Let’s not kid ourselves, Leatherman’s Tread multi-tool is jewelry. But it’s truly functional jewelry that only the legendary multi-tool maker could make.
Leatherman’s origin story puts its founder in a situation where his standard-issue pocket knife couldn’t get his broken car back on the road, so he created the Leatherman multi-tool with an integrated pair of pliers. The design is often emulated, and for many it’s replaced the old Swiss Army Knife as the tool of choice.
The company is now applying that out-of-pocket thinking with its Tread. Worn on your wrist, the Tread multi-tool features no fewer than 29 different “tools” cleverly integrated into its links.
Need a 1/8-inch hex drive, #1-2 Phillips or a 8mm bolt wrench? Just flip the Tread off your wrist, find the right section of the Tread to use, and screw away.
The Tread itself is made of 17-4 hardened stainless steel, not the pot metal you see in the $15 items. That makes it corrosion-resistant and fairly hard.
Another big advantage of the Tread over the typical miniature multi-tool is your ability get a proper amount of leverage with it. A prime weakness of the the keychain models is there isn’t enough body for your hands to get a good grip.
With the Tread, each of the links is held in place by beefy screws, with very little flex. It may look like a typical watch bracelet, but it’s a hell of a lot stronger.
· materials: 17-4 Stainless Steel
· price: $165 usd
producer: leatherman
period: 2015
