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Leatherman Sidekick

rated 5.0 of 5 stars
photo: Leatherman Sidekick multi-tool

The Leatherman Sidekick is an awesome multi tool with sharp knives/saws. It is great for camping since you can saw wood for fires, screw things in, and lots more.

Pros

  • Strong
  • Easy to use
  • Stainless steel
  • Sharp knives
  • Lots of tools

The Leatherman Sidekick is a great heavy duty multi tool. It is constantly easy to use. All you have to do is open it and pull out the tool you need.

One great thing about this particular tool it that the saw is very sharp. It is very well made having thick tools. It really hasn't changed that much only the knives and saws getting a little duller, but they are still sharp.

I've used this on many campouts in all seasons. I've had this for 3-4 years and it has still stayed nice. This would be a great knife if you like to camp a lot since it lasts a long time, stays sharp, and works great.
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Source: received it as a personal gift

The Sidekick is half the price of most other Leatherman products and about 90% of what you expect from Leatherman. A bit heavy for the pocket but generally well made and functional. A good buy.

Pros

  • Well made
  • Lots of useful tools
  • Smooth edges make it easy on your pockets and hands

Cons

  • A bit heavy
  • Just a bit of play in the handles

I bought a Sidekick from Amazon for $28 including shipping so it was a bargain I could not pass up. I liked the Skeletool but the loose screwdriver bits tend to disappear leaving you with a semi-functional tool. The Skeletool is certainly lighter, but boils down to a blade and a pliers after you lose the bits. 

All the tools on the Sidekick are firmly attached and are easily deployed.  However, the one handed opening of the blade takes practice. The leather pouch is not terribly useful unless you plan to hang it on your pack by the caribiner. For pocket carry it is redundant. 

The spring-loaded pliers are well-made and functional. I did not try the wire cutters but they do not inspire confidence as they do not touch. I am not sure this tool is one you should rely on for saving your bacon in the back country but for daily carry, it is a nice piece of hardware. 

I would recommend it to friends.

Source: bought it new
Price Paid: $28

Very well-made quality multitool. Extremely convenient as an EDC tool or to throw in your pack. Definitely worth what I paid for it.

Pros

  • Tough
  • Convenient
  • Fair price
  • Comfortable
  • Well designed

Replaced two of my EDC tools, pliers, and a pocketknife. It doesn't include mini-scissors, opting for instead a knife-sized saw blade, which is very effective.

Both the pocket knife and saw blade are accessible without unfolding the tool, and are very quick and easy to open. When the tool is opened, the pliers have a hold-open spring contained internally in the pliers themselves. The flat-head and phillips screw drivers are large enough to use, and the knife-sharpening-file is effective aswell.

Also included is a leather carrying pouch and a pocketclip.

Source: bought it new
Price Paid: $40

Another great Leatherman tool. I always wear it on the weekends and it is incredible handy.

Pros

  • Inexpensive
  • Convenient
  • Great tools

Cons

  • Leather sleeve is a bit useless

This is just a fantastic tool. Relatively inexpensive, contains a very useful set of tools. I like how the saw and the knife can be accessed without opening the tool. The pliers are also very high quality.

The leather sleeve is kind of useless (for me anyway). I much prefer to use the clip or a nylon belt sheath.

I use the tool around the house as well as when I camp (the can opener works great!).

Source: received it as a personal gift

Great for everyday use.

Pros

  • Leatherman brand

Cons

  • Play in the players joint

I agree with the last reviewer, the tool is reliable and built with Leatherman's quality. I own the Wave, Squirt, Juicer, Micro, and Skeletool, so it is clear I'm a big fan.

If it weren't for the price ($35 from EMS), I would be disappointed in the small play. Hopefully Leatherman is not starting to sacrifice American-made quality for profit margins, and we (last reviewer and me) just got a bad production batch.

Source: bought it new
Price Paid: $35

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Specs

Price Current Retail: $69.95-$69.99
Historic Range: $38.99-$69.99
Reviewers Paid: $28.00-$40.00
Product Details from Leatherman »

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