The pros of each of these two tools (which in a sense are the cons of the other tool) in my not so professional opinion after carrying the Curl for a month and the Bond for at least that long before that. Bond… 1) Better on board drivers - because of length. Had a number of occasions when I needed the longer driver of the Bond to get the job done. 2) Although clipped to the pocket it’s not too noticeable, you do notice the lighter weight and the slightly smaller girth of the Bond in the hand. 3) The smooth outer contours of the Bond are more comfortable in use. 4) Better easier to read rulers. 5) Very economical. Curl… 1) One handed outside opening knife. This is the number one benefit of the Curl IMO. Don’t care about the file being outside opening. 2) Bit exchanger is nice in theory. 3) Scissors 4) Comes with pocket clip. Commentary - I’d have a hard time choosing between to two, but I guess for me, it comes down to whether or not I want a one handed opening knife and scissors while carrying the least number of edc items. If that’s my goal, the Curl is the choice. If not, and I don’t mind carrying a second knife (maybe a SAK with its much superior scissors and/or a Spyderco clip-it) the Bond is the better tool choice for my pocket. Just putting this out there for others who may be looking for the most “carryable” full-size pliers based multitool as part of their pocket edc. In either case, if it weren’t for the pocket clips and I were going to just carry the tool in my pocket, I’d select the near perfect sized and light weight, extremely well put together fit and finished, classic PST. And there you have it…my two cents ;-) Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Never heard of these Leathermen, are they new? Could you post a picture with the tools unfolded? from my S-A-M-S-U-N-G S9+ via T-A-P-A-T-A-L-K
They are both new from Leatherman for 2021. The Bond is basically a modern day version of the original PST with an identical toolset minus one small screwdriver. No locking blades, supposedly with European markets in mind. The Curl is a cross between the Bond and the Wave, with a scaled down toolset with a little less weight and. $20 price savings. The blade and file on the Curl do lock, the rest of the tools do not. Both are nice tools. Attached is a stock photo I pulled off the net. I almost forgot…the Bond is drilled for a pocket clip that is sold separately for around $10. The Curl comes with a clip. They both use the same pocket clip as the Free series. Bond is $50 - Curl $79 in the U.S. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
You know, for another $20, they'll give you the rest of the Wave... (J/K) I actually like the concept of the Curl, but I would prefer to have the saw as opposed to the file, or, come to think of it, maybe just the file and the saw. I rarely use the knife on my Wave, because I'm usually carrying a better knife on my person.
I own several LM including a Rebar, ST300, Wingman and a few others. I ordered a Bond after watching numerous conflicting YT reviews, and I could not get hands on one locally pre-purchase. Within seconds of receiving the Bond, (and despite the well documented unintended knife-point protrusion issue…not neccesarily because of it) I knew it was going back. The action felt gritty even for brand new LM, the tools had much more play in them than expected and basically it felt exactly as it is….inexpensive (read: cheap) Addiotionally the Bond is hardly smaller in-hand then the Rebar. Sure there’s the pocket clip, but…. My advice unless locking blade laws directly influence a buyer….is to spend the extra few pesos and get the legendary and much nicer Rebar instead. Just my .02.
