Leatherman Skeletool CX Review: The Minimalist Multitool Argument

The Leatherman Skeletool CX is built around a bet most multitools refuse to make: that you would rather carry seven tools you actually use than eighteen you mostly don't. At about $100, it strips the full-size multitool formula down to pliers, a one-hand-opening 154CM blade, a bit driver, wire cutters, and a carabiner that doubles as a bottle opener, then hangs it all on a skeletonized stainless frame with a carbon fiber scale. Before going further, one thing should be clear: this is a spec-based analysis drawn from Leatherman's published specifications and the tool's documented design, not a claim of having used this specific sample. The numbers and tool lists below come from Leatherman's own product listings and retailer spec sheets, and the judgments are about what those specs mean for someone deciding what to buy this week.

The Minimalist Argument

Open the spec sheet for a Wave-class multitool and you will find 17 or 18 tools. Open the Skeletool CX's and you will find seven: needlenose pliers, regular pliers, hard-wire cutters, wire cutters, a 154CM knife blade, a large bit driver, and a bottle opener that is also the carabiner clip. That is the entire tool.

The case for this reduction is simple. Most people who carry a multitool every day use the knife constantly, the pliers regularly, a screwdriver occasionally, and almost nothing else. The saw, the file, the awl, the can opener, and the ruler markings on a full-size tool spend most of their lives folded away, adding weight and thickness the whole time. Leatherman's designers clearly asked which tools justify their ounces, and the Skeletool is the answer they shipped: the high-frequency tools stay, everything else goes, and the frame itself gets skeletonized to shave weight further.

Leatherman lists the Skeletool CX at 5.0 ounces (142 grams) with a closed length of 4 inches. For comparison, the company lists the Wave-class tools at roughly 8.5 ounces. That difference sounds small on paper and feels enormous in a front pocket. A 5-ounce tool with a carabiner clip disappears onto a belt loop or bag strap; an 8.5-ounce brick makes you think about whether today is a multitool day. The tool you actually have with you beats the more capable tool sitting in a drawer, and that is the entire minimalist argument in one sentence.

Specs at a Glance

Here is what Leatherman publishes for the Skeletool CX:

If you want to see how those numbers stack up against the rest of the category, our best EDC multitools guide puts the Skeletool alongside its full-size and keychain-size competition.

The Blade: 154CM, Outside-Accessible, One Hand

The blade is the CX's headline feature and the main reason to pay the premium over the base model. It is a 2.6-inch plain-edge drop point in 154CM, an American-made stainless steel known for holding an edge noticeably longer than the 420HC Leatherman uses across most of its line. 154CM is a common choice on dedicated pocket knives in the $80 to $150 range, which means the CX's blade steel is competitive with standalone knives, not just with other multitools. For a tool where the knife is the most-used implement, that is exactly where the upgrade money should go.

Just as important is where the blade sits. On most traditional multitools, the knife lives inside the handles, so deploying it means unfolding the whole tool first. The Skeletool mounts its blade on the outside of the frame with a thumb hole, so it opens with one hand while the tool stays closed, the same motion you would use on a regular locking folder. To be precise about the mechanism: this is a manual, thumb-operated one-hand-opening blade with a locking liner. Nothing is spring-fired and nothing deploys on its own; your thumb does all the work. It is simply a well-executed manual folder that happens to have pliers attached.

The practical effect is that the Skeletool CX can genuinely replace a separate pocket knife for many people, which is the math that makes a 7-tool multitool defensible. You are not carrying a knife plus a multitool; you are carrying one 5-ounce object that covers both jobs.

CX vs Base Skeletool: What the Extra Money Buys

Leatherman sells the standard Skeletool for noticeably less, typically about $70 to $80, and the two tools are close siblings. Same frame concept, same seven tools, same pliers, same bit driver, same carabiner. The differences are concentrated in three places:

• Blade steel. The base Skeletool uses 420HC, a softer stainless that sharpens easily but dulls faster. The CX upgrades to 154CM, which holds a working edge meaningfully longer between sharpenings.
• Blade grind. The standard Skeletool ships with a combo edge, part plain, part serrated. The CX is plain edge from tip to heel. Serrations help on rope and cardboard but are harder to sharpen and less precise for everyday cutting; most experienced carriers prefer a full plain edge, and the CX delivers it.
• Scales. The base model is all stainless with a matte finish; the CX adds a carbon fiber scale on one handle. Per Leatherman's published figures the weight story barely changes, so treat the carbon fiber as a texture and appearance upgrade rather than a functional one.

Whether roughly $20 to $30 buys enough improvement depends entirely on how much you use the knife. If the blade is your most-used tool, better steel and a plain edge on the implement you touch every day is the right place to spend, and the CX is the version to get. If you mostly need the pliers and driver and the knife is an occasional convenience, the standard Skeletool does the same job for less. You can check the current price on the Skeletool CX and compare against the base model before deciding.

What You Give Up vs a Wave-Class Tool

Honesty requires spelling out what seven tools means in practice. Compared to a Wave Plus, the Skeletool CX has no scissors, no saw, no file, no awl, no can opener, no dedicated flathead and Phillips drivers, and no second blade. The Wave Plus, which Leatherman lists with 18 tools at 8.5 ounces for about $130, covers all of that.

Some of those omissions matter more than others. Scissors are the one that stings for most people; they handle loose threads, packaging, bandages, and a dozen small jobs a knife blade does clumsily. The saw and file are more specialized, but if your weekends involve campsites or drywall, you will notice their absence. The Skeletool's answer to dedicated drivers is its bit driver, which accepts Leatherman's flat double-ended bits and stores a spare in the handle, giving you Phillips and flathead coverage in one slot. It works well for common screws, though the proprietary flat bits mean you are buying Leatherman's bit kit rather than using standard hex bits from a hardware store.

The right way to frame the tradeoff: a Wave-class tool is a toolbox you wear, while the Skeletool is a knife-and-pliers combo you forget you are carrying. If you regularly reach for scissors or a saw, size up to the Wave Plus and accept the extra 3.5 ounces. Our Leatherman Wave Plus review covers that tool in the same spec-based depth, and if you are weighing Leatherman's premium lines against each other, the Wave vs Free comparison maps out where the magnetic-opening Free series fits.

Pliers, Driver, and the Carabiner That Earns Its Keep

The pliers are full-size needlenose with regular jaws behind the tips and two sets of wire cutters at the base, hard-wire and standard. They deploy the traditional way, by unfolding the handles, and because the frame is skeletonized you get real leverage without the weight of solid handles. What you lose against Leatherman's premium lines is the replaceable-cutter feature, nothing more.

The bit driver sits at the end of one handle and locks when deployed, with the spare double-sided bit stored in the handle frame, covering Phillips #1 and #2 plus two flathead sizes with nothing rattling loose.

Then there is the carabiner. It reads as a gimmick on the spec sheet but is central to how the tool carries: clip it to a belt loop or pack strap and the Skeletool stops competing for pocket space entirely. It also opens bottles without unfolding anything. Small design decision, outsized effect on whether the tool actually gets carried.

Who Should Buy It, and Who Should Size Up or Down

The Skeletool CX is the right buy if you carry every day, use the knife more than any other tool, want one-hand blade access, and have learned from experience that heavy tools get left at home. It is arguably the best-carrying real-pliers multitool on the market, and the CX's 154CM blade makes it the version worth owning. If that describes you, get the Skeletool CX and stop thinking about it.

Size up if scissors, a saw, a file, or dedicated drivers appear in your normal week. The Wave Plus at about $130 costs only about $30 more than the CX and roughly triples the tool count; the cost is 3.5 extra ounces and two-hand access to most implements. For tradespeople, campers, and anyone whose multitool is a primary work tool rather than a convenience, that is the better trade.

Size down if even 5 ounces is more commitment than you want. The Gerber Dime at about $29 is a 2.2-ounce keychain tool with spring-loaded pliers, scissors, and a package opener. It cannot do heavy pliers work, but as an always-on-the-keys backup or a first multitool it is a lot of coverage for very little money. Some people reasonably carry both.

If you want the full landscape ranked rather than a single review, see our ranked picks.

Verdict: The Minimalist Case Holds Up

On paper, the Skeletool CX executes its premise about as cleanly as the category allows. It carries and cuts like a pocket knife with genuinely good steel, while still packing real pliers, four cutters, a locking bit driver, and a clip-anywhere carabiner into 5 ounces. The price of admission is every tool it left out, and Leatherman is not pretending otherwise; that is what the Wave line is for.

At about $100 it is not the cheapest way into a Leatherman, and the base Skeletool delivers most of the same experience for less. But the CX's combination of 154CM steel and a full plain edge upgrades precisely the tool you will use most, which is the smartest possible place for the extra money to live. For the buyer who wants one light object that covers knife, pliers, driver, and bottle opener, the spec sheet makes a persuasive argument that this is the tool to beat.