frequent car breakdowns and plumbing issues, Tim found himself repeatedly needing a versatile tool to make quick repairs. This inspired him to conceptualize a pocket-sized tool with pliers, a groundbreaking idea at the time.

When the Leatherman Signal was introduced nearly a decade ago, it was groundbreaking with its unique blend of traditional multitool functionality and survival-specific features. As I reflect on my prolonged use, it's clear that while the Signal has many strengths, several design issues have surfaced over time. This review will highlight both the positive attributes and the areas that need improvement.

We got wind last week that Leatherman was releasing a new color for the Signal. Leatherman sent out a teaser email today, press release will be this Friday (6/28).

There are a few players in the multitool market, but only one is synonymous with the product. It's hard to deny the juggernaut that is Leatherman. They just celebrated their 40th anniversary and they have no intention of slowing down. Just before this anniversary, new information emerged about a tool Leatherman was developing. Dubbed the Arc, it had a lot of features we grew to love on the FREE series. What really excited people was the fact that it solved a lot of issues people had with the FREE series and said to have a Magnacut blade.

These rumors and speculations fueled heated discussions, and anticipation of a product that some thought was a pipedream. I can't think of a single tool since I've become a fan that has created this much hype and anticipation. If this tool became a reality, it would fix the shortcomings of the toolset on the FREE series. Also, it would solidify Leatherman as the innovator that it is, a testament to its leadership in the industry. As their anniversary came around, they announced a limited-edition tool, which for all purposes was an Arc with a different coat of paint.

The updates for December 09, 2023 start off with this message from Leatherman Tool Group:

Additional updates will be posted here as they are made available- check back often and have your say on our forum.

Latest email updates:

Leatherman has announced via social media about the Arc, which is Oct 17th. There's been a lot of leaks and goofs since we have heard about this new tool, from what we hear the hype is valid. The new Leatherman Arc has a tool set that many have been asking for and Leatherman has delivered.

Last week the retail outlet REI accidently made the Leatherman Arc page live before the official release date. All this transpired via the r/Leatherman Reddit group and the 50 units they had available were gone in no time. One of our members Gadgetman7 (Dale Carr), was so gracious to show off his new acquisition. There is no official launch date for the Leatherman Arc, but at or around October 17 has been floating around. I feel if REI had stock already, then release is imminent. In the meantime, enjoy the pics of the new Leatherman Arc, compliments of Gadgetman7.

Today Leatherman released a email to everyone announcing their 40th Anniversary. In that email was a link to a video on their YouTube channel, towards the tail end of the video we get a glimpse of the new Leatherman Arc. I'm hearing that there's going to be a 40th Anniversary tool to be released as well as the new Arc. No details yet on a release date for either item, we will keep you posted as we hear more. I've included a link to the video below.

Leatherman 40th Anniversary Video (YouTube)