Over at Amazon, the Leatherman Wingman has dropped in price to $20, and the Sidekick has dropped to $25. These prices come around every now and then, mostly during the winter holiday season every year.
Although these are both considered entry-level tools, they offer a lot of bang for the buck. I have bought quite a few of each to give as gifts and to keep around the home and in our cars. Actually, I don’t have either in my car at the moment, as the spring-loaded pliers came in handy for a recent project.
Advertisement
Wondering which to buy? Here’s a quick Leatherman Sidekick vs. Wingman comparison. The video below isn’t very quick, but it hopefully does a good job of discussing the differences. I also reviewed the Sidekick a while back, and most of the discussion could apply to the Wingman as well.
Buy Now(Wingman via Amazon)
Buy Now(Sidekick via Amazon)
Update: These are also available for the same sale prices via Home Depot: Wingman, Sidekick.
It’s uncertain as to when the prices will jump back up to their normal/non-holiday prices, which if I recall correctly are $5-7 higher for each tool.
Advertisement
mikedt
Wingmans are going for $20 on Homedepot’s site right now.
Gary T.
Home depot is selling both for the same price as mentioned here.
Stuart
Thanks! I suppose that could be where Amazon’s pricing is coming from – they sometimes price-match brick and mortar retailers’ holiday specials.
Raffi Hairapetian
The deal is great, Leatherman msrps it for $50. I just bought it off Amazon for $20. Thanks for the heads up.
Robert
I have mixed feelings about these tools. On one hand, I feel that Leatherman is more apt to damage their reputation than to entice new customers. I understand the target audience. If I was new to Leatherman however and these were my first experiences with their line, I wouldn’t be interested in looking further. I’ve seen the same mistake by other companies over the years. Instead of grabbing new customers, some people are turned off to the lesser quality of the cheaper tool. Then they attach those perceptions to the remainder of the line.
That said, I have a Wingman that I reach for a lot. I like it in situations when I’d be more concerned about a better tool being lost, stolen, or otherwise damaged. I often use a knife for instance when opening salt products in inclement weather. When it’s cold and my hands aren’t working well, I like the exterior blades for quicker access. I’m less concerned about the Wingman because it is a cheaper tool. In some regards, I enjoy using it more for that reason.
In short, I appreciate these for my own reasons. I don’t know if I would’ve considered them however if I were Leatherman and looking to enhance the companies overall appeal.
Stuart
Those are interesting points, but I don’t think that these tools have cannibalized Leatherman’s more premium tool sales. There is bound to be some overlap, but I would think that the number of users upgrading from one of these to a Wave, Charge, or other multi-tool might balance the number of users who buy one of these instead of a pricier tool.
I’m sure that Leatherman looked at their sales figures before deciding to renew these bulk order deals for the 2014 holiday season.
Other brands, such as Spyderco, have seen a lot of success in newer budget lines, but remain strong in their main line sales.
Jerry
I just received my Wingmans from Amazon today. They had 2 left in their Warehouse Deal section for $17 and free shipping for orders over $35. I needed a few other little things which also qualified so it worked out well (got them both). As to the comment that Leatherman somehow ‘cheaped out’ when they made the Wingman, I sure can’t see it. The quality seems to be there as far as I can tell, and I believe I speak from experience as I own more Leatherman tools than I should admit to, starting with the original ‘Leatherman Tool’, the PST2, a Rebar, the Super Tool, Super Tool 300, Surge, and maybe a few others I didn’t think of. The Wingman does not seem to me to be cheap in any way, but rather just what Leatherman claims it to be. It is a basic, no-frills multi tool, at a reasonable cost. No, it will not cut barbed wire or chain link fence like the ST300, just the same as a Ranger can’t haul the same load as an F350 is not a reflection of poor quality on the part of the Ranger. I look at the Wingman as the smallest tool that can still get the job done. It has usable pliers, usable screwdrivers, and decent scissors. Money is saved by not having super premium steel in the knife, replaceable wire cutter inserts, fully locking tools, or even a sheath. While I have never asked it to do the job of my Super Tool, it also has never failed me, and probably gets used more, simply because it is much easier to pack around, plus the most commonly used tools, the knife and scissors, can be used without opening the tool, and lock securely. For precision use, the pliers are actually among my favorite of any multi tool, as they are slim, spring loaded, and the tips meet precisely.
I think basic would be a better description than cheapened.