Leatherman squirt PS4 Snapped like a twig

A

Arcmer

Joined
Apr 24, 2012
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3
Leatherman Squirt PS4 Fail

My First impression of the Leatherman Squirt Ps4 was off to a great start It arrived today and like any blade enthusiast I got excited.
I quickly opened up the package and into my hand slid a solid piece of workmanship. I must have played with the damn thing for over an hour then stashed it into my pocket waiting for it's time to shine and save the day.

The hours past and soon I needed a screwdriver so I did what any prepared guy would do I pulled out my new mini multitool I had a tiny laptop screw that needed loosening
and so I used this tool flawlessly or so I thought, turned out the tip of the screwdriver had some marking on it like the steel was not heat treated at all I was shocked but let it slide.

Later in the day I needed to bend a small wire I had all but forgotten about the earlier problem and had just the tool for the job unfortunately I was wrong
and I heard a snapping sound and a piece of metal shot off onto the floor the pliers had broken I had no choice but to laugh because of what brought down this tool was so small i could have done the job with my fingers! I really hope this was a rare problem and I got a bad tool because this was unacceptable

Has this happened to any of you?

Here is some pic's
crapps4.jpg

http://i1053.photobucket.com/albums/s474/arcmer/Leatherman_PS4_Faismall.jpg
 
That sucks bro! I have not had that problem with any Leatherman. You definitely got a lemon. I'm sure they will replace it for you.
 
I loved my squirt....at first. Now it's lagging, can't really do anything bigger than a small tiny job. I have had the same experience as you, and I'm about to switch to a Victorinox Rambler.

When I tried to turn off the water to the house, I used the squirt and it flexed to the point I thought it would break, and that was with hardly any pressure. Sorry your's broke, sure Leatherman will take care of you. I'm loving the Sidekick, much better size for medium to large tasks.
 
Thanks for the replies , I hope it was just a lemon it's in the mail now I will post on how they treat me. I imagine it will be fast and I will get a replacement without any problems but I am also interested as to what they say about the failure. The wingman and sidekick look good I have also been thinking about getting one of those, I will see how they respond.
 
Been using Leatherman products since I was 12, I am 30 now. Never had a single failure.
 
The Squirt sized plier tools are bound to snap with use. They are really heavy duty tweezers more than pliers, the same gauge as the scissors. The downside of using keychain sized tools. The upside is that Leatherman will replace it.
 
The jaw shouldn't have snapped with normal use, so you got a lemon. This can happen with multi-tool pliers because they are cast metal, not forged like any decent dedicated tool. Castings are never as strong as forged steel, but usually hold up well enough in normal use. Very occasionally, a substandard casting can find its way into the manufacturing process and be not detected until discovered by some unlucky customers. That's probably what happened to your sample.

Here's hoping you have better luck with the replacement.
 
znapschatz said:
This can happen with multi-tool pliers because they are cast metal, not forged like any decent dedicated tool. Castings are never as strong as forged steel, but usually hold up well enough in normal use.
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That's not entirely true, znapschatz. They are not as strong for a given thickness as a forged tool. There is an ongoing friendly rivalry in the gun world between Ruger and S&W. People think Rugers are invincible because they are thicker. But they are investment cast, rather than forged, so they NEED to be thicker. Some of the Ruger designs are stronger though, aside from the metallurgy.


Very occasionally, a substandard casting can find its way into the manufacturing process and be not detected until discovered by some unlucky customers. That's probably what happened to your sample.
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That, or they tempered it to the point that it became brittle. (not sure if they're tempered at all)


I returned my Squirt Es4 a few weeks ago, and they replaced it with no problem. However, I did have to return it on my own dime, and go without the thing for a week and a half.

If it was a manufacturing defect, it is unfortunate for Leatherman, because they likely sent out several hundred or thousand of them with the same problem, and it could really put a ding in their reputation.

I'll be waiting to see if my Es4 has the same problem, but only the tip of it is a pliers. So if it breaks it'll probably be from stripping wire and not plier duty.
 
Happened to every leatherman plier and screwdriver I ever used. Wait for replacement, wait to see if it happens again.
 
Wow, Picksmith. If that happened to me more than a time or two, I'd ebay the replacement and buy something else next time. What do you do with them?
 
Sent it in, got new. Happened again, sent it back. Happened to another... sigh. This was a surge I believe. Tossed it on the shelf and switched back to a Vic tinker.
 
I've had a Leatherman PST-II and have a Wave. Used both heavily (but smartly) and never had a failure in use. I did break the eyeglasses screwdriver bit in the Wave when I dropped the tool with it deployed, but I don't consider that a failure in use. That's more human error. Of course, both those tools are much bigger than a Squirt or a Juice.
 
Smaug said:
I
If it was a manufacturing defect, it is unfortunate for Leatherman, because they likely sent out several hundred or thousand of them with the same problem, and it could really put a ding in their reputation.

I'll be waiting to see if my Es4 has the same problem, but only the tip of it is a pliers. So if it breaks it'll probably be from stripping wire and not plier duty.
Click to expand...

Smaug, I don't think Leatherman will be encountering too many returns. A (not so) secret in the industry is that few people who buy them actually use their multi-tools, at least not often and not hard. Those who do, such as yourself, will discover whatever flaws might turn up, and the warranty department will set things right, which they do very well. This costs the company little and actually ends up enhancing Leatherman's reputation among most customers who occasionally use their scissors, nail file or bottle opener and will never be the wiser.

This is not to say I think Leatherman ships tools they know to be defective. I have confidence they do their best, but stuff happens. Personally, out of quite a few in and out of my hands over years, I have never encountered a defective Leatherman tool in any size category. Either I am lucky, or they turn out good products.
 
Well I received one back it in the mail today Friday may 4th they did not bother to give me any answers or even write me back.
It came with some red discoloring on the scales that was not there before so I don't know if this is the same one or a refurbished all I know is i doubt it was new. the fact that they sent me one back is good and it's been doing fine so far! so I hope it was just a poor heat treatment on the last one.
 
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