Review
Most reviews in this forum end up saying something like this, so let me get this out of the way right here at the top. This tool would be perfect if I could swap the corkscrew for a file.
This is the first tool I've gotten on a whim, just to see how I would like it. I carry a Leatherman Micra daily in my front pocket as a companion to a changing EDC knife. I love the Micra, as 99% of the time, I don't need pliers.
On the rare occasion I need something more than the Micra, I go to my one of my EDC bags and fetch a proper multitool. In my laptop bag, I carry a SOG paratool that my wife gave me nearly 30 years ago. I can report that it is just as wretched of tool today as the day I got it. Every time I use it, I manage to pinch my fingers with it.
In my non-work bag (a Mountainsmith Daylight, for those who wonder) I normally carry an older Blast, which is just about perfect in it's tool selection, particularly since I've converted the knife blade to an awl. IMO, if you're going to have a pliers based tool, the pliers need to really work and the Blast does this without weighing a ton.
The only downside to the Blast is its bulk, forcing my knife out of the right rear pocket and into the front. The Blast is too big for pocket carry and that got me thinking about the Juice.
Here's a run down of the tools...
The first and most important part of pliers based tools is the pliers. The pliers punch above their weight and best of all, they don't pinch my fingers. I took the CS4 with me to open my uncle's camp this spring which involves tearing down a bunch of snow fence. The pliers got used constantly over the weekend and held up great. Obviously, as will all such tools, there is a force limit and a super strong grip on something might exceed that limit. If you accept this, the pliers are excellent.
The next most import tool for most people is the knife blade. It's located next to the logo and is easy to find and deploy. For me, it's a frustrating tweener blade. It's too big for precise cutting where a small pen blade (like on the Micra) excel and too small for food prep and bigger cutting tasks. But if you like the size of blade on most traditional pocket knives or on SAKs, you will like it.
Fans of the Victorinox Farmer are right. Saw blades are great. The CS4 has one and it is, indeed, great and does a fine job on small shop/craft cuts and is capable of cutting down small saplings and branches doing yard work. I prefer the slightly larger locking saw on my Blast, but the CS4 is quite capable. It shares a well with an awl which has a sewing hole in it. I don't have much use for that but there you go.
The shared well design of the awl and saw frustrate me, because it shows it would be possible for a file and the can/bottle opener to likewise share a well. I use a file a lot and corkscrew never and this is my biggest frustration with the tool selection.
The last of of the outer wells has thumb actuate scissors that are the nicest thumb scissors I've used. They aren't as nice as the Micra's though.
The inner wells have a decent selection of standard blades and a #2 Phillips. As with most Leatherman tools, the screw drivers are best used with one arm open for a full hand hold. They can also be used as a t-handle, so long as you don't over-torque the tool.
At the end of the day, the Blast is a better tool for my style of carry. The weight penalty is negligible in my EDC bag and I prefer the size and tool selection of the Blast, particularly the file.
Where the Juice wins is as a true pocket knife. It's the same size and girth of most full sized SAKs and for me, more useful due to the excellent pliers.
Most reviews in this forum end up saying something like this, so let me get this out of the way right here at the top. This tool would be perfect if I could swap the corkscrew for a file.
This is the first tool I've gotten on a whim, just to see how I would like it. I carry a Leatherman Micra daily in my front pocket as a companion to a changing EDC knife. I love the Micra, as 99% of the time, I don't need pliers.
On the rare occasion I need something more than the Micra, I go to my one of my EDC bags and fetch a proper multitool. In my laptop bag, I carry a SOG paratool that my wife gave me nearly 30 years ago. I can report that it is just as wretched of tool today as the day I got it. Every time I use it, I manage to pinch my fingers with it.
In my non-work bag (a Mountainsmith Daylight, for those who wonder) I normally carry an older Blast, which is just about perfect in it's tool selection, particularly since I've converted the knife blade to an awl. IMO, if you're going to have a pliers based tool, the pliers need to really work and the Blast does this without weighing a ton.
The only downside to the Blast is its bulk, forcing my knife out of the right rear pocket and into the front. The Blast is too big for pocket carry and that got me thinking about the Juice.
Here's a run down of the tools...
The first and most important part of pliers based tools is the pliers. The pliers punch above their weight and best of all, they don't pinch my fingers. I took the CS4 with me to open my uncle's camp this spring which involves tearing down a bunch of snow fence. The pliers got used constantly over the weekend and held up great. Obviously, as will all such tools, there is a force limit and a super strong grip on something might exceed that limit. If you accept this, the pliers are excellent.
The next most import tool for most people is the knife blade. It's located next to the logo and is easy to find and deploy. For me, it's a frustrating tweener blade. It's too big for precise cutting where a small pen blade (like on the Micra) excel and too small for food prep and bigger cutting tasks. But if you like the size of blade on most traditional pocket knives or on SAKs, you will like it.
Fans of the Victorinox Farmer are right. Saw blades are great. The CS4 has one and it is, indeed, great and does a fine job on small shop/craft cuts and is capable of cutting down small saplings and branches doing yard work. I prefer the slightly larger locking saw on my Blast, but the CS4 is quite capable. It shares a well with an awl which has a sewing hole in it. I don't have much use for that but there you go.
The shared well design of the awl and saw frustrate me, because it shows it would be possible for a file and the can/bottle opener to likewise share a well. I use a file a lot and corkscrew never and this is my biggest frustration with the tool selection.
The last of of the outer wells has thumb actuate scissors that are the nicest thumb scissors I've used. They aren't as nice as the Micra's though.
The inner wells have a decent selection of standard blades and a #2 Phillips. As with most Leatherman tools, the screw drivers are best used with one arm open for a full hand hold. They can also be used as a t-handle, so long as you don't over-torque the tool.
At the end of the day, the Blast is a better tool for my style of carry. The weight penalty is negligible in my EDC bag and I prefer the size and tool selection of the Blast, particularly the file.
Where the Juice wins is as a true pocket knife. It's the same size and girth of most full sized SAKs and for me, more useful due to the excellent pliers.
