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.
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A quick question: Can we dismantle the various components and replace them with others that we will have purchased at retail on the manufacturer’s website?
( For example, change the screwdriver to a can opener. )
John:
Not that I can see. It seems to be what it is.
Manufacturers should not put the word ‘Free’ in product names. I read all the way to the end to see how I could claim mine. 🙂
LEX:
Valid point! 🙂
” One solution is to carry the well-known Swiss army knife, but those tend to be bulky and heavy. ”
A Swiss Army knife if less bulky that this. The reason it is so light is because it partially made of plastic.
Very dissapointed with this tool.
– too bulky
– feels cheap with the internal plasic spacers which only seem to increase the width of the tool
– Philips screwdriver is flattened and doesnt work well.
– very difficult to open the main blade one handed
– can’t pull out tools singly, they all come out and you have put the ones you don’t want back in.
– reports that it rusts easily near the hole with the lock release.
Great little tool it has almost everything you might need in your daily travels, it’s compact and light and fits easily into your pocket, after a couple of days you don’t even notice it, Fantastic value for your money, I wouldn’t be without mine !!!!
Very hard to open except for the knife
I THINK THE KNIFE BLADE SHOULD BE REWORKED, AT THE NON- BUSINESS END, TO OPEN BETTER WITH ONE HAND. GRINDING THE NUB THAT YOU FEEL AGAINST THE LOCK WHEN YOU FIRST START TO OPEN IT. OTHER THAN THAT I THINK THE TOOL IS A GREAT LITTLE HELPER, AND EVERYTHING I NEED IN AN EDC .
I cannot get the blade,or any of the tools on the side with the blade, to open!!!! What the heck?
Disappointed
Have you considered contacting Leatherman? We are an independent review site with no affiliation with the manufacturer.