This is the Leatherman Rebar®, it’s one of the newer multitool designs from the American company, and it was designed to give you 17 tools in your pocket for well under a $100 MSRP.
In some respects, Leatherman multitools are an improvement over the Swiss Army Knives of old. Leathermans typically offer a pair of full size pliers with a bunch of other tools, and once you have one in your possession it typically gets used more often than you might have expected.
The Leatherman Rebar® is one of the newer offerings from the American company, unusually it comes in six colorways – but both black and stainless steel versions are offered for those who prefer to keep things a little more traditional.
History Speedrun: Leatherman
The Leatherman story began in 1975 when Tim Leatherman, a mechanical engineering graduate from Oregon State University, embarked on a backpacking trip across Europe with his wife.
It was during this journey that Tim found himself frequently in need of a versatile and compact tool that could perform multiple tasks – he soon realized that there was a gap in the market for a product that offered more than a Swiss Army knife while still remaining lightweight and compact.
Upon returning home to Oregon he put his mechanical engineering degree to work and began working on his first prototype, a multi-tool that combined the functionality of a pair of pliers with a variety of other essential tools. After several iterations and a number of years of development, the first Leatherman multi-tool, the Pocket Survival Tool (PST), was born in 1983.
The PST was an instant hit, and the company quickly outgrew its humble beginnings. By 1984, Leatherman Tool Group had moved to a larger facility and expanded its product line. Leatherman produces and assembles its tools in Portland, Oregon and they offer a 25 year warranty on their wares.
The Leatherman Rebar®
The Leatherman Rebar® is one of the newer offerings from the American company, unusually it comes in six colorways – but both black and stainless steel versions are offered for those who prefer to keep things a little more traditional.
This is the Leatherman Rebar®, it’s one of the newer multitool designs from the storied company, and it was designed to give you 17 tools in your pocket for well under a $100 MSRP.
The Rebar® opens to reveal 17 tools including needlenose pliers, regular pliers, replaceable wire cutters, replaceable hard-wire cutters, an electrical crimper, a wire stripper, a knife (420HC), a serrated knife (420HC), a saw, an awl with a thread loop, a ruler, a can opener, a bottle opener, and a wood/metal file.
Every one of the fold-out tools locks into place securely, so you can work with confidence, and rely on it to stay open and not snap shut on your fingers. The Rebar® retails for $89.95 USD and you can buy it direct from the official Leatherman store here.
Images courtesy of Leatherman
Articles that Ben Branch has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
