History: Before there was Leatherman

Despite the common misperception, multi-purpose knives and tools had been around long before Tim Leatherman's PST patent in 1983, with some examples predating this by over 100 years. The earliest tools were crude, yet exquisitely made. Some were built and sold by the tens of thousands, others were virtually hand built on a custom order basis. As manufacturing technology improved, so did the sophistication of these pre-Leatherman devices. By the 1950's they had become every bit as capable as some of the "name-brand" multitools that were introduced in the 1990's. Today these tools are seldom encountered, tucked away as they are in old farm houses or garages or antique stores.