 "Leatherman Crunch Review" | 2009-07-05 |
| - Reviewed By jfrench7 |
I have quite a few Leatherman's dating back to their first release; including a couple (PST); on the market. I carried one at work for 11 years, and also away from work when appropriate.
Pros: Compact, well made and useful.
Cons: Expensive, but to be fair, it is a complex tool. I'd would've rather had a clip point or sheep's foot knife blade instead of the scalloped edge. Finally, the adjustable jaw pliers would be more useful if they were a "needle nose" style, not the full blown needle nose but just something with a narrower nose.
Would I buy the Crunch knowing what I know now? Yes |
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| "Destined to be a collectible. Get this classic while they're still in stock." | 2009-06-19 |
| - Reviewed By thatguyyoumet |
I had owned the original Leatherman multitool back in the days when there was only the single model and people thought Gerber was a brand of baby food. I loved the thing to death because it was the only multitool around. One thing bothered me about it despite its usefulness.
When the pliers were out, the inside of the frame containing the rest of the tools faced outwards, and the open frame dug into your hand terribly when trying to grip something tightly. I regularly had to take breaks when trying to twist something for longer than a few turns. This made it difficult to really put the squeeze on anything really well, if you were trying to crimp. You also couldn't use the pliers as a hands free helper as they had no locking function.
The Leatherman Crunch solved both problems by making the pliers a pair of practical and functional vice grips. They really did their homework in the design of these pliers, as they perform as well as a dedicated pair of vice grips of comperable size. I have a pair and I can confirm this. By not having to turn the leatherman inside out to access the pliers, you have the closed rounded side of the frame against your palm and fingers. It doesn't dig into your flesh -quite comfortable to use. Not only can you really squeeze the pliers with all your strength should the need arise, they will stay closed at whatever width you adjust them to so you can free up your hands to work around. Again, I say, this is an extremely well implemented pair of vice grips. The jaws are beefy, but not so much that they can't be used for smaller more delicate work. They aren't needlenose pliers, but then again, they aren't supposed to fill that role. Depending on your day to day uses of the tool, you would choose the Crunch or one of the other models. Personally, I carry mine around for more generalized uses like holding a bolt in place while turning its screw. I find it more useful than needlenose pliers for most applications except electrical work. But even for this, it performs very well.
The number of screwdrivers is adequate for any work, as I've never found the need for a huge variety of different sizes or specialized screwdriver heads. I'd just lose the interchangeable ones, anyway. The serrated knife blade works great, and can do anything from cutting down saplings to cutting your sandwich at lunch. I've never sharpened it, but the serrated pattern makes it very effective. The Bottle opener was a must, and works perfectly. I am disappointed at the lack of a can opener which would make this the ultimate desert island tool if you could only choose one (and if you had cans of food on the island with you). But heck, what's the likelihood of that? For nearly every use, I find the Leatherman Crunch is the perfect tool. I'm buying another one while they're still for sale, so when my current one wears out, I'll have a replacement.
I can only hope that Leatherman has discontinued the Crunch in order to upgrade its design with the aforementioned missing can opener, and perhaps a flint and steel striker. Then it will be the modern day equivalent to a pocket lightsaber. |
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| "Leatherman "Crunch" Tool" | 2009-05-15 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3BUEGJ99QDB0N |
The "Crunch" is now an orphan, having been discontinued by Leatherman, but I consider it their most versatile tool. The locking plier expands the utility, by creating a hands-free clamp, and the expandable plier grips larger diameter items, beyond the ability of the needle-nose design. The locking feature for the knive and other fold-out tools adds safety and authority to those features.
Amazon was one of the view sources still offering the "Crunch". |
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 "a little cumbersome" | 2009-02-15 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1T6DNSK9ZOPRU |
| The tool has most of the functions I need, but it's a little unwieldy unfolding and getting ready to use the tool needed. The screwdriver blades need to be longer, to keep the body (in this case handle) of the tool further away from the work. On the plus side, the saw blade is VERY sharp. |
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| "awesome multipurpose tool" | 2009-01-15 |
| - Reviewed By User: A8AFGCAAKPI0K |
| Great product for quality and function. I carry mine on me quite often and rely on it more than what I realize. The Crunch is very handy with the vice-grip capability along with its other features. It is not necessarily meant to take the place of full size vice-grips in certain situations, but is very nice to have when nothing else is around to use or if in a tight spot. It's durability and compact size are sellers themselves. I've been very satisfied with this product and cannot understand why I don't see it in stores anywhere around here! |
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| "Great" | 2009-01-08 |
| - Reviewed By User: ADVTJ03JD4RQ2 |
| My husband uses this all the time. He carries it with him in his suitcase. |
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