REVIEW – A short time ago, Leatherman teased that new products were coming to their lineup. There was a lot of speculation about what that might be. There was mention of a budget-friendly Arc or maybe Magnacut blades in some of their other multitools. I think it’s safe to say most people who follow Leatherman were a bit surprised to see Leatherman had jumped into the folding and fixed blade knife arena. Most of the YouTube commentaries I saw on this were complaints. The knives were too expensive. Similar knives could be bought for less money. They had better get the heat treat right, or you’re throwing your money away. I do appreciate that there were discussions to be had, but I thought we should wait to see what Leatherman put out there before giving them too hard a time. Thankfully, Leatherman sent me one of their new fixed blades, the Trac, so now I don’t have to rely on someone else’s opinion. I can see for myself if this new move is worthy of the Leatherman brand.
⬇︎ Jump to summary (pros/cons)
Price: $299.95
Where to buy: Leatherman
What is it?
The Leatherman Trac is a USA-made fixed blade knife with full tang construction, using a thick slab of Magnacut steel, G10 handle scales, and a full-grain leather sheath.
What’s included?
- Leatherman Trac fixed blade knife
- Leather sheath
- Warranty info
Tech specs
Weight- 181.44 g
Width- 0.6 in
Overall Thickness- 0.62 in
Primary Blade Length- 4.2 in
Blade Material- MagnaCut Stainless Steel
Blade Hardness- 60-63 HRC
Scale Material- G10
Scale Color- Alpine
Fasteners Material- 400 Series Stainless Steel
Fastener Color- Blue Slush
Fastener Finish- Light Luster Polish
Included Accessories- Full-Grain Leather Sheath
Design and features
Obviously, the first thing to talk about here is the blade. Leatherman went with a .62″ thick slab of Magnacut steel for the Trac. If you don’t already know, Magnacut is the belle of the ball. Everybody wants to be seen with it by their side. It’s the super steel du jour and for good reason. It excels in toughness, corrosion resistance, and edge retention with very few trade-offs when compared to other steels.
The blade shape is a drop point. I love a drop point. In my opinion, it’s the most versatile, lending itself to greater usefulness in more situations. The Trac has a good bit of blade to work with, too, without you feeling like Crocodile Dundee (I’m dating myself there). The Trac also has a hollow saber grind, making it slicey and dicey. It also helps that it isn’t some compound grind when it comes to sharpening. You’re not having to worry about multiple angles and edges to worry about. Leatherman has also added some beefy jimping on the top of the blade. It certainly helps with control while you’re using it. Even with gloves on, you shouldn’t have to worry about your hands slipping. They’ve also radiused the edges so it still feels good in your hand without causing any hot spots.
The handle scales are sculpted and ergonomic G10. I can tell you they are very grippy even when your hands are sweaty. They look great, too. My review unit came with its Alpine version. Leatherman also offers earth brown and jet black as options. They’ve included a lanyard hole just in case you want to add one for more control and a lovely custom fastener.
Finally, there’s the custom full-grain leather sheath, and it was most certainly not an afterthought. This thing looks, feels, and smells great. The individual layers are thick, and the edges are burnished. It’s also designed to be worn on either the left or right side, vertically or horizontally.
Performance
The Leatherman Trac Magnacut blade was SHARP straight out of the box, and I do mean sharp! It’s probably the sharpest factory edge of any knife I’ve reviewed. When I tested it by shaving my arm, the hairs literally jumped off it. Sure, it’s not the most scientific test, but it works. Paper certainly stood no chance. I also took the Trac to do a little chopping. I chopped off a dead limb from a yellow pine tree. Dead, not rotten. It was about 1 1/2″ in diameter and couldn’t just be snapped off the tree. The Trac chopped through it easily and was still razor sharp. I was impressed. I didn’t have to do a thing to the edge. There were no rolls or chips on the edge that I could tell.
Next, I thought I’d go a little “Forged in Fire” on it. I chopped a little of a bone to see how it performed. I didn’t use a lot of force, but it was easily cutting the surface and starting to chip it out. I will say that after that, the Trac had lost a little of its edge. It wasn’t shaving as easily, and it did snag in one spot as I was slicing paper. That was easily fixed when I ran it over a 6000-grit whetstone.
Final thoughts
As I said earlier, there was some disappointment among some YouTube influencers when Leatherman announced their new line of knives. Most of what I saw was a complaint about pricing. I think what was mostly concerning was their folding knives. I didn’t see anything concerning the fixed blades other than hopes that Leatherman got the heat treat right. Leatherman says the Trac’s blade has been heat-treated to a hardness of 60 -63 HRC. If others out there in the know are right, you want to hope it’s in the higher end of that range. I’ve heard Magnacut has better edge retention at around 62-63. As for the pricing of the fixed blades, the little bit of searching I did resulted in me finding the asking price of the Trac to be in line with other offerings. Let’s not forget that Leatherman has a 25-year warranty on it, so the Trac should last you a lifetime.
I will say this about the sheath. It is a great sheath, although I do have a couple of gripes. FI wear a wide and thick leather belt. Because of the construction of the sheath, I had a hard time getting my belt through it. That being said, the sheath did not slide around on me, so once I had it where I wanted it, it stayed there.
Is $300 too much for the Leatherman Trac? That’s for you to decide. You’re getting an all-around good knife that lends itself to multiple uses with a slab of Magnacut super steel and a wonderful leather sheath. I couldn’t justify paying that much for one because I just don’t use a fixed blade that much in my everyday life, but if you do, I think you should check out the Trac.
What I like about the Leatherman Trac knife
- Leatherman brand and warranty
- Thick slab of Magnacut
- Easy to maintain and keep sharp
- Great sheath
- USA made
What needs to be improved?
- Nothing
Price: $299.95
Where to buy: Leatherman
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by Leatherman. Leatherman did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.
Check out these other Leatherman reviews!
- Leatherman Raptor Rescue multitool review – These aren’t ordinary scissors!
- Leatherman Skeletool CX multi-tool review – A petite package of terrific tools
- Leatherman ARC multi-tool review – Leatherman’s newest multi-tool is out!
Gerber Gear Suspension 12-in-1 EDC Multi-Plier Multitool with Pocket Knife, Needle Nose Pliers, Wire Cutters and More, Gifts for Men, Camping and Survival, Grey
9% Off
