Discontinued Leatherman Crunch Tools Are The Latest Flip

News

By RC Staff

07 December 2023

Leatherman announced this week that their “Crunch” tool has been officially discontinued. That might not mean much to you, but for fans of the brand, this is a dire moment. The versatile multitool was highly praised for its set of features. Now that the tool is officially out of production, it’s become a hot commodity. Resellers have already been flipping it for the last few months as it became increasingly hard to find, but this week marks a new high in aftermarket prices.

The Leatherman Crunch

Let’s clarify something really quick. We’re talking about a specific tool here, the Leatherman Crunch. We’re saying this because Leatherman has also sold the “Mr. Crunch”, and the “Mr. Crunch Garage Series”.

The Mr. Crunch tools are actually the first design workshopped by Tim Leatherman back in the 80s. The Leatherman Crunch was first introduced in 1999 as a complex and very capable multitool.

It’s primarily designed around set of folding pliers that can also lock. Also included are everything you’d expect from a multitool like wire cutters, a serrated blade, multiple screwdrivers, and of course, a bottle opener.

This isn’t a tool review blog (yet), but actual tool reviewers seem to really like the Crunch. In its 24 and a half year run, the Crunch was consistently regarded as one of Leatherman’s finest works, and an entirely unique tool in the market.

Production of the Crunch has seemingly slowed over the last few years, and it’s been fairly hard to find at retail. Many of them have been bought and sold through online marketplaces like eBay because of this scarcity.

Now Leatherman has pulled the plug for real. In a now-deleted Instagram story, the company posted a last call for the Crunch.

A few hours later, the Crunch’s listing on Leatherman’s site was pulled, and it was moved to their “Retired Tools” section.

Why was the Leatherman Crunch discontinued?

A quick Google search for “Leatherman Crunch discontinued” will show that people have been speculating over the tool’s demise for years.

While we can’t say exactly why Leatherman killed off the Crunch, the prevailing theory is that the tool was just too damn expensive. The Crunch was only $120, and came with a whole bunch of innovations.

The folding-yet-locking pliers on the Crunch are cited as its most desirable feature, and the fact that no one else has brought a similar tool to market implies that it’s not a simple design.

Additionally, Leatherman has pivoting towards its “FREE” technology for new tools. One-handed operation is critical for the average beer-chugging DIYer.

Leatherman Crunch Resells

What do you consider a “resellable” item? Over the last few years, we’ve seen a lot of companies branch out into more collectable items, among them Leatherman.

The company started their Garage Series multitools in 2022. These were all limited production, experimental, and above all collectable. The higher prices for the collection didn’t matter to consumers afflicted with FOMO, and the whole project ended up being very profitable for them.

All of this is to say that Leatherman has gotten clever. They know that tweaking production numbers and scarcity is a viable sales tactic, and that pulling a popular product like the Crunch can help them in the long run.

For us resellers, it’s definitely profitable in the here and now. We mentioned earlier that the Crunch has already been reselling, but now that it’s actually, really, truly dead, prices are rising.

Right now, the Leatherman Crunch is reselling for around $200. Prior to its discontinuation, it was usually flipping for around $150 or so.

What does this mean for you? Next time you’re at the hardware store, check for these tools. Leatherman confirmed the 900 they loaded earlier this week were the last they would sell online, so your only hope for finding one is shopping local.

If you manage to snag one, it’s an easy $100 in profit. There’s still a potential for prices to rise as well.

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