Where Leatherman multi-tools are made
Leatherman builds multi-tools in Portland, Oregon, and says so on every product page this directory has read. On its corporate gifting site it says something slightly different, and the difference is the whole reason for this page.
| What | Recorded as | In the company's own words |
|---|---|---|
| The company, about itself | Made in USA, with a qualifier | Many Leatherman tools are made in the USA using domestic and globally-sourced materials, reflecting decades of engineering expertise and a commitment to quality you can stand behind. Made in America of US & Global Materials From our factory in Portland, Oregon, we’re committed to bringing you the best multipurpose products to help you solve expected and unexpected problems in everyday life. Our journey started over 40 years ago with the world’s first pliers-based multi-tool built by our founder, Tim Leatherman (yes, there really is a Mr. Leatherman!). |
| Wave Plus multi-tool (SKU 832533) | Made in USA, with a qualifier | Made In America (USA & Global Parts) Every Leatherman comes from our factory in Portland, Oregon, USA. |
| Micra keychain multi-tool (SKU 833676) | Made in USA, with a qualifier | Made In America (USA & Global Parts) Every Leatherman comes from our factory in Portland, Oregon, USA. |
| ARC multi-tool (SKU 833074) | Made in USA, with a qualifier | Made In America (USA & Global Parts) Every Leatherman comes from our factory in Portland, Oregon, USA. |
Many, or every
The product pages say the tools come from the Portland factory. The gifting page says "Many Leatherman tools are made in the USA using domestic and globally-sourced materials".
Many is not every. Both sentences are Leatherman's, published by Leatherman, and they do not cover the same ground. One of them leaves room for tools that are not made in Portland and the other does not.
This record follows the weaker of the two. That is the rule here whenever a company's own statements disagree: the claim that covers less is the one a reader can rely on, because the company has told you itself that the broader version has exceptions somewhere.
The materials qualifier is doing real work
"Made in America of US & Global Materials" appears on the products. It is a standard form of words and it is easy to skim past, so it is worth spelling out what it concedes: the assembly is American and some of what is being assembled is not.
For a multi-tool that matters more than it would for a wooden spoon. A multi-tool is steel, springs, screws, a locking mechanism and often a bit, and the phrase does not say which of those came from where.
What a reader should take from this
Not that Leatherman is misleading anyone. A company with a real factory in Portland saying so on every product page is doing better than most of this directory.
What it does mean is that "is Leatherman American" has no single answer, and that the company's own pages are where you find that out. The three tools recorded here all carry the same qualifier, which is the most consistent thing on the page.
- https://corporategifting.leatherman.com/pages/why-leatherman
- https://www.leatherman.com/pages/the-leatherman-story
- https://www.leatherman.com/collections/bestsellers/products/wave
- https://www.leatherman.com/collections/bestsellers/products/micra
- https://www.leatherman.com/collections/bestsellers/products/arc