First the bad
I really want to like the Leatherman Signal more than I do. The concept is a great one. Overall design is excellent. But… the whistle is not what I was hoping.
Now I was not expecting anything amazing out of a multi-tool whistle. I figured a multi-tool whistle would be like other multi-tool tools, not as good as a stand alone tool. But this thing almost seems like an after thought. The the feature you name the multi-tool after.
I said it repeatedly in the videos for the Signal. If the whistle is meant to be an emergency whistle, it need to work good every time right out of the box by pretty much any one who would use it. It’s a whistle.
Now with some practice, I got it to work okay. But just okay. A whistle shouldn’t be something you need to practice with. Sadly either Leatherman didn’t put much effort into the whistle, or giving the design parameters they had to work with, in order to get it to work with the rest of the multi-tool, this is as good as they could do. Either way, this thing is more gimmick than useful tool, and probably shouldn’t have been brought to production, in my opinion.
Enough about the bad, its still good. Its still a Leatherman
The multi-tool is a very solid design, solid build offering from Leatherman. The individual tools are useful and well select for the multi-tool’s intended audience; the hiker, backpacker, camper. Tools useful on the trail, in camp, and in the great outdoors at large.
I don’t think there is a need to go into great detail on the tools. It’s a Leatherman. Their tools are well documented by others way better than me. However I can sum it up, they’re pretty good.
In my opinion, this multi-tool have a great balance of tools to size & weight. It has become a “near EDC” item for me, as it is now a part of one of my hiking / get home kits that I keep in a vehicle. I think it’s a good option for the hiker, camper, prepper, and general outdoorsman. I just wish the whistle was better, or omitted for something better.
There may be something better, well… better-ish.
There are some entrepreneurs out there who have come up with some ways to improve the Signal. I have seen some clever 3D printed replacements for the whistle and the sharpening tool. As I type this, I have some on order and I’m looking forward to see how they work out for me.
Obviously, there is more to come.