Back in 1983, Leatherman launched their company with a product called PST, a full-sized multi-tool that sold over 30,000 units by the next year. While its pliers-based design was quite novel back then, it’s, apparently, not even what Tim Leatherman had in mind when designing his original prototype, as some elements needed to be scrapped to make them more suitable for that period’s manufacturing capabilities. Chief among those is a slide-on pliers feature that the outfit is now bringing to life in the Leatherman Mr. Crunch.
No, they didn’t reprise the original PST prototype for this one. Instead, they took that double pliers design and applied it to the Leatherman Free P4, making an even more versatile version of what’s already the outfit’s most advanced multi-tool to date.
The Leatherman Mr. Crunch bundles 21 functions just like the P4 it’s based on, complete with the magnetic locking mechanism that allows single-handed deployment, operation, and closing for every single one of its functions. All the tools, with the exception of the pliers, magnetically lock into place during use, too, making it extremely to use, as it eliminates any chances of accidental closing in the middle of a task. If you’re a collector, by the way, it doesn’t look like a replica of the P4, so you’ll still get a pretty distinct-looking multi-tool, albeit with similar functions.
Other than the overall aesthetics, the biggest difference between this and the P4, of course, is the pliers head. While the P4 used a single head that incorporated both needlenose and regular pliers, this special-edition release sports a head with needlenose pliers that can be retracted to reveal bluntnose pliers underneath it, which was originally conceived during the prototype design for the PST. It’s a unique element that multi-tool collectors will probably fawn over, considering it’s not that frequently integrated into many modern multi-tools.
The Leatherman Mr. Crunch, of course, gets another 19 tools on top of that fancy dual-plier implementation. These include a 420HC knife for all your cutting and slicing needs, as well as a separate package opener so you don’t dull out your knife when opening all those Amazon packages that keep being delivered to your house. There are a number of screwdrivers, of course, namely a Phillips driver, three sizes of flathead drivers, and even a small bit for driving those tiny screws on eyeglasses. It has two wire cutters (one standard and one for hard wires), an electric crimper, a wire stripper, and a pair of spring-action scissors, as well as an awl, a chisel, a pry tool, a metal file, and a ruler.
Construction is 17-4 stainless steel for most of the tool, although the 2.8-inch knife blade is cut in 420HC stainless steel. It measures 4.25 inches long when the multi-tool is closed, so while it should fit in most pants pockets, it probably won’t be the most comfortable. As such, it comes with a removable pocket clip if you’d rather secure it at the edge of a pocket or a belt, as well as an engraved Leatherman pouch.
The Leatherman Mr. Crunch is available now, priced at $199.
