New Leatherman Arc is out

SwissHeritageCo said:
I'm in the market for a multitool since I sold my old usa made gerber. What would you suggest?
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Leatherman Wave in my opinion. I've had mine for more than 10 years of pretty regular and hard use, and it's still going strong, it got even better over the years because the joints loosened just the right amount for my Wave to be able to open and close it one handedly :)
 
Ikhnaton said:
Leatherman Wave in my opinion. I've had mine for more than 10 years of pretty regular and hard use, and it's still going strong, it got even better over the years because the joints loosened just the right amount for my Wave to be able to open and close it one handedly :)
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Would the wave plus be acceptable or should I hunt for the original.

For $120 I'm probably leaning more toward the victorinox.
 
SwissHeritageCo said:
Would the wave plus be acceptable or should I hunt for the original.

For $120 I'm probably leaning more toward the victorinox.
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I dont know about the Wave+, haven't seen nor handled one, but I doubt you'd be making a mistake with either one of them. I've had a Spirit X once, can't remember which one, a really great tool but I think the swappable driver bits on the Wave, onehanded opening of the blades and the needlenose pliers make the Wave superior :)
 
SwissHeritageCo said:
Would the wave plus be acceptable or should I hunt for the original.

For $120 I'm probably leaning more toward the victorinox.
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Which victorinox.
The swisstool is much Heavier than the wave. The spirit is smaller than the wave & both victorinox are nail nicks. I have all 3. The wave has more needle nose pliers.
 
Mister_Punchy said:
230 USD is also outrageous
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Steely_Gunz said:
The price doesn't scare me.
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If they made a less expensive version with just a regular blade like on the P4, then I might actually consider buying one. I do like the toolset, but I still hate that it's built on the Free series body.

Another thing that bothers me is how slick the scales are, but I suppose you could fix that with some kind of adhesive grip or a textured spray paint.
 
I do like the leatherman brand and I’ve owned probably half a dozen different leatherman tools. That said the only one I still have is a surge.

For me I haven’t found a reason to edc a full-size leatherman. I keep a toolbox in my duramax for general repairs and honey-do lists. At work I have a fully loaded box of snap on tools a few feet away. The surge lives in my motorcycle for quick on the go repairs
 
Guy McVer said:
If they made a less expensive version with just a regular blade like on the P4, then I might actually consider buying one. I do like the toolset, but I still hate that it's built on the Free series body.

Another thing that bothers me is how slick the scales are, but I suppose you could fix that with some kind of adhesive grip or a textured spray paint.
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I got along just fine with slick LM tolls until the P4. Like most, I would probably snap up a more budget friendly Arc before paying a premium. I like the tool set over the magnacut. However, for what you get, it's a pretty reasonable tool for sporting Magnacut.

But if I am honest with myself, I can do what needs to be done with a Rebar. I have no need for anything more. The idea of a premium folder steel married to a good tool set is appealing to me.

I carry a folder out of habit. I carry a MT out of necessity. Marrying a good cutting blade on a solid set of tools is worth the price tag for me.
 
mitch13 said:
Which victorinox.
The swisstool is much Heavier than the wave. The spirit is smaller than the wave & both victorinox are nail nicks. I have all 3. The wave has more needle nose pliers.
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The spirit, the one with the slightly canted handle design. Just checked the prices on them and it looks like I'm ebay bound! I know they used to be like $75 about 4ish years ago.

The non one handed opening doesn't bother me at all... but that's good to know about the size reference, I really appreciate it.
 
Steely_Gunz said:
But if I am honest with myself, I can do what needs to be done with a Rebar. I have no need for anything more.
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True enough. And the pliers and wire cutters on the Rebar are pretty f🤬kin' sweet. But if you are going to EDC a Rebar, then I feel like the lack of scissors is an issue. I use scissors a lot in my daily life.

There are some good options though. You could carry some Fiskars folding travel scissors. Those are cheap and they work just as well if not better than the Victorinox 91mm Scissors, and they'll fit in the 5th pocket of your jeans. Or you could carry a small SAK like a Classic or an Ambassador on your key chain. That will give you good scissors and a toothpick and tweezers.

Or... you could build a 1 layer custom SAK that's just the scissors...

spoons.jpg

😁
 
I have no desire for it whatsoever.

Ive narrowed down my users and gone back to the old ones and old style.

PST still a lightweight classic
First wave (blades removed,Awl and door key substituted for the UK) one of LMs best
Bond
Knifeless rebar
Supertool 300m



I thing the original Supertool is still one of the best must get another sometime.
 
Have they announced a release date? It's been hard finding set in stone information.
 
Wharn said:
Random google searches led me to people claiming October 17th. Who knows though. I will be picking one up when they drop though.
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That's what I read as well. I'm hoping to see them readily available for the holidays. I think I can wait until then....I think ;)
 
Steely_Gunz said:
But if I am honest with myself, I can do what needs to be done with a Rebar. I have no need for anything more.....

I carry a folder out of habit. I carry a MT out of necessity.
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I agree.

I've carried, used and abused a SOG Powerlock (without scissors) for well over a decade. It's been tough as nails and has never let me down. I see people say they are not durable and that has always amazed me.

Because it's so old and abused, and a fear of future supply chain disruptions, and also patriotism I bought a Rebar for a backup and have begun breaking it in. I like it. A lot.

Every time I think about NOT wearing a multi-tool, I get this feeling that I'll regret not having it and I wear it...
 
After using my surge pretty hardcore for the past couple days revamping my chicken coop, I am also a bit less excited. I may buy it just to try it, but I don’t see it replacing the surge as my hard use multitool. The surge has that replacable saw, and bigger scissors which have been a huge help.
 
I only have a few multitools so not an authority by any means, but by the video I just watched it seems kind of similarly equipped as the 154CM Charge+ I have. Almost identical weight as well.
What would be the most noticeable differences?
 
Slice-E said:
After using my surge pretty hardcore for the past couple days revamping my chicken coop, I am also a bit less excited. I may buy it just to try it, but I don’t see it replacing the surge as my hard use multitool. The surge has that replacable saw, and bigger scissors which have been a huge help.
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I will concede that the Surge is a hoss of a tool. My wife actually bought mine as a wedding gift 18 years ago and it's still rocking and rolling. It's just a heavy cuss.

Is the Arc as something competing against the Wave or P4, or if you're a glass half full kind of person, blending the two tools.

There really isn't a good replacement for the Surge if you want a big beefy tool with customization. I'm just hoping the Arc can do the stuff that the Wave does with the features of the P4 and that sweet Magnacut blade.
 
Guy McVer said:
It is the new Leatherman pliers based multitool built around the Leatherman Free series frame. It has a magnacut knife blade.

Reportedly this was released early through REI in a limited fashion. Some people already have their hands on them. Check youtube for more info.

I'm not impressed by it. It looks like it's just an upgraded version of the Leatherman Free P4. Main differences are:

1. It comes with a pocket clip which can be moved to either side.
2. Magnacut knife blade
3. Has a proprietary Leatherman flat bit driver
4. Flat exterior finish. There are no little divots on the outside.
5. The serrated knife has been replaced by a proper 3 sided file with a diamond coating on one side.

I never liked the Free series. Too gimmicky, and the magnets in the Free series will attract metal shavings.

I also hate the Leatherman Proprietary bits. They're too soft, they cost too much, and they've been hard to find replacements for a lot of the time because nobody has them in stock. You can't really buy individual bits in most cases either, so you're forced to buy a whole set or the half of the set which has the bit you need. It's a dumb system. I could excuse it a little if the bits were more durable. The bit selection is also limited to just the bits which Leatherman manufactures, and that's not a whole lot.

Still, I think a lot of people will swoon over this just because it has a magnacut blade, even though they don't use their multitool blade as a primary knife anyway. Too small. I think most people usually carry a larger dedicated folder in addition to their multitool. Even for people like me who don't do that, it's hard for me to justify the inclusion of a magnacut blade. I think multitool knives should be made of cheap budget steel. It makes the most sense to me, especially when all the other tools in the multitool are made of cheap steel as well. Including a magnacut blade in a multitool is like putting a golden toilet in a Winnebago.

I'm curious to know how other people feel about it.
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Maybe someone else addressed this, but if you buy the ratchet attachment you can use any hexbits with the flat bit driver. It's made my wave more valuable to me, though I still like how the gerber drive does it better. The rest of the gerber's tool aren't as good though, so I got rid of it after the ratchet tool came out.
 
bikerector said:
if you buy the ratchet attachment
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Good luck. You'll have to actually find it first. The Ratchet hasn't been available for a long time. It's not currently in stock anywhere that I know of. There's no telling when it will be available again. The only way that I know to get one one is on the second hand market. They start at around 120 usd and they go up in price from there. Normally it would cost only 35 usd if you bought it from a store or an online retailer.
 
Guy McVer said:
Good luck. You'll have to actually find it first. The Ratchet hasn't been available for a long time. It's not currently in stock anywhere that I know of. There's no telling when it will be available again. The only way that I know to get one one is on the second hand market. They start at around 120 usd and they go up in price from there. Normally it would cost only 35 usd if you bought it from a store or an online retailer.
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Found one!

20231001_044615.jpg

Didn't know they were out of stock and hard to find. I've had mine for quite a while now.

Looks like they now have a bit extender that takes hex bits, which would have the same ability to allow any bits. And it's currently in stock on leatherman's site. Available on BHQ as well.

1696150102667.png
 
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