Leatherman Garage is the popular multi-tool brand’s new experimental tool program. It’s basically a sort of extremely limited quantity sprint run product series that allows the brand to try new things.
Update: Here are full details and a complete look at the Leatherman Darkside multi-tool.
The first Leatherman Garage product, the Mr. Crunch multi-tool, sold enough quickly, and I didn’t even know about it until they emailed me with a “sold out” notification.
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So, I’ve been keeping an eye on Leatherman’s channels for a heads-up as to when the next Garage series product will drop.
Leatherman posted some hints to social media today, and so we know 4 things about the next Garage series multi-tool.
First, we know that the second Garage multi-tool offering will launch on June 14th, 2022.
Second, we know the name – The Darkside.
Next, here’s what it looks like:
I see some blue… hold on, let me hit the *enhance button.*
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A little Photoshop brightening work, and this is what the Leatherman Darkside multi-tool looks like.
Blue liners?! This seems like a first for the brand.
Lastly, from the product image, the Darkside multi-tool looks to be based on the classic Wave or Charge form factor, but it’s hard to tell. Maybe it’s based on the Surge, but it looks closer in geometry to the Wave or Charge to me.
Interesting.
Leatherman’s first Garage offering, the Mr. Crunch, was priced at $199. The Darkside pricing has not yet been announced.
It probably doesn’t need to be said, but this is not going to be a premium-priced product. If you want more bang for your buck, there are plenty of other excellent multi-tools you can get now or anytime.
If the teaser raises an eyebrow for you, keep in mind the 6/14 launch date – that’s going to be a Tuesday. Don’t worry, I’ll remind you. =)
Update: Tips on How to Buy
With limited edition launches like this where the product is expected to sell out quickly, here are tips that will increase your chances of success.
First, register a user account ahead of time, unless you can confirm there’s a guest checkout option.
Second, ensure you have your shipping address added to your account, and your billing address as well if it’s needed.
Lastly, it can help to have your payment information saved or at least at the ready.
It can also help to have multiple payment options. For instance, if high sales volume affects credit card purchases, checking out with Paypal might be faster. (As far as I can tell, Leatherman only accepts credit cards.)
MikeIt
Enhance! Enhance! Enhance!
Stuart
There might have been some sound effects…
Adam
Wow they already sold out….That was quick.
Stuart
Didn’t go live yet…
Dan
What time will it probably go live?
Jared
Looking forward to seeing it. 👍
Alan
I’ll be blunt and to the point here; as a man that has worked as both a professional mechanic and in the construction trades, I cannot stress the importance of not losing your cool with this product. Look I am no spring chicken so I can safely say a mere multi tool isn’t having a melt down over as I saw in various social media outlet’s.
Mr. Crunch and whatever this tool are at the end of a day; it’s just a piece of metal. If people who spend their own money put their multi tool for sale on eBay or wherever; oh well. You aren’t and take it from me; don’t want to be the world police . Take it from from someone that constantly shouted and used to have an extremely short fuse especially on trivial matters; it’s not worth it being perpetually angry. Repeat after me; it’s just a tool.
Glenn
100% agree with Alan. As someone that part of the millennial generation; I’ve seen my share of posts complaining about Mr. Crunch and how “unfair” this situation was. Let me be first to say; life isn’t fair and if you want success in this world you are going to have to work for it.
If you really Leatherman Garage item I suggest the following. Wake up extra early and constantly refresh the Leatherman Garage portion of Leatherman’s website. If money is a concern; ask your boss for extra shifts. Truly it’s that simple.
Dustin
This is a lesson i am trying so hard to learn, but it hard to not get completely enraged over things that are trivial.
Stuart
I think that Leatherman learned from the first Garage Series launch, and are giving a little more notice ahead of this second one.
Tim D.
It’ll be interesting to see what it is. It does look wave-like, but it has legacy style fasteners on it.
JoeM
Has the Wave/Charge lock release for the inside tools… So doubt it’s a Surge relative… Ceramic inner-scales as a test? Legacy Pre-Torx hinge bolts… so… I’m guessing they’re hoping it’s tamper-proof, but won’t object to anyone doing some swapping around…
Beyond that… Got nothing. Also… Zero interest in Limited Edition or Experimental tools. Customization, I’m fine with. Collaborations, I’m fine with. User-Input surveys, all for it.
I still maintain, as I said in the other Garage thread… I would prefer they open up a full customization garage for us. I don’t like the “Free” line’s name… But if you let me Black-Oxide them, I’m happy to buy them as-is with the line renamed to the “Stealth” or the “Flux” as my code names for them. Maybe the “Flux” for the full pliers, the “Stealth” for the Knife tools. Or the other way around. The first Garage was “Mr. Crunch”… But they never Black-Oxide modeled The Crunch Multitool… Therefore, a Black Oxide Crunch might be… “Officer Crunch” instead… I’m not that creative, obviously. But let us arrange our own, custom, as-we-want-it Multi-Tools, and the premium price would be worth it.
By the way: The most under-appreciated Leatherman feature, across the entire lineup… The Blade Exchanger. So under-used for just a saw and file to interchange… standard T-Shank Jigsaw blade? Awesome, we can keep a metal-cutting sawblade on hand for the Surge… But why stop there? Why aren’t there more Blade Exchanger tools? I was thinking of trying to get a cheap, folding, stubby ratchet set, and trying to shape the handle into a T-Shank, so the Stubby Ratchet can get some torque from the Surge being its handle. If it works really well? Submit the design (hell, the Prototype itself!) to Leatherman for their own sets to be made for the Garage. Maybe reach out to another American-Made tool brand that does Sockets and Pear-Heads, or even the German ones, Wiha and Wera, to make T-Shank editions of their sets for use with the Surge. The potential mass-market for the Blade Exchanger is as lucrative, if not more lucrative, than what varieties of diverse tools are available for Jigsaws.
MM
I like your idea of customizing multitools. The same general idea could apply to customizing folding pocketknives too. And these days computers ought to make this easy. You design your knife by picking options on a website, then on the company side some computer spits out a build ticket that tells the people assembling the knives what components to stack up in what order, and then bang, your knife is done. Same idea as ordering pizza delivery online.
JoeM
Almost exactly what I said in the previous Garage tool thread. The order is placed, the factory has all of its parts already, some “Garage Guru” or maybe nickname them “Mechanics” go down the racks of tools, picks out the ones on the order, goes to their workbench, and assembles the thing, ready to go using 100% of the factory’s tool resources to properly align everything. If they need a different coating, or whatever other extra expenses, that gets tacked on the price while you’re designing it. Charge a premium for any lettering/name changes, you get a designer ID# and account in the Garage. People browse the Garage for ideas from other designers (like yourself) and either design their own, or buy one of your designs. Either way, Leatherman gets that order, from a customer, they get one made. No limited edition needed, just… Exactly what the Customer orders, direct from the factory, by factory “Mechanics” who get to work separate from the assembly line, on each individual tool. No need to get rid of the assembly line, the quality control, or any of the other things that make us love the company, it’s just the custom shop.
And best of all, we need look no further than two other American-Made companies for examples of why this works! Harley Davidson has an online customization tool, so you can see what it would look like, before you buy, quote and all. You can save that, bring it to your local dealership, and they get it delivered to you. Payment and leasing, etc. done right there on the spot. Then there’s the other end of the spectrum for pricing, and it’s far more direct. Benchmade has a customization page for all their products. You can pick steel types, colour choices, materials for scales, and it becomes something you can put in your cart and purchase for delivery.
The question becomes… Why isn’t Leatherman doing something as broadly as these two companies? Leatherman has the market share needed to justify the prices, and the resources. Maybe, if something becomes more popular to get from the Garage, they send it for full-time production to be distributed in stores? Instant market research! H-D and Benchmade figured that out, what’s taking Leatherman so long?
MM
They might be able to offer some custom finishes by simply stocking parts that are already pre-plated, so when the worker assembles the knife they might grab a blackened blade instead of the standard shiny one.
As for why they don’t do this? It makes me wonder if it isn’t deliberate strategy. I know from my own business with motorcycle accessories that a large number of customers would jump on whatever new parts we made even if those parts didn’t make logical sense for them from a purely practical perspective. Likewise I’m sure that Leatherman has many customers who are collectors or who simply have to have the newest model regardless of practicality. Customers like that might never bother to order a custom tool but would gladly line up to buy each and every “limited edition” model that they make.
Stuart
There was a modular tool once – https://14cyiuhvcgv.com/quirky-switch-a-modular-pocket-knife-tool/%3C/a%3E .
JoeM
Yeah, I think that may have been the precursor to the modular key-organizers we have today. There’s even a company called Covert Instruments, started by the YouTuber The Lockpicking Lawyer, that sells a modular lock picking tool set called The Covert Companion. Something really good for both Locksmiths, and those with a hobby in understanding locking mechanisms via picking. Criminals as well, but… that method is rapidly becoming obsolete in the cheap security camera systems we’re currently seeing on the market these days.
That Switch tool was a really good example of what would come after it. Only reason I wouldn’t own one myself is… well, Leatherman has a design to their tools that is iconic for a reason. They’re who they are because that pliers-based design genuinely sets a standard. I’d just like to be able to take that iconic design, and get exactly what I need in that tool, rather than what the marketing execs thought would be a good bundle. They’ve especially been getting that wrong the past few years, so I would like to hold their newer designs proudly, the way they should work, rather than what the Marketing department couldn’t understand. Yes… I’m still angry about the “Free” line… It messes with the mind, and talking about it, when it is called a synonym for “No Cost” but everything in the actual tool makes it more expensive, and the truly unique part involves Magnets… The name, and the tools, don’t coincide with eachother.
Stuart
Some knife brands offer customization for a premium, where they will build a knife with your choice of colors, materials, etc, from what’s available.
This would be incredibly difficult for Leatherman to do. Maybe they’ll get into it eventually if there’s enough demand, but I doubt it.
MM
I don’t think this would be difficult for Leatherman at all, so long as they stuck to some basic simplifying rules. It would be impractical for them to make the tools of arbitrary thickness so you’d basically be choosing a base model tool which dictated the size and type of the frame/handles, and then choosing which smaller blades/tools went inside it. Clearly there are rules to enforce regarding their placement but that seems easy enough for a web interface to enforce.
Jared
SOG offers a degree of customization. Their multitools are designed with regular fasteners so you can remove and swap things out and they also sell individual tools.
There’s only so much custom-swapping that can be done based on the tools they make, but it’s still a nice option.
E.g. you can purchase a plain blade or a full serrated if your tools came with the standard half & half version. They offer some black-coated tools and handle covers (for some models – my Powerlock was available in black but I have the polished stainless version, I could get the black inner covers if I wanted).
You can swap in a stripper for the scissors, add an extra knife, etc.
One thing to note is that not all tools are swappable – e.g. you probably can’t switch a knife for the awl since one is a long tool and the other short. The Phillips screwdriver is wider so it can’t sit next to a long tool. If you put two tools next to each other that are the same size, it may be difficult to access the nail slot.
A tool could be designed so everything switches, but then it has to provide extra space between tools and wouldn’t be as compact (or all the tools need to be interchangeable – but that leads to wasted space too, plus less useful tools). There’s actually a lot of design considerations that go into the loadout, so it might not be as simple as some people think to make them customizable – not that it can’t be done, but there may be other compromises (like a less compact tool), or a much higher cost.
Yadda
There was a precursor to the Quirky with modular inserts. The Coleman Prolock. They never got around to making any additional inserts for it. Evidently because it didn’t sell well. You can still buy these NIP on that auction website from time to time. Despite the cool factor and all the potential options, modular multi tools aren’t convenient and they definitnely are not big sellers. I own a couple of quirky tools and a Coleman Prolock as collector items they are great.
Jared
I googled – that was an interesting tool to read about. Thanks for sharing.
Freeman
I’ve moded my Signal, so now it can securely hold standard T-shank blades. I also sent pictures to Leatherman, and they just said “thanks, we will forward this to our design team”, and that’s it. Garage should really be more open source platform, gathering user feedback to improve the tools, to add features, not just creating limited edition collectable stuff.
JR Ramos
Tacticool dark matte finish.
Thin blue line.
Should prove to be really popular and/or sell out quickly.
I’m not a big fan of multitools but have gotten a ton of use from my original 1st generation Gerber that I got about 25 years ago (they were actually pretty nice back then, without breakage issues, had a real Simonds file…certainly more comfortable than the Leatherman models that existed at the time). It’s been good to see Leatherman improve their products consistently and expand/innovate over the years.
Matt
I had a Wave and was so proud of it and looked at all the time like some sort of jewel or something. I lost it and was so upset however I learned a big lesson in acquiring material things….
that absolutely nothing else in my life changed by having it or not having it. I just improvised by using my regular tools lying around the house.
I will probably get another Leatherman larger tool – Wave or Surge just for the heck or and because it is fun….but be ready to let go of it at a moment’s notice. These things are high on the list of “easy to lose” things.
Tim D.
“that absolutely nothing else in my life changed by having it or not having it. I just improvised by using my regular tools lying around the house.”
It’s a multi-tool. Simply for convenience over anything else.
People say the same thing to me about not carrying a pocket knife. They can simply use a kitchen knife, a key, their teeth, etc. It doesn’t change the fact that I enjoy the convenience of having a knife, a tool that I use countless times every day.
Nathan
I got a wave when they were reasonably priced. I still have it in a leather holder and it’s in the truck door pocket. I keep it there or it goes in the gun bag when I go to the range.
I see a wave in thepicture but maybe that’s just me. I’d like a custom shop option to trade out blades or add other things. provided the costs adjusted. I wish it was easier to get a skeltool with a smooth blade. Or better get one with a quality scissor vs pliers like aserrated scissor option.
anyway intrigued but I doubt I’m a customer.
Marc
It’s so unfair that your average person is not able to have a fair chance at purchasing these products. The reasons is there are people with sophisticated sniping computer programs that can buy something a millisecond after it’s released while the buyer is comfortably asleep. Then they repeat it a dozen times and them list it on ebay for 5x the original cost.