Mr. Crunch: Leatherman’s First ‘Innovation Garage’ Multitool

Leatherman’s Innovation Garage just released its first limited-edition multitool. And it’s a blast from the brand’s drawing board past.

When Leatherman launched its PST, a pliers-based multitool, it marked the height of innovation for the time. Even still, “the time” — 1983 to be exact — bore its own constraints, and some of Tim Leatherman’s multitool wishlist had to be scrapped.

Nearly 40 years hence, the Leatherman brand has countless pocket tool iterations under its belt and plenty of new technology to work with. And today, as part of the brand’s Garage innovation hub, Leatherman launches the Mr. Crunch — a one-off, limited-run multitool that offers a peek at Leatherman’s wishlist of tool ideas.

At its core, the Mr. Crunch rethinks the hallmark of the prototypical Leatherman multitool: the pliers. Adding even more functionality to that one tool — converting between needlenose and shortnose pliers — represents the what if? mentality Leatherman envisioned the innovation Garage to be.

Here’s a dive inside the Leatherman Mr. Crunch multitool.

Leatherman Mr. Crunch Multitool

Not to be confused with the 15-function, locking pliers-based Leatherman Crunch, the Mr. Crunch is an homage to an early prototype multitool that never made it to market.

The crux is the shortnose pliers base, which tucks under a pair of parallel-action needlenose pliers. And while this tool’s concept dates back decades, Leatherman built the Mr. Crunch on its groundbreaking, magnetic FREE platform.

Leatherman will only make about 500 of the Mr. Crunch multitool, and it will retail exclusively at the Leatherman Garage online.

Overall, the Mr. Crunch boasts 21 functions, putting it at the higher end of functionality among Leatherman’s multitool stable. It comes with a limited-edition engraved leather pouch.

Due to the limited quantity, Leatherman will review orders containing more than two Mr. Crunch tools. The Leatherman Mr. Crunch is live today and retails exclusively at Leatherman for $199.