Leatherman Watch

Comparison of Leatherman TREAD, Leatherman TREAD LT, Leatherman Tread Tempo

Posted On November 23, 2017 at 10:37 am by / 2 Comments

Do you need Leatherman Tread or Leatherman Tread LT?

Leatherman TREAD and Leatherman Tread LT are great bracelets that are designed for anyone who wants to have the combination of fashion and functionality. If you are a handyman and/or you want to have a tough bracelet on your hand and receive compliments from everyone, I recommend that you read the rest of this post.

This post is an in-depth technical review of Leatherman Tread, Leatherman Tread LT, and Leatherman Tread Tempo. After you read this post, you will get a better understanding of their functionality, similarities, and differences. Also, you can find the advantage and disadvantages of using BTT adapter to connect Leatherman Tread or Tread LT with your watch of preference OR it is a better option for you to buy Leatherman Tread Tempo.  

The facts that are presented in this post are based on the technical specification that is presented by Leatherman Inc. and my personal experience as a TREAD user for more than two years. Both Leatherman TREAD and Leatherman TREAD LT are attached to my watches (Apple watch and G-Shock).

Full disclosure: I didn’t use Tread Tempo and its information is based on Leatherman product page.

Leatherman Tread Vs. Leatherman Tread LT:

Leatherman advertised TREAD as “The world’s first wearable multi-tool, the travel-friendly Tread features 29 tools and customizable links.” Leatherman recently released LEATHERMAN TREAD LT that is presented as “A slimmer version of the original travel-friendly, wearable Tread multi-tool.” All facts and data are presented in tables and you can find the comparison between tools, weight, width, etc. 

Release Date:

Although original TREAD is released two years before Leatherman TREAD LT, it couldn’t be an important factor in your decision that which one is better.

I believe TREAD is not like iPhone that has a substantial change in technology and speed of processors! I highly recommend that you select Leatherman TREAD or TREAD LT based on other factors that are listed in this post, not the release date!

Tread Tread LT
May, 2015 November, 2017
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Price USD

Although bothLeatherman TREAD and TREAD LT have the same price on Leatherman website (USA), there is a possibility of difference in the price for different countries. It could be a factor in your decision, so please check your local authorized Leatherman store. Be careful of fake Tread that is manufactured with low quality in China!

Tread Tread LT
$174.85 $174.85
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IMPORTANT: Circumference, Weight, Band Width

I think it is one of the most important factors in your decision to see if you really want to have Tread on your wrist. I hear many complaints from Tread buyers who think they can’t use all links of Tread at the same time on their hand. If your wrist is too small, you should remove 3 – 4 links of Tread to size your wrist. However, the good point is that the Links are interchangeable and you can select the links that have the most functionality for you.

Tread Tread LT Percent Difference
Circumference 8.56 in | 21.74 cm 8.56 in / 21.74cm Circumference is the same
Weight 5.9 oz | 168 g 5.5 oz / 156 g LT is ~7% lighter
Band Width 0.86 in | 2.2 cm 0.71 in / 1.8cm LT is ~19% narrower
WordPress Data Table

It is a trade-off between width and weight. It is a highly important factor as many Tread users complain about its weight.

As you see in the above table, the circumference of both Leatherman Tread and Leatherman Tread LT is the same. The number of links is the same, but the types are different (similarities and differences are presented in the next sections).

Although Tread LT is 7% lighter, you should note that its width is 17% smaller.

Note: 17% in width for 7% of weight! I wish it was the same proportion.

Personally, I prefer Tread over Tread LT as  I found it handier because of the width. I prefer to have 12 grams more on my wrist and able to use the tools easily. Anyway, I have Tread for more than two years on my hand and Tread LT is new to me. Maybe I will get used to it after a couple of months.

Tools

Both TREAD and TREAD LT consist of 29 tools; however, the links and tools that you receive in TREAD or TREAD LT are slightly different. In the following table, the list of tools and their associate Links are presented. If you are using a mobile device, you can scroll horizontally on the table to check the full list.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you get lost in this long table, I presented two other tables to help you with a better understanding of similarities and differences. I compared the tools that are the same and tools that are different between Leatherman Tread and Leatherman Tread LT. Compare tools to see which one is better for your personal use.

Tread Tool Tread Link Tread LT Tool Tread LT Link
01 #1-2 PHILLIPS Pozi-Driv #2
02 1/4" BOX WRENCH 11mm Box Wrench
03 3/16" SCREWDRIVER #30 Torx Dive
04 6mm Hex Drive 7mm Box Wrench
05 10mm Box Wrench Safety Cutter
06 5mm Hex Drive Pozi-Driv # 1
07 1/4" Hex Drive Bottle Opener
08 Oxygen Tank Wrench Oxygen Tank Wrench
09 3/16" Hex Drive Carbide Glass Breaker
10 1/8" Hex Drive 1/4” Flat Screwdriver
11 3/16" Box Wrench 5/16" Screwdriver
12 3/32" Hex Drive 1/8" Flat Screwdriver
13 3/32" Screwdriver 8mm Box Wrench
14 1/8" Flat Screwdriver 10mm Box Wrench
15 4mm Hex Drive 3/8" Box Wrench
16 8mm Box Wrench 3/32" Screwdriver
17 3mm Hex Drive 3/16" Screwdriver
18 5/16" Screwdriver #1-2 Phillips
19 3/8" Box Wrench 1/4" Hex Drive
20 1/4” Flat Screwdriver 3/16" Hex Drive
21 #1 Phillips 5mm Hex Drive
22 6mm Box Wrench 6mm Hex Drive
23 #2 Phillips 4mm Hex Drive
24 Carbide Glass Breaker 3mm Hex Drive
25 Pick/Sim Card Tool #2 Square Drive
26 Cutting Hook 6mm Box Wrench
27 1/4" Socket Drive Adapter 1/4" Socket Drive Adapter
28 Bottle Opener Pick/Sim Card Tool
29 #2 Square Drive Torx #27
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What Tools Exist in both Leatherman TREAD and Leatherman TREAD LT?

The functionality of tools that are presented on Leatherman website doesn’t have the same order for TREAD and TREAD LT. To prevent the confusion, I summarized the list of tools that you get in both bracelets. These tools are identical in TREAD and TREAD LT and can’t be a factor in your decision to choose between these two bracelets. I recommend that you also see the table in the next section that I compared the tools that are different in Leatherman TREAD and Leatherman TREAD LT.

Leatherman TREAD Leatherman TREAD LT Tool 1 Tool 2 Tool 3
3/32" Screwdriver 1/8" Flat Screwdriver
Carbide Glass Breaker Pick/Sim Card Tool Cutting Hook
5/16" Screwdriver 3/8" Box Wrench 1/4” Flat Screwdriver
1/4" Hex Drive Oxygen Tank Wrench 3/16" Hex Drive
6mm Hex Drive 10mm Box Wrench 5mm Hex Drive
4mm Hex Drive 8mm Box Wrench 3mm Hex Drive
Bottle Opener #2 Square Drive 1/4" Socket Drive Adapter
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IMPORTANT: DIFFERENT tools between Leatherman TREAD and Leatherman TREAD LT

It is important to see what tools are different in Leatherman Tread and Leatherman Tread LT. Look through the following table and decide based on your personal use. So, this factor is different for each person. Feel free to share your thought about the tools in the comment of this post.

Leatherman TREAD Leatherman TREAD LT Tool 1 Tool 2 Tool 3
#1-2 PHILLIPS 1/4" BOX WRENCH 3/16" SCREWDRIVER
1/8" Hex Drive 3/16" Box Wrench 3/32" Hex Drive
#1 Phillips 6mm Box Wrench #2 Phillips
11mm Box Wrench 3/16" Screwdriver #1-2 Phillips
Pozi-Driv # 1 11mm Box Wrench Pozi-Driv # 2
6mm Box Wrench Torx #27 Torx #30
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Leatherman Tread Tempo and Leatherman Tread watch with BTT adapter

I like Leatherman brand and have many of their products. Leatherman Tread Tempo is another great product that is released recently. The main advantage of Tread Tempo is that it combines Leatherman Tread with a watch. So, you don’t need to have them separately on your wrist.

Also, we designed BTT adapter that makes Tread and Tread LT compatible with almost any watch in the market. In the following table, I put some possibilities with Leatherman Tempo,  Tread, and BTT adapter.

Tread Tempo
Tread BTT Apple watch
Tread BTT Garmin
Tread BTT Fitbit Blaze
Tread BTT G-Shcok
and many more...
WordPress Data Table

There is no doubt that Tread Tempo is a great product as other Leatherman products, but I see the problem of limitation of one watch face and no possibility to connect with original TREAD. The watch is water resistant, but it is a bit old-fashioned. Tread is a fashion product and personally, I prefer to combine it with a more modern watch. If you are looking for a new high-end basic watch, Tread Tempo is a good choice that will cost you $450. If you prefer to combine your current watch or the watch of your choice (Apple watch, Garmin,…) with Tread or Tread LT, BTT adapter is a better choice.

It is still a personal preference that is based on your need and your expectation from your watch.

Conclusions: my thoughts about Leatherman Tread and Leatherman Tread LT, which one I prefer:

Both bracelets are functional and nicely designed. As mentioned I use them both as my watch band and I am happy with both of them. The appearance of both is fantastic; but personally, I like Tread for myself as its width is bigger and looks better on my wrist. I can’t feel 10 grams weight difference as it is less than 10% of the total weight. Also, I gave both Tread and Tread LT to my girlfriend to see which one she prefers. She wore both for a week and she selected Tread LT. So, it proves that it is a personal preference. However, she is not handy-girl and didn’t consider the functionality of tools.

Besides the width and weight, you should consider the price in your local authorized seller as well as the tools that are different in each. Then you can make your mind and select the one that best fits your need.

Regarding Tread Tempo OR Tread with BTT adapter, it depends on your taste of watch and your budget. Do you like to have a nice and simple looking watch and just use it with Tread LT OR you prefer to have the watch of your choice on hand with Leatherman Tread AND Tread LT? If you want to buy a basic watch and spend $450, Tread Tempo is a great product. But if you already have a watch that you want to combine with Tread or you want to select the watch based on your need and preference, BTT adapter is a better option to combine the watch of your choice with leatherman Tread or Tread LT.

I hope you found this post helpful and you can now select the product based on your need and preference.

2 thoughts on “Comparison of Leatherman TREAD, Leatherman TREAD LT, Leatherman Tread Tempo

  1. I also use TREAD on my wrist since 5 years ago. I combine it with BTT adapter to my favourite watch. I choose this option because it is not comfortable if I wear a watch and Leatherman Tread separately in the same time.

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