The Leatherman Tread, set to debut this summer, is made of corrosion-resistant links, each comprising two or three functional tools. Among the 25 total usable features embedded into the links are a box wrench, cutting hooks, screwdrivers, and a carbide glass breaker. The clasp for the wrist-bound multi-tool is a bottle opener and No. 2 square drive. The links of the Tread can be rearranged and replaced.
Those who want to add even more functionality and a little style to the bike chain-style Tread may want to wait an additional season until the Leatherman Tread QM1 is available in the fall. The QM1 is like the regular Tread except it adds a Swiss-made, scratch-resistant watch face to the wearable multi-tool.
The idea for the Tread came from Leatherman president Ben Rivera being stopped at the entrance gate to Disneyland because he was carrying a Leatherman Skeletool. “I knew there had to be another way to carry my tools with me that would be accepted by security,” he says. So he wore a bike chain bracelet to see how it would feel and got the help of the company’s engineers to realize the Tread.
“I began wearing prototypes myself to test comfort and usability, and to ask for feedback,” Rivera said. “Folks immediately associated the bracelet design with a watch and asked, where’s the watch? We decided to make a timepiece an optional part of the Tread.”
The Leatherman Tread will come in two versions: stainless steel ($150) and black diamond-like carbon finish ($200). The Leatherman Tread QM1 will come also come in stainless steel ($500) and black diamond-like carbon finish ($600).
The comments section of the blog post announcing the Tread contains additional information courtesy of marketing assistant Julie Knapp: Rivera and Leatherman engineers haven’t had any issues with the Tread catching on arm hair or pinching skin, and the bracelet is TSA-compliant.
