That's why it includes locks that keep your fingers away from the blades, to open the cutting blade you need both hands and a handle design that helps you learn to use tools. In addition, the Leap allows the blade to be installed only when the user is responsible enough to use it. At Leatherman, we believe in mentors who take the time to teach new generations. Together, we help build a valuable heritage of learning to pass on. A carbon-enhanced (HC) version of 420 stainless steel that performs better with machining. The hardness of this steel is optimized for Leatherman tools by heat.

From our factory in Portland, Oregon, we're committed to bringing you the best multipurpose products to help you solve expected and unexpected problems in everyday life. Our journey started over 37 years ago with the world's first pliers-based multi-tool built by our founder, Tim Leatherman (yes, there really is a Mr. Leatherman!).

While on a budget trip to Europe in 1975, Tim Leatherman and his wife Chau constantly came across leaky hotel plumbing and roadside fixes for their cranky Fiat. Tim realized the need for a pliers-based multipurpose tool. "I was carrying a scout knife and used it for everything from slicing bread to fixing the car. But I kept wishing I had a pair of pliers!"

When Tim came back to the states, he took his "multi-tool" idea and some sketches he made on the trip and got to work.

When Tim started on the prototype for this new tool, he estimated it'd take him a month. Instead, it took the next three years to build the prototype he envisioned and file for a patent. With the patent application and prototype in hand, he set off to sell his idea. Unfortunately, the companies he approached didn't bite. For another three and a half years, Tim faced one rejection letter after another. Until he partnered with his college friend, Steve Berliner. In the spring of 1983, they received their first order for 500 tools from Cabela's and launched the first Leatherman tool, the PST.

From Tim's first prototype to our latest multi-tool innovation, we've been building our tools in Portland, Oregon. And when it's time to put our tools through their paces, we test them in the great Pacific Northwest. From hiking in the rugged Cascade Mountains, fishing off of the beautiful Oregon coast, or exploring the high desert in the east, we ensure our tools are reliable for any adventure or task, big or small. We invite you to try our tools for yourself or read people's stories of saving the day with quick thinking, their own two hands, and a Leatherman.