The Arc Thread...

Lesknife said:
I’ve been thinking about getting one but would like to handle one to see how the action works and getting the tools deployed. A couple weeks ago I was using my Wave in the cold and I was struggling with cold stiff fingers to get some of the tools out of the well. I have read some mixed feedback where some say the Arc is easy and smooth action to open where others have complained about stiff or rough opening tools.

I really don’t want to lay down that much cash to find out it doesn’t help me. What say you guys that have one? Do the tools in the well come out easy or do you have to work at it ? Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
So buy one from Amazon or any number of other outlets that have free and easy returns. Then, you'll actually know.
 
A.L. said:
I just wanted to elaborate that I don’t want to come out as the whiney hater. 😁

I would love to have one if they didn’t run 350usd here.
Click to expand...

Nah man, I totally agree. Even the Magnacut is of limited value IMO, when we are talking about a multi-tool that is uncomfortable to use for heavy cutting jobs... if you ever run the edge off that 420HC in one sitting, your hands are generally shot anyways.

For 300 CAD I can get a Wave and a good folder, or a knifeless Rebar and an even better folder. I'd carry either of those options over an Arc any day of the week. Your mileage may vary.
 
'Merica, baby.

Gibson, Mesa, The Cubs and the Leatherman Arc!

zAzStVQ.jpg
 
CSG said:
That would piss me off too. Their new top of the line doesn't come with a decent leather sheath? I'm really beginning to hate all things Chinese.
Click to expand...

Yep.

And, it's still tight, kind of hard to get ahold of with the clip left on, and the bit kit in there. I'm going to give it some more time, but I'm sure I'll end up with leather.

I must say, I love everything else about it.
 
Anybody bought the bit extension?

My old SOG had a longer Phillips, and I'm considering ordering one. I've had an occasion where it would have saved me a trip to the truck already.
 
Burke said:
I grabbed one of the Garage ones that’s virtually the same and have been actually using it. It’s great but if actually shopping on value and not “latest and greatest” I don’t know how you could possibly justify it vs the Wave that offers a very similar tool set for less than half the price. I can sorta see a $50 premium for Magnacut and other minor enhancements but 105>229 is a crazy leap.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately it’s more like $60 for the thousands of used Waves out there vs $229 for the Arc. It’s certainly better than my Wave+ (or my Charge) and P2 but my uses for multitools are many but very simple.

These are the things I used my multitools for this week that I can think of:

Changing batteries in a toy, tightening a tree stand bolt, filing a hatchet chip, punching a hole in a piece of leather, tightening a cabinet screw, pulling a stuck screw out of a chair, cutting a m4 bolt shorter, opening the 5 bags in a salad kit, opening a few Amazon boxes.

Every one of my Leathermans does each of these tasks perfectly. I used a P2, Charge, and a Skeletool for these tasks. The 420HC worked perfectly.

Leatherman makes a GREAT product. They make $100 multitools period, the premium is in price only unfortunately.

I have over 20 Leathermans and 80% of them have been bought well used. They’re all used in the same way use a $5 scraper.
 
I was watching a youtube video about the arc from a smaller channel recently, and the guy made a point that I hadn't heard about or considered yet. It's about the diamond file. What happens when it wears out? It's probably not covered by the warranty, right? Standard wear and tear isn't covered. So you paid 230 usd or some ungodly amount in aud if you are unlucky enough to be stuck paying "the Australia tax", and that's it. If you want your diamond file replaced, then you have to buy a whole new Arc, but the cost is so high that it's probably not worth it. So you've got this nice diamond file on your arc, but you dare not use it.

The same is true for the Charge TTi now, since they raised the price. It was increased to 200 usd.

Leatherman, take a hint. Make cheaper alternatives. You're pricing out a huge segment of the market. People who aren't enthusiasts or collectors and either can't afford your stuff or simply refuse to pay that much on general principle alone. Those people are probably not going to buy a Bolster or a Wave or a Sidekick or a Bond either. Not when there are so many Wave clones coming out of China which can be had for anywhere between 20-50 usd. They're not going to care that there's no warranty either. I've also seen that there's even a few half decent Surge clones out there now too.

Right now if you are buying a Leatherman, in my opinion your best choice is a Rebar or knifeless Rebar. It's got nearly everything tool-wise, it's still reasonably affordable, its still technically an american product, you get the 25 year warranty, and there aren't really any comparable cheap clones of it out there. And if you need to use screwdriver bits with it, then you can get the bit adapter which fits over the phillips driver, and it works great. In my opinion it's the only desirable and reasonably affordable Leatherman product left in production with a full toolset that could work on job site or be used for EDC or be put in a kit. It's also one of the lightest weight Leatherman models available.
 
Guy McVer said:
I was watching a youtube video about the arc from a smaller channel recently, and the guy made a point that I hadn't heard about or considered yet. It's about the diamond file. What happens when it wears out? It's probably not covered by the warranty, right? Standard wear and tear isn't covered. So you paid 230 usd or some ungodly amount in aud if you are unlucky enough to be stuck paying "the Australia tax", and that's it. If you want your diamond file replaced, then you have to buy a whole new Arc, but the cost is so high that it's probably not worth it. So you've got this nice diamond file on your arc, but you dare not use it.

The same is true for the Charge TTi now, since they raised the price. It was increased to 200 usd.

Leatherman, take a hint. Make cheaper alternatives. You're pricing out a huge segment of the market. People who aren't enthusiasts or collectors and either can't afford your stuff or simply refuse to pay that much on general principle alone. Those people are probably not going to buy a Bolster or a Wave or a Sidekick or a Bond either. Not when there are so many Wave clones coming out of China which can be had for anywhere between 20-50 usd. They're not going to care that there's no warranty either. I've also seen that there's even a few half decent Surge clones out there now too.

Right now if you are buying a Leatherman, in my opinion your best choice is a Rebar or knifeless Rebar. It's got nearly everything tool-wise, it's still reasonably affordable, its still technically an american product, you get the 25 year warranty, and there aren't really any comparable cheap clones of it out there. And if you need to use screwdriver bits with it, then you can get the bit adapter which fits over the phillips driver, and it works great. In my opinion it's the only desirable and reasonably affordable Leatherman product left in production with a full toolset that could work on job site or be used for EDC or be put in a kit. It's also one of the lightest weight Leatherman models available.
Click to expand...

Why would someone so 'ANTI ARC" be hanging out in "The Arc Thread" ? ? ? ? ? ?

We get it. You don't want to buy one.
 
Murphy Slaw said:
Why would someone so 'ANTI ARC" be hanging out in "The Arc Thread" ? ? ? ? ? ?

We get it. You don't want to buy one.
Click to expand...
Murphy Slaw said:
They do.

Many.

The ARC is for the person who wants the very best...

;)
Click to expand...

Some of us want to see Leatherman improve. Criticism and critique are one way to improve things, but this is dependent on having receptive listeners. You'll find that some of the biggest fans can also be the most vocal with their criticisms and suggestions. They're demonstrably the ones who actually care. This of course is in contrast with being nothing but positive, which ultimately accomplishes nothing except for doing unpaid marketing work.

For example, the Arc doesn't need to have a magnacut knife. Getting rid of it would drastically reduce the price. This would give more people access to the same exact toolset on the same exact platform at a substantially reduced cost. There is nothing wrong with having an alternative version without magnacut.

A more general real world example would be the recent issues with the replaceable cutters on the Arc breaking. If nobody had bothered to say anything, then Leatherman wouldn't have even bothered to investigate it and discover their own bad quality control, and address the issue. We know this because the same flawed cutters were found on older models and had already been in use since at some time in 2022 when they were first introduced. Nobody said anything in all that time and nothing was done about it as a result.
 
Guy McVer said:
I was watching a youtube video about the arc from a smaller channel recently, and the guy made a point that I hadn't heard about or considered yet. It's about the diamond file. What happens when it wears out? It's probably not covered by the warranty, right? Standard wear and tear isn't covered. So you paid 230 usd or some ungodly amount in aud if you are unlucky enough to be stuck paying "the Australia tax", and that's it. If you want your diamond file replaced, then you have to buy a whole new Arc, but the cost is so high that it's probably not worth it. So you've got this nice diamond file on your arc, but you dare not use it.

The same is true for the Charge TTi now, since they raised the price. It was increased to 200 usd.

Leatherman, take a hint. Make cheaper alternatives. You're pricing out a huge segment of the market. People who aren't enthusiasts or collectors and either can't afford your stuff or simply refuse to pay that much on general principle alone. Those people are probably not going to buy a Bolster or a Wave or a Sidekick or a Bond either. Not when there are so many Wave clones coming out of China which can be had for anywhere between 20-50 usd. They're not going to care that there's no warranty either. I've also seen that there's even a few half decent Surge clones out there now too.

Right now if you are buying a Leatherman, in my opinion your best choice is a Rebar or knifeless Rebar. It's got nearly everything tool-wise, it's still reasonably affordable, its still technically an american product, you get the 25 year warranty, and there aren't really any comparable cheap clones of it out there. And if you need to use screwdriver bits with it, then you can get the bit adapter which fits over the phillips driver, and it works great. In my opinion it's the only desirable and reasonably affordable Leatherman product left in production with a full toolset that could work on job site or be used for EDC or be put in a kit. It's also one of the lightest weight Leatherman models available.
Click to expand...

That’s why I said before that it’s not working mans multitool.
 
A.L. said:
I know it sounds like an a-hole whiney thing to say but the ARK wasn’t made for working person - it was made for knife hobbyist. Not saying they aren’t used by people who get it but many surely aren’t buying it for work.
Click to expand...
IDK anything about makers intent , but the price point ,so far I've seen , has been very steep for most regular "working persons " use, as just another tool .

A multitool is usually not a primary tool, that gets very heavy use . Exceptions exist I'm sure . ;)

Tools get stolen , busted , lost . Cheaper to just have several less expensive .
 
DocJD said:
IDK anything about makers intent , but the price point ,so far I've seen , has been very steep for most regular "working persons " use, as just another tool .

A multitool is usually not a primary tool, that gets very heavy use . Exceptions exist I'm sure . ;)

Tools get stolen , busted , lost . Cheaper to just have several less expensive .
Click to expand...
By that logic, do you exclusively buy gas station knives?


I use my multi tools hard, and I buy high quality tools that last a lifetime.
 
Guy McVer said:
I was watching a youtube video about the arc from a smaller channel recently, and the guy made a point that I hadn't heard about or considered yet. It's about the diamond file. What happens when it wears out? It's probably not covered by the warranty, right? Standard wear and tear isn't covered. So you paid 230 usd or some ungodly amount in aud if you are unlucky enough to be stuck paying "the Australia tax", and that's it. If you want your diamond file replaced, then you have to buy a whole new Arc, but the cost is so high that it's probably not worth it. So you've got this nice diamond file on your arc, but you dare not use it.
Click to expand...

"Probably not covered by warranty". Do you know this for fact or are you basing your whole post off an assumption? My experience with LM warranty has been fantastic. I had a Wingman fixed years ago when I snapped off a screwdriver tip, no questions asked. Then a few weeks ago I sent in my OHT because I knocked it off a stepladder and snapped off a tip. Not only did they replace the broken tool I asked about, but also replaced the Phillips head since that was fairly worn. Basically all of those needed repairs were either my fault through negligence or the result of wear and tear, not manufacturing defects. There is a reason I have 5 LM tools: they are very good at what they do, and LM stands behind their product with an outstanding customer service department.

I would check on those facts before assuming your Arc is trash if you wear out the file.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top