Despite having a seriously limited number of functions, I personally prefer the Leatherman Freestyle over its larger brother, the Skeletool.
Today we are looking at my favorite version of the Leatherman Skeletool, in coyote tan.
This is it- the Grande Finale! Before you read this, make sure you have read through all of the others to ensure that you are totally up to date!
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We are down to the semi finals here, with SOG leading by one point and two events left! Who will reign supreme, the Leatherman Skeletool or the SOG Reactor? Leatherman is down a point already, so let's see if they can pull off a win!
Part 6- Carry Methods
Another big strength of the Skeleool is its versatility in carry- it can be clipped onto a pack or other equipment or clipped to a pocket using the pocket clip. Conversely the Reactor can really only be carried clipped to a pocket.
As we get closer to the finale of this shootout the big question is- will Leatherman gain some ground or will SOG reign supreme? It's getting pretty heated here as both the Skeletool and the Reactor both try to be the top light duty EDC Tool in this shootout!
Part 5- Bottle Opener
I don’t even know if there is a comparison needed here- this one is as open and shut as it can possibly get, and the Skeletool absolutely kills the Reactor on this one. But, since I am dragging this out into a serial, let’s get into why.
If you haven't read the earlier parts of this shootout I suggest you check them out to see how we have been scoring everything so far- here are some quick links to help get caught up!
Part 1- The Tale Of The Tape | Part 2- Blades | Part 3- Pliers |
As it sits now, the SOG reactor is currently in the lead with three points to the Skeletool's one, but there's a lot more yet to come- read on and see if Leatherman is going to make a comeback!
Part 4- Screwdrivers
To me the screwdrivers are probably the most used part of a multitool, or at least are tied with the blade for most used, and therefore they deserve special attention. Of course, as screwdrivers are part of the scope of this comparison, I imagine we were going to take a close look anyway….
Part 3- Pliers
After the blade the most prominent function is the pliers, and let’s face it, this one seems like an open and shut case (pun sadly intended) given SOG’s compound leverage. Just for the fun of it though, let’s break it down and see what we really have.
In case you missed Part 1 yesterday, we are doing a direct comparison of Leatherman's Skeletool and SOG's Reactor. These two multitools are remarkably similar in function, but let's see how they fare in the real world when stacked up head to head! In today's installment we are going to look closely at each of the blades on these tools and see which one comes out on top!
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:
Gerber Center-Drive Vs Leatherman OHT
This year we are going compact as the SOG Reactor takes on the Leatherman Skeletool.
It seems to be generally agreed that Leatherman's offerings from SHOT this year are somewhat lacking given the recent excitement of Gerber's Center-Drive and SOG's entire new multitool lineup. Their response is basically simplified versions of what they have been producing for years.
What kind of people would write collect and review multitools? Quite simple really- we are designers and do-ers, outdoors types and indoor types, mechanics, doctors, problem solvers and problem makers. As such, we have, as a world spanning community, put every type, size and version of multitool, multifunction knife, pocket knife and all related products to every test we could manage in as many places and environments as there are.