The right tools are always essential to properly perform repair work. That was the lesson Timothy S. Leatherman learned in 1975 while trying to use a pocketknife to fix leaky plumbing in the hotel where he and his wife were staying while on vacation.
A 1970 mechanical engineering graduate of Oregon State University, Leatherman decided to try and fix the plumbing by using pliers joined to a Boy Scout knife. When his attempt proved successful, he saw the market potential for a portable multifunction hand tool. Over the next several years, Leatherman refined his invention. He developed a patented prototype (called Mr. Crunch) in 1980, and brought the Pocket Survival Tool (PST) to market in 1983.