When people generally think of the word “multi-tool”, there is a good chance that people imagine a tool with folding pliers that also has knives, screwdrivers, a file, and a saw on board. Today, multi-tools come in all shapes, sizes, and feature sets, but the idea of the modern plier based multi-tool can largely be traced back to Tim Leatherman and his company, Leatherman Tool Group.
The Super Tool 300 sits at the top of the company’s classic design, heavy-duty category. It is quite large at 4.5 inches long and weighs a considerable 9.6 oz. What you get for the money is a sturdy chunk of stainless steel that will withstand most of the tasks that would suit a typical multi-tool. Of course, if something does go wrong there is a good chance that Leatherman’s 25-year warranty will get you back to work again.
The tool is built off of one of the most robust plier heads in Leatherman’s product line. It can turn large nuts or bolts and complete other heavy tasks, while also retaining a fine needle-nose point. The key benefit of this plier head is in the design of the wire cutters at the base.
Unlike other multi-tools that feature cutters that may dull or deform with heavy use, the Super Tool 300 offers replaceable 154CM steel wire cutters. This would seem to greatly extend the expected life of the tool and offers an affordable way to fix possible damage without having to send it in. In our experience, the cutters have delivered clean cuts for everything from copper wires to plastic zip ties and continue to be just as functional as day one. The notch at the base of the wire cutters is used to cut hard wires, according to Leatherman. While the tool also features stranded wire cutters and a crimper on the underside of the plier head joint, we have not yet had the ability to test that functionality fully.
Leatherman Rebar (Left), Leatherman Super Tool 300 (Right)
The rest of the tools reside inside of the handles. It should be noted that all of the tools including both blades are only accessible when the tool is fully or partially open. None of the tools are accessible from the outside like Victorinox’s Swiss Tool line or some of the other Leatherman models like the Wave or Surge. It also should be noted that none of the inside tools are easily accessible with one hand. This may be important for some, but we never really had an issue with this setup. For quick access to a one-handed knife blade, for example, we usually had a dedicated folding knife like a Spyderco Mantra 1 in our pocket anyway.
The Super Tool 300 features both a plain edge blade and a serrated one made out of 420HC steel. Both came sharp out of the box and are about 3.2 inches long, according to Leatherman. The finish on the blades appears to be bead-blasted and they do seem to be prone to small spots of surface rust. The occurrence we had was only minor and was easily taken care of. On the plain edge side, the handle includes a metal/wood file, awl, lanyard ring, a medium flathead screw driver, and a large flathead screw driver. The serrated edge side features a wood saw, a small flat head, a large Philips screwdriver, and a combination can opener and bottle opener. The can and bottle opener features a v-shaped edge that works as a wire stripper. Both blades and each of the tools lock into place using a lock back-like tab, which works well and is easy to operate.
Leatherman Super Tool 300 (Left), Leatherman Rebar (Right)
All three flat head screw drivers are hollow ground with sharp edges. In our experience, they worked consistently better than Victorinox flatheads and those found on the Leatherman Rebar when assembling a desk, dresser, night stand, and vacuum cleaner which each had some tricky to turn screws. The design found on the Super Tool 300’s screwdrivers locks them in and reduces the risk of slipping and stripping the screw. While the sharp edges are beneficial, care should be taken in use as it does present the additional risk of scratching the user or surface. This is one area where the polished, rounded finish that Victorinox uses holds an advantage despite the reduction in traction with certain flathead screws. The Philips screwdriver functions just as well as the flat ones. It handles a range of sizes and has held up well to a range of general home repair and furniture assembling use.
The awl is a surprisingly useful tool just as it is on Victorinox tools. It offers a sturdy point to punch into thick materials and the hole can be used for roughly sewing something together. The awl also works well for drilling into wood and other similar materials. This was useful when assembling a desk as one of the holes on the drawer was improperly finished. A few turns with the awl finished the job and allowed it to be assembled fully.
While we are unable to fully comment on the file’s ability to handle metal, it works well on wood but its size does limit its functionality. The toothy texture on the side works well for putting a groove into wood without the extra aggressiveness of the saw. Speaking of the saw, it can be useful for cutting small branches and other pieces of wood. Like the file though, it is size limited which does impact the usefulness of it.
In our experience, the can opener fulfills its role as well as should be expected from a multi-tool based option. We found it to be comparable in performance to the well-regarded Victorinox style even though it looks and works in a different way. Instead of going forward with each puncture, the Leatherman style works by moving back. It also opens bottles well, but the design does deform a cap more than the dedicated design on the Victorinox tools.
One of the interesting things about the tool design on the Super Tool 300 is in the way they clump together when grabbed. This is by design as it prevents having to seek out individual nail nicks. One thing that we would like to see addressed is in the way the saw lifts when the Philips screwdriver is lifted. The blades both avoid clumping and the file appears to do so as well. Therefore, keeping the saw separate would seem to make it safer to use overall. We tend to prefer the precise, individual retrieval method used on Victorinox’s tools, but the clumping can prove to be easier to use at times.
Overall, the Super Tool 300 brings a robust set of tools that will make it through pretty much any task that is feasible to accomplish with it. That does come at the cost of a significant amount of weight that is handled better in a belt sheath than in the pocket. Those looking for a pocketable version of this tool should consider the similar, but much more compact Leatherman Rebar.
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