Leatherman Skeletool CX

My new everyday carry knife / multi-tool.

The Leatherman Skeletool CX weighs less than my Milwaukee Fastback, or Swiss Navy knife. It has a carabiner and pocket clip – which was a must-have for me. The tools include pliers, side cutters, screwdriver (Phillips and flat bits) and, of course, a bottle opener.

The only tools I miss from my Swiss Navy knife are the marlinspike, tweezers, and toothpick.

I like how the blade can be deployed and put away single-handed. I’m also impressed so far with the build quality. Though, it is all a little tight at the moment. We’ll see how it frees off with time.

Update 2024

The Leatherman Skeletool CX was a bad choice. I stopped carrying it regularly in 2019. The pocket clip doesn’t work well, it fell out of my pocket more times than I’d care to mention, damaging the frame so that the screwdriver bits no longer hold in place. Its tools are limited, and it turned out to be heavier than the Swiss Navy knife. Overall, it is a nice knife, but it just isn’t as practical or useful as my now 25+ year old Swiss Navy knife, which is my knife of choice when backpacking, the tools it has, are for me, the most useful and practical. The Milwaukee Fastback has become my everyday carry.

Copyright © 2017 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.