Leatherman has some very creative gnomes working in their forges. We GearFloggers are very fickle about our knives and multitools, yet after more than a year the Leatherman Skeletool CX is still our tool of choice for pretty much any backcountry adventure, up to and including Denali.
Along came a 3.7oz knife. Leatherman's Expanse series of cutlery comes in 33 (2.6in blade) and 55 (3.1in blade) drop point formats, each with either a straight blade or a combo straight and serrated. I always go for the combo because of the rope and cord cutting utility. The 154CM stainless steel blade from Crucible Metals is very balanced: it's tough, holds an edge and resists corrosion. The E33BX handles well too, with a seamless match between the steel and plastic scales.
The tension in the blade is adjustable, and there are two means of opening: a standard thumb stud and Leatherman's interesting Blade Launcher. The launcher is under your index fingertip on the back of the knife, and a small movement of the switch deploys the blade. At first I thought it was completely redundant to the thumb stud, but it's actually a faster and more economical movement that you'll probably end up using exclusively.
The B in the name is for bit driver. The handle is significantly thicker than a blade-only design, but it makes the knife easier to hold and to handle, and it hides the flip-out driver. It comes with a double-ended #1 and #2 Fillips bit, with a 1/4 and 3/16 flat bit tucked into a slot in the handle, and it's quite servicable. There's a carabiner clip that doubles as a bottle opener folded into the handle. You can put it away or use it as the situation demands, it's a nicely flexible option, as is the removable pocket clip. The only nitpick is the liner lock, which is recessed a bit too far although with practice you'll get used to it, and it does make accidently folding the blade during use – an already unlikely event – highly unlikely. All in all, a nicely designed package if you're looking for this exact combination of functionality.