Multi-tool company Leather has entered the wearable market with the world's first multi-tool product that can be worn on your wrist.
The bracelet, dubbed the Leatherman Tread, is slated for release this summer and is made up of links that each feature two to three functional tools, totaling 25 usable tools for the whole wristband, according to Tech Times. Among these tools are screwdrivers, hex drives, a carbide glass breaker, box wrenches and a SIM card pick that wearers can also use as a hook-style box cutter.
The Portland, Ore.-based company designed the Tread to be fully customizable so users can rebuild the bracelet through slotted fasteners in different ways, such as changing the order of the links, adding or removing certain tools or changing the bracelet's size to fit more comfortably.
The links may look small and breakable at first glance, but they are made of metal-injected molded 17-4 stainless steel so they won't snap or bend under stress, Wired reported.
Leatherman plans on releasing an optional Swiss version of the Tread with quartz movement this fall.
Ben Rivera, president of Leatherman, came up with the idea for the bracelet during a family trip to Disneyland when security stopped him at the gate because he was found to be possessing something that resembled a knife, according to Tech Times. This knife actually turned out to be his Skeletool, which Rivera had to bring back to his hotel since he didn't want to lose it.
"I knew there had to be another way to carry my tools with me that would be accepted by security," Rivera said. As a result, when he came back home from the trip, he used a bike chain to make a new kind of bracelet and constantly made changes to see how it felt.
Rivera also designed the bracelet so that users can wear it wherever they want without having to go through security checks, making the bracelet TSA and security-friendly in the process, Tech Times reported.
Leatherman plans on making the Tread available sometime in April or May in different versions: the $150 stainless steel model and the $200 black diamond-like carbon model. Consumers will have to fork over a little more for Tread bracelets with the Swiss-made watches, specifically $500 for the stainless steel version and $600 for the black diamond-like carbon version.
