Availability of new products from 2001 Shot Show?

First of all a big thanks to Doug Ritter for this forum and for the great 2001 Shot Show product review.<br><br>Seeing all the great new products makes me wonder when they will be available. I am particularly interested in the new Leatherman Juice and the new Photon III. Any information on the estimated release date of these products would be greatly appreciated.<br><br>Also, what do people make of the Juice and the different colors? Personally, I think Leatherman should go along the lines of Gerber and allow consumers to "build their own" Juice tool with the color handle and implements they desire. No one tool seems to fit my needs perfectly unless the XE6 proves to be light enough for pocket carry. I really hope that the new Juice tools are at least noticeably lighter than the PST and Wave tools because otherwise while they may small enough pocket carry, they may be too heavy to carry comfortably inside a pants pocket. This was the main drawback of the original Leatherman lines I think, all of them were too heavy not to be carried in a sheath. Also, I really wish that black or the original "silver" finish was offered on at least one tool so consumers could opt out the bright colors if they so desired. Not every multi-tool carrier wants a red, orange, yellow, blue or purple tool. <br><br>BTW, any chance you were able to ascertain the (approximate) weight of any of the new Juice tools while at the Shot Show Doug?<br><br>Many thanks,<br><br>Bucky<br><br>

Bucky,<br><br>I no longer publish expected production dates for new products unless they show actual production items. Nobody ever meets their announced production dates. <br><br>New Leatherman products typically show up in stores early Summer, but given this is so radical, I'd expect easily could be Fall.<br><br>No argument about the colors, but I don't expect anything like the Gerber program anytime in the near future. As for weights, they didn't offer any such info. based on handling them, I'd say they were on par with similar sized SAKs. Not light, but not as heavy as current tools. <br><br><br>Doug Ritter<br>Editor<br>Equipped To Survive

FWIW, I contacted Leatherman via email and they responded that the Juice line would not hit the shelves until Fall 2001 and at present, there is no plan to use a "build your own" program. <br><br>Bucky<br><br>