7 ms·

Leatherman Tread, a New Wearable Multi-tool

103 points by unwind 12y ago

trishume 12y ago
I would be extremely pleased if the tolerances on this thing were loose enough that you could CNC/3D Print new links for it and install them yourself. Neat idea.
- thisjepisje 12y ago
  Looks like you're set as long as you manage to make proper screw bores.
- seanp2k2 12y ago
  Unless you're injection-molding, casting, or forging links, I doubt they'd last more than a day or be actually able to e.g. Turn screws. PLA or even ABS isn't great for tool tips.
  - chromaton 12y ago
    DMLS pieces can be pretty durable.
chiph 12y ago
It'd be cool to have a way to bind the links up so they stayed stationary, and then you'd rotate your workpiece around it. Instead of spinning the screwdriver, which would be awkward with the floppy bracelet, you'd prop it up and turn your item around the bracelet.
source99 12y ago
The world of watches is heading in interesting direction. Slap this band onto an iWatch and you would be unstoppable!
- darkmethod 12y ago
  There is an opportunity here. The first thing I thought of is the iWatch.
  - happyscrappy 12y ago
    Apparently Apple really should have called it the iWatch.
    - nogridbag 12y ago
      Whenever I bring up the Apple Watch the conversation usually gets derailed with the other person insisting it's called the iWatch. I usually just give in so we can actually talk about the watch :)
crimsonalucard 12y ago
This is revolutionary. Pocket tools never stay in my pocket for long so there are tons of times when I needed a tool but it was somewhere else. A wrist tool is the perfect solution. Watches stay on my wrist a lot longer then pocket tools stay in my pocket.
- brudgers 12y ago
  Leathermen [Leathermans?] are correctly worn in a holster on the belt like a Batterang.
  - bntyhntr 12y ago
    But wearing it in a holdster is pretty unhip. Is it really worth having the right tool for the occasion if you look like a tool yourself? Obviously you should aspire to be form first, then function.
    - r00fus 12y ago
      > But wearing it in a holdster is pretty unhip. Which is quite ironic - Holsters should be definition of "hip".
      - brudgers 12y ago
        And irony a hallmark of hipsterism.
deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
kruipen 12y ago
, - ~ ~ - , , - ~ ~ - , , ' ' , , ' ' , , , , , men who , , men who , , want to , , need a , , wear a , , phillips , , bracelet , , screwdriver , , , , , , . , , , , , . , ' - , _ _ , ' ' - , _ _ , '
- theorique 12y ago
  To be fair, it's a pretty masculine bracelet.
- crimsonalucard 12y ago
  It's a watch band.
  - scarletham 12y ago
    “I began wearing prototypes myself to test comfort and usability, and to ask for feedback,” said Rivera. “Folks immediately associated the bracelet design with a watch and asked, where’s the watch? We decided to make a timepiece an optional part of the Tread.” > optional part
- kaonashi 12y ago
  http://www.quickmeme.com/meme/36fj0t http://www.quickmeme.com/meme/36fj0t
- danesparza 12y ago
  Actually -- the group on the right should read "men who THINK they need a phillips screwdriver"
  - omnibrain 12y ago
    I don't understand the downvotes. Phillips Screwdrivers are next to useless. Most "crossed" screw heads are Pozidriv, which is superior. Or is this an(other) America/Europe thing?
Magi604 12y ago
It doesn't look like it has a decent blade, which is arguably the most useful thing one could carry around (aside from a pen, which the Tread also does not have). This isn't my problem, but I've heard from people with hairy arms that metal banded watches are a nightmare because the links are constantly tearing out hairs. This could present the same problem. Being a Leatherman product, it's probably going to be overpriced just for the basic links. Adding the watchface to make it somewhat usable all the time will probably push that price right into the stratosphere. I'd like to take a closer look at it, but from what I see in their video, I would say pass.
- Pinckney 12y ago
  I don't think the lack of a blade is an issue. Don't most people who carry multitools already have pocket knives? Pocket knives which are often better quality than any multitool blade you're likely to find?
  - seanflyon 12y ago
    > Don't most people who carry multitools already have pocket knives? I don't think so. I carry a mutlitool and I would not want to carry a separate knife as well. The 3 things on it I use most often are knife, bottle opener, and screwdriver. My multitool's knife is also the highest quality blade I own.
    - geoelectric 12y ago
      Throwing out the opposite perspective, I carry a keychain Squirt, and while it has a knife it isn't a terribly good one for anything that requires a sharp blade. So I carry a Spyderco Dragonfly as well. But I honestly think this is aimed more at the crowd who would carry this: http://www.leatherman.com/25.html#start=1 http://www.leatherman.com/25.html#start=1 ...which is the travel-compliant bladeless Leatherman.
- stonemetal 12y ago
  In the comments it mentions aiming at a price of $150-200. Which isn't expensive for a good watch, but a pretty big price tag for a leatherman.
jeffreyrogers 12y ago
When I see these sorts of things I'm reminded of the type of people who like having guns [1] (or watches rated to 100m when they've never gone on a dive in their life). It's like they're hoping for a chance to use their gadgets. I've honestly never been in, nor expect to be in, a situation in which I'll need some tiny watch link screwdriver that's not going to give me any leverage while I simultaneously also don't have access to a real tool. I mean, what do you expect to happen at Disneyland? The ferris wheel gets stuck and you somehow fix it with your multitool? I don't think my experience is atypical either. I have had to use tools in an emergency before (loose sense of the word emergency here... just a bike problem on a long ride), but in that cases I had my bike tools in a pouch on my bike, so I really don't understand the appeal of this sort of thing, other than just the novelty factor. [1]: Guns are fun to shoot or hunt with, I'm not talking about that, I'm talking about the kind of person who has guns for "protection", of which I'm acquainted with a few.
- dijit 12y ago
  I used to carry a leatherman, I wore it on my belt and it was part of my everyday carry. I understand that some people don't need stuff like this, but when you're out of the house for 12h in a day it's very handy to have tools maybe... idk, 0.0001% of the time. it's in those moments that you need, either a screwdriver or.. a small piece of metal, or something to cut with... that you really appreciate having to lug a small tool around.
- ghaff 12y ago
  Or like all the "TSA-compliant" pocket multi-tools that have everything I could possibly need in a pocket knife except, well, a knife--which is probably the tool I'm most likely to have a use for.
- falcolas 12y ago
  > I'm talking about the kind of person who has guns for "protection", of which I'm acquainted with a few. I have a gun which is used for protection, namely from black bears which tend to frequent the spots where I go ATVing. They've also made their way into town a few times, so it's not that long of a shot. It's also always worth remembering that the police are an average of 5-7 minutes away in the event of an emergency. What that means to you is different than what it means to someone else. Also, to be fair,
crimsonalucard 12y ago
I would rather wear this then an iwatch.
- deleted 12y ago
  [deleted]
- solve 12y ago
  Same.
- deleted 12y ago
  [deleted]
MrMember 12y ago
It looks interesting but the price on them is insane. The watchless version has an MSRP of $150.
AdmiralAsshat 12y ago
Very elegant piece, no doubt. But for what it's estimated to cost, I think I'll be keeping the $10 keychain Swiss Army Knife and the $2 credit-card sized multi-tool that everyone and their mother got as a stocking stuffer for the moment.
Animats 12y ago
As a set of hex wrenches, it's not useful. You'd probably scrape your wrist trying to get it into position for use while wearing it. If you take it off, you don't have enough leverage to do much. One flat bar with hex holes, like a bike emergency repair wrench, is more useful. Also, the web site coding was botched. Notice how the hex holes aren't regular hexagons. Now do a "view image" on the image. Whatever generated the HTML mess for that site (it's clearly from a generator) botched the IMG size information. Demandware, "Online shopping with the leader in On-Demand eCommerce solutions", would be better off just using Wordpress. By the way, is this thing metric or English?
jonathantm 12y ago
Won't it get caught in my paracord bracelet though?
alricb 12y ago
Only a #2 Robertson (square)? Have these people ever been to Canada? #1 is much, much more common (since they'll be on the head of most wood screws)
anonbanker 12y ago
This entire thread feels like an advertisement, and all the post have a very reddit-feel. Am I the only one noticing this?

103 points by unwind 12y ago

I would be extremely pleased if the tolerances on this thing were loose enough that you could CNC/3D Print new links for it and install them yourself. Neat idea.

thisjepisje 12y ago
Looks like you're set as long as you manage to make proper screw bores.
seanp2k2 12y ago
Unless you're injection-molding, casting, or forging links, I doubt they'd last more than a day or be actually able to e.g. Turn screws. PLA or even ABS isn't great for tool tips.
- chromaton 12y ago
  DMLS pieces can be pretty durable.

chiph 12y ago

It'd be cool to have a way to bind the links up so they stayed stationary, and then you'd rotate your workpiece around it. Instead of spinning the screwdriver, which would be awkward with the floppy bracelet, you'd prop it up and turn your item around the bracelet.

source99 12y ago

The world of watches is heading in interesting direction. Slap this band onto an iWatch and you would be unstoppable!

darkmethod 12y ago
There is an opportunity here. The first thing I thought of is the iWatch.
- happyscrappy 12y ago
  Apparently Apple really should have called it the iWatch.
  - nogridbag 12y ago
    Whenever I bring up the Apple Watch the conversation usually gets derailed with the other person insisting it's called the iWatch. I usually just give in so we can actually talk about the watch :)

crimsonalucard 12y ago

This is revolutionary. Pocket tools never stay in my pocket for long so there are tons of times when I needed a tool but it was somewhere else. A wrist tool is the perfect solution. Watches stay on my wrist a lot longer then pocket tools stay in my pocket.

brudgers 12y ago
Leathermen [Leathermans?] are correctly worn in a holster on the belt like a Batterang.
- bntyhntr 12y ago
  But wearing it in a holdster is pretty unhip. Is it really worth having the right tool for the occasion if you look like a tool yourself? Obviously you should aspire to be form first, then function.
  - r00fus 12y ago
    > But wearing it in a holdster is pretty unhip. Which is quite ironic - Holsters should be definition of "hip".
    - brudgers 12y ago
      And irony a hallmark of hipsterism.

deleted 12y ago

[deleted]

kruipen 12y ago

, - ~ ~ - , , - ~ ~ - , , ' ' , , ' ' , , , , , men who , , men who , , want to , , need a , , wear a , , phillips , , bracelet , , screwdriver , , , , , , . , , , , , . , ' - , _ _ , ' ' - , _ _ , '

theorique 12y ago
To be fair, it's a pretty masculine bracelet.
crimsonalucard 12y ago
It's a watch band.
- scarletham 12y ago
  “I began wearing prototypes myself to test comfort and usability, and to ask for feedback,” said Rivera. “Folks immediately associated the bracelet design with a watch and asked, where’s the watch? We decided to make a timepiece an optional part of the Tread.” > optional part
kaonashi 12y ago
http://www.quickmeme.com/meme/36fj0t http://www.quickmeme.com/meme/36fj0t
danesparza 12y ago
Actually -- the group on the right should read "men who THINK they need a phillips screwdriver"
- omnibrain 12y ago
  I don't understand the downvotes. Phillips Screwdrivers are next to useless. Most "crossed" screw heads are Pozidriv, which is superior. Or is this an(other) America/Europe thing?

Magi604 12y ago

It doesn't look like it has a decent blade, which is arguably the most useful thing one could carry around (aside from a pen, which the Tread also does not have). This isn't my problem, but I've heard from people with hairy arms that metal banded watches are a nightmare because the links are constantly tearing out hairs. This could present the same problem. Being a Leatherman product, it's probably going to be overpriced just for the basic links. Adding the watchface to make it somewhat usable all the time will probably push that price right into the stratosphere. I'd like to take a closer look at it, but from what I see in their video, I would say pass.

Pinckney 12y ago
I don't think the lack of a blade is an issue. Don't most people who carry multitools already have pocket knives? Pocket knives which are often better quality than any multitool blade you're likely to find?
- seanflyon 12y ago
  > Don't most people who carry multitools already have pocket knives? I don't think so. I carry a mutlitool and I would not want to carry a separate knife as well. The 3 things on it I use most often are knife, bottle opener, and screwdriver. My multitool's knife is also the highest quality blade I own.
  - geoelectric 12y ago
    Throwing out the opposite perspective, I carry a keychain Squirt, and while it has a knife it isn't a terribly good one for anything that requires a sharp blade. So I carry a Spyderco Dragonfly as well. But I honestly think this is aimed more at the crowd who would carry this: http://www.leatherman.com/25.html#start=1 http://www.leatherman.com/25.html#start=1 ...which is the travel-compliant bladeless Leatherman.
stonemetal 12y ago
In the comments it mentions aiming at a price of $150-200. Which isn't expensive for a good watch, but a pretty big price tag for a leatherman.

jeffreyrogers 12y ago

When I see these sorts of things I'm reminded of the type of people who like having guns [1] (or watches rated to 100m when they've never gone on a dive in their life). It's like they're hoping for a chance to use their gadgets. I've honestly never been in, nor expect to be in, a situation in which I'll need some tiny watch link screwdriver that's not going to give me any leverage while I simultaneously also don't have access to a real tool. I mean, what do you expect to happen at Disneyland? The ferris wheel gets stuck and you somehow fix it with your multitool? I don't think my experience is atypical either. I have had to use tools in an emergency before (loose sense of the word emergency here... just a bike problem on a long ride), but in that cases I had my bike tools in a pouch on my bike, so I really don't understand the appeal of this sort of thing, other than just the novelty factor. [1]: Guns are fun to shoot or hunt with, I'm not talking about that, I'm talking about the kind of person who has guns for "protection", of which I'm acquainted with a few.

dijit 12y ago
I used to carry a leatherman, I wore it on my belt and it was part of my everyday carry. I understand that some people don't need stuff like this, but when you're out of the house for 12h in a day it's very handy to have tools maybe... idk, 0.0001% of the time. it's in those moments that you need, either a screwdriver or.. a small piece of metal, or something to cut with... that you really appreciate having to lug a small tool around.
ghaff 12y ago
Or like all the "TSA-compliant" pocket multi-tools that have everything I could possibly need in a pocket knife except, well, a knife--which is probably the tool I'm most likely to have a use for.
falcolas 12y ago
> I'm talking about the kind of person who has guns for "protection", of which I'm acquainted with a few. I have a gun which is used for protection, namely from black bears which tend to frequent the spots where I go ATVing. They've also made their way into town a few times, so it's not that long of a shot. It's also always worth remembering that the police are an average of 5-7 minutes away in the event of an emergency. What that means to you is different than what it means to someone else. Also, to be fair,

crimsonalucard 12y ago

I would rather wear this then an iwatch.

deleted 12y ago
[deleted]
solve 12y ago
Same.
deleted 12y ago
[deleted]

MrMember 12y ago

It looks interesting but the price on them is insane. The watchless version has an MSRP of $150.

AdmiralAsshat 12y ago

Very elegant piece, no doubt. But for what it's estimated to cost, I think I'll be keeping the $10 keychain Swiss Army Knife and the $2 credit-card sized multi-tool that everyone and their mother got as a stocking stuffer for the moment.

Animats 12y ago

As a set of hex wrenches, it's not useful. You'd probably scrape your wrist trying to get it into position for use while wearing it. If you take it off, you don't have enough leverage to do much. One flat bar with hex holes, like a bike emergency repair wrench, is more useful. Also, the web site coding was botched. Notice how the hex holes aren't regular hexagons. Now do a "view image" on the image. Whatever generated the HTML mess for that site (it's clearly from a generator) botched the IMG size information. Demandware, "Online shopping with the leader in On-Demand eCommerce solutions", would be better off just using Wordpress. By the way, is this thing metric or English?

jonathantm 12y ago

Won't it get caught in my paracord bracelet though?

alricb 12y ago

Only a #2 Robertson (square)? Have these people ever been to Canada? #1 is much, much more common (since they'll be on the head of most wood screws)

anonbanker 12y ago

This entire thread feels like an advertisement, and all the post have a very reddit-feel. Am I the only one noticing this?