If the idea of the Tread was to have a multi-tool without a knife, that's already been done with the LM Fuse. At $600 in black with a watch, it's certainly not the everyman's solution.

The Signal has too many trade-offs for my liking (including trading $120 for it in the first place). The sharpener is poorly attached. The ferro rod/whistle combination replaces the secondary blade, and there is no way that tiny whistle could be heard in the woods on a windy day. The big issue for me is the plastic handle. I don't doubt that it is strong and functions well under laboratory conditions. I'm pretty sure though, that my Wave handle will not melt if I accidentally drop it in the fire and have to find a stick to fish it out.

I guess that if you build a bombproof product like a Wave or Surge etc, you are hard-pressed to keep sales up. I am a huge LM fan, but I haven't bought anything from them for a while...I already have what I need, and those items could last a lifetime.