Leatherman Pliers Trouble

65535 · Jan 6, 2008

I sent leatherman and e-mail today, I have 2 Leatherman tools (3 actually) but 2 of them have loose plier joints, both my S2 and Surge have bad joints, the S2 can't grip anything because they pliers can actually pass each other being as far off as they are, and the Surge can't do delicate work, I like Leatherman's but these new tools aren't holding up at all, none were abused. I have an old non model number Tool that has amazing pliers on it.

Marduke · Jan 7, 2008

Years ago, Leatherman was THE multitool. Sadly, now they have fallen way behind in quality.

greenLED · Jan 7, 2008

I still consider them top-notch, over Gerber and the Victorinox branded multi-tools. The new Wave is even beefier than the old model. That said, we (bro and I) managed to bend the pliers on a Juice the other day. We were using it as leverage point (against a full size LM Wave) to fix some snow chains that broke on us. It took considerable force to re-bend the broken chain link into place. In the process, one of the pliers "arms" is about 1/8" off its original position.

Numbers, what'd you do to those tools? In any case, get a hold of LM CS - you can send those in for warranty repair.

65535 · Jan 7, 2008

Nothing out of the ordinary, the joints are loose, nothing is bent out of line. I got an e-mail response today, I will send them to leatherman tomorrow.

Lightguy27 · Jan 14, 2008

Marduke said:
Years ago, Leatherman was THE multitool. Sadly, now they have fallen way behind in quality.

Don't mean to draag the thread off topic but that's what happened to maglite too. They were the best back then and now it's a junning joke the output of a mag. The only good thing about them now is a great platform for modding. I guess the just fell behind and dug a deeper hole until now there crap.

-Evan

spoonrobot · Jan 24, 2008

Marduke said:
Years ago, Leatherman was THE multitool. Sadly, now they have fallen way behind in quality.

Fallen way behind who?

Other than Leatherman there are only two manufacturers of high-end, full-line multi-tools. Gerber and SOG, Leatherman always has been and is still a better product in all dimensions than Gerber and compares favorably to SOG but may loose some points in rust resistance and overall strength compared to some of SOGs tools.

Victorinox is generally decided as being superior to Leatherman in overall fit and finish but looses a few steps in function due to some of the "soft-boiled" implements. Victorinox also only manufactures two different models with a few varieties of each.

The base argument showing Leatherman's "drop in quality" is the loss of rust resistance on some of their models due to finish changes that occured in 2004. Leatherman switched from a medium polish to a light polish in the interest of improved grip, this lead to slightly less rust resistance and the current trend of feeling a loss of quality. Compare the quality of implements of older Leatherman tools to modern versions and there is a noticeable improvement in fit and finish, ergonomics and overall utility.

carl · Jan 25, 2008

spoonrobot said:
Fallen way behind who?

Other than Leatherman there are only two manufacturers of high-end, full-line multi-tools. Gerber and SOG, Leatherman always has been and is still a better product in all dimensions than Gerber and compares favorably to SOG but may loose some points in rust resistance and overall strength compared to some of SOGs tools.

Victorinox is generally decided as being superior to Leatherman in overall fit and finish but looses a few steps in function due to some of the "soft-boiled" implements. Victorinox also only manufactures two different models with a few varieties of each.

The base argument showing Leatherman's "drop in quality" is the loss of rust resistance on some of their models due to finish changes that occured in 2004. Leatherman switched from a medium polish to a light polish in the interest of improved grip, this lead to slightly less rust resistance and the current trend of feeling a loss of quality. Compare the quality of implements of older Leatherman tools to modern versions and there is a noticeable improvement in fit and finish, ergonomics and overall utility.

This is a fair overall view - glad i read it since i'm in the market for a multitool right now.

precisionworks · Sep 2, 2008

I bought one of the first PST Leathermans (what, twenty or twenty five years ago?) and just bought the Charge TTi. Side by side, I cannot tell a quality difference. The "old" tools used stock removal (aka grinding) to make all the parts - new Leathermans use investment casting for many parts. Investment casting is a process widely used in industry, and Ruger has always investment cast their rifle & pistol parts.

To me, the TTi feels much better in hand than the PST. The Ti handles are rounded at the edge, the grip surfaces are textured, etc. The locking mechanism for the tools is superb, and the knife blades use liner locks (just as do BenchMade & Chris Reeves, and other top quality knives).

If you look closely at the pliers, the casting mold parting line is clearly visible (open the tool & look down at the base of the plier). These complex parts could certainly be ground from the solid, and would probably add another $30-$40 to the cost of the tool. And the function would be no better.

Don't make 'em like they used to? No they don't ... now Leatherman uses titanium & S30V

Leatherman Pliers Trouble

65535

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Marduke

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greenLED

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65535

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Lightguy27

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spoonrobot

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carl

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precisionworks

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