When you dig into the numbers, it might surprise you to learn that the most-carried multi-tool in our community by a large margin came out twenty years ago. Despite its age, the Leatherman Wave has yet to be dethroned as an essential EDC crowd favorite.
So, how do you make what’s arguably the best multi-tool even better? That’s the challenge the designers and engineers at Leatherman spent the better part of the past five years trying to solve. Their answer: the all-new FREE collection, a complete overhaul of the Leatherman lineup of tools designed from the ground up as a modern evolution of the EDC multi-tool. They’re jam-packed with new technology and innovations aimed to deliver unmatched durability, quicker access, and easier operation than ever before.
After meeting the Leatherman team at their headquarters in Portland, OR for a deep dive into their next wave of tools, we tested our review unit of the FREE P2 for a couple of weeks to gather early impressions. In this review, we’ll see if the new Leatherman FREE P2 will really click with modern day EDCers.
Upon first glance, the new FREE P2 looks almost unrecognizable as a Leatherman tool with its shiny, new, futuristic design. It measures 4.25” long, 1.25” wide and about 0.6” thick, weighing in at 7.6 ounces. Compared to say, a Wave, it’s a bit longer but overall proportionally balanced and significantly lighter. Despite the lighter weight, the FREE P2 boasts 19 tools total—even more than the beloved Wave—all well-curated to handle most everyday tasks.
Leatherman’s beefy multi-functional pliers are the star of the show, of course, in their complete, top-of-the-line configuration: needlenose and regular pliers, replaceable 154CM steel hard wire cutters, the works. Next, your main cutting implements: a 2.76” long, 420HC stainless steel combo edge blade on one side and large, spring-action scissors on the other. Tucked behind them are your various screwdrivers, openers, and the like. Notice how nearly every implement boasts combined functions like individual one-piece multi-tools—it’s a master class in efficiency and consolidation.
It’s worth pausing to note here that Leatherman didn’t try to reinvent the multi-tool by simply cramming new tools into the FREE P2’s feature set. The new FREE series doesn’t technically do anything new that their legacy models couldn’t, but it’s how it delivers that reliable Leatherman performance that makes for a revolutionary user experience that feels decidedly fresh. The all-new design provides so many little quality of life improvements that add up in a big way, one that’s hard to quantify off of a specs sheet and feature list. The best example of this is the FREE’s ease of access. The pursuit of consistent, effortless operation right out of the box can be seen and felt all throughout the tool as if it was baked into its design DNA from the very start.
Every tool can be deployed from a fully closed position with one hand—even the pliers (more on that, later). Better yet, you don’t need to selectively dig out one tool at a time with your fingernail, pulling on nail nicks like you would in the past. Instead, the FREE’s tools deploy almost like a front flipper on a knife: you can gently roll the pad of your thumb along the rounded corner of the end of the handle to cascade the tools out. The blade and scissors deploy with the pad of your thumb or finger as well—no more broken fingernails—thanks to roomy cutouts in the handle to accommodate large thumbholes. Once deployed, all of the tools lock with a newly designed cam lock mechanism located towards the spine of the handle as opposed to a liner. This ensures your fingers aren’t in the path of the tools as they close, making for easier, safer operation.
If there’s one single aspect of the P2’s operation that really highlights what the new design achieves in terms of quick access, it’s deploying the pliers. As mentioned before, you can flip out the pliers like a balisong from a completely closed position with one hand in a smooth, consistent, satisfying, “where-has-this-been-my-whole-life-I-need-this-now” kind of way. It’s fast, it’s fun, and borderline addictive.
Fortunately, you won’t have to worry about prematurely wearing out the springs in the pliers from deploying them 24/7. Instead of the usual steel springs, which take up lots of space and wear out or corrode over time, the FREE features entirely new non-metallic elastomer springs. As a result, break-in is a thing of the past. The P2’s pliers deploy smoothly and consistently right out of the box, indefinitely. Leatherman tested this themselves, simulating deploying the pliers over and over again and comparing it to a brand-new FREE. After being unable to wear out the springs after deploying the pliers literally a million times, they concluded the test.
You might be wondering, how is such smooth operation possible? What technology do we have now that we couldn’t have put into multi-tools from the last decade? Well, here’s the short answer: magnets. The FREE’s new magnetic architecture plays a key role in the overall fluidity of the experience. They’re strong enough when the handles are closed to keep them together when it’s in your pocket, but once you apply a deliberate amount of effort to separate them, the handles can swing freely, smoothly, and without resistance. They also work together with the cam lock system in a complex balance of mechanical and magnetic forces to do things like keep tool implements from falling out, snap the knife back into a closed position on its own, and so on.
Any time you handle the tool, the magnets combined with the new lock create this symphony of clicks. Leatherman proudly dubbed this effect “epic haptics” to describe the tactile and auditory feedback you get when everything falls into place with a confidence-inspiring snap. It’s almost like a hidden bonus function: a Leatherman fidget tool, anyone?
Before we move on from magnets, you should know the ones here are working on a very small scale, shielded in a controlled space. According to Leatherman, they shouldn’t interfere with things like your cell phone, pacemaker, credit cards, and so on. Metal shavings from filing do collect onto the outside of the magnets, but that’s a better outcome than gunking up pivots and moving parts. The filings clean up with a quick wipe, anyway.
I’ve only been using the FREE P2 for a couple of weeks since receiving my early sample from Leatherman. So far, I’ve managed to use the pliers to fix my window that wouldn’t shut, the screwdriver to replace a wobbly doorknob, and the pry tool to unbox a few packages here and there. The tools performed as well as past Leathermans I’ve used, only this time getting to them was quicker and smoother. But not initially. The biggest hurdle I had and suspect many of you might run into is simply the learning curve of using this tool: new deployment, new locks, new positioning and asymmetry to commit to muscle memory, and so on. It’s unlike any multi-tool before it, but I’m confident with some patience and time it’ll be worth it. Despite the steep initial learning curve, it simply feels fun and rewarding to deploy and fidget with, so I don’t mind all the practice.
The FREE P2 doesn’t come with every function under the sun, but I appreciate that restraint. It feels curated to just the essentials for everyday tasks. It’s slim, light, and easy to use enough to justify keeping it in my pocket and not relegated to a drawer in the kitchen. I don’t miss corkscrews and bit drivers and diamond-coated files in my day-to-day. The FREE P2 isn’t meant to be a toolbox replacement, but rather, a daily companion.
They say the best things in life are free. The P2 might be the best multi-tool for EDC to date, but it’s priced accordingly as a premium product with an MSRP of $119.95. Its bigger sibling, the P4, launches alongside it at an even higher price of $139.95 and comes with more blades. For the money, you’re also getting a nylon belt sheath, made-in-USA construction, and peace of mind from Leatherman’s 25 year guarantee.
If you’re looking for your first serious multi-tool, the P2 could be worth the price and learning curve as it’s on the cutting edge of technology and should last you decades. If you’re holding onto the same Leatherman at your side for years, the FREE P2’s overall improved experience alone might be worth the upgrade.
For those of you who prefer something other than a pliers-based tool, stay tuned for more tools in the FREE collection coming later this year.
Disclosure: I received this product at no charge courtesy of the manufacturer for editorial consideration. That doesn’t, however, affect my opinion of the product as stated in this review.
