Today was day 5 of the 100 Knives in 100 Days Giveaway. Fittingly, we are giving away the first of 5 Leatherman Free P4’s which they so generously contributed to help with our relaunch. If you are not yet entered in our giveaway, you can Register for a Free Account, and then comment on the link below:
Leatherman is still the gold standard in multitools. While they have added individual tools which can be opened with a single hand (i.e. the blades on the Wave), as a general rule, Leatherman tools tend to be two handed affairs when it comes to opening and stowing most of the individual tools. But no longer. Leatherman has changed the game and has released the Leatherman Free P4. It delivers as advertised – it really is almost fully operational with a single hand.
First, lets look at the features:
10 tools in 1. I really am pleased that the unit has scissors. A key feature on my Wave. I know that is the second time I have referred to the Wave, but it is far and away my favorite model Leatherman, and I vastly prefer it to the Rebar. When I carry a multitool, it is my Wave. In fact I will probably be wearing it on Thursday as I set up our booth (#47, along the back wall between Southern Grind and Hogue).
Personal Observations:
The pliers on my Wave open like a balisong because they are so broken in. The Free P4 is designed to swing open, though it is a bit hitchy as each side of the pliers unlock from the handle. I think this will wear in with time, and I imagine they will be a fun fidget tool.
If you are right handed, plain blade opens one handed with your thumb, but because both blades open in the same direction the serrated opens in the wrong direction unless you reverse the tool and use your index finger. Not a problem, but an unfamiliar motion to most, with the accompanying risk of cutting one’s self.
Left handers have the opposite issue with the plain blade requiring index finger open. I found I was able to access and stow the other tools equally well with either hand. The fact that each tool locks is a really nice feature.
Outside Review:
The folks at Gear Junkie do excellent reviews, so I will rely on them to put the tool through its paces. I don’t want to scratch up one (of the 5) we are sending out to y’all.
https://gearjunkie.com/leatherman-free-p2-multitool-review
We would like to thank Leatherman for their extremely generous donation of 5 Free P4s. I had fun messing around with the one I had out to photograph. Since I can’t really test one myself, hopefully one of the winners can do a review for us. Stay tuned.