I wish people who think in terms or survival, big out, bug in, and bushcraft would stop thinking small and light is better. It usually isn't. Size, weight, and strength mean you can leave some large tools at home. The tools on the large Leatherman models can actually replace half a dozen or more tools that each weigh as much, or far more, than the Leatherman. The small and mid-size Leatherman tools can't do the same. You aren't sacrificing weight with these large model Leatherman tools, you're saving several pounds. Unfortunately, very few understand how important this is until it's too late.
Bought one of these the day it came out. Initially thought it was too heavy and overbuilt. Got used to it and these years later (I think its years now) I depend on it. It has its limits and does not have some common attachments, but this thing is a tank and will last decades.
I watched this video couple months a go and I had to buy this one. I have used them weekly and Im thinking that OHT is the best multitool. If it is too heavy go to gym. Thanks for a good video again and thum up...
It would be a great tool for someone who in handicap in one arm. Think about how many of our Vets this tool would be great for. I definitely see its place in the Leatherman line.
I bought one of these for a summer of landscaping and it's great. Weight was not an issue for me. The speed of access, and the ability to maintain a hold of whatever I'm working on make it worth the extra $ for me personally
You're complaining about it being $80 US? That's cheap compared to what us Aussies would have to pay for the OHT, look at the Leatherman Australia site it's $215. Still think $80 is expensive?
I agree. I find this one is a little too short on utility to really compete with the waves, swisstools and rebars of the world. Nice to play with, though!
Nice review! I just ordered one tonight to replace my clapped out Wave. My requirements for a new MT were one hand open main blade and stronger pliers. I think this will be a good one for me. I love the Wave, but I use that tool hard and daily and it is just not built for that. I think that if Leatherman would have put a pair of scissors on the OHT it would be near perfection.
I always carry my little Micra which I've had for years. You would be amazed how useful that little tool can be, and it's always in my pocket at the ready. I was target shooting my .22 the other day and it jammed and the round didn't eject, my Micra got the bullet out easy.
Great review, in-depth and detailed as always. I personally love my OHT. I've used the one hand operation so many times. Awesome to have while up on a ladder and holding something and only have one hand free, as well as many other situations. It did take a little practice at first to get the hang of it, made me feel like "What the hell is wrong with me?", but now it is simply the flick of a wrist and it's ready to rock and roll. I do wish they would have used a better steel, but I have not had a single problem with it so far. To me the size is fine, I wear XL sometimes XXL gloves and gits my hand very well, but I can see where someone with smaller hands would hate the size.
Always a balanced review at gideonstactical. Though this particular Leatherman is pricey, I did think it looked cool when first introduced. My personal favourite, however, is the Surge. No question about it, Leatherman does offer variety. I've been thinking of giving my brother a Leatherman several months down the road come Christmas and thought, perhaps, this just might be the gift for him.
I've gotten really good at one hand opening my Wave and Surge, but my love for sitting in bed and flipping stuff may drive me towards one of these. I see a certain fun factor lol
Excellent review on this multitool. You pretty much covered everything positive and negative. I've very recently purchased my first Leatherman, the Sidekick. I'm pretty happy with it, I initially wanted the OHT but the price swayed me away. -Jacko
The opening is too cool. You can't beat a flick-action multitool. Seeing novelty and functionality combined like this really makes me hot. ...aaaaand I just bought one.
I'll keep my Leatherman Sidekick, probably the best budget tool available today and more than holds its own against more expensive offerings in my experience. That said, I wish Leatherman would drop the goof ball serrated blade and add something useful like scissors. Also, there is nothing wrong with 420 steel in blades in my experience. It is easily one of my top five picks of favorite knife steels.
I carry my Sidekick the most, and I wish instead of a small serrated knife, that it had a small replaceable file/saw. I also wish that Leatherman offered a full-sized OHT tool that had scissors instead of pliers, and tools specifically for emergency services.
After watching your video, I am having second thoughts about getting an OHT. I really like the one hand operation and the spring loaded pliers, but as you state here (which I agree with you on); the OHT really doesn't have any more tools than the basic leathermans, and it is priced above some of the best letterman's out there. I have been carrying a Charge TTi for the last few years as my EDC, which has served me well and theres nothing wrong with it, I do find that often when I need to use a my leatherman, its for a quick fix or when I am on the go, if I need anything more than that I'd grab a full sized tool for the job, unless of course I am out somewhere where my tools are no where near, that's where I thought the OHT might be handy, but again it is very limited on the tool selection. I do want to highlight that I absolutely love me Charge TTi, it is the best multitool I have ever owned by far.
it's cheaper than most of the top line stuff. $89 isn't bad for what it comes with. Also in my experience the bigger pliers and handles work better and give you more to work with. The small leatherman tools always have Hotspot when I go to wrench down on something. I just bough the oht and I love it.
Honestly, any Leatherman functions other than pliers and drivers are, as for as i am concerned, emergency use only. I have a wave as well as a squirt in my edc at all times but would not use the knife over my others unless something terrible happened to all the others. Wave is pound for pound still my favourite and with a quick adjustment can be loosed to fly open with a twist of the wrist like a butterfly knife.
Hey my friend, I really like the fact that you are honest about gear and say the price, I think guys like me are getting real tired of everything that comes out on the market is the latest and greatest no matter what because of the money or the free stuff. It is so easy to see through it. I am so burnt out on seeing guys kiss up to companies.honesty is hard to find. I am thinking about starting a channel with my daughter, not sure if I can figure it out though lol,anyway,thank you!
I bought this with a gift card, to carry at work, I'm a firefighter/medic. The sheath sucks, you can't attach it to a duty belt. I bought a replacement leatherman sheath. Ended up stop carrying it. It's to heavy and has to much going on. They need to refine the tool selection if they want it to be a first respond type tool. I'd saw crap can the saw and put some bandage scissors or something there. The safety cutter doesn't work well on clothing either.
I think the OHT is way to pricy ! I EDC the wingman , and this model does have the pocket clip and just for shits and giggles , I opened all the tools with my left hand and I am right handed , now that's not to say it was super fast and super easy either , but I did it !!! so spending $29.99 + tax at Walmart for the Wingman !!! I am very stoked cause for $90.00 I could buy 3 Wingmans !!! great video , thank you !!!!!!
Thanks for the review - I'm trying to decide whether to get an OHT, and like you, I love the Rebar. Pros for the OHT - that cool flicky thing with the pliers. Cons - I'm not into that strap cutter, I'd rather have a file on there. Does anyone know if there's a file from a different model that would fit? Also, the size thing. The Rebar is not too small and not too big, it's just right. I guess I'm not completely sold on the OHT, though I'm quite tempted. And other people have said this, but you Americans don't know how lucky you are, with OHTs costing $80 and Rebars costing $50. By European/UK standards that looks like a crazy bargain!
sheath... drainage hole. the hole is so you can put the pliers back in the sheath deployed if you need to set them down for a minute. not for removing any kind of moisture. they make them for several leathermen sheaths. my old nylon wave sheath is made that way
I have the Super Tool 300. It's a bit larger but, I'm a big man with large hands so, no issues there. I also like the Wave and Surge as others have already said. My ONLY problem with your review, Aaron is your statement at the end with respect to steel. 420HC and 154CM are nearly the same steel with 154CM having more carbon. Personally, I'd take 440C over 154CM and even AUS8. That said, should the blades be made with say D2, S30V, ZDP-189, BG-42, etc., then I'd see the price point justification.
We will have to disagree on that one. I have reviewed dozens of folders, multi-tools, and fixed blades that were made with 154cm others with 420hc. There is no comparison in edge retention and toughness (when heat treated properly). 154cm is far better then 420HC and AUS-8. I would say then 440C and 154cm preform similarly when the right heat treat is applied. But that just me and my experience.
Yes, we will have to disagree. But, it's all good. Bottom line is that whether it's a Gerber, Leatherman, or a Spyderco knife sobriety chooses to EDC, it's about their preference. I just have seen 440C and 420HC frequently discounted as so-so steels. Although there are better steels, because of this mindset, so many people miss the potential of what the tool can do because it's overlooked for say, 154CM. Now, to your statement, I've got a Benchmade in 154CM. It can't hold up to my other blades. Although I've never put it up against my Leatherman for a test, I'd say, based on experience, they'd run just about equal.
hey gideonstactical, im looking for a work knife and i wanna know if you have any good ideas seein how you know and love your knives. i work on tugboats and am around water alot, i need a knife that can cut rope and has serrations (unless the blade is that good!). i very much prefer a fixed blade. oh and a blade that wont rust extremely fast. i got a $130 spending limit (willing to go a little more if you truly think the blades worth it). please and thank you!
I know im 3 years late, but I also work on a tugboat. The best knife for cutting rope and not rusting is the spyderco tasman. I sharpen mine with a spyderco goldstone. Ive carried different versions of the knife for about 12 years, since i always lose them, and the serrated is the best.
Leatherman please make a version where the blade is on the other side so it can be one handed for left handed folks and do this with all models you make with the blade on the outside
If you're military or law enforcement, medic or paramedic, there's already a Leatherman designed specifically for you. It's the Raptor, and every medic, paramedic, and law enforcement officer should carry one.
I think the Geber MP600 is a better tool, after all, Leatherman copied it from them to begin with. But Gerber Center Drive is better than the OHT. The OHT should be cheaper, but like all other Leathermans out there, they're expensive and already has the same tools I have on other multitools.
Also it does NOT one hand flip open. it needs loosened up or something. I tried to one hand it open and it flew across the room! I guess I'm either not doing it right or need to bathe it in WD-40.
You're complaining about an $80 price point on this thing? Seriously? I think that's plenty fair. It's not a cheap Gerber multitool. Leatherman is some high-quality stuff. As broke as I am, I'll be happy to pay $80 for this.
Why is it when you paint something Black and call it Tactical it adds $20 - $50 to the price of a given Item? A lot of this stuff is neither Practical or Tactical. Leatherman makes an excellent product, I own several of the smaller more practical pocket tools. I have a folding saw and a proper survival knife. My BoB has a small toolkit that will do everything that the OHT will do and only weighs 4 ounces.
the sheath is junk, if you use and carry this tool every day it will wear down after several months. I had to replace the sheath on mine after 7 months because the velcro would not hold anymore and the tool would just fall out.
US Navy crypto tech here. alot of the work i do onboard the ships has been made much easier by having a tool i can operate with one hand, especially when the other hand is holding one of many wires and i cant afford to let it fall back into a group. are there other tools for this? of course, but having one that is always close at hand is a big plus. admittedly i dont really need the saw so if there were maybe a pair of scissors or a small clamp or something i could put in its place i would love it but i love it for what it is.
if the price is justified because they are harder or more difficult job to each of the parties You should know that over the years you have what the hell you want, that you give away the multitool?
Gerber lost the patent on the slide pliers, Leatherman picked it up. I don't like either. I have had friends say the slide pinches your finger less. But LM itself has better models which are lighter, have more tools and cost less.
you are correct...this leatherman is the most innovative multi tools i have ever used..one handed operation out weighs any and all negative aspects of the tool...just watch how many other manufactures jump in and copy the style
