LEATHERMAN, Wingman Multitool with Spring-Action Pliers and Scissors, Stainless Steel

There have been excellent reviews of both the Leatherman Wingman and Rebar, as well as all the others, but because there are so many models, it can be hard to choose which one to buy. I hope to help in the choice of economical "Full-size" multitools, as Leatherman calls a number of models. The "full size" line of tools are all about 100mm long when folded, and include the Charge TTi, the New Wave, the Rebar, and the Wingman. The first two are much more expensive than the latter two, and I will only discuss the Rebar and Wingman. Leatherman multitools can be further subdivided between blade-in and blade-out designs. In the former, you must open the tool to have access to the knife blade(s); in the latter they are available just as they would be in a pocket knife The Rebar is a blade-in design; the Wingman is blade-out. If your most common use of the tool will be for cutting with the knife blade(s), then the Wingman would be more convenient. The Rebar has a much superior shear-type wire-cutter with replaceable blades. The Wingman has a butt-type or pinch-type wire-cutter. Both work, but the Rebar works noticeably better, especially for hard wire. The Rebar has two large blades, a plain blade and a serrated blade; the Wingman has only a single combination blade, but it is instantly available because of the blade-out design. The Rebar has a full-size double-sided file with a serrated edge that can serve as a hack saw. Wingman has what can only be described as a toy, a single-sided, half length file. I could consider it worthless. The Rebar has a full-size wood saw; the Wingman has none. The Wingman, however, has an excellent scissor, the best of the whole line, while the Rebar has no scissor. The Wingman's pliers are spring loaded; not so the Rebar. All the blades, even the small screw-drivers, of the Rebar lock; only the knife and scissor of the Wingman lock. A negative, however, of the Rebar is that the lock-release levers protrude enough to catch if you carry it in your pocket. The Rebar comes with a nylon sheath, while the Wingman has no sheath but does have a good retentive pocket clip. Also the Wingman has a somewhat more rounded shape at the end so it carries better than any of the other full-size multitools in the pocket. Both Rebar and Wingman have a good Phillips screw driver, but the Rebar's is superior. Unlike the Rebar, the Wingman has no awl. At around 22 dollars the Wingman is the best value; the Rebar with sheath is around 37. Which to buy? If you want a multitool small enough to carry in your pocket, one that you will keep in your desk or kitchen junk drawer, if you will mostly use the knife, and find a scissor handy, I'd recommend the Wingman. If, however, you want a more fully competent multitool, that can compare well with the much more expensive Wave and Charge, a tool that includes excellent file, awl, and superior wire cutter, choose the Rebar. What if price is no object? I'd still probably recommend the Rebar. It is noticeably lighter (191 vs 241 g) than the New Wave, and it is 3 mm less in breadth and thickness, which seems little until you hold the two together. The Wave and Charge are simply too big for even occasional pocket use. All of the multitools mentioned in this review are of high quality and will last a long time. Some reviews have said that Leathermans are not made like they used to be, and a review here compares unfavorably the Rebar with the Supertool. (They are similar in design but the Supertool is considerably bigger.) In any case, I have an "old Supertool", made when they still forged "USA" into the pliers, and for the life of me I can see no difference in quality. Certainly the wire cutter of the Rebar is superior. (Incidentally, they are still made in the USA, but a stupid California law keeps them from stamping it on the tool.) So, just buy one, or several, they are all good. I have one in each car, pack, kitchen tool drawer, backpack, etc. I guess you can have too many Lethermen, but I have not gotten there yet!

Now of course there are always going to be folks who want more, but a multi-tool or Swiss army knife is all about having a *usable* tool on hand when needed, or saving many walks back to the toolbox for the purpose-made tool. With that in mind, this tool excels. Compared to a similary-equipped Swiss army knife, it is thinner, since the tools are split between two handles, instead of one, but heavier. The pliers is much more useful than that of a folding Swiss army knife, but not quite as useful as that of a full-size or Heavy Duty series Leatherman. + Spring-loaded pliers are not strictly needed, but once you've tried these, you won't want to go without them ever again. They just make it so much handier! + Combo knife blade and scissors are externally accessible; brilliant! + Unique and useful package-opener tool is not currently found on any other Leatherman. This is a good way to open clamshell packaging without risking hurting oneself as much. Just remember to move your shoulders to do it, not your arm joints, so that if you slip, the knife doesn't move as far and slice you up. + #2 Phillips and large flat screwdrivers are generally useful + The can opener/bottle opener/wire stripper is a great compromise tool. I used it as a can opener the other day just for fun; it takes a while but does the job. As a bottle opener, it works great. The wire stripper, not so much, unless you cut a ring around the wire insulation with the knife blade first. It is not sharp enough to get through THHN home wiring insulation. + Pocket clip instead of a belt pouch is a nice touch. This is a multi-tool that actually fits pretty well in a pants pocket, even if it is on the heavy side - The wire cutter works much better for either solid gauge wire or stranded wire with thick strands than it does for very small flexible stranded wire with many thin strands. It is a "pinch-style" cutter, not a scissor-style. It should be noted that the scissor style wire cutters are initially more useful for that small flexible wire, but once the plier joint loosens up over time, they're almost completely useless. The pinch style cutter used on this one will always work the same; it is not dependent on a tight joint. Since it is not particularly sharp to begin with, it should never deteriorate - Tools don't lock open. However, it should be noted that if you are using them properly, with the pliers closed, there is still no danger of them folding up on you to the point of causing injury. Their open position puts the pressure line past the joint, so that they don't tend to fold up anyway. Some folks don't like the combo knife blade, but if you think about it, it makes sense in many ways: a) When we need a sharp plain edge, it is usually toward the tip half of the blade, right? Like for cutting open boxes and such. b) A lot of people who buy this either don't know how, or are too lazy to sharpen a knife blade. Therefore, it is useful to have a serrated one that will stay sharp a lot longer, right? c) When you have something tough and fibrous to cut through, having a serrated blade can be useful. I'd rather see a combo blade like this one than to sacrifice the scissors, or relegate the scissors to a small inside tool, as is done on other Leathermen. This one has a polished finish, as opposed to the brushed finish most other Leathermen have. I kind of like it. This is a great tool, and I think it will get a lot of people into Leathermen.

I have bought several of the “Wingman” for friends and clients. I is a great tool I have with me (not in my pocket). Very high quality. It has been improved from the one I have including spring loaded pliers and scissors. THE best tool is the blister pack cutter! This is fantastic. It also comes with a case where others it is NOT included. The weight is that of quality, the feel is very good for a well packaged tool. It takes a little time to learn the best way to open the tool you want, not a big deal. Super highly recommend. Great price typically. Excellent gift at this price point. I also recently bought some knives as gifts and these have a great knife PLUS all the extras.

This is a five star product and extremely practical. When I first received it i was very impressed with the quality for it being so inexpensive. I'm going to highlight a few of my favorite features of the multitool: Quality: As i've already stated this is a very high quality multitool. It is made entirely out of stainless steel and has a variety of different tools that lock in place and don't move when you don't want them to. Size: When i was looking at picking up a multitool this was one of my biggest concerns. I didn't want something that was overly large that i wouldn't want to carry in my pocket everywhere but i also wanted something large enough to be practical. This tool is just the right size and fits my needs perfectly. When i'm out and about I do not carry a toolbox around with me and this tool will get you by in a pinch. I wouldn't want to try and hang a door with this but i'm guessing that you probably could... Pliers: This was a must have for me to have in a multitool. I can't even think about how many times i wished i had a pair of pliers with me and didn't (now I do!). I also like the wire cutters on the bottom end of the pliers. Keep in mind that these are cutters and not wire strippers. The Knife: What would a multitool be without a knife? I really like the blade on this tool because part of it is serrated. If you have ever tried cutting rope without a serrated knife that you know how much of a pain that can be. The serrated edge is very thin and extremely sharp. The whole knife is actually really sharp. It also locks open very tightly and doesn't move at all until you depress the release. My one complaint with this knife is that it isn't very easy to open single handed. Other tools: The other tools that are packed away are also nicely made and the perfect size. I've used both the flathead and philips screwdriver and they work flawlessly. The file is... well a file... and the package opener is also very nice. The package open is particularly useful for getting open the bubble style packaging (the clear pain in the butt type that you need to cut open usually). Simply pierce the side of the packaging and pull. It will cut cleanly and not damage the contents. The scissors are also very useful and sharp. Pocket Clip: When i was looking for a multitool this was another must have on my list. I wanted something that i could slip inside of my pocket and not worry about it flopping around in my pocket. I simply place the majority of the tool inside my pocket and clip it onto the pocket with the clip facing out. I'm right handed but like to keep it in my left pocket (phone gets right pocket privileges). Overall: I give this a 5 star rating. This is my first multitool and I don't think that i'm going to be needing to buy another anytime soon because of how well made this is.

This multitool is the best seventy dollars I have ever spent. I have used it for about a year and am never without it. This tool feels like it will last a lifetime. Pros: Has all the tools the average guy needs Great 25 year warranty Scissors and pliers are spring loaded Durable stainless steel construction The package opener is phenomenal and is one of the most used tools on Wingman Made in the USA!!! Blade and scissors are easily opened with one hand, came very sharp and lock into the open position Flat heads double as prybars Cons: Blade has no detent. I was using the pliers when the blade came open and cut me (I did have the blade looser than when I received it) Case clasp comes undone occasionally, although the Wingman is pretty snug inside the case, so the chances of it coming out are slim. Pocket clip is held on by one screw, so it does wiggle around a bit. Not a major problem. Overall, an awesome multitool and definitely worth your money.

Update Oct 1, 2017: Had the tip break off the blade of this Leatherman tool (lots of serious daily use). Went to the Leatherman website to request a replacement. I shipped the tool back to Leatherman per their request and received back outfitted with a new blade within a week. Fantastic! *********************** I purchased the Leatherman Wingman in April 2013 so I've been using for 1 year 8 months. By way of comparison I Recently purchased the Gerber 01471 Multi-Plier. I'll keep this review short and focus on the differences since others have reviewed the details on the two units. There's a couple dollar difference in price with the Leatherman coming in higher. MATERIAL: Immediately you notice the higher quality stainless on this Leatherman(L) over the Gerber(G). It has a nice stainless finish, slightly polished and just has the look of quality. The handle on the Gerber looks interesting. I think it's anodized aluminum and not paint. The stainless on the Gerber has sort of a matte finish. PLIERS: Especially noticeable on the L is the plier. Bigger, thicker jaw with a better tolerance casting on the pivot point of the plier. The L is a heavier unit, however with a with thinner profile (see pictures) it is actually easier to hold in your hand. On the G, especially when the jaws are open, If attempting to use one handed I found that my hand wanted to slide forward because of the thickness of the Gerber and because of the odd curve of the handle. More than once I found my hand slipping into a dangerous position where my hand could get pinched when trying to reposition the tool back into my hand. BLADES: While the Gerber has two blades the Leatherman has a longer, more substantial blade (see pictures). Despite the knurled blade thumb levers on the G, I find the cutout on the L does just as sufficient a job of flicking the blade out. The L blade locking feature can be easily unlocked using one handed, simply using the thumb to unlock the blade, then pressing the blade forward slightly with the index finger. The G seems to need the blade unlock levers slid downward on both the top and bottom of the plier to release the blade, thereby requiring a push on the back of the blade from either the pant leg or some other object. A little inconvenient. OTHER: Besides having two blades over the L's one, the G also has a saw and a lanyard hole. The other tools are basically the same. The scissors on the G are much better in my opion and while having smaller shorter jaws, they cut paper nicely while the L just seems to slide across the paper with out cutting. Also the G comes with a pouch, the L has a built in belt clip. I found the belt clip to work well actually because I use it for work and it helps me keep it somewhat less obvious. Also I don't have to worry about putting a pouch on every day. SUMMARY: While both tools have their merits, the L wins hands down for me. The G doesn't have anything extra I need that the L doesn't have. The L feels like an actual "Tool" in your hand. It's a solid, sturdy companion to any work you may need to get done. Despite it's bare bones appearance, it still has a a better fit and finish in the hand. I feel confident I can trust it. The L is made in the USA.

This is my go to leatherman ive owned several different ones and I felt like goldilocks and ive finally found one that does everything I want it to do. The best features to me are the quick access knife and scissors and the spring loaded pliers makes life so much better. My least favorite feature is the thick flat head screw driver its alittle over kill, luckily the file has a more realistic sized flat head. Other than that great weight and finish and overall quality on this knife. I was disappointed that the photos show a sheath included but I did not receive one in my package. The compact size of this knife will fit in any retro leather sheath you have or universal sheath on the market.

Is there to say? I lost the Leatherman I had had for decades, and picked this one up to replace it. It’s the same good quality tool that I had before. Yes, it is not exactly budget friendly, but this multitool is exactly that: you can do darned near anything with this one tiny little fold up tool. And the ballistic material belt holder snaps shut securely, so you’re spendy little investment won’t slip out while you’re not looking. I use this every day on my farm working with plants, wire, fittings, and things that get stuck and need a little bit more grab than my hands can provide. As always, this tool is well worth the investment. And if you don’t lose it like I did, you will have it for decades to come.