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Leatherman’s Smart Under-the-Radar Move Could Be a Game Changer for EDC Enthusiasts

Like Patagonia, Arc’teryx and other big outdoor-centric brands before them, the multi-tool kings are getting into a whole (re)new game.

Hand holding a metal magazine partially inserted into a worn brown leather sleeve with gold lettering.Leatherman
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By Steve Mazzucchi

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The news arrived in a pretty understated, innocuous fashion, not from a brand rep but rather a subscriber email blast. 

“Leatherman Exchange: Pass It On”

“Got a well-traveled Leatherman ready for its next adventure? List it here, and we’ll help connect it with someone who’ll put it to work again. Get up to a 110% store credit payout when you sell.” 

Hand holding a metal magazine partially covered by a worn brown leather sleeve with gold lettering.
Through the Exchange, your old multi-tools can find a new home, while you score store credit.
Leatherman

That’s right, following in the footsteps of Patagonia’s Worn Wear, Arc’teryx’s ReBIRD and many others, the Leatherman Exchange is lowering the barrier to entry for new customers while helping longtime fans buy shiny new multi-tools.

Back story

While details are pretty limited (heck what I just quoted was almost the entire email), we do know a few other things about the program.

First off, Leatherman has tapped a San Francisco-based, branded resale-focused outfit called Treet to handle the dirty work of reviewing posts, facilitating shipment, payment and returns and generally keeping the subsection of Leatherman site running smoothly. 

The “buyer protection” section is by far the most extensive, with a number of safeguards in place to ensure people don’t get scammed. 

Treet already works with a ton of smaller brands and some bigger ones, including Girlfriend Collective, Howler Bros and Tecovas — so they know what they are doing. 

While the ultimate goal for multi-tool mavens to be able to “sell and buy pre-loved Leatherman multi-tools backed by the brand that built them,” right now you can only sell.

That makes sense, because until folks have listed a healthy chunk of items, the Exchange essentially has no inventory.

Website homepage showing branded resale solution for increasing LTV with logos of Girlfriend Collective, Baboon to the Moon, and Tecovas.
This screen grab from Treet’s home page gives a sense of their business proposition, for which a number of brands large and small have already signed up.
Treet

Once it does, people will be able to shop an “official collection of secondhand items” without (too much) fear of being ripped off. 

I base that observation purely on the fact that the “buyer protection” section of the Exchange is by far the most extensive, with a number of safeguards in place to ensure people don’t get scammed. 

Nitty gritty

On the other end, once a seller’s item gets purchased, they receive 110% store credit to buy more multi-tool merch on Leatherman’s main site.

From Leatherman’s perspective, this makes just as much sense business-wise as it does for the other brands I named above. 

Large warehouse filled with metal shelves holding numerous brown cardboard boxes and some clothing items.
This photo from GP’s visit to Trove a few years ago gives a sense of their massive intake and refurb operation.
Tanner Bowden

You get new fans in on the ground floor while keeping the die-hards in the ecosystem, presumably outspending their credits the same way traditional coupons work.

If one thing gives me pause, it’s that Leatherman and Treet have streamlined the logistics by having folks submit products by taking photos and answering questions, but not actually sending them in to a central location. Once the item sells, they ship it directly using labels provided by Treet.

In contrast, Patagonia and many others work with Trove, which actually receives all the used items, and physically handles inspection, refurbishing, listing and shipping.

Website homepage for Leatherman Exchange showing two hikers and a dog on a rocky trail with text promoting buying and selling pre-loved Leatherman multi-tools.
There’s not a ton going on at the Exchange at the moment, but that should change once they start compiling some customer-supplied inventory.
Leatherman

While the former approach makes sense for typical recommerce with sites like eBay and Poshmark, for more rugged-use items (like multi-tools) I prefer the TLC of the latter mode, which really does ensure the product I get meets a certain standard.

Update: I’ve since learned from the brand about a huge upside to going through the Exchange rather than shopping eBay and other secondhand sites: Leatherman’s legendary warranty carries over. Meaning…

  • The tool’s original warranty transfers to its new owner.
  • Leatherman Insiders see their transferred warranty extended from 25 years to 40 years.
  • All claims continue to be processed through the standard Leatherman Warranty Center.  

I’ll be keeping a close eye on the Exchange, and rooting for it, not only because I’m a Leatherman fan, but because one of the best things we can do for the planet is keep using high-quality products (rather than buying new ones), even if they are decades old.

About the Author:

Now managing editor, Steve has served in a variety of roles with GP since 2019. Having previously written and edited for such publications as Men’s Health, Men’s Journal, Esquire and ESPN, he enjoys covering a range of topics — but mostly those pertaining to cycling, snow sports, pocket knives and motos — and dreams of a utopian world in which everyone’s bike seat is at the proper height.

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