I bought my first Leatherman, an original PST, so many years ago that Leatherman wasn’t even putting serial numbers on them yet. It went everywhere with me, and it started a habit I’ve never broken: giving them away.
Over the years I’ve bought Leathermans for a lot of people. My children and their spouses all have one. So do my grandchildren, each with cut-proof gloves and safety glasses to go with it, and each engraved. I’ve had little keychain Leathermans engraved with callsigns and given them to some of my ham radio buddies. When one of the family broke the one he’d bought himself, I replaced it with a custom one, engraved.
Tucked away in the closet, still in its box, is a limited-edition anniversary PST. That one is for my oldest grandson when I’m gone.
Why Leathermans? Because they get used. They’re in glove boxes, tool drawers and pockets, fixing things and getting people out of small jams, for decades. Every time one of my family reaches for theirs, I’m there with them. It’s how I can give of myself, to be there in their memories when it’s Leatherman time.
If you’re stuck for a gift for someone who has everything, a good multi-tool with a few words engraved on it is hard to beat.
More on choosing knives and multi-tools: Blades, Multi-Tools & Edge Tools.