Leatherman Blast

The Leatherman Blast is an under-rated multi-tool by Leatherman that falls somewhere in between the Wave and the Fuse. What are the differences between the Blast and the Fuse? The Leatherman Blast has everything the Fuse has, but also adds a file and a micro screwdriver. Everything also locks open. The lightness, 6.8 ounces of the Leatherman Blast is perfect for this multi-tool. Having been introduced in 2004, the Leatherman Blast is still a relatively new model, and be found for under $40 at Amazon.com.

Leatherman Blast: Handles

The Leatherman Blast weighs about 6.8 ounces without the sheath. The insides of the handles each have a Zytel insert, which helps a lot. The insides of the handles are also countoured, to help with that little extra grip because of the perfectly shaped finger grooves. You won’t hurt or cut your hands from squeezing too hard on this well thought out tool. There is also nothing a little fine sandpaper won’t do to soften some of the course edges down.

The pliers are divided into these three sections, a needle-nosed set that has serrated surfaces used for gripping, a wire cutter, and a long serrated bolt plier. Also, the handles have an etched in ruler, with one side of the handle being marked in inches and the other side of the handle etched in centimeters. Also you can cut wire up to 14 guage, because of the hard wire cutter at the bottom.

Leatherman Blast: Tools

Next we move onto the Leatherman Blast tools. Every tool locks open via a spring-loaded button mechanism. The lock will disengage when one tool is already locked open and you decide to pull another tool out to use. The locking mechanism works, due to all of the tools using the same pin and sharing the same locking button.

First we have a wood saw. The woodsaw is a favorite for anyone working outside. The Leatherman Blast wood saw cuts when on the pull stroke of the cut. It’s pulled into place with a cut at the end to use as a nail pull. You can saw wood up to about 6″ thick if you take your time and are willing to relocate the sawing a few times.

Next we have a micro screwdriver. Hardend wire makes up this tool and is perfect for tiny screws used in things such as eyeglasses. On one side we have a a flathead screwdriver; which can then be pulled out and the other side is a Phillips screwdriver. If you break this part of the tool, you can call Leatherman for a replacement. This tool doesn’t get used very much but can be useful when left in a pinch for those tiny little screws.

And then we have the medium screwdriver. This medium screwdriver is a nice addition to a multi-tool as the Leatherman Blast can now reach into areas that need a longer tool for reach.

Next we have the large screwdriver. The large screwdriver would be used mostly to pry things. The screwdriver part is not very useful, but as alverage tool, this is hard to beat.

And then we have the knife. The knife is made out of 420HC stainless steel. The knife is hollow-ground, not chisel ground. The knife typically comes out of the box dull, but can easily be sharpended to give that way too sharp of an edge which will slice whatver you throw at it.

Now onto the other side of the Leatherman Blast.

We take a look at the scissors. When fully extended they are 2″, and have cutting edges of 3/4″. These scissors will be more useful than they appear with that short length. You can cut through carboard, no problem. The Leatherman Blast scissors turn out to be a very good set of scissors.

And then we have the can opener. You use your nail to open this tool. Only a couple of the tools have this option to open. The point is relatively sharp. There is also a notch that can be used as a wire stripper that can strip wire up to 14 gauge.

And the last tool on the Leatherman Blast is the file. One side is a coarse double-cut file, and the other is a finer, single-cut surface. There are also filed serrations on the “edge” so you can use it as a metal saw / hacksaw. The sawing just works, and after I used it I didn’t see any damage to the serrated portion; no chipped, bent, or missing teeth.

The Leatherman Blast has raised the bar for multi-tools much like the Wave did when it introduced the one-handed opening operation. The addition of a file and scissors really make this nice “EDC tool” for those of you who want a full-sized multi, but don’t want the heavy weight. You get quality locking tools from a reputable manufacturer, and a relatively low cost.

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