Leatherman Wingman Review: The $49.95 Spring-Action Baseline

The 14 tools, as the spec sheet prints them

Printed in order, the list runs: spring-action needlenose pliers, spring-action regular pliers, spring-action wire cutters, wire stripper, 420HC combo knife, spring-action scissors, package opener, ruler (1.5 in | 3.8 cm), can opener, bottle opener, wood/metal file, Phillips screwdriver, medium screwdriver, small screwdriver. Fourteen tools, with the combo edge — plain and serrated on one 2.6-inch blade — counted once. The pliers, cutters and scissors all carry the spring-action label; nothing else on the sheet does.

Absences shape the tool as much as inclusions. No saw, no awl, no bit driver: the three screwdrivers are fixed blades, not interchangeable bits, and the ruler tops out at 1.5 inches. The package opener is its own dedicated implement rather than a job for the knife. One wrinkle worth knowing before buying: the related-products grid elsewhere on the same page still shows an older 14-tool list for the Wingman with a saw, while the spec panel and the description — which agree — omit it.

What the springs and outside access do

The springs are hardware, not decoration: each squeeze of the pliers, wire cutters or scissors compresses a spring that reopens the jaws when grip releases, so repetitive cuts go without spreading the handles apart by hand each time. Leatherman's printed reason for the arrangement is reduced hand fatigue. The same feature list calls out one-hand operability, and the description adds that the blade deploys quickly and locks securely into place.

Outside access matters while the tool stays folded: essential implements can be reached without fanning the whole tool open, per the printed feature list. The blade locks open — the spec panel reads Blade Lock: Yes — while the remaining implements do not lock (Implement Locking: No), which bounds how much torque the pliers and drivers should take. Carry is a replaceable pocket clip for pocket or belt loop; a sheath is sold separately.

420HC at 55-59 HRC, and what the 25 years cover

Blade steel is 420HC stainless on a 420 stainless frame and scales, hardened to 55-59 HRC, ground as a modified drop point with a combo edge. The page prints the alloy and the hardness but no edge-life claim for the steel, and none of the dearer lines' metallurgy (154CM, MagnaCut) is offered here as a comparison. The warranty page connects to this blade in one place: Leatherman's sharpening service covers MagnaCut blades only, so a Wingman edge is the owner's to maintain.

Coverage runs 25 years from the date the tool is received, to the original owner, for personal use, on tools bought through an authorized dealer — proof of purchase may be requested. Qualifying claims are repaired or replaced at Leatherman's sole discretion, sometimes with a comparable refurbished tool, and Leatherman covers return postage while asking for about seven business days to assess a case.

Exclusions bite in specific places: rust, oxidation and corrosion are out; cosmetic finishes and laser marking are out; abuse, alteration and unauthorized use are out; sheaths and accessories are out unless they are the Adapt Kit, Ratchet Driver or Premium Leather Sheath, which get two years against defects. For a tool that lives in garages, glove boxes and tackle boxes, the corrosion line is the one to double-check.

The recall one line over

CPSC recall 25-414, dated July 31, 2025, covers about 17,000 Charge Plus (stainless and black) and Charge Plus TTi multi-tools sold from July 2024 through March 2025; Leatherman's own page words that window as manufacture dates. On some units the knife blade tip does not fold fully into the handle, a laceration hazard, and the remedy is a free repair with a prepaid shipping label and no proof of purchase. Both recalled models now sit on the retired-products page. The Wingman appears nowhere in the recall materials and is not on the retired list.

Sidekick, Rev, and the $5-to-$20 spread

All three lines now print the same skeleton — 14 tools, 3.8 inches closed, a 2.6-inch blade at 55-59 HRC — and diverge on the springs. The Rev, $44.95 and 5.9 ounces, runs plain pivot pliers with no scissors; its 420HC knife is plain-edged, with a package opener alongside. The Sidekick, $69.95, keeps the spring-action pliers and adds a saw plus separate plain and serrated knives, but drops the scissors and package opener. The Wingman is the only one of the three with spring-action scissors.

Priced against the siblings: the $20 over the Rev pays for the spring-action plier set and the scissors. The Sidekick's $20 premium maps to several differences at once — a saw, split plain and serrated knives standing in for the single combo blade, and no scissors or package opener on its side. The complete cost at leatherman.com is the tool plus whatever carry you add — sheath sold separately, no bits or accessories listed as included. Amazon's listing showed no featured offer on 2026-09-21 and a $59.95 price with no stock on 2026-09-22, so the maker's store is both the cheaper and the only stocked route on record.

Flying: checked bags or a knifeless kit

TSA's printed rule puts multi-tools with knives of any length out of carry-on, and the Wingman's 2.6-inch blade qualifies no matter how short its scissors are; the under-four-inch scissors exception does not rescue a tool that also carries a blade. Checked bags are allowed, with sharp objects sheathed or securely wrapped for the baggage handlers' sake, and the officer at the checkpoint holds the final call. The consequence for buyers: this is a checked-bag or leave-it-home tool, and carry-on work needs a separate knifeless kit.

Who should skip it

Skip it on carry-on-only travel, and skip it when the work needs locked implements: only the blade locks, so prying and twisting stay off the menu. Bit-driver users belong elsewhere — the three screwdrivers here are fixed — and anyone who reaches for a saw should price the $69.95 Sidekick before settling.

Quieter conditions apply too: in wet or coastal service, the warranty's corrosion exclusion puts upkeep on the owner rather than on Leatherman. And a drawer that already holds a tool with spring-action pliers and scissors has no use for a second one at $49.95.