Looking at Leatherman ARC and Free P4: Comments?

V

VorpelSword

Joined
Dec 27, 2007
Messages
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Father's Day is coming 9ok so it6 is half a year away) and I'm looking at stepping up from my Leatherman Wave.

The Free P4 looks nice, but the newer ARC is also calling to me. Amazon does not list it.

So I am looking on E-Bay and the few "bundled kits" I see arebeing offered qt well over $500!

IWhat is the real world retail MSRP on the ARC, with or without extras?
 
Ebay scams aside, ask yourself what it is that interests you about the Arc/Free P4 and whether you can find those features elsewhere.

Since you mention that you own a Wave and you are interested also in the Free P4, I will tell you that the P4 is a downgrade in many aspects aside from 1 main point, which is having external one handed opening on all tools, including the pliers which can also be easily opened one handed. So the question is are you willing to give up a much sturdier set of pliers, 2 bit drivers, and a much better file in exchange for more one handed opening? If the answer is "no", then don't get the Free P4, because for you the Wave that you already have is much better.

So what is it exactly that interests you about the Arc? Answer that before you decide whether it is worth spending a couple hundred bucks on a new Arc when you already own a Wave. List the things that you like about it, and then try to figure out if you can get those things elsewhere, and whether it makes sense for you to do so or not.
 
I can flip open and use any tool in my wave or surge one handed. And the tools themselves are a higher quality. The p4 uses alot of the stamped cheaper type tools like used in the wingman etc but it costs a premium amount of dollars.
 
Some day I'll own an ARC, but, until then, I'll continue using my SURGE. While I like what I have seen with the ARC, and it is certainly far better than the P4, I'm guessing that I'll still go back to my SURGE for EDC. It will, however, be a good day for me when I stumble upon a gently used ARC in a pawnshop for $100! Just my 2 cents. T-A
 
VorpelSword said:
j^^^

Just exploring a new-to-me product.
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10-4.

I'm diggin' mine.

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My Wife paid $229 for my Christmas ARC from REI. I’m really liking it a lot. I haven’t used it much but in comparison I prefer it over my Free P4 so far. If the price is scary to anyone then grab a P4 and be 😃 . For a work tool these are my favorites 👍
 
If I owned an arc, I might EDC it. I do, however, own a P4 (and many other Leatherman tools), and they spend almost all of their time in a drawer. I EDC a SURGE or, occasionally, a CHARGE, because they meet my needs much better than the P4 does. That's just my opinion. T-A
 
The ARC is grossly overpriced. Much of this is because Portland's business taxes are some of the highest in the nation, which get passed along to the consumer. And it is partly due to Tim Leatherman playing less of a roll in the company and a new premium pricing strategy, where companies overprice their products to give the impression of premium status. Compared to the Wave+ (which is about half the price of the ARC), the tool set is very similar - and in my view slightly inferior on the ARC. By moving from the Wave+ to the ARC, you lose the serrated blade (which I use a lot) and gain an awl (which I never use). That's it. Is MagnaCut steel "better"? I would say not really, unless you are cutting shingles all day - but roofers use $0.30 utility blades and not $229 MTs. I prefer the old school thumb hole and fingernail deployment rather than the P4/ARC's magnets, which I don't find very ergonomic. But each to his own on that one. I did buy a used ARC, but mostly for the historical and collecting perspective because I love all MTs. But I would never directly pay Leatherman for such an overpriced MT. It only encourages Leatherman to continue raising their MSRPs far in excess of inflation, which they have been doing for the past decade. Leatherman will only stop this nonsense when we vote with our credit cards. JMO. Thanks.
 
Murphy Slaw said:
I guess I'm a big fan of the Arc....

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If acquiring your fully accessorized ARC doesn't keep you from putting food on the table and shoes on your kid's feet, and it makes you happy, more power to ya! If you also find it to be a useful tool, all the better. Buy what you like! (I do!) Enjoy! T-A
 
I like the Arc. I want tge Arc. I just don't feel that it is enough of an upgrade to justify spending that kind of money to step up from the P4 (which everyone said was overpriced 4 or 5 years ago at $140). I have used the P4 for several years as my main go-to tool. I really like it and it hasn't given me a lick of trouble.

I will admit. I'm a tool snob. I like bougie higher-end stuff. I just don't think the Arc, for me, is worth the cost of entry. Like I just mentioned in another thread, my wife bought me a Charge TTi. It's opulent enough. Upgraded steel, unnecessary titanium, etc.

I still plan on getting an Arc, but I agree that LM has been in the habit of cranking up prices on niche things. I really wanted to like their tool bracelet, but $168 for something that might marginally work in a pinch was a bit high. My wife bought me a knockoff. I tried it, found it too heavy, never used it, and tossed it in a drawer somewhere. Whoever though that was a useful premium product must have looking at tge most hipster of hipster niche...and this is coming from an admitted quasi hipster.

In short, between the two, I think the P4 is a slightly more realistic cost/value. I'm still getting an Arc...someday 😉
 
Lol, you gotta question if you should listen when someone says that magnacut is "not really" better than 420hc (hint, it objectively is). Or, folks that don't even mention the wave vs free/arc scissors. Seriously a massive improvement for many.

Don't pay an arm and a leg on some fluky site for an arc. Buy from a reputable source at a price every other reputable source is listing.

Me personally? I'll end up with an arc at some point but I'm not desperate for one. I do find it overpriced, considering the P2 works just fine for my needs as an EDC. I also own a wave, juice, kick, skeletool, sidekick, and squirt, as well as a few cheaper nextool options with the nice big scissors. If I needed a new MT that could flex into nearly any roll, I'd have no problem dropping the coin on the arc. At this point in my life I don't need all that capability and I don't want to pay for all that capability I don't need. My current hobby interests are elsewhere and my needs aren't at the arc pricing level. Otherwise, I'd buy one in a ht minute. We spend near/just as much/more on single tool cutting implements all the time in this hobby, why not a to tear MT like the arc?

Don't let other people who aren't you talk you out of something that you want and will always wish you had gotten when you had the chance. Especially if they say magnacut isn't better than 420hc, lol. Buy the tool you want, but for the love of god, buy it from a reputable source.
 
craytab said:
If I needed a new MT that could flex into nearly any roll, I'd have no problem dropping the coin on the arc.
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Did you say "flex"? :D At this point I'm way more interested in the upcoming Roxon Flex than the Arc. The Flex has a very similar form factor to a Swistool Spirit X and it looks like it will perfectly fit my needs, whatever they might be, because the Flex is fully modular. I could put whatever tools I want into it. And it's supposedly only going to cost 80 usd, which is a price point that completely destroys the Arc and the GOAT, which is another modular multitool that costs significantly more than I'd ever pay for a pliers based multitool.

Of course the Flex is made in China, which I am not particularly enthusiastic about. But I don't care at this point when nobody else is making anything that I want at a price that I find to be reasonable. Leatherman could do it, but they for some reason refuse to. All they would need to do is swap out a single tool on the Arc for one which they've already been manufacturing for years. They've been making the knife for the Free P4 all this time, so they already have the tooling set up to do it for the Arc. That alone would significantly reduce the cost, but they won't do it, and since they're not offering me what I want as a consumer, I am forced to look elsewhere. 🤷‍♂️
 
Guy McVer said:
Did you say "flex"? :D At this point I'm way more interested in the upcoming Roxon Flex than the Arc. The Flex has a very similar form factor to a Swistool Spirit X and it looks like it will perfectly fit my needs, whatever they might be, because the Flex is fully modular. I could put whatever tools I want into it. And it's supposedly only going to cost 80 usd, which is a price point that completely destroys the Arc and the GOAT, which is another modular multitool that costs significantly more than I'd ever pay for a pliers based multitool.

Of course the Flex is made in China, which I am not particularly enthusiastic about. But I don't care at this point when nobody else is making anything that I want at a price that I find to be reasonable. Leatherman could do it, but they for some reason refuse to. All they would need to do is swap out a single tool on the Arc for one which they've already been manufacturing for years. They've been making the knife for the Free P4 all this time, so they already have the tooling set up to do it for the Arc. That alone would significantly reduce the cost, but they won't do it, and since they're not offering me what I want as a consumer, I am forced to look elsewhere. 🤷‍♂️
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Roxon? You mean that amazon Chinese brand? 80 dollars? lol. And you think the arc is overpriced? No way would I pay $80 for some amazon overseas MT. $25 or maybe $30 if it has a good track record like the nextool stuff. $80 is a joke. They are making that for pennies and they are getting $80 out of you lol.

I take it you own a roxon. Post some pics. How's the quality?
 
craytab said:
Roxon? You mean that amazon Chinese brand? 80 dollars? lol. And you think the arc is overpriced? No way would I pay $80 for some amazon overseas MT. $25 or maybe $30 if it has a good track record like the nextool stuff. $80 is a joke. They are making that for pennies and they are getting $80 out of you lol.

I take it you own a roxon. Post some pics. How's the quality?
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Try not to freak out on me. :rolleyes:

Just go look on youtube. There are a few early sample reviews of the Roxon Flex posted already. But nobody has their hands on the 1/4 inch hex bit driver yet, and the t-shank adapter is still being developed.

I'm not a fan of Roxon either. But I'm really liking what I am seeing and I've signed up for the mailing list so I can hop on the pre-order bandwagon. That's something I never do. Pre-ordering is for suckers, but I really want one of these things after what I've seen.
 
Guy McVer said:
Try not to freak out on me. :rolleyes:

Just go look on youtube. There are a few early sample reviews of the Roxon Flex posted already. But nobody has their hands on the 1/4 inch hex bit driver yet, and the t-shank adapter is still being developed.

I'm not a fan of Roxon either. But I'm really liking what I am seeing and I've signed up for the mailing list so I can hop on the pre-order bandwagon. That's something I never do. Pre-ordering is for suckers, but I really want one of these things after what I've seen.
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So, you don't own a roxon? You are talking them up without owning anything from them? There's lots of different ones available. You could get one that transforms from a hammer to a bbq set.

I'd maybe plunk done some cash and check the quality before you go recommending them over a leatherman. Then again, of all the off brand import MTs on amazon, I consider them overpriced and I'd not waste the money.
 
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