History: Crunch

Introduced in 1999 the Crunch is unlike any other Leatherman before or after it. It is a set of locking pliers that compacts down to the size of a regular set of folding pliers. Attempts by companies before this had tried to do the same with locking pliers but they all had a fixed head and were bulky compared to the Crunch. The Crunch is still in production today and if you have one you can tell just by looking at it that it is an engineering marvel.

Jaws

• A set of locking pliers with wirecutters and a hard wire cutting notch.

Handles/Frame

• Stainless steel.

Blades and Tools

Blade Characteristics

• All tools lock. All tools are highly polished. This is the first Leatherman tool with a fully serrated sheepsfoot blade. The adjustment screw can be taken out and were it unscrews from is a 1/4 inch bit holder. The plier head has changed very little over the years. The only changed was that of a cosmetic change, from more of a bead blast in spots on it to all shiny.

Locking Mechanism

• The first Leatherman to have a push tab type locking system.

Sheath

• Black leather rectangular sheath with a flap and snap button closure similar to the PST in earlier models but later models got one similar to the leather like black Blast sheath. Also a pancake type black nylon sheath with velcro closure

Dimensions

• Length open = 5.5 inches/13.97 cm
• Length closed = 4 in | 10 cm
• Width closed = 1.3 inch/2.8 cm
• Thickness = 7/16 inch/1.27 cm
• Weight = 6.9 oz | 196 g

Versions

• After 17 years of production the only thing that has changed on the Crunch is minor things like tool finishes.

Variations

• The Crunch only comes in stainless steel

Background

• Introduced in 1999. Made in the USA. Still in production

Related Tools

• The Crunch has a few relatives. The first is the Super Tool 200 they both share the same sheepsfoot style serrated blade albeit different sized. The Blast, Fuse, Core, New Wave, Charge, Surge, Super Tool 300, Rebar and any other tool with a push tab lock are kin to the Crunch as well. Even the file on it is a larger version of the one that is on the Mini-Tool.

More Info

• The Crunch Owner's Club - in the Multitool.org forums
• Who has a LM Crunch? - in the Multitool.org forums
• The Crunch Review at Multitool.org
• The Crunch on Leatherman Website