LEATHERMAN Skeletool CX 7-in-1 Minimalist Multi-Tool

nice tool, but risky, it fell from a short height and knife opened

I’ve become a bit of a Leatherman fan over the last few years. I picked this up because I wanted something a little smaller than my other multitools and the skeletool fit the bill. It’s lightweight and the fact that it has a built in carabiner and pocket clip make it good for different modes of carry. I think the best use case for a skeletool is fishing. The pliers are a good size for pulling hooks and the carabiner also functions as a bottle opener 😉 It’s a little tight to open, so if you’ve used a free series you might be disappointed if you like one handed opening. This isn’t really intended for heavy duty usage so I wouldn’t recommend it as a workhorse. That said, I think it’s well built and I’m not concerned about breaking it. The CX is a little more pricy than the standard model, but it’s worth the extra money to have a non-serated blade.

It probably seems a bit silly to spend $80 on a pocket knife – I only got my first one because it was my birthday and I figured I’d treat myself. Am I glad to have done that! Unfortunately, that one got lost – when I gave up looking, I re-ordered without thinking. These things are amazing!

This tool is extremely high quality – the feel, the materials, the design, the hinges, everything is so well made it feels like you’re holding a piece of art. The weight is just right – not too heavy and not too light, it feels perfect in your hand. Everything, especially the blade, locks in place when in use and doesn’t rattle or play. The steel is very solid, the knife comes extremely sharp and retains its edge for a long time. By the way, in those sad places where they impose a limit on knives, often blades below a certain size are less restricted – I think it’s no accident that this one has a blade just below the common 2.5″ threshold.

You should look through Leatherman’s catalog when buying one, because they have many tools designed for specific purposes. This one is supposed to be a more minimalist tool that doesn’t have the less commonly needed things like nail clippers or corkcrews. Since I don’t really do manual labor at my job, I didn’t need too many features – just a blade for cutting the odd thing and maybe a few other handy widgets. Of the 7 features in this, I expected to actually use about 4 when I bought this. I ended up using all 7, and I hardly ever felt like something was lacking on it. Even the pliers, which at first I thought was more of a silly decoration, are surprisingly handy for prying, pulling, straightening things and can even turn screws in a pinch.

Originally, I couldn’t find a pouch for this so I used one of Leatherman’s pouches for a similar tool, with a velcro flap. It was a bit loose in the pouch (it wouldn’t come out, but would bounce inside). This one came with a pouch made for the Skeletool – but unfortunately the flap is now a rivet, and doesn’t seem as secure as the velcro. So far it’s okay – I had it come open once accidentally when pulled by my shirt, whereas the velcro never did in 3 years. It’s not really that bad, but I’m worried that over time it will become very loose and not stay closed – oh well, so long as I don’t lose the tool again, the pouches are only 10 bucks to replace. The button IS very quiet, though, compared to the velcro.

I’d also like to give a shout out to the amazing company that Leatherman is. They have a LIFETIME warranty on these tools. I thought there must surely be a catch, but when I sent my very dirty, partially rusty, dull, poorly reassembled by me tool in for a cleanup, they did a great job fixing it up, making it look like new, and giving the blade an excellent edge. And all for free! All I had to do was print out a warranty form and send the tool in an envelope. This was 3 years after purchase – obviously I haven’t really tested the lifetime claim yet, but even 3 years is a lot more than many other companies will give you, and the process was so smooth that it’s literally easier for me to send it in than clean or sharpen it myself. And of course they do a better job than I could.

Definitely would recommend this or any other Leatherman product – $80 seems like a lot, but you get a LOT of use out of it, and if you don’t lose it like me, it will last a long time. If you’re really strapped for cash, they do have some cheaper products as well, I’d suggest looking at them. But for me, this one is the perfect balance of features, size and weight for EDC. I’ve bought 3 of them now (2 for me because I lost one, 1 as a gift) and I’d happily buy again.

Es una multiherramienta excelente, la marca lo dice todo, no me arrepiento de tenerla es robusta y ligera, la traigo en mi bolsillo todos los días y me ha sacado de varios apuros,