Yo, Zenster, how much money are you getting for this endorsment? Sorry, I was just reading this and it came across a bit “door-to-door” salesman-esque.
Does it slice? Soes it dice? Can you make home fries with it? Can you castrate a rhino with enough sharpness left in it to shave a gorilla? Not with anything besides this one, my friend!
Since Bre’r Lappin will be giving it as a surprise gift, I have to wonder whether it would be possible to skip the color idea and instead take a standard metal version to an engraver to have a “for my sweetie” message added. That kind of personalization would make it somewhat less likely to be stolen, and he’d certainly know better than to misplace it. 
Also, for what it’s worth, Leatherman is having some financial problems. The article talks a bit about the tool described by SmackFu — why they introduced it, and why they discontinued it.
P.S. I love my Leatherman. All by itself it replaced half a dozen items on my camping checklist.
This would be my suggestion also, I have carried a “swisstool” offshore for years and it kicks butt!, I love it!.
Unclviny
A note of warning, it takes large hands to comfortably use a “swisstool”, most leatherman type things are too small for me to use, the Swisstool is not, I am a big guy, YMMV.
Unclviny
So I suck and I finally revealed the secret because I couldn’t decide which tool to get and I didn’t want to get one he wouldn’t like.
It looks like it’s going to be a PSTII, supertool, or wave - he didn’t really care which kind of leatherman I get, other than not a juice because “the pliers don’t work as well” (I dont know either, but I think he’s probably afraid I’ll get him a purple one). I’m going to take a trip to a few places to check them all out in person, come home, reread this thread, and decide/order one.
Zenster - he doesn’t like the SwissTool because he said “things that lock get in my way” (read: he used to have a leatherman and is set in his ways. I’m not gonna argue). I kind of want one for myself, but…I have absolutely no use for it.
The engraving idea is super neat. Since it’s not a big of a surprise as I had intended (well, it kind of is - he thinks I’m buying him a cheap used one :)), having it engraved with his initials would be nice. Assuming whichever one I get has no ruler or a ruler on only one side. If it has one on both sides, I’ll…think of something else.
I really really appreciate everyone’s advice. It was all very helpful, if a bit confusing.
If anyone wants to chime in concerning the three listed above before tomorrow evening, that’d be great, if not, thanks to everyone who did comment!
Hey, BL, you tried. Get one someday and you’ll see what I mean. Thanks for looking into it. I would never buy something that did not have locking blades. You’ve already read of accidents here in this very thread. I’ll bet dollars to doughnuts they involved blades that did not lock.
And I’ll bet that he’ll end up losing a finger the next time he pulls another 40+ hour workday. Last time he somehow slit his wrist open when he fell off a chair onto a nail. Ah well - it’s his decision to maim himself, I suppose.
A 40 hour workday? Jeez, no wonder dude was tired. Altering the boundries of time and space wear a body out.
I also suggested the engraving - I think it’s a great idea.
I see why a guy wouldn’t want a Juice in a way - I think it’s fabulous to have a little colour, but a lot of guys don’t like that.
As for Gerber’s and Victorinox’s the first I find hard to use and weak, the second I find overrated. As someone else said, you need a multi to be there in a pinch, not to replace real tools when you need them. Cutting a scrim or drape with a multi!? Are you insane! Those things are expensive and you don’t just go cutting them on a whim, or with the wrong tool. Same with the saw, file etc. Sure it’s nice to have a few extras, but most of those things will never be used.
I’d just like to reiterate (in case anyone’s missed it), that the Leatherman Wave has 4 externally available blades that slide out with a firm thumb-push, and utilise a (very clever and user-friendly) blade locking mechanism.
Now that Micilin has reminded me of the night I nearly lost a finger to a Wave, I’ve just remembered an important piece of advice.
Alan Titchmarsh has a Supertool - so buy him a Wave
Sorry, meyer, missed that at the end.
What are you talking about? Not have a use for it? What difference does that make? It is Cool, and therefore it Must Be Owned. 