Leatherman Tread and Skeletool

With great beard comes great responsibility. With great responsibility comes great expectation. One of the expectations people have of beardsman is that we are useful. Like it or not, people expect a beardsman to live up to his rugged standard and actually be able to fix things, not just look like he can. The next time something goes awry, pull one of these Leatherman tools out of your arsenal and stake your claim at the head of the man table.

Often imitated, the Leatherman first hit the scene with their Pocket Survival Tool in 1983. Founder Tim Leatherman (even his name in manly) grew up in Portland Oregon and wanted to design and manufacture a high quality useful product that would stand the test of time, all while keeping the entire operation local. 30 years later Leatherman employs 700 Oregonians that are proud of their product and their no-questions asked 25-year warranty.

Most men are familiar with the classic Leatherman design, but we’re going to investigate two of their lesser-known tools: The Skeletool and The Tread.

The Skeletool

The Skeletool is a great everyday carry tool that once you get used to having you can’t imagine living without. At a mere five ounces, it has a 2 1/2” stainless steel combo blade, needlenose pliers, regular pliers, wire cutters, bit driver, removable pocket clip, carabiner, and bottle opener. Just talking about it makes me want to imitate the primal grunt that Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor would make when he was excited about something.

It’s got handle bit storage as well as a locking blade. The pocket clip is replaceable and it also has one-hand operable features. It’s available in stainless steel, tan, blue, green, orange, and black.

There are a few specialty models as well. The Skeletool RX is bright orange and built for emergency situations. It’s deeply serrated blade has more cutting surface for clothing or fibrous materials and includes a carbide glass break bit.

Each comes with a sheath and engraving is available for $6.95. Add a gift box for $2.95 (Valentine’s Day anyone?). Consider picking up the Bit Kit Accessory for $24. The Bit Kit comes with all sorts of specialty double-ended bits. The bit kits are compatable with other Leatherman tools as well. Depending on the model, the price range for The Skeletool is $65-$107.

The Tread

Let’s move on to The Tread; the most masculine piece of man-jewelery you didn’t even know you were missing. Yep, it’s a bracelet. The Tread is a wearable tool designed with the functionality of a Leatherman and the style of a motorcycle chain.

Made of 17-4 stainless steel, The Tread has 29 tools that include allen wrenches, screwdrivers, box wrenches, hex drivers, oxygen tank wrench, carbide glass breaker, sim card tool, cutting hook, socket drive, bottle opener, and square drive. It’s adjustable up to a 1/4 inch to accommodate any wrist size and fully customizable with the links you need the most. It’s available in stainless or black finish. With a beard like yours, you can totally pull this off. The stainless model is $165 and the black finish is $220.

The Skeletool and the Tread are the type of items you need the most in the moments when you weren’t planning on needing them. You already look like you’re ready to take on the world, so make yourself useful and live up to your expectation by equipping yourself with these great tools from Leatherman.

Do you know of an awesome product out there that we should feature? Tweet us at @bandholz