I have been provided the materials needed for this review. However, my opinions are entirely my own and I have not been paid to publish positive comments.
I have been around Leatherman’s for years and years, in fact I have always carried one Leatherman or another since I was about 11. I even remember the Leatherman vs. Gerber debate in my old boy scout troop.
[UPDATE] I had a hard time getting photos of this tool in action as I was always the one using the tool and cameras.
An Eagle Scout Gift
When in scouts, I saved up my money to buy a Leatherman PST (Pocket Survival Tool) which stayed on my belt until I turned 14. When I made Eagle, I was given a Leatherman Wave by my parents. I have kept that tool with me for years and never gave much thought about getting a newer Multi-tool. For me, why spend the money when you have equipment that is going to last a lifetime?
A Work Tool
My father has owned a Leatherman Super Tool 200 pretty much since I get my first Leatherman. In his business his Leatherman tends to get beaten up and parts have broken from all the wear and tear. Leatherman has a 25 year warranty on all of their tools so when a part needs to be fixed he can just send it in and get it fixed.
A Christmas Gift
For Christmas 2013, I was given a Leatherman Rail by my sister because she knew I needed a tool I could use in the field for my reviews and just general shooting. For the past few months, I have been carrying my Leatherman Wave and my Leatherman Rail to the range.
A Must Have!
I had seen and read about the Leatherman MUT a few times before SHOT 2014 and Leatherman was on my list of companies to see at the show. I went to the booth too see the new line, but I knew what I was there for, the Leatherman MUT. I knew when I saw it, that it was going to replace both of the Leatherman’s I was carrying. It has all they had and more.
Pouch
As you can see in the picture above, the pouch the MUT comes in is MOLLE. Whether you want it on your belt or on your chest rig, this pouch will work for you. A nice thing about the molle strap backing is, you can adjust the strap to fit the size of your belt and where it hangs on you.
Specs
Leatherman’s technical writing department doesn’t fill the spec sheet out with every detail of the tool. This means you do have to play with the tool to fully familiarize yourself with everything this tool has to offer… I have been using the MUT for about a month now and I still haven’t found the kitchen sink, but knowing Leatherman they snuck it on there. [UPDATE] Leatherman is not confirming this just yet but my sources have confirmed that Thor is planning to replacing his hammer (Mjölnir) for the Leatherman MUT sometime in 2015.
About the MUT:
The MUT is everything your normal Leatherman is. Pliers, screwdrivers, knife and saw, etc. but it was designed with the shooter in mind. The bolt override tool lets you get stuck brass out of your AR when things go wrong. The MUT has male and female adapters for cleaning rods and jags. The screwdriver set has the standard blade and Phillips head bits as well as hex and star head bits for your scopes and other rail mounts. The carbon scraper is made from bronze to keep from destroying your bolts when you are cleaning. Having the carabiner/bottle opener is a must for any tactical zombie hunting bartender (Looking at you Gun Bunny).
I keep a tool box in the bed of my truck that stores a fair amount of tools in case I need to fix something, be it at the range or on the side of the road. I have found one of my most used tools in the tool box is the hammer. Sometimes there are just random nails in the world that have caught your arm and sleeve one too many times and they just need to be nailed back in to place. I like to believe Leatherman was in the same boat when they designed the hammer on the tool for no other reason than JUST IN CASE.
I have read a few reviews that say this is not just a “MUST HAVE FOR YOUR RANGE BAG”… this is not a range bag tool or one you should just wear when working with firearms. This tool gets put on my belt when I leave the house, I even take it to the gym. I like to wear this everywhere. This isn’t just the ultimate multi-tool for the gun owner, it’s the ultimate multi-tool: period.
Details
The hook knife on the MUT is not designed to cut climbing rope as the hook is rather shallow but it is perfect for cutting molle webbing or seat belts or even fishing line. The blade is replaceable so when it gets dull or chipped you can replace it with a sharp new one.
The punch uses standard cleaning rod threading so you can unscrew it and attach your cleaning rods to the MUT and clean your guns. Also, having a punch on the tool means one less punch you have to carry in your cleaning kit.
In my first impressions I spoke of the front post adjustment tool that comes with the pouch and MUT. I would have liked to have seen it attached to the MUT and I still think that would have been nice. I do understand the lack of room on the tool. It was nice of Leatherman that they added it to the set. The end user doesn’t need to go out and buy one more thing to complete the kit.
Tool rigidity:
The Leatherman MUT is a solid tool. When you pick up the tool for the first time you notice the weight, the mass of the pliers and the overall heft that this tool has. It is true that heft does not necessarily mean a tool is strong or worth its weight in salt. But from my own personal experience with different brands and style tools, this is one of the nicest and strongest for the type tool. When you grip the handles of the pliers and squeeze as hard as you can you see a little flex but it does not it feel like it is going to bend or break.
Replace-ability:
I am not a professional when it comes to electrical wiring or anything of the nature. I have been around long enough to learn how to fix some problems such as trailer lights or installing and replacing wall plug outlets. I know what it is like trying to cut wires with dull wire cutters. Leatherman has designed the wire cutters on this tool to be replaceable with a screw making it easy to change out the dull or chipped wire cutters with a nice sharp set.
They have also made the carbon scraper replaceable.
Locks and safety features:
The Leatherman MUT comes with a lock latch that keeps the tool in the folded position which might seem pointless if you keep it in the pouch but having an open web cutter (hook knife) you run the risk of cutting your gear up if the tool opens. To keep this from happening Leatherman designed the screw driver bit to block the hook knife and have a locking latch so the tool doesn’t open allowing for the bit to be out of the way and cutting your gear.
Final thought:
The tools was designed for day to day usage. Leatherman designed the MUT to replace the multiple tools you’d normally carry.
This is where I normally post my pros and cons list. Folks, this is the first review where I just haven’t found anything I didn’t like. If in the future I find something that does make this tool have a drawback for ME, I promise to update this.
In complete honesty I have not even scratched the surface of this tools full potential. This Leatherman is the heaviest I own. Remember that the heft added, is to insure that when your life depends on that bolt override or the cutting hook or any of the other 100 things Leatherman does not tell you this tool does.. it will be there ready for action.