LM Arc on the way

Lesknife

Lesknife

From SW Kansas prairie lands born in No Mans Land.
Gold Member
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Mar 31, 2018
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Like the title says I have an Arc ordered and in process of being shipped.

I’ve been waiting a while to hopefully get a good one that will have the bugs worked out of them and also waiting for a particular dealer that I have a gift card for to have them in stock. Well I checked this morning and they have them for online purchase. So I jumped at the chance and with the gift card it took some of the sting off the $230 price point.

I have a Wave that I’ve been using for around 7 years now and it’s been a great tool for me but I haven’t had the newer free design with magnetic stuff. And I like the Magnacut blade steel on a couple of Bucks that I have so I jumped on it. I have several Leatherman models and I’m pleased with all of them so far. Hopefully this Arc will be likewise.
 
I have a Free P2, and though it doesn’t get used much, I love how it works. If the Arc is anything like it, I think you’ll be pretty happy with it. If I had more use for a multitool, I’d be grabbing one myself. Looking forward to hearing your feedback on it!
 
Hopefully you won't have the same small issues I had when I first got mine. The pliers joint itself was stiff and gucked up with something. I got some boiling water and just soaked the pliers head in that for a bit the worked it all out with some 3in1 penetration oil. That got it smoothed out and working. Other than that everything was good on mine and I've enjoyed using it every day since.
 
pyro777 said:
The pliers joint itself was stiff and gucked up with something. I got some boiling water and just soaked the pliers head in that for a bit the worked it all out with some 3in1 penetration oil. That got it smoothed out and working.
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It's not unheard of for pliers based multitools to have little bits of metal or other stuff stuck in the plier pivot from when the multitool was manufactured. And yeah, pretty much the only thing you can do is work that stuff out.

That's the first time I have ever heard of this happening with a Leatherman though. It's usually an issue you can run into with the cheaper lower quality mutitools that are made overseas.

The thing Leathermans are known for is having a stiff plier joint that needs loosening up. That's an issue that's come up a lot in recent years, and it has been talked about quite a bit. My Rebar had that issue.

But I've never heard of a Leatherman brand multitool having something stuck in the pivot before. That's a new one (to me).
 
Most of the leatherman tools I’ve handled had stiff pliers. I ordered Free P2 and it was so stiff I could barely use the free flowing pliers. I returned it because I didn’t want to figure out if I could fix them not to mention I refused to do it anyway on a new tool. Why is it so hard for Leatherman to make them right?
 
All tools wear and break in. If it's loose on day one it'll be too loose soon, instead of just being broken in. Pliers on my new surge are not loose like my well used wave, but are a good tightness, not loose but moveable. Tight manufacturing tolerances is a sign of good quality
 
I guess, but If I go buy knipex needlenose pliers or victorinox swisstool they both work fluently from the start and align perfectly and I don't need to work them loose.
 
The Arc arrived today and my first thought was hows this work lol. I managed to get it open and then all the tools. They are a bit snug to open but not impossible. Id rather have them a bit tight than to be loose and floppy. I’m gonna have to get used to the lock releases on the sides after using the Wave and Signal I try using a release button that ain’t there lol. The Magnacut blade was sharpened nice and even but had a lot of burs that I quickly removed with my Worksharp hand sharp. Just a few strokes on the 600 grit plate and a strop and it is scary sharp !

All together I’m pleased with it and haven’t spotted any shortcomings, it’s new and a bit snug in the pivots but I actually like that as it will breakin and get smoother just like my other LMs are after using them a while. Thanks for stopping by!
 
Lube up before buying one!

If you think that they are worth $240, then by all means, make yourself happy.

I cannot imagine that it is that much different than the Free P4 that I bought for $100
 
Lesknife said:
I managed to get it open and then all the tools. They are a bit snug to open but not impossible.

It’s new and a bit snug in the pivots but I actually like that as it will breakin and get smoother just like my other LMs are after using them a while. Thanks for stopping by!
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Yeah it should break in eventually, but you should also be able to speed up the process by rapidly opening and closing each tool. The key is to try and go fast enough to generate enough friction so that you can feel the base of the tool get warmer around the pivot.

I've done this with a lot of folding tools, including Leathermans. You just go really fast and it breaks it in pretty quickly, sometimes within minutes.
 
Well they really aren’t bad at all and they are already smoothing up and easier now just sitting here fondling it watching tv. I was a little awkward operating it but I’m getting used to how it functions.

As for the price it was $229.99 plus tax. Then a $100 gift card helped to take the sting out of the price. That card was only for that business and I wasn’t finding anything else I was interested in so I chose the Arc, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it lol. But I’m happy!
 
Lesknife said:
As for the price it was $229.99 plus tax. Then a $100 gift card helped to take the sting out of the price. That card was only for that business and I wasn’t finding anything else I was interested in so I chose the Arc, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it lol. But I’m happy!
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So many people that I've talked to who got the Arc did it with a voucher and/or with a military discount.

I get so much hate from the irrational fanboys for saying this kind of stuff, but I think Leatherman is really dropping the ball here. Just make a non-magnacut version already. I know they already have the tooling for it. And I know they're aware that people want it. They just refuse to do it. It really rubs me the wrong way.
 
My guy, they’re not irrational fanboys just because they happen to like the tool and you don’t. You get the hate you get because you seem to be obsessed with dropping into every Arc thread to bitch and moan about the Arc.
 
elevator man said:
All tools wear and break in. If it's loose on day one it'll be too loose soon, instead of just being broken in. Pliers on my new surge are not loose like my well used wave, but are a good tightness, not loose but moveable. Tight manufacturing tolerances is a sign of good quality
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Absolutely. My leatherman wave was stiff at first. I think it goes for pliers in general, not just multi tools, My snap on pliers have been stiff when I first bought them same with my Knipex. Both are considered top quality tool brands. Tight machining tolerances aren’t a bad thing, some break in is expected.
 
Lesknife said:
I’m gonna have to get used to the lock releases on the sides after using the Wave and Signal I try using a release button that ain’t there lol.
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You just "roll" it with your thumb and they pop out. I was trying to use a fingernail at first and it was difficult. When you just roll over them, they pop out like magic.

It's a cool design and easy peasy when you figure it out.
 
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