Leatherman came out with their Tread series of multi-tool bracelets a little over 2-1/2 years ago, offering a multi-tool you can wear on your wrist throughout your travels.
At the time, Tread QM1 watches were announced, but they never made it to market.
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Leatherman is now introducing the Tread Tempo watches, which appear to have been completely redesigned as far as aesthetics go, and it sits atop a new slimmer multi-tool bracelet, the Tread LT.
The Tread LT is said to be 20% narrower and 10% lighter than the original Tread – a welcome change.
My initial take on the Tread was somewhat positive, but I never found myself actually wanting to test it very much after that. It turned out to be too large and bulky – wider and heavier than my largest metal-banded watch.
With the Tread LT being 20% slimmer and 10% lighter, it just might be less intrusive to wear. The Tread Tempo watch design certainly at least looks more appealing.
The Leatherman Tread Tempto will be available in black or with a bare stainless steel finish.
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The Tread Tempto watch band is said to have 6 links, and another 3 are included in the box. A press release I found says it includes:
- 3/32″ Screwdriver
- 6mm Hex Drive
- 4mm Hex Drive
- #3 Square Drive
- #1 Square Drive
- Pozi-Driv #3
- 8mm Box Wrench
- Pozi-Driv #2
- 11mm Box Wrench
Each bit, like on the original Tread, has several functions.
The Tread Tempo is water resistant to 200 meters (~656 feet). Links offer 1/4″ and 1/2″ adjustments, and the band offers 1/8″ adjustments.
Leatherman says the watch is perfect for the job site, through airport security, or out on the town.
MSRP: $575
The Tread LT is, as mentioned, smaller and lighter than the original Tread multi-tool bracelets.
Like the Tempo, it’s available in bare stainless steel and black finish versions.
Tools include:
- 3/32″ Screwdriver
- Cutting Hook
- 6mm Hex Drive
- 4mm Hex Drive
- 8mm Box Wrench
- #3 Square Drive
- #1 Square Drive
- Pozi-Driv #2
- 11mm Box Wrench
- #2 Square Drive
- Bottle Opener
The published tool list doesn’t seem to accurately portray what I can see in product images, but it’s the only info I could find. I haven’t been in touch with Leatherman’s media or press contacts since they had another changeover in 2016, and no one else is answering my emails.
All I could find was a single price point. The original Tread costs more for the black version, but there’s no indication that’s the case here or not.
MSRP: $175
First Thoughts
The new Leatherman Tread LT definitely looks less chunky than the original.
I found the original Tread to work exactly as intended – you can take it off your wrist and use it on the spot – but it just wasn’t practical enough for me to adopt as an everyday tool, or even as a travel tool.
I argued against critical readers’ claims that it’s just man-jewelry, but I ultimately gravitated towards that same side of the discussion. I found it to be more a conversation piece than handy multi-tool – and that’s okay, but it’s definitely not as practical as I allowed myself to believe.
This new Leatherman Tread LT and Tempo watch definitely look like they’ll be more comfortable to wear, but it’s hard to say.
Forgive me if I sound hesitant. I grew disenchanted with the full-size Tread multi-tool bracelets, and I’m not letting myself get too excited about these new ones.
Amazon reviews of the original Tread seem to be overwhelming positive. I have smaller wrists, and it could be that my review sample was just too large. I tend to have no problem with most watches, but the comically large ones would never work for me. You know, like Diesel’s large watches that can be found in some department stores.
The yeti
175 American is like 3k up here . These will not sell at that price . The other thing I can’t figure out . How bad does a guy need to be fd over to break down and attempt to use a watch strap for auto repairs.
Robert W
No way, not for that price. I could get a top of the line GPS watch with all the outdoorsy bells and whistles and still have some money leftover to buy a decent Leatherman.
It looks really nice, but its just too much of a novelty for me.
Jeff
At that price and unless I was in a “I’m about to literally die without a screwdriver” situation, I would look at my nice, scratch-free watch and then go find a real screwdriver.
glenn
Personally, I thnk the rope hammer from henry hoke is more appealing.
voodoo
I went to google the rope hammer, really an interesting tool.
John S
I had to also when I read that 😉
Came up with this documentary Henry Hoak exhibition:
https://youtu.be/DQSvfgnXFNA
Reminds me when we used to tell new mechanics to change the headlight fluid or grab a cup of paint thinner from the stock room and hand them a styrofoam cup.
glenn
Unfortunately the full doco is not available online. I have a copy recorded from tv and it is hilarious.
Other favourites of Hokes tools are the demagnifying glass and the random excuse generator. Oh and the box of spark plug sparks.
I worked in the Motorcycle industry for 20 years and we used to do the same sort of thing, send new guys for things like a skyhook, a long weight(wait), left handed screwdrivers, can of racing air, non adjustable shifter(wrench to you guys outside of Australia) etc.
T
Adjustable metric wrenchs too.
fred
As long as it didn’t get too carried away, some good fun on a first Boy Scout Trip was for the SPL to send the newbies on a “Snipe Hunt”. Over the years I hand many new scouts come to me, from a different troop’s campsite, earnestly looking for things like a bucket of steam, 100 feet of shoreline, a left-handed smoke-shifter, a soup sandwich on rye bread, or for that mythical snipe. I’d usually respond with an offer to provide a bucket of evaporated water instead of steam, suggest they look along the lake for 100 feet of shoreline say that we had a right-handed smoke shifter if that would do, or that our soup sandwiches had become too soggy to eat.
JJR512
What would you do if a scout came back with a real snipe? I’ve often wondered that, since it seems like most people who send others on “snipe hunts” think the snipe is a made-up creature. But it is actually a real type of bird, one with an erratic flight path which makes it difficult to shoot. It is, in fact, the basis of the word “sniper”.
glenn
When my brother was an apprentice, they sent him to get a long weight. So he went out for a couple hours.
They didn’t try any thing on him again after that,
Kurt
If you are going to put an 11mm box wrench, why not put a 10mm instead? But really, when I was an auto mechanic, I was taught early on not to wear jewelry of any kind, especially conductive.
It’s hard for me to figure out scenarios where this would be useful enough to offset the price.
Blythe M
I came to say the same, 10mm is infinitely more useful than 11.
Out of my price range so I guess it’s a moot point
Eric
And why #3 square and pozi drive? I’m a lot more likely to encounter and tighten a #1 or #2 with a bracelet than I would a #3. Why pozi drive at all? Almost no one knows when they should be using them anyway. At least a phillips bit will kind of work in a pozi drive screw unlike the other way around. It almost feels like they put some effort into choosing weird sizes that no one is ever likely to actually use.
Benjamen
Yep, the #3 square drive and no #2 is the first thing I saw when I read this. I don’t think I’ve ever run into a #3 square drive in the wild and I see #2 square all the time.
It make you wonder what the people designing this are thinking.
Tojen1981
Didn’t even see the posi-drive bit. What a waste! Got a snap-on set of posi screwdrivers that have maybe been used on a handful of occasions. They’ll rust out before they’ll be wore out. Maybe its more of a European thing?
If they needed to fill out the link selection with extra bits just do more hex/torx links.
Paul K
I know they didn’t make or design the movement, but for $575 the watch ought to be co-branded with someone whose name implies a bit more precision than “Leatherman”. It’s a novelty. As a band for a different watch there might be something there. Still more a novelty than really useful, but probably fun.
Ken
I wish there was an english version instead of metric.
JJR512
The original Tread came in an English version first. The metric version came later. I would guess that the English variant of this new version will be launched either simultaneously or soon afterwards.
T
Lol at the Swiss movement. For the price, there are multitudes of well made watches, designed to do what gawd intended – tell time. No way are the tooled accessories practical beyond cursory diddling. Also, I dont even wear a wedding ring whilst working – nearly lost that finger once due to the ring getting caught. I could go on and on… interesting idea on paper and novel exercise but ultimately, nope.
fred
So far the comments are mostly complaints about the price and utility.
But to be truthful – beyond buying something like a modestly priced Casio, I would argue that watches are bought to make a statement about the owner.
My “statement” watches are all in the vault – so the statement I’m making is that they are way too pricey to wear except for special occasions. Those occasions (usually weddings, fundraiser dinners or award ceremonies) are usually defined by my wife when she asks that I get a piece or two of her better jewelry and one of her nice watches out. On those occasions – she also tells me that I should put my $44 Casio away and wear a gold watch. No amount of logic – about how the Casio actually keeps better time than my self-winders – would possibly dissuade her.
So my view of these Leatherman watches is: if you like them,; they will make the statement you want; maybe act as a conversation piece ; and you can afford them; then buy one or more and forget about whether they have any functional utility .
The yeti
Yes to cheap casio watch . I ordered one off Amazon in April. I love it . Was gonna spend 10 times as much . Glad I didnt.
fred
Yes indeed – considering they get $395 and up to service any of my wife’s or my pricey watches . And one year after being cleaned and adjusted any of our old watches will be bit it off – compared to my $44 Casio. Maybe a Patek would fare better but I doubt it. With a high priced watch – your paying for the gold case and band and maybe diamonds on the bezel – plus a good measure of snob appeal. My Rolex and Omega were inherited and my Movado was a graduation gift – so I didn’t pay for them. My wife’s Universal Geneve was inherited – but I bought her a Vacheron Constantin and a Baume Mercier. None of the kids have expressed any interest in them – and it seems the new normal is to use your smartphone to tell time. But advertising for watches at Christmas time is still brisk. They call them “timepieces” and use phrases like “you never really own a Patek Philippe – you just take care of it for the next generation.” Well my next generation will likely sell them.
Scott
I would rather see Leatherman include watch adapters for Apple or G-Shock than their own watch.
Or collaborate with someone like Shinola.
I’m not a watch snob, please don’t murder me for my comments.
JoeM
NO, I agree there. If they could offer a set of links that go to standard watches, smart watches, or FitBit watches, that would be better than making their own watch and jacking the price so high. Maybe get a contract with MedicAlert in the US and Canada, so you can get a special link FOR your Tread that is a MedicAlert symbol with your account info, etc. But, narrow band, or wide band, the way they did the Tread is… Really very ridiculous.
I don’t particularly like the Tread. At all. I have a Leatherman Surge and a Wave already, and I’m about to replace two Leatherman Style multitools. (I lost my CS, and my PS broke. But it was my fault, I modified them so the PS would have a pen knife instead of scissors. And the Scissors would have both small AND Precision scissors together. I’m very weird.) So… The Tread really IS a novelty, or “Man Jewellery”… Though, frankly, if they just polished it up a bit, maybe added a link for a narrower watch face, it would just be “Functional Jewellery” and expand it to the Female half of the “Jewellery” market as well. Useless, because I doubt women would be that stupid, but, I digress.
If you’ve bought the Leatherman Bit Kit for the Wave, Surge, or any of their Multi-Tools that have the replaceable bits, you can almost entirely replace the Tread. Now, if they redesigned the Tread to be NOTHING BUT the Hex wrenches, maybe 2 per link, sizes engraved laterally under the hex bits, they could easily pull off Standard AND Metric sizes, for small work, PLUS, the 1/4″ link would fit the bits from the Bit Kit, and act as a decent handle for use as a screwdriver. In fact, the benefit of it being a flat bracelet would then become useful as a way to use the bracelet extended to the side as a torque bar.
And, for reference, Scott… You’re not a watch snob… The way I was raised, you never question a person’s preference in Watch, Tea, or Pen. My Grandmother was very, very formal with everyone. So I, personally, appreciate that you actually HAVE a preference for a watch, and think it’s really good to have a preference. I, personally, dislike Rolex. It’s just me. You like Shinola? Cool. Rock on, sir. Rock on.
John S
Its a neat idea but not something I’d go out and buy for myself. I totally see this being bought as a gift instead of someone buying it themselves. I’m almost too worried some family member is going to see this, think of me, buy it and I’m going to feel guilty (as well as the price they paid) and forced to wear it 😉
Koko the Talking Ape
The little metal links that connect each “tool” link are bumped outward in the middle. Why? In use, the entire bracelet would take a lot of lateral or twisting force, both of which would tend to compress, twist or straighten out those little bits of metal. If they were straight, the bracelet would be stronger and lighter. But maybe they wanted to shield the bolt heads a little?
As others have said, I think this is not a real tool.
Tom
I have the original tread and I bought a watch adapter for it and paired it with a G-Shock. I almost never wear it but it lives in the collection as the watch I would grab if the world was ending (I like to have something for every occasion).
I don’t mind the size or weight of the original, so I can’t say that the new, slimmer, lighter features of the new version are that appealing, BUT… I notice that the new version appears to have an adjustable clasp and this would have been a very welcome feature on the original. With the only way to adjust the original bracelet being the addition or removal of links, fine adjustment is simply impossible. Unless you are extremely lucky with your wrist size you are going to end up with something rather loose on your wrist. This might be okay for a stand-alone bracelet but it doesn’t work too well with a watch (at least, not for me, but I do sometimes see some guys with incredibly loose watches hanging off their arms like they’ve never realized a band can be re-sized).
I wouldn’t buy this version of the tread simply to have a better-fitting bracelet (especially as I almost never wear the one that I already own), but if Leatherman were to release an adjustable clasp as an add-on for the original then I might very well be tempted to buy one.
Tom
Update: I e-mailed Leatherman and they say they currently have no plans to release an adjustable clasp version of the original (but they will let me know if that changes).
They also said that if such a version were to be produced, it would be available only as a complete bracelet as the clasp is the one part that they do not sell separately (for some unknown reason).
Andrew Hussar
Size and weight of the original doesn’t bother me as for comments on the usefulness of this tool like it or hate it I use mine on a daily basis.
firefly
Nice “toy” 🙂
PD
Leatherman suck – in customer service AND pricing. I have a Leatherman Tread I managed to get on sale – and I got an adapter and attached a much better watch/GPS than the one they’re offering now (at $475 USD?!). With the now remaining links I asked Leatherman direct if I could buy another clasp so I could use these links as a tool-only bracelet – and NO, they wont sell me one! Even though it’s one of the tool links! Their “customer service” douchenozzle told me they didn’t want me “making and selling counterfeit Tread bracelets” (!).
Don’t bother with their products until they smarten the frick up.
Kevin McNamara
Leatherman Has The Best Products &
The Best Customer Service OfAny Company,
I’ve Ever Dealt With In The Past 25 Years
I Would Recomend Them To Everyone ,?
Kevin McNamara
I’ve Had A Leatherman Tread ,Stainless Steel Model,Since It First Came Out,
I’ve Actually Used It ,More Times Than
I Can Count,And I’ve Received More Comliments ,To Match,And I’ve Run Into
A Few Of Those Who Have Purchased
A Tread.After Seeing Mine & Hearing
My Compliments Of It’s Quality &Usefullness,Another Great Product,Thanks Five Stars,Out Of Five