Gear Review #1 - The Leatherman Blast

Here we have it, My first gear review for the blog. We will be discussing the AWESOME Leatherman Blast.



A little background on my multitool usage. I used to carry in my tackle box, a pair of pliers, a pair of scissors, a screwdriver with a interchangeable tip, and my knife. Lots of stuff, taking up lots of space but it was all stuff I was always glad to have. Then when I was about 13, I went fishing with my uncle. We caught a fish, and he pulls this thing off his belt flicks his wrist and out slide some pliers, Cool. I ask him to see his Gerber and he hands it to me, all sorts of cool little tools packed in the handle. I had to Have one.

I went through a lot of junk tools, and 10 years later I finally got a good one. The Leatherman Blast.

I researched this tool extensively and decided it was the one. For me the sliding feature of the gerber was no good, It would get gummed up and well the tools weren't all that great. So it was a clear choice that a Leatherman was the right tool for me.

Usage.

I purchased this tool as something to have on me almost all day every day. I always am fixing things, out in the woods, or on the lake. So weight was a consideration. The Blast comes in at 6.9 oz. Pretty light considering its capabilities. If you want less weight, go with the wave, or a smaller light duty tool. I would consider the blast to be a Medium Duty tool. at about $50 its quite the deal.

Materials.

The blast comes in two finishes Black Oxide, or Stainless.





I really like the black one but I could not find it anywhere so I opted for the readily available Stainless version.

The handles have zytel inserts. These really increase the comfort when using the pliers or wire cutters on the tool. Some may think it cheapens it but it is a big upside to me.

The unit itself is built out of stainless steel, a MUST for those who will use this outdoors.

The Tools.

The blast boasts a 16 tool arsenal. Thats quite a bit in a 6.9 oz. package. However should you buy this, you won't be pulling 16 tools out of the handle, some tools have multiple functions. I will go through these one by one. Please refer to the pictures above if you would like to see what any one part looks like.

The first tool is the file, its 2 sided, and set up to use on both metal and wood. As a little test, i cleaned up my knife blade worked great. It also has an abrasive edge on the bottom that I tested out by hacking through a small machine bolt. It took a little work but it got right through it.

Next we have the Bottle Opener/Can Opener/Wire Stripper combo. The can opener worked fine for what it is. The bottle Opener works really well, much better than some dedicated bottle openers I have. Great for popping open the brews at the campsite. The wire stripper however, Not sure how to use it so if anyone knows please post it in the comments. I perfer to just use the wire cutter to strip wire.

The Phillips Head Driver. This is AWESOME compared to most Non-Leatherman branded tools. The shank is very long on it, allowing you to get to screws that are not flush with the surface of whatever you are working on.

The last tool in this side of the handle is the Scissors. Scissors are AWESOME to have. You may think well whats the point you have a knife. True, but for tasks where control and accuracy of cut are key, the scissors will win every time. They are also great for cutting braided fishing line cleanly.

First thing you come to on the other handle is a lanyard ring. I don't use it but some might like it, that's all there is to that.

The Saw I used it when setting up my deer stand to clear branches out of my view and cutting through a branch of about 1-1/2" diameter the saw dominated it. Very sharp and very sturdy.

Next up - The small bit driver. I wear glasses, This was a huge selling point. I always have screws coming loose in them. Also fishing reels often have an assortment of small screws. It is a double sided bit, both phillips and straight that is held in by a spring tensioner. It works perfect on glasses and battery compartment screws.

On to the Medium Flat Driver and the Large Flat Driver. Again like the phillips, the medium driver is very long shanked, perfect for hard to reach screws. The flat driver however is more like one you would find in any other tool, kind of stubby.

Last tool in this handle - The Knife. VERY sharp from the factory which is awesome. It has a clip point and is made of 420HC Steel. Perfect for utility uses. Heck, I used to to skin a squirrel last week since I didn't bring my other knife out in the woods with me and I didn't want to walk back inside to get it. SHARP SHARP high quality knife.

Finally the plier head, and all its gadgets. Standard MultiTool type head, with regular plier jaws and needle nose pliers. Awesome for getting fish hooks out, twisting wire and any other normal needle nose functions.

The wire cutters are also awesome, It has a two in one function, a large area for regular wire, and a hard wire cutter at the base. The hard wire cutter snaps off finish nails with no ill effects to the steel and the regular wire cutters are great as well. If you need to snap barbed wire regularly, or 16 penny nails, go with the leatherman supertool 300. It has replaceable carbide cutters.


Conclusion.

I know this may seem long winded, but its my first blogged review, comment and tell me what you would like to see more or less of. All in all I think this is THE perfect Medium Duty MultiTool for you to have on you as an Every Day Carry (EDC) item. Its light weight, comes with a nice leather belt holster, and has more functions than almost any tool in its class.

Thanks for Checking in to the HFL Project.