Leatherman Blast For First Time User?

laserlight · Jun 25, 2006

I am a computer science student, but these days I find myself helping friends and family with their computer hardware. I was also caught off guard recently when I realised that I lacked a saw to work with a plank of wood. Then there are the times when I was out at camps (indoor!) and found the need for simple things like screwdrivers and pliers.

This led me to decide to ask for help in buying my first multitool, after having been a lurker here for quite awhile

I am considering the Leatherman Blast. It doesnt seem too expensive, which is good since I am a student with minimal income. However, the posts in some recent threads seem to point to the newer Leatherman tools being of rather dubious quality. Should I be concerned, or is this only likely to be an issue with people who use the tools in more rugged environments every day?

Also, is it worth getting the removable bit driver? The wider assortment of screwdriver bits sounds useful, but to be honest I have never actually had occasion to use hex or torx bits.

Matches · Jun 25, 2006

Hi laserlight, welcome to BFC. If I understand your situation correctly, you should do fine with the Blast. I have been very happy with Leatherman products as a casual user. As a tradesperson, I can get real picky about what works in the field and what doesn't...so anything negative I may say in a thread is coming from an individual who, at times, may misuse/abuse.

gatch · Jun 25, 2006

I prefer Victorinox products over Leatherman as I find Victorinox slightly higher in quality and more reasonably priced.

There have been several cases of the bit driver on the Leathermans failing. It appears to be a flawed design.

The Victorinox wood saw is considered one of the best on any multitool. If you are looking for a plier based tool Victorinox has the original SwissTool and the Spirit. There are also many knife based products that have a saw, but the pliers on these are not for heavy use.

Victorinox also has "plus" versions for their plier tool that have either a wrench or ratchet with driver bits.

Hope this helps.

JOOLIESEWS · Jun 25, 2006

Welcome to BladeForums laserlight!!

Sounds to me like you won't go wrong with the Leatherman Blast. With a good selection of tools, and locking blades, it will be everything an occasional multi tool user ever needs.

I haven't used the optional bit driver for the Kick/Fuse/Blast, and so cannot vouch for its usefulness. The Blast already comes with good Phillips and straight screwdriver blades. Maybe consider whether you are likely to run into torx, hex, or other type screws before buying this attachment.

~Bob

laserlight · Jun 26, 2006

Thanks for the feedback, I decided to go with the Leatherman Blast after checking it out at a local store.

I haven't used the optional bit driver for the Kick/Fuse/Blast, and so cannot vouch for its usefulness. The Blast already comes with good Phillips and straight screwdriver blades. Maybe consider whether you are likely to run into torx, hex, or other type screws before buying this attachment.

Yeah, I was contemplating just not getting it, and would have if I bought from my local store since they didnt even have it. However, I felt that even after discount their price for the Blast was no better than online + shipping, so I went for an online store. Since this store (allsparetools.com) priced the removable bit driver at 7 USD less than usual, I decided to buy it.

Call it the Singaporean "on sale, must buy!" mentality, if you will

JOOLIESEWS · Jun 26, 2006

Congrats on the new toy!

After it arrives and you've played with it a bit, how about letting us all know the good points and the bad?

kel_aa · Jun 26, 2006

You better check out the licensced warranty depots for Leatherman in your area. My Blast needed to be returned twice within less than a year with two major failures. Here in North America, the shipping to a in province serivce depot here was 7 dollars, so not a big deal. The same might not apply to you. But in general I do like the weight savings of the Blast over other tools.

pogo · Jun 26, 2006

Make sure each tool locks.

kapt kopter · Jun 28, 2006

I was just wondering what your problems were with the Blast tool?
Cheers,
Kap

kel_aa said:
You better check out the licensced warranty depots for Leatherman in your area. My Blast needed to be returned twice within less than a year with two major failures. Here in North America, the shipping to a in province serivce depot here was 7 dollars, so not a big deal. The same might not apply to you. But in general I do like the weight savings of the Blast over other tools.

kel_aa · Jun 30, 2006

I noticed 3 cracks on the corners (where the metal is folded to form the walls and back) of the handle at the pliers end. Notice there are only 4 such corners, and 3 of them had cracks that were growing. I sent it in, got it back in two weeks. They appeared to have taken all the tools and put them into a new handle. The assembly wasn't that great, but it was functional. It sat like that for two weeks. Then I decided to test out the can opener. I go to rotate out the can opener, and the tab/lock popped out. It broke at the hinge axis. I haven't sent it back yet, but now half of the tools don't lock and just freely rotate, rendering for instance the Philps screw-driver essentially useless.

All of this is within 6 months of purchase. If Leatherman cannot offer a quality product at a reduced price (as the Blast/Kick/Fuse is compared to the products), there is no point spoiling its name by offering less a quality product. It ends up upsetting me, costing me in shipping, inconvenicing me in not having a tool that I paid for being available when I need it, and costing them to repair and ship it back too.