Rewind to the year 1991. I was stationed in Ft. Richardson, AK. At the time I was a young Infantryman in Bco (Mad Dogs) 1-17th IN. Just about every one of us had a multitool on our belts daily. That tool was the Leatherman. It's name was a brand standard like Kleenex or Fed ex. You didn't ask your buddy for his multi-tool when you needed it, you asked for his leatherman. It had everything you could need on a regular basis: pliers, a good knife blade, a file, screwdrivers tips. It was awesome. I remember it had a little tip that was awesome at getting the carbon off of the bolt on an M16A2.
I used mine daily whether we were in garrison or the field. There was always a use for it. On a deployment to the Philippines I gave mine to a counterpart. A tough as nails Phil Corporal who could drink beer with the best of us and showed me how to live in the field on the islands. I figured I'd just pick up another one when I got back to Rich at the PX, no big deal. Long story short, I forgot.
A few months later I was stationed at Ft. Bragg, NC with the 82nd. there were options now in the multi-tool department. Gerber had one out know that could deploy it pliers with just quick flick of the wrist. I decided to give that one a try. It worked just fine, in fact I noticed over the years soldiers changed from asking for a Leatherman to asking for a Gerber... Times change. I'm not sure where mine ended up, a few years later and we were even issued them from Uncle Sam. I still have one in my OTIS cleaning kit too.
early this year, 2018, I got to thinking that I really wanted to have a multi-tool on hand again for day to day needs. I searched up Leatherman again as it was the original and the one I liked the best. To my surprise the original model is available again! I can get an original PST for the low low price of $245!!! No way in hell.
I was really surprised that the original model was not still widely available. Leatherman DOES have quite a number of models available in several sizes. The Wave, the Surge, the Sidekick, all have great tool features and wonderful curves and lines to them. I wanted the classic though, just as I remembered it.
I was happy to find a model that was very close to the PST and decided it would be the one I wanted. The Rebar. It has 17 tools on it as opposed to the original PST's 14. It has pliers, wire cutters, crimpers, wire stripper, ruler, knife blade, serrated knife blade, a file, a saw, and several screw driver blades....
I found one on ebay for less than half the MSRP shipped only missing a sheath. I ordered it up and got in my happy hands this past Tuesday.
I'll be happily using it from now on. I'll post up a quick review of it later on this year as I've out it through it's paces.
If you are interested in Leatherman products, here is the link to their home page.
https://www.leatherman.com/
