LEATHERMAN Lightweight One-Handed Multitool
Last updated: September 28, 2022
We looked at the top Multitools and dug through the reviews from some of the most popular review sites. Through this analysis, we've determined the best Multitool you should buy.
Product Details
In our analysis of 124 expert reviews, the LEATHERMAN Lightweight One-Handed Multitool placed 11th when we looked at the top 22 products in the category. For the full ranking, see below.From The Manufacturer
A great choice for first-time users, the Sidekick is a handy pocket-sized tool that has all the features you need to get your project done. The outside-accessible blades mean you can open the knife with just one hand and rounded handles make getting a grip around their all-new, spring-action jaws easy and very comfortable.
Our Expert Consultant
Vicki Liston
Home Improvement Expert
Home Improvement Expert
Vicki Liston writes, produces, and narrates “On The Fly…DIY,” an award-winning home improvement and DIY show of unique project tutorials for the casual DIY’er.
Home improvement and all things DIY have been Liston’s passion since she bought her first house in 2007 and she started making video blogs in 2014. She’s performed hundreds of DIY projects, from small ones to major, wall-smashing renovations and can teach you how to make a trendy DIY barn door for cheap. The proceeds earned from “On The Fly…DIY” are donated to no-kill animal shelters and rescue organizations.
Expert Reviews
What reviewers liked
Sturdy construction in quality.
The combination pliers have a spring-action, and are quite nice to use. Both the regular and needlenose gripping zones are grooved well with no visible burs or defects. The edges of the tool’s handles are rounded and provide a comfortable grip even when squeezing them tightly.
One of the key features we loved was the inner tool latching mechanism which allows the inner tools to snap right in place. No manual movement of any lever is required to unlock the tools. In order to close it, simply apply a tiny bit of pressure to overcome the pressure of the spring tension.
The knife blade and saw blade both lock firmly in place, and you need to press on metal spring tabs to close them. Safety-wise, this is an excellent feature.
Leatherman are the best tools I’ve ever owned very dependable and well made
With a full-length straight blade, a full-length wood saw, and a half-length serrated blade, the Leatherman Sidekick is specialized for cutting.
I really appreciated the inclusion of a serrated knife blade. I’ve found that a serrated blade makes all the difference when you’re cutting rope or zipties of a decent thickness. While it’s not accessible from the outside like on the Leatherman Surge, it was nice to have on there regardless.
It has the same design as the CX, so it’s lightweight, easy to carry, and contains only the most important tools.
It opens fairly smoothly & then clicks into place in a very secure way. It also closes and clicks solidly into place, taking a page from the SwissTool book.
This is a strikingly attractive tool, at least in my eyes. The skeletal frame is defined by gentle curving lines and many holes. A triangular hole in the blade allows it to be opened single-handedly. The pocket clip curves to match the frame, and even the back of the blade has a gentle humped curve that makes it pleasing to the eye.
The pliers, cutters, and carabiner all function perfectly. Leatherman did a great job putting the Skeletool together.
The 420HC stainless steel knife blade is a winner in my book. With a smooth action, single-handed operation, the open and close design locks in and out of place with total control.
What reviewers didn't like
The wire-cutter is comprised of two triangular cutting edges that meet at the center (forming an X shape). They’re not very sharpened (nor should they be given the design), so they tend to crush smaller wires before cutting them, and require more effort to cut through thicker wires and nylon cable ties.
We didn’t quite understand why Leatherman chose to include a ruler with the Sidekick. It’s not long enough to measure a full-grown fish to see if it’s legal. The only thing we can think of is that it’s there to be used in a pinch – if you need to measure off a few inches of something or other (wires?) then the ruler will perform as advertised.
The saw is short and cannot cut anything larger than 2”
The Sidekick does not have overlapping, shear wire cutters, so it can only be used on small wires.
Much like the Leatherman Rev, the locking system on the screwdrivers is subpar. More than a couple of times, I struggled with the driver tools folding up on me when turning a tight screw. I had to really consider the angle I was holding the tool when turning screws to avoid it.
The downside is that the blade steel is lower quality and the edge is partially serrated, making it more difficult to sharpen. We also found that the pivot points are tighter, so it’s harder to open and close.
Blade back digs in when using bottle opener.
Speaking of the carabiner, I rarely find myself using it. Clipping it to a belt loop makes for an awkward carry since the tool is too short to ‘tuck’ into a pocket that way and it sort of pokes out a bit for me. I prefer using the spring clip in a back pocket… until I noticed that the protruding head was catching on things like my car seat. This is not really a design flaw, but it bothers me enough that I stopped carrying it for now (I will re-evaluate when I get the case, which I still have not ordered.)
The only real complaint we had was Leatherman’s use of a proprietary bit size. The ¼ in bit is incredibly common, their decision not to go with it honestly has us scratching our heads.
I prefer to leave the Large Phillips head on when the screwdriver is not in use as it has the least sharp tip, unlike the flat head which is so precisely molded it can be slightly sharp on the corners. This is only ever an issue when you are using the pliers in an upside down position or if you have very large hands.
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