All I can say is, “Wow!”

From the moment I opened the box it was clear that this was no ordinary multitool. On the contrary, it may well be the most industrial-strength multitool ever produced. No thin, flimsy sheet metal construction is to be found on it anywhere. The handles are all solid cast aluminum, just like a big Rigid brand pipe wrench. The shears themselves are two slabs of hardened stainless steel ground to perfection, and they pivot on a massive 1/4” diameter bolt. The whole device simply oozes quality and strength.

There was a buzz about the new Leatherman Skeletool and Skeletool CX all of 2007 on the web since the first prototypes surfaced at the 2007 SHOT Show. Leatherman touts it as the tool you take when you only need the basics. But it is chock full of new design ideas and promises to be the new favorite of the industry. Let’’s take a thorough look at the Leatherman Skeletool.

Call it “survival of the fittest” or “trial and error” but it all boils down to one conclusion- Evolution is a wonderful thing. Anyone who spends any time reading my various ramblings and ratings of various tools knows that I am more fascinated with what didn’t work than what did, and more importantly, how the oddball ideas evolved into the successful tools of today. The Mini Tool is another fascinating example of what didn’t work, but played an important part in the design of some of the tools Leatherman is currently producing. Marlon Perkins would be proud!

Like it’s Squirt brethren the P4 and E4, the Squirt S4 is a very handy, bright tool that functions well beyond it’s size. It is closely matched to the predecessor of the Squirt line, the Leatherman Micra in that it’s main tool is a set of very capable scissors. Despite not being a large tool, the scissors are quite functional, and the handles are very comfortable to use.

For all those places when you need or want a tool handy, but can’t carry a full sized tool for whatever reason, Leatherman offers the Squirt series, which consists of three models- the E4 with wire strippers, the S4 with scissors and the P4 with pliers, which is the model we are looking at in this review.