I ordered two Leatherman products from Heinnie Haynes a couple days ago. One was classed as a 2.8″ knife, the e306X, and the other was classed a ‘tool’ with a knife, the Skeletool CX. The latter of the two is located at the bottom of the photo below,

Although, I had the e306X about two days longer than the CX, I was pleased to find that I liked the CX far more than the e306X. The CX was also priced about £15 cheaper.

The similarities of both the tools are listed below:

• Both have a blade, of similar or identical length. They are both well under 3″ and are legal for everyday carry in the UK. The CX features a 154CM blade with a much sexier blade profile.
• The CX has a built-in carbiner clip/bottle opener. This is also available on the e306X but has to be first deployed.
• Even though the e306X has you deploying tools more (this becomes a real pain), they are both the same physical size with the e306X with all tools closed - the e306X is far longer with tools open when compared to the CX.
• The e306X has one extra ‘bit’. Not a deal breaker considering there is a 21-bit kit available from Leatherman. The CX carries two in total.

The similarities between the two products pretty much ends there. Take a look at the CX in the photo below, with its needle nose plier folded open,

The CX has a very nice heft to it - just right in my opinion. The added carbon fibre in the handle is a gimmick tbh, as it is still as heavy as the older non-CX Skeletool…what gives? The Tungsten DLC coating is guaranteed to wear off if you simply treat it for what it is - a great tool, so in comparison the all SS version would probably look better after a hard beating.

However, the non-CX does not have the combination serrated and non-serrated edged blade, which is fantastic on the CX. It has a nifty groove on the thumb so that one can open it single handedly.

So what’s the verdict? The e306X is going back to Heinnie tomorrow and I’m hanging on to the CX…I love it. Even if I end up only using it for the bottle opener and knife, it’s still a fabulous idea and I adore its ‘raw’ skeletal look. It has the allure akin to that of a Porsche or Aston Martin DB9 Vanquish - the Swiss Army Knife is simply your run of the mill ‘Ford’…

Now where did I put that bottle of Heineken at?