Leatherman
Established 1983Founded in 1983 by Timothy S. Leatherman and Steve Berliner, Leatherman is a brand of multitools and knives. Leatherman, a mechanical engineering graduate of Oregon State University, wanted to make a capable, easily portable hand tool with multiple functions. He came up with an iconic multi-tools built around a pair of pliers, with up to 21 additional tools stored in the handles, including knives, screwdrivers, saws, wire cutters and strippers, electrical crimper, bottle opener and can opener.
While traveling through Europe and the Middle East, Leatherman often had to repair his repeatedly malfunctioning car or leaky hotel plumbing with his simple pocketknife. But he kept wishing he had a pair of pliers. He spent several years perfecting his prototype and received his first U.S. patent in 1980. After additional refinement, Leatherman sold his first multi-tools, which he called the PST (Pocket Survival Tool), through mail-order catalogs.
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