Leatherman has rolled out a limited edition take on one of its premium multitools, offering the typical functionality of its versatile implements but with a dash of Damascus steel. The Charge+ TTI Damascus packs an impressive 19 tools in all, with a cutting edge shaped by centuries of blade-forging history.
The new offering is based on the Charge+ TTI, which features all the usual suspects you would expect from a top-end Leatherman multitool. Onboard are needle-nose pliers, wire cutters and strippers, scissors, a rule, large and small bit drivers and a saw, all able to be neatly folded into a strong titanium handle.
But replacing the premium blade and serrated knife are cutting tools crafted from Damascus steel, giving the razor-sharp blade and serrated knife those distinctive wavy patterns. Created by forging two or more steel alloys together through ancient specialized methods, there is some conjecture over whether today's Damascus steel offers the same performance qualities of the pre-industrial original, or if the appeal is more about the aesthetics.
Leatherman doesn't do into great detail on the matter, only to say that the material is sourced from Vegas Forge, a company specializing in forging the "absolute finest American-made Damascus steel."
The Charge+ TTI Damascus weighs 252 g (8.9 oz) and measures 10 cm (4 in) long when closed, while the primary blade length measures 7.37 cm (2.9 in). They are available now in limited numbers and at no small cost, carrying a price tag of US$300.
Source: Leatherman
Corrected that for you. Crafting actual Damascus steel has been lost to time/history. I'm aware there's a ton of products claiming to be it, but they're full of it. And if I only get one person to read this and it corrects they're misunderstanding of Damascus steel, then maybe they can pay the knowledge forward. :)
Signed, An aircraft structural mechanic(fancy way of saying metalsmith)