A multitool is supposed to solve problems. The ARC takes that idea almost comically seriously.
Leatherman currently lists the ARC at $249.95. It weighs 8.6 ounces, carries a 2.76-inch MagnaCut blade, and packs 20 tools into a 4.25-inch closed body. Every outside tool is designed for one-handed access through Leatherman’s FREE architecture. That combination makes it less of a cheap glovebox backup and more of a premium everyday-carry object for people who actually use this stuff.
The knife is the headline
The standout is the MagnaCut blade. Leatherman says the ARC is its first multitool to use the steel, chosen for its balance of corrosion resistance, toughness, and edge retention. The blade also gets a thumb stud, which matters because a tool you can open quickly is a tool you are more likely to use.
Twenty tools sounds ridiculous until it doesn’t
The ARC includes pliers, replaceable wire cutters, large and small bit drivers, files, pry tool, spring-action scissors, saw, awl, wire stripper, crimper, openers, and an impact surface. That sounds like brochure padding until you are fixing a loose cabinet hinge, trimming a zip tie, opening a package, or making a small field repair without walking back to the toolbox.
GearJunkie’s hands-on review praised the versatility, one-handed operation, and MagnaCut blade while also calling out the obvious downside: it is expensive. Their reviewer described it as best suited to serious DIY and EDC users rather than someone who only wants a just-in-case tool.
Who should actually buy it?
The ARC makes the most sense for somebody who already knows they like carrying a multitool and wants a better version of something they use constantly. For a person who opens one bottle and tightens one screw a year, it is overkill. For the person who keeps reaching for a multitool every day, the premium starts to make more sense.
That is what makes the ARC interesting: it is not pretending to be the sensible choice for everybody. It is a very serious version of a very practical object.
