Skeletool

[Drunk Monk]

As the customary best man's gift, LB sold me (for a penny) a Black Leatherman Skeletool.
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Back story: LB and I used to compete in skull/skeleton collecting. We both amassed large skeletal collections of all manners: statues, fobs, candleholders, even actual human skulls. We did this for years.

Now, I love Leatherman tools. I've used an early black model for years, and just this year, invested in a new Wave. Gerber's multitool is probably better designed, but I'm brand loyal. I haven't packed a knife in years, at least nothing beyond a keychain Leatherman, mostly because I have to go through a lot of security checks, or I'm just lazy now. The Skeletool is a clip knife, so I can keep it in my pocket. It is also designed with a flick-it style hole in the blade so you can open it one-handed. In fact, that's the main reason it breaks from the traditional Leatherman blade-in-plier-handle design, strictly for the one-handed blade opening function. I carry it now regularly in honor of dear LB, as a meditation of our long friendship. In fact, the morning after the wedding, I was stumbling around very drunk at the Venetian, fingering it in my pocket like Frodo and the Ring, just waiting to pull it on some other drunk tourist who might cross my path. Fortunately, that didn't happen and it remained just a meditation.

For the record, the Skeletool is the most fucked up Leatherman ever. The finger hole is at an awkward angle and given the blade shape and length in relation to the handle, it's easy to turn the blade on your thumb. I've already cut myself pretty badly on it. The blade is also at such an angle that it loosens when using the wire cutters, and it's very sharp, which just isn't what you want sticking out of the handle of wire cutters. And the skeleton design is stupid for a pocket clip knife because it fills up with lint. But still, I carry it as it reminds me of LB.

At the Here Comes the Boom screener, as CF will attest, they held all our cell phones and wanded us before entering the theater. I held my Skeletool in my hand and jedi-ed the security guards (These aren't the skeletools you're looking for) and got it in, much to our delight, because there was someone talking behind us so we neatly slit their throat, stole their cell phone ticket, and now sold their iPhone for beer money.

I love my Skeletool.

[cranefly]

That was impressive. They were ordering us around big-time. "Remove all metal from your pockets! No metal on you!" Wanding us good.
So after we were finally in and seated, DM murmurs, "Gee, I guess they missed this." And he opens his hand.
I just gaped in disbelief.
Talk about a bit of metal. Never seen so much in a pocket knife.

I really like its "delayed spray" setting. The movie was over and we were out of there before the guy bled out like a fire hose. Pity those who stayed through the credits.

[Legbone]

That's the magic of the Skeletool. I gave it just in case any nipples needed twisting.

I spent a good deal of time deciding what item to select as my gift to Gene. I am glad I found something with a connection to our past.

As far as the danger of this blade... Gene you had your chance to drink the blood, you refused and now I am the only one of us who is immortal. Which is good, since there can be only one.

[Drunk Monk]

I gave it just in case any nipples needed twisting.

I didn't realize this application. You know how leathermans are - so many applications but they aren't always apparent at first. Let me do more research and reassess.

I did use it to do some tree planting recently. I was doing some vol work for Canopy.org, planting trees with T and another family in EPA. I got to the ol' one-handed whip-out-the-blade-in-a-flash, which impressed the heck out of the other family, who are affluent PA suburbanites. The skeletool got pretty dirty cutting up tree bags, but it did so with razor efficiency, and allowed me to recant the tale of its ownership (the affluent PA family didn't quite get it but it probably boosted some street cred) and the delayed spray of the tree sap was glorious.

[Drunk Monk]

People are strangely fascinated by it whenever I whip it out. And I whip it out often. I might as well if I'm going to carry the damn thing.

I've got a whole Skeletool rap now, which is pretty much what I've already said above, only tailored to the audience. Dear Legbone, your ears must be burning as I've told the tale of the Skeletool several times now. I can seamlessly turn the conversation to all sorts of perversities, from poor knife design to stretch limos with stripper poles in Vegas.

For the record, the Skeletool is clearly the silliest Leatherman ever. It only has a small yet sharp knife, pliers, wire cutters (the sharp bit in the pliers), 2 double-ended screwdriver heads that aren't very good, and a hidden bottle opener. Actually the hidden bottle opener isn't that hidden as there's a tiny hieroglyphic that reveals the true use of the clip. That's way low on the Leatherman functions, like a Swiss Army knife with only 3 blades.

As many of your are my oldest friends and (quite literally) comrades in arms, you know I used to always pack a knife. I packed a double-edged R.W. Loveless Gerber Commando dagger for years, until I realized that they were illegal. Then I switched to a classic Buck folder with a flick-it tab. I stopped carrying a knife after I got in a drunken knife fight with that Buck. Well, it wasn't so much of a fight as a drunken case of brandishing, but it made me rethink it all. This is my first clip knife and I've only had it a few months and already it is chewing little frays into my jeans pockets. That's okay though, as a good pair of jeans should be a little frayed, right?

[El Dingo]

I still carry my DOOM-Grooms gift Leatherman on my keychain. All the red paint has worn off but it's sharp as ever and I use it pretty much daily (opening boxes, quick-fix screwdriver for computer issues etc.)

I won the exact same model last year at a company party and was thinking what the hell do I need this for? It's still sitting in the box by my desk.

[Legbone]

I purchased a skeletool for my first survival weapon on my transition to AK. I am afraid it is not very effective against moose, bear and the dreaded Yeti.

Certainly helped opening the boxes.

[Drunk Monk]

My skeletool is still my everyday carry, even though I don't need it to cut boxes and such at the office anymore. I find when I do venture out in covid-land, I grab my essentials: keys, wallet, iphone, and skeletool. I don't know why the skeletool beyond some lingering paranoia that I might have to shank my way out of some racial attack or something. It's a dumb notion because even though I'm quick on the draw with it, it's a crappy fighting knife. 

But today, as I waited in the veterinary emergency hospital, it was all I had because my iphone started to power out. I found myself fiddling with it and meditating on our dear lost brother Legbone. And there was some comfort in that. 

It is a sexy tool, sexy in that impractical stilleto heels and thong sort of way. A perfect reminder of LB in so many ways for me. He was ridiculously tall in stilletos. Er...so I'm told. Didn't one of you tell me that? 

I've stopped wearing the pendant of Dan's ashes a while ago. I'm not that much into jewelry anymore and don't even wear my wedding band. Maybe I'll don Dan again if we ever have a DOOM gathering again. But I almost always have my skeletool.

[Drunk Monk]

Just thought I'd update this whilst my Mac reboots. It was being Monday finicky...

I have many tokens of Legbone - random skull toys, the real skull, the pendant that carries his ashes, other odd things if I look - but the one I use the most is the Leatherman Skeletool that he gave me for being Best Man for his wedding to Sylvia. It's my EDC, but I haven't been carrying it lately because I've been going to some things where I've had to go through detectors. But I clipped it in place for this, mostly because I couldn't find my camping Leatherman. 

I have a pattern to where I wear my gear. I need my tools where I can access them without thinking too hard. On Sunday morning, I could not find my Skeletool. I searched my tent thoroughly to no avail. Later in the morning, while I was in the process of letting go of my attachments to it, the Doc asked if anyone lost their Leatherman. He had found it on the ground in the middle of our medical camp. I have no idea how it got unclipped. I'm interpreting it as Legbone reminding me to be mindful. He never made it to Cali Roots. He would've loved it. 

After Shakedown we went past the Sphere to take selfies, then hit up the Venetian, which brought back memories. I remember when Legbone gifted me that skeletool leatherman, in the lobby there. I told him I had to pay for it, which I did, like a nickel or something, and then he took it back saying he'd carry it in his luggage because I only did carry on. 

In retrospect, my temporary loss of my skeletool was Legbone giving me a head's up about Syl's Vegas prank. 

Well played, old friend.

[thatguy]

There isn't really a skull-specific thread on the 4rum even though it seems to come up often. I saw this cartoon I wanted to share, but ended up down a rabbit hole while trying to find a linkable version online...



This one made me think of The Yeti


And this one...for Earth Day, yeah, that's it...



--tg

[Drunk Monk]

Good ones

I haven’t been carrying my skeletool lately because I’ve been going through metal detectors and I got out of the habit. It sorely needs a sharpening anyways.

[Dr. Ivor Yeti]

Good ones, TG

[King Bob]

I only have the small Leatherman with scissors etc. The scissors are useful for cutting zip ties.

[Drunk Monk]

Zip ties? Like those handcuffs used for protests?

I have a mini too but I took that off my keychain as well for the same reason that I’m not carrying my skeletool anymore.