Leatherman 831426 Wingman Multi-Tool

I just picked up a Leatherman Wingman for $25 today. The pros and cons of this multitool are:

Design Pros
-Comes with a clip (but not a sheath) which I prefer because I don't always wear a belt.
-Has polished metal surfaces vs. the Kick/Fuse/Blast series which had a dull finish and looked cheap to me.
-Has the tools I most use (pliers, knife, scissors, screwdrivers)
-Spring loaded pliers
-One-hand opening knife which is exterior accessible
-Knife is 1/2 serrated which is great for cutting rope and other fibrous material
-Scissors are exterior accessible
-Initial experience indicates that the package opener tool works well

Design Cons
-Knife locking mechanism is exactly where I place my thumb and easily activated which could lead to accidental closing

Quality Pros
-Tools (other than pliers see below) feel substantial and of high quality

Qualtiy Cons
-There is a slight side to side play... Read more

The wingman is pure leatherman quality. I love multitools. I own way too many of every brand. I like many brands Gerber, S.O.G, Victorinox), but partial to leatherman. The leatherman wingman is now going to be my EDC, until their next great creation. I actually used it today to fix one of my sons friends bike while we rode along the long beach bike path. I love that the pliers are spring loaded, you don't get that with the wave, 300, 200, blast, kick, etc. The spring loaded scissors are great. I used them to trim my beard and they work solid. The leatherman gives specs- metal type, tools, etc. on their web site. The wingman feels a little like the victorinox swiss tool-solid, yet the wingman is much less expensive and has the springloaded pliers, and a beefier knife. Good job leatherman!

In summary, this is a mid sized, fully functional, affordable leatherman. The one handed knife access is critical with a tool like this and you can get it much less costly than the other models.

I like the price, tools, belt clip, and spring pliers. As far as negatives, I don't feel the blade is strong and seems like it could snap where the thumb slot is. Its not a heavy duty blade, and its not supposed to be, but that is one of the short cuts they took to get this price point.

Other short cuts include the fact that the pliers are riveted onto the handles. Shouldn't be a problem if its designed right, but seems like that is where the pliers will fail first. Last short cut is the entire assembly is stamped sheet metal. It seems as if they reduced cost based on ease of manufacturability. But it fits together almost perfect.

ALL THAT SAID, this is a great tool, it feels great, and I think will have the same reliability of the more expensive tools... Read more