Leatherman Sideclip

Another one of oldschool Leathermans, Sideclip is quite a rare beast to find. It's a a low-fat PST - lightweight and slender tool, nice to carry with the suit or in a jeans pocket.

It has decent size blade, three flat screwdrivers, Philips screwdriver, bottle/can opener and pliers - which in case of a multitool seemingly designed for office worker I consider a strange selection of tools. I found it less functional than PST II (no scissors or file) and after a short trial as a part of my EDC, I decided to let it go.

On the other hand it has a great modding potential: just remove screws, open up handles, insert desired LM tools in, put some washers to compensate for thickness difference (if needed) and put the screws back in.

Leatherman Crunch

One of the most ingenious Leatherman designs, this compact (PST-sized) model introduced a set of locking pliers - and I think it's still the only multitool in the world to have those. One of it's handles includes a modest set of short tools: serrated sheep hoof blade, two flat screwdrivers, Philips screwdriver and a file. Opposite handle has a 1/4" bit driver, hidden beyond the tension screw.

I love the concept and I love the design... but it's a platonic love, as the tool proved to be almost useless for me. I bought it (twice, actually) and tried to carry it for some time. I don't have much use for locking pliers in everyday life, the remaining selection of tools is very limited and the tool itself is too bulky to dethrone Mini-Tool as a complement to Victorinox SAK in my pocket.

In short: if you have need for locking pliers in your pocket, this is the tool for you. If you don't really need locking pliers, however, there are way better options for you to carry.

Tool selection:

Hidden hex bit driver:

Side view:

The unfolding of the locking pliers:

Leatherman Mini-Tool

Another one of my favorites, unfortunately no longer in production.

Leatherman Mini-Tool is half the size of original PST, making it absolutely great for EDC. Due to it's small size Mini-Tool had a very limited tool selection: a file (doubling as a flat screwdriver) and a very small blade. Well, handles were also cut out to serve as a bottle opener (quite functional, actually) and a can opener (I never even tried to open a can with it, though). However - and that's an important one - it also included full-size pliers and handles, unlike later pocket models like Squirt.

I'm a long-time Victorinox user and I carry my Swiss army knife almost everywhere. This habit is so strong, that when I started to carry multitools, I always ended up having both Swiss army knife and a multitool with me - and I always reached for a SAK first. Leatherman Mini-Tool turned out to be the perfect EDC complement for a Victorinox knife.

Not really much room in there for a wide selection of additional tools...

Gear: USSR Army Canteen Set

 

As far as I know this "matryoshka" model was invented for USSR Airborne Forces (VDV) in late 50's and introduced to duty in 60's. It was designed to be lightweight and more compact than older infantry set. The set comprises of a canteen itself, a larger nesting cup and a smaller cup with a folding handle. 

Leatherman Flair

Designed as a picnic tool, this stepbrother of PST was obviously adopted and raised by old, rich French family.

About the same size as PST, it's a fancy and really good looking multitool. However, tool selection makes it not that useful on everyday basis. It's probably amazing for college parties, I guess.

Leatherman Flair side-by-side with PST:

And some more beauty shots:

PST legacy: Leatherman Pulse, Kick and Fuse

After retirement of Leatherman Pulse new heirs of PST line were introduced: models Kick and Fuse. Fuse was more functional and a bit beefier, while Kick was designed to be smaller and cheaper (at a cost of functionality).

Distinct locking system of Leatherman Pulse was dropped in new models. Fuse introduced different locking system - simpler and less elegant, but more functional (simpler to use and locking all tools). Kick simply had no locking blade.

Both models had Zytel handle inserts for more comfortable grip. They also introduced few tool modifications: beefier pliers, new matte finish, wire stripper on opener, and slightly redesigned screwdriwers. On the other side, diamond-coated metal file was removed from both of them.

Fuse had larger and beefier main blade and included scissors (which thumb rest was a bit enlarged for improved comfort). Kick was slimmer and lighter (though still a bit bigger that it's PST grandfather).

Fuse and Pulse thickness (Fuse on the left):

Fuse and Kick thickness (Fuse on the left):

Pulse and Kick blades had similar length and thickness (Pulse on the bottom left):

 

Fuse blade was both longer and thicker (compared to Kick, Fuse on the bottom left):

 

Fuse scissors had bigger thumb rest than Pulse (Pulse on the bottom left):

 

New tools also have a beefer pliers (Pulse on the left):

 

Pulse on the left: