The Leatherman Tread multitool bracelet: looks nice, but probably not all that practical a design
With the urban desk warriors working themselves into a lather over Leatherman’s Tread multi-tool bracelet, you’d think it had hit upon new levels of genius design.
Consisting of links offering the use of 25 small tools – small screwdrivers, bottle openers, box cutters and the like – it looks suitably fashionable, even coming in a matte black option.
Yet aside without laying hands on it, you can see it has usability issues – a bulky body too big to get into places where screws are usually placed, for one.
25 links offer a range of tools, and even a watch, but what would you add on to the bracelet?
If you’re out in the wilderness you should be prepared for all eventualities (more than a flimsy bracelet), yet the Tread is equipped with tools for the urban jungle, a place where usually, adequate tools are near by.
Plus, who would want to risk scratching their anodised matte black charm-bracelet just to fix in a screw?
You can almost visualise the design briefing room where the word ‘WEARABLES’ has been scribbled in caps on a whiteboard, while the talented design folk at Leatherman, who make perfectly serviceable, pocketable tools, groan with angst.
The Tread does come with some hope other than its aesthetic charms – it can be customised.
The pre-release video shows that Leatherman will offer a watch to fit onto the bracelet, but why buy that when you could design a custom casing for a watch you already own?
Given the availability for metals 3D printing services from the likes of Shapeways and iMaterialise, there’s expectancy that you could even hack the section designs to fit your own ideas.
It might not be a the most practical multitool ever designed, but if Leatherman had any space left on its briefing room whiteboard, hopefully ‘COMMUNITY COLLABORATION’ and ‘3D PRINTING’ were also clawed up there in dry-marker.
//www.youtube.com/embed/gp8xR07rBH4
