Yes - there really is a guy by the name of Leatherman - Tim Leatherman! Tim graduated from Oregon State University in 1970 with a BS in mechanical engineering. While at OSU he met his future wife, Chau, and moved to her hometown Saigon in 1972 where they were married. They returned to the US just before the fall of Saigon in 1975. At that point they decided to take a low-budget trip around Europe and the Middle East.
Tim Leatherman with his Fiat - Courtesy Leatherman Corp.
While on that trip Tim found himself in need of some tools to fix leaky hotel plumbing and an even more leaky 1969 Fiat. He used his trusty scout knife for just about everything, including slicing bread - but he kept wishing he had a pair of pliers! So, he started sketching even before the trip was over and got to work when he returned to Oregon.
Original Pocket Survival Tool - Courtesy Leatherman Corp.
What he thought might take just a month ended up taking about 3 years to build the prototype he envisioned and file for a patent. With his newly minted patent in hand in 1980 he set off to sell his idea to manufacturers. After 3 and a half years with no takers, he finally took matters into his own hands and partnered with his college friend Steve Berliner. Finally, in the spring of 1983 they received their first order for 500 tools from Cabela’s. By 1984 they had sold more than 30,000 tools! As a privately held company Leatherman doesn’t publish sales information, but they are estimated to hold about 16% of the domestic US multi-tool market as of 2025.
From the very beginning in 1983, all Leatherman tools have been made in Portland, OR. They pride themselves on testing their tools in real-world applications - hiking the Cascade Mountains, fishing on the Oregon Coast or exploring the wilderness of the Oregon high desert.
They now boast a factory with 400+ workers, still in Portland, OR. Over the years they’ve diversified into folding knives and even opened their first retail store in 2007, now located in the Cascade Station shopping center in Portland. As of 2011 they had a catalog of 50 products sold in 82 countries with US market share estimated at 55% at that time. They now have products ranging in size from the 0.81 ounce ‘Style’ keychain model with 5 tools to the 12.5 ounce ‘Surge’ with 21 tools.
I personally own the original multi-tool model that was purchased about 25 years ago and a ‘Wingman’ which was purchased about 5 years ago. Both tools are made to a very high standard of quality and have served me well on a variety of home improvement projects and yard work. It’s pretty rare to have a task that can’t be handled by your trusty Leatherman!
Here’s a few photos of my original multitool and Wingman to give you an idea of size and tool comparison. Personally, I think it’s hard to beat the versatility and price of the Wingman.
MadeInUSAFinder - Leatherman Wingman
I love that even in the face of significant global competition that this company has resisted outsourcing their manufacturing and is still striving to refine their tool lineup with new innovations every year. I’m already looking forward to seeing what they come up with next!
DISCLAIMER: I am not affiliated with Leatherman in any way and did not receive any compensation or products for this review. Also - I do not receive any commission or affiliate fees from any sales.