REVIEW – How many times have you needed something – a screwdriver, knife, something to pry with? One solution is to carry the well-known Swiss army knife, but those tend to be bulky and heavy. That need led to the creation of multitools – small, pocketable tools and Leatherman is at the forefront of that market. Always innovating, Leatherman has a new tool in the game – the Leatherman Free T4.
What is it?
The Leatherman Free T4 is a small and lightweight multitool that comes with a cool dozen tools.
What’s in the box?
- Leatherman Free T4 tool
- A really basic “how to use” card
Hardware specs
- Closed length: 3.6 in / 9.3 cm L x 0.62 in / 1.51 cm W
- Blade length: 2.2 in / 5.6 cm
- Weight: 4.3 oz / 121.9 g
Design and features
Each side has a lock-release thumb switch to release opened tools. The back has a removable pocket clip with a lanyard loop included on the clip.
The T4 feels great in the hand. It’s super-solid and at the same time, very lightweight. In fact, my wife, the engineer, couldn’t believe how light it was. But, a tool’s value isn’t in how it feels or how light it is. It has to function, and the T4 brings a dozen tools to the party. Let’s see what’s included in this beauty.
- Item #1 is a 420 high-carbon stainless steel knife
- Item #2 pulls triple duty as a pry tool, package opener and, a medium screwdriver
- Item #3 is is a twofer with a wood/metal file and a small screwdriver
- Item #4 is a spring-action pair of scissors
- Item #5 is both an awl and an extra-small screwdriver
- Item #6 is a Phillips screwdriver as well as a bottle opener
- Item #7 is a pair of tweezers in the top of the unit and pictured below
When a tool is opened, it locks in place. There are two releases – one for each set of tools. A push of the thumb releases the lock so the tool can swing back to its stored position.
A cool feature of this locking mechanism is that it uses magnets and makes for a very smooth open/close.
Speaking of opening – historically, that was one of the pains with multitools. To get at specific tools, it took industrial-strength fingernails to pry the tool out from its stored position. The Free T4 changes that with a thumb-driven opening mechanism that simply pivots the desired tool up so it can be easily accessed.
This design allows for one-handed opening operation – a very nice feature.
What I like
- It’s solid
- It’s light
- It has most everything I need
What I’d change
- It is a tad thick in my pocket, making it a challenge to get my wallet out (perhaps that’s a bonus…), but I don’t know how I would include all these features in anything smaller
- Including a reusable toothpick would have been nice
Final thoughts
I tend to travel light. I have my trusty cell phone in one front pocket and wallet (and sometimes key fob) in the other. Adding the Free T4 on the wallet side was a non-event. I never felt it. It clipped perfectly on my pocket and rested in my pocket. As I mentioned above, because it is a little thick, it will take some getting used to getting my wallet out, but I expect that won’t take much time.
All Leatherman tools (including the Leatherman Free P2 which we also reviewed) are proudly made in the USA. The Free T4 comes with a 25-year warranty. I really like the Free T4 and look forward to it becoming a key player for every day carry.
Price: $59.95
Where to buy: Direct from Leatherman. It is announced on Amazon but pricing and availability are not available.
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Leatherman.
Filed in categories: Reviews
Tagged: EDC, Knives, Multi-tool
Leatherman Free T4 pocket multi-tool review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 11, 2019 at 8:40 am.
Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.