Leatherman 830685 Charge TTi with Nylon Sheath
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Leatherman 830685 Charge TTi with Nylon Sheath
Customer Review: Good not Great
Summary: 4 Stars
I love everything about this knife except the pliers. The pliers jaws do not lock onto the handles, so once you close the jaws and try to open them again the handles pivot but the jaws stay closed because the handle hinges are looser than the hinge of the jaws. Consequently the pliers jaws do not open by opening the handles and one must use both hands to pull the jaws open. Very irritating. What's worse is that the handle hinge has a tamper proof screw so it can not be adjusted with out sending it back to the factory. Gerber has a better design.Customer Review: Good tool but still has room for improvement
Summary: 4 Stars
I've had a number of multi tools over the years and the Leatherman Charge TTi is the best one I've ever used. One area that I would like to see improved is the quality of Philip screw bit. It's nice to have a replaceable bit but after only using it for a week it looks like it won't last. It's also on the expensive side compared with other similar tools.Customer Review: Good tool, not sure about the hype.
Summary: 5 Stars
Did anyone happen to read the two star review on here from the overly-critical "apophasis"? At least, that was my impression of him when I read his review, before I bought the Charge TTi myself. I have to say - my initial impressions of the tool were the same as his.
Out of the box, my TTi felt clunky and difficult to open. There was an obvious "catch" to each side where the handle pivoted over the pliers, which was simply annoying upon opening. But then to close the tool, this excessive sticking becomes more evident, as it means pinching your fingers against the head of the pliers in order to push them fully shut. Quite disheartening.
Next, I pulled out the blade. I was sure he'd had a lemon. But no, I could see plainly at arm's length how poor the grind on the blade was. In fact, I hadn't even bought the TTi for its blade, as I've always been the sort of person not to think of a multi-tool blade as a "real" knife, but to see a piece of S30V that hasn't even been given a fair chance at performing to its potential... as a knife enthusiast, I was disappointed.
Finding his two main gripes to prove true, I set about testing the functionality of the tool-open-put-into-sheath business. Just as he said, if you cram the pliers in deep enough, they don't come out. The back edges of the pliers are sharp enough to cut yourself on if you catch them right and they definitely don't like to let go of that nylon.
At this point, I would've been at about three stars instead of five.
I really wanted this tool to work for me, though, so I set about solving my problems. Rather than loosening the Torx bolts that hold the pliers in place, which would degrade the sturdy lockup of the inner tools, I decided to see what was sticking up the opening of the pliers. Upon close inspection it was plain to see where the pliers pivot on the outside of the handles there was a coarse patch of metal on either side. With a small file, I removed a small amount of metal from both sides. Then, I used a buffing wheel with some polishing compound to smooth out the surface. Finally, I spread the polishing compound inside the pivot point, and worked the pliers open/closed repeatedly for an hour or so, taking care to notice which side offered more resistance and work that side more. Then of course I cleaned the tool out, oiled it, and cleaned again the excess.
After that, I set about sharpening the blade (also with my Spyderco Sharpmaker, oddly enough).
Now, I can open my TTi one-handed. There is enough resistance in the pivot points that the tool won't open inadvertently, but nowhere near the crunchy, awkward, sticking feeling it had when it came out of the box. It feels smooth and convenient. The blade, which now shaves hair with hardly noticeable pressure on the skin, I like the shape and ease of deploy so much that I have replaced my previous EDC knife entirely by this unit.
And the pliers sticking in the sheath when open? That I knew the solution to before I bought the tool. Don't do that. You know what you do with a multi-tool when you want to use both hands and you don't want to fold it up to put it away? You slip one handle of the tool in your pocket and let the other hang out. Problem solved. This is easier to coordinate than stuffing the thing into a sheath on your belt, and I am surprised any of the mechanically inclined folk who buy these would pay any attention to the feature. That feature of the sheath probably looked nice as a bullet point on a package somewhere, but that part of it is a novelty. Unless of course you happen to be multi-tooling in the nude and have no pockets, in which you have no place wearing a belt either.
To summarize: I love this tool. It saves me time and frustration daily. I wish I had upgraded to a full-sized one years ago. But, Leatherman really should put more attention to the fit and finish on these things - if only for their higher end tools such as these. For paying over a hundred bucks, I would expect a tool to be sharpened properly and operate as if it doesn't have grit in it, and if I didn't know how to work a knife sharpener and a Dremel I would still be at three stars instead of five.
Customer Review: Good upgrade to a 20 year old wave
Summary: 5 Stars
Bought this to replace my 20 year old Wave. I must say this one feels a tad more substantial and a bit heavier even though it's the TTi model. But it did come with a nice case some bits and a clip attachment. So all in all a good buy considering the steel used is much better them my 20 year old wave. So far happy with purchase.Customer Review: Great Tool
Summary: 5 Stars
I have owned a wave for many years and finally managed to bend the pliers slightly (annoyed me that they didn't line up straight anymore). Although I have no doubt leatherman would have replaced them I decided to go ahead and try out the charge tti after reading reviews on amazon and other websites. After receiving the tool it is exactly what I had expected. Wonderful craftsmanship and design. Even better than my old wave. In response to other reviews I have read, yes opening the pliers is stiff out of the box but after lubricating the joints and working with it a bit it opens smoothly. The knife is of wonderful quality and even shipped sharp (I was expecting to have to sharpen it). Overall I recommend this tool to anyone who would use it on a regular basis (it is a little expensive just to have around the house).