Fans flock to see Tim Leatherman

Judging by the enthusiasm and vigour of fans that flocked to Trappers Mall of the North on Monday, it was clear that Tim Leatherman has a very loyal fan base in Polokwane.
Leatherman visited the city to meet with devotees and to engrave his signature on their favourite Leatherman tools. Most aficionados showed up with two or more tools, a mark of the popularity of these multi-tools.
The inventor explained that he was travelling with his wife and had a pocket knife with him, but that he needed pliers at some stage and started to think about developing a product that incorporated more than one tool. A qualified mechanical engineer, he set out working in his garage to develop the first Leatherman multi-tool.
Three years later he registered his first patent. “I thought somebody would make me an offer of millions, but nothing happened,” he says.
Another five years later, when Leatherman had perfected the first Leatherman Pocket Survival Tool he and a friend, Steve Berliner started Leatherman Tool Group Inc in 1983.
“In 1983, our first order was for 200 tools that we manufactured and shipped. The tool became so popular that ten years later, in 1993, we manufactured and shipped more than 1 million products,” Leatherman says.
Today the company, situated in Portland Oregon in the US, employs over 400 people and exports to over 70 countries of which South Africa is under the top five.

To show how well his products are made, Leatherman first cut a piece of paper with the blade of his own personal multi-tool that he has been using for almost ten years. Then he cut a nail using the same blade, where after he cut a piece of paper as cleanly as before.
“This is why Leatherman products are guaranteed for 25 years,” he said after the demonstration.
He also had some advice for guests. “Remember that stainless does not mean a product will not ever stain, it means that it stains less. If you use your Leatherman tool in salt water, make sure that you rinse it in fresh water and oil it appropriately. Any sharpening tool can be used to sharpen Leatherman blades,” he explained.

Featured Photos: Marki Franken – Leatherman fan, Ebrahim Ally and Tim Leatherman with Ally’s Side Clip, a discontinued Leatherman product that is now a collector’s item.

MARKI FRANKEN
>>marki.observer@gmail.com