Leatherman FREE K2: A Sturdy Tool with the Heart of a Swiss Army Knife

A few years back I took on the challenge to find the perfect (for me) pocket knife to replace my beloved Swiss Army Knife. As much as I love the SAK, there were a few things I needed that it didn’t come with. My requirements were simple—a knife I could open with one hand, a locking blade, and a clip so that it could ride at the top of my pocket. I toted the Gerber Paraframe and then the Spyderco Delica 4, and both were solid knives that I recommend depending on budget and use case… But they weren’t exactly what I was looking for. 

So, for the last year I have been using the Leatherman FREE K2, and it has worked out very well. With eight tools included, this knife is a lot more like my SAK than previous knives I’ve reviewed, which has made it a handy addition to my everyday carry haul. 

The FREE K2 at Leatherman.com.
The FREE K2 on Amazon.

A little bit about Leatherman

Like a lot of great things, Leatherman didn’t start with a grand epiphany. It started with nagging problems. During a low-budget trip through Europe in 1975, Tim and Chau Leatherman dealt with a number of issues — mostly from leaky hotel plumbing and the old, frequently malfunctioning Fiat they bought in Amsterdam for $300. 

Working on these repairs with a scout knife, Tim realized there was one thing that would make these fixes much easier: pliers!

Most people would say, “Someone should make something like that.” Tim isn’t most people — he graduated from Oregon State University in 1970, and as his continuous tinkering on the European trip showed, he was a bit of a problem solver.

Upon returning home, he drew up some sketches of his idea for a knife with pliers, and tinkered with developing it for the next three years. Once he had a working prototype he shopped the idea around to several companies with no success. Another three and half years later, with the help of college friend and new business partner, Steve Berliner, Leatherman finally got their first order—500 of Leatherman’s first tool, the PST, to Cabela’s. The PST is the ancestor to pretty much every known multitool. Other companies make them, and they make one that you prefer, but the PST is arguably the first iteration of the multitool we know. 

Since the beginning, Leatherman has been made in Portland, Oregon. If you’re into something made in the U.S., they’ve got you covered. They also have your knife covered with a limited 25-year warranty. That’s a pretty good expected lifespan for a pocketknife.

FREE K2 specs

Into data? Let’s look at the specs.

Overall Length: 7.8″
Blade Length: 3.3″
Closed Length: 4.5″
Weight: 4.9 oz
Steel: 420HC stainless steel
Grind: Compound bevel
Point: Reverse tanto/wharncliffe/drop point
Handle material: 6061-T6 hard-anodized aluminum
Cost: Roughly $90

So what does all that mean?

You can figure out what the measurements mean—grab a ruler if you need to. The 420HC stainless steel is a reliable choice for a knife. It has a high carbon content, which balances hardness, edge retention, corrosion resistance, and ease of sharpening. The same steel is used on the other tools as well. The handle is made of 6061-T6 hard-anodized aluminum, which is lightweight, durable, and corrosion-resistant. It’s light and comfortable in the hand. These materials are quality materials for this application.

FREE magnetic technology

The magnetic architecture is intended to improve ease of use and accessibility. The FREE designs include magnets in the handle that hold the blade and tools securely in place when they’re closed, but they also allow for easy one-handed opening. The idea is that this will bypass the traditional breaking-in period that blades and folding tools have needed in the past, while reducing friction and wear to enhance the overall durability and longevity of the knife.

The tech works, but in my experience, it doesn’t completely do away with the breaking-in period. The blade opened reasonably easily out of the box, but the tools still needed a little work—although this might not be a problem for someone with larger hands. Still, after just a little use and the tools opened up easily—although all three pop open together. They locked into place securely and were easy to unlock and fold back into place. It’s worth noting that while it is easy to unlock and fold the knife or tools closed, it isn’t easy to do by mistake. It’s a pretty safe design.

My initial thoughts

Out of the gate, the first thing I noticed was the weight disparity between the FREE K2 and the Spyderco Delica 4 that I was carrying before—at about 4.9 ounces, the FREE weighs almost twice as much as the Delica.

The blade has an oblong opening to open with one hand, and the clip can be adjusted to sit on either side of the knife. Unlike the Delica, however, you can’t adjust it so that I can clip it in my pocket in my preferred orientation: point facing down and the blade facing back. As an alternative, I clip the FREE with the blade facing forward and the point facing up—it took a little getting used to, but ultimately both allow me to smoothly slip the knife from my pocket and open the blade with one hand.

The knife was sharp out of the box, easy to open, and locked solidly. All in all, a good start.

How I use it

I’ve carried this knife for a year, so it has seen a lot of varied use. As always, I used the blade to open packages. After a few months of opening one or two packages a week, I was suitably pleased with how well it held up and transitioned to using the package opener tool.

I didn’t think about the value of this tool, but the package opener is actually a bit of a game changer. I have always said that I would use my knife to open packages, because the point of a pocketknife is to be ready for whatever task is at hand. But I know that cutting packaging tape leaves an adhesive residue on the blade, causing it to collect dirt and microscopic debris, which dulls it more quickly. Cutting cardboard is a good way to quickly dull your blade as well. So using the package opener instead of the actual blade is a smart move that will help keep your blade sharper longer. 

I used this knife while processing a deer—the unique shape of the point makes it a poor choice for this, but it still performed admirably. I also used it to prepare a few meals, but did clean it between the processing and the cooking. The blade has cut leather for a sheath I made, carved wood, and even trimmed down some plastic on a truck part. In doing that last task, I accidentally came in contact with a piece of metal, which left a small nick in the blade. I wasn’t happy about this, but it did provide an additional challenge when it came to sharpening — more on that below.

The tools work equally well. I mentioned the package opener, but I’ve also played around with the other tools. The bottle opener works perfectly, as bougie sodas and craft brews can attest. All three screwdrivers work just fine as screwdrivers. The awl punches holes, as one would expect, and the prybar pries—you don’t have a lot of leverage to work with, but it does the trick for small tasks.

How the FREE K2 holds an edge

Incredibly well. The blade was sharp out of the box, and I decided that I would just keep using it until it needed sharpening.

I carried it almost every day for over a year before I sharpened it. It had lost it’s razor-sharp edge by that point, but wasn’t dull. Of course, with more frequent, heavy-duty use, you’ll need to sharpen it a lot sooner—and it’s bad practice to wait that long to sharpen a knife anyway. The 420HC stainless steel does a stellar job at retaining a sharp, usable edge. 

Sharpening the K2

I had no problems sharpening this blade. I mentioned above that I had put a nick in the blade while shaping a plastic and metal truck part, a foolish error. That necessitated starting with a pretty course stone, and working up from there. 420HC is pretty tough, so you do have to be patient as you’re sharpening. I worked up from the course stone through a few finer ones, and finished with an ultra-fine Arkansas stone. The nick disappeared as I worked the blade through the process. To get the right angle as you sharpen, ignore the initial bevel that tapers to the edge, and only work the secondary bevel at the edge. That’s going to give you a great combination of sharpness and sturdiness. 

I finished the whole process with a leather strop, and the blade was sharp enough to shave the hair from my arm. All in all, it took about 15 minutes.

Here’s the Pros and Cons of the Leatherman FREE K2

Find lists helpful? Here you go

Pros

• The blade holds a reliable edge incredibly well, and though the 420HC stainless steel is tough, you can sharpen the blade without breaking a sweat. 
• The blade opens smoothly with one hand and locks into place with a satisfying click. It’s easy to unlock and close, but not so easy that you would accidentally close it.
• It’s purely cosmetic, but I love that there are different colors available—slate, navy, and evergreen.
• All tools work as they should, and are strong and reliable.
• The price point is about $90. That’s not throwaway money, but is pretty accessible.
• Made in America, and like all Leatherman tools, the K2 comes with a 25-year limited warranty.

Cons

• It’s a fairly heavy knife for a folding pocketknife, coming in at 4.9 ounces. It’s also a bit thick. Both of which took a little getting used to for me. What can I say, I have little hands.
• I’m not a fan of the reverse tanto/Wharncliffe/drop point. I recognize that it gives you the ability to make small precise cuts, but I worry about the tip breaking off. My preference would be for a more traditional drop point, but I have managed to keep the tip intact thus far.
• The tools don’t open as smoothly out of the box as the blade does. To this day, I still can’t open one tool at a time: instead my thumb opens all three tools and I then close the two that I don’t need.

Leatherman FREE K2: My final word

I love it. I think this is a fantastic knife and I would recommend it to most people. It hasn’t let me down, and over the course of the last year I have gotten used to its larger size and slightly heavier weight. I’ve noticed that a little bit of the coloring has come off in a few spots, but its miniscule and not noticeable unless you’re looking for it.

The blade cuts well, holds and edge for a long time, and everything locks open safely. I wish there was a little more adjustability in the pocket clip, but with the two options, there should be a side that works well for most people.

Overall, this knife very much so embodies what I am looking for in a knife—a strong locking blade with a sharp edge, handy tools, and a reliable pocket clip, that can be opened with one hand.

The FREE K2 at Leatherman.com.
The FREE K2 on Amazon.

TL/DR

The Leatherman FREE K2 is a great knife and worth checking out if you’re in the market for a new blade.