fragged my charge

spoonrobot · Jan 30, 2006

Was working on my bike a few weeks about when the bit holder on my charge went off like a grenade.

I found one of those two pieces at the bottom of the picture about twelve feet down the hall in my bathroom and the other lodged in a cardboard box on my desk about a foot away. Turns out that under extreme stress the bit flexes a lot and just blows out the sides if you torque it too much. The bit holder still works though, I'm undecided if I want to send it back and wait for a new charge.

jtb49er2000 · Jan 30, 2006

Wow - looks like you're pretty lucky those chunks didn't do some damage to you. I've always thought that the actual bit would shear off before the bit holder - guess I was wrong! I recommend sending the tool back to Leatherman and decide during the waiting period if you want to sell it and get something else or give it another try.

gatch · Jan 30, 2006

I was thinking of buying a Charge with some gift money I just got. After seeing how flimsy this tool is I think I might invest it in something better.....

Gryffin · Jan 30, 2006

YIKES!!

I'd send it to Leatherman for a replacement. If you regularly put THAT much stress on the bits, though, you might want to look at something like a SwissTool or SwissTool Spirit with the separate bit wrench. Heck, you could probably sell your replacement Charge for enough to buy a Spirit with the ratchet wrench.

Tango44 · Jan 31, 2006

Both charge models gives the same problems, Leatherman must be having a lot of warranty issues with those two models for is not worth it to pay $100 for a useless tool I bought my Spirit for $37 when it was on sale in amazon and is the best tool that I ever had!

spoonrobot · Jan 31, 2006

gatch said:
I was thinking of buying a Charge with some gift money I just got. After seeing how flimsy this tool is I think I might invest it in something better.....

Don't misinterpret me, I was really torquing the bit when it happened. I use my charge almost daily for little jobs and about every week for some bigger stuff and this is the first time in 7-8 months that it failed me, albeit spectacularly. I was just being lazy and trying to avoid that 15 foot walk to my truck to get a proper hex wrench when it happened. Let it serve as a reminder that multi-tools are never a real replacement for the true thing.

cheung_victor · Jan 31, 2006

bring it back!

gatch · Jan 31, 2006

spoonrobot said:
Don't misinterpret me, I was really torquing the bit when it happened. I use my charge almost daily for little jobs and about every week for some bigger stuff and this is the first time in 7-8 months that it failed me, albeit spectacularly. I was just being lazy and trying to avoid that 15 foot walk to my truck to get a proper hex wrench when it happened. Let it serve as a reminder that multi-tools are never a real replacement for the true thing.

8 months ?! I want a tool that will last more than 8 months! The Charge is one of the more expensive tools and I don't know that it is worth the money.

geothorn · Feb 1, 2006

spoonrobot said:
The bit holder still works though, I'm undecided if I want to send it back and wait for a new charge.

I'd send it back, too. How will Leatherman learn that they have a weakness in their Charge (and possibly other models'...) bit holders, if you don't? I'd be extra careful about using your Charge bit holder until you send it back to Leatherman for repair or replacement because the next time it "lets go," it may have more energy flinging the shrapnel than it did the first time.

GeoThorn

Colorado_Outdoorsman · Feb 4, 2006

spoonrobot said:
Don't misinterpret me, I was really torquing the bit when it happened.

Remind me not to shake your hand...

I have busted Gerbers. That's why I use Leatherman... Seems like a tempering problem at the factory... Send it back...

spoonrobot said:
Let it serve as a reminder that multi-tools are never a real replacement for the true thing.

Good Point!

BenchmadeBoy · Feb 4, 2006

Get a Core. Good and solid. No one hand opening though . . .

JGarth · Feb 26, 2006

:jerkit:

There is always a PROPER tool for any task, pick the right one and it won't malfunction.

znapschatz · Feb 27, 2006

JGarth said:
:jerkit:

There is always a PROPER tool for any task, pick the right one and it won't malfunction.

Ghasp!

That goes against the whole idea of carrying a multitool, which is seldom the right tool for any job.

Isn't the purpose of a multitool to have something that will mostly work when the real article is out of reach?

JGarth · Feb 27, 2006

as stated.. "MOST" of the time....and then there is the all encompassing ..."use what you have between your ears when making decisions".....

geothorn · Feb 27, 2006

JGarth said:
as stated.. "MOST" of the time....and then there is the all encompassing ..."use what you have between your ears when making decisions".....

Where did you state "MOST," in any of your posts, in this thread...? You didn't. I use what I have between my ears when I write, so that I say what I mean, and mean what I say, rather than saying something and then having to come back and contradict myself, as you have. As you get more experience at BladeForums, you'll learn these things.

I bet that carrying a toolbox wherever you go is great for building your skeletal muscles.

GeoThorn

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