Broke my second leatherman P4

Runsalone

Runsalone

Joined
Oct 22, 2003
Messages
1,150
Ill try to keep this concise. I broke a P4 (snapped right ahead of the plier hinge) Trying to bend a standard wire coat hangar. I was holding it parrallel with the tool nose to tail not twisting at a 90* angle.

Would you guys consider this abuse of a small pliers? If the general consensus is yes I guess I need a bigger set and need to give up on the keychain sized ones. It didnt feel like I was forcing anything or pushing them beyond their capabilities, but then SNAP!:(

The first pair I had, which leatherman replaced (good on them!!!) snapped much in the same fashion attempting to pull the child safety off a bic lighter. Again, didnt feel like I was forcing anything against its will and POP!:(


Ive sent an e-mail to leatherman asking about what is covered under warranty. If its abuse and Im just expecting to much out of these Ill gladly accept that, but if not Ive requested that they replace them with the Squirt S4 since i dont have much faith left in the little pliers, and I will buy something from the juice line to replace my P4 unless they have the same brittle steel.

Just want to make sure Im on the up and up, if its my fault Ill gladly eat it and say nothing but good about leatherman, (given a good experience with the next size up I think anyone would expect something from the juice line to handle these tasks right?)) I couldnt imagine a better place to ask so.....what say ye?
 
Heres the email I sent them...


Greetings warrranty dept?

I have managed to break another (my second) squirt p4. I will tell you excactly what I was doing just as I did with the one that broke taking the child saftey off a bic lighter.

This time I tried to bend a standard wire clothes hanger back and forth to break it so my daughter could roast marshmallows on it. I bent it lined up parallel with the tool nose to tail, not twisting at a 90* angle. That was it. It snapped much in the same fashion as the one before it that you all replaced already. This has caused me a number of questions.

1- Is this covered under warranty or would this be considered "abuse" I realize that the keychain series are small tools and maybe not intended for "serious work" If ive overstepped the expectations of the tool I can understand, but this didnt seem to unreasonable a task for this tool.

2- If this is covered could I exchange it for the S4 instead, since I seem to have a propencity for breaking the pliers on the P4 I would rather upgrade my micra to an S4 instead of getting another P4. I really dont see scissors breaking.

3- Since breaking two P4's is enough for me, if I were to (in an act of circumstance defying faith) buy one of the juice models, is the steel the same stuff that is in the P4? I dont want to get another set of pliers with brittle steel. I think something from the juice series might be better suited to my tool needs , and I should just give up on keychain pliers altogether.


Maybe Im overdoing it on the little keychain tools, and if so I understand. Generally I try to fit the proper tool to the job and take care of my tools so they will take care of me, so I was surprised (the second time!!) when this P4 broke doing this. If you can tell me it wasnt intended for this type of job I will understand and possibly purchess one from the juice series, given that the steel is a better grade. (I dont think anybody wouldnt expect pliers or that size to remove a child safety from a lighter or bend a coat hanger) If it is covered thats great but I really dont want another P4.

Ive heard nothing but good things about Leatherman, and was very impressed with the customer service I recieved before. I remain faithful that your products have earned thier reputation, and will continue to give them the chance I believe they deserve. Having said that, 3 strikes.......


Brad.
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The Juice line would be a better bet , the Squirts are really just strong tweezers . Copper wire would be about the max I would use them on .

Chris
 
Squirt-sized pliers are not up to the task of bending steel wire or rod, as you have demonstrated. The next larger size in the Leatherman line is the Juice series. Their pliers aren't big enough for the types of jobs for which I need a pliers multitool.

About the smallest sized Leatherman pliers suitable for strenuous bending are the pliers found on the discontinued Leatherman PST and Pulse and even they can be damaged when pushed beyond their limits.
 
Runsalone said:
The first pair I had, which leatherman replaced (good on them!!!) snapped much in the same fashion attempting to pull the child safety off a bic lighter. Again, didnt feel like I was forcing anything against its will and POP!:(
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Funny, I find the Squirt P4 pliars perfect for pulling the child safety strip out of bic lighters. Have done 30 or so, seems great. I bend the little tabs up first then pull the strip out. Never had the feeling that this was to much for the P4. Sorry to hear you had this problem.\Fred
 
I recieved the p4 as a gift and I think my 11 year old can break it. I use daily my Leatherman charge and it does all I need it to. Once you have broken a few "good" tools by over extending thier function, you learn to stop what you are doing and get the right tool for the job. I use Klein wire strippers for stripping field irrigation wire. I use this tool alot, really appreciate what a fine tool it was, then, like a dummy, used them to cut bicycle brake cable on my sons bike, and I completely ruined the stripping tool. It made me sick, I knew better, but I was being lazy by not getting the dykes. I do not blame Klein for that.
 
parnass said:
Squirt-sized pliers are not up to the task of bending steel wire or rod, as you have demonstrated. The next larger size in the Leatherman line is the Juice series. Their pliers aren't big enough for the types of jobs for which I need a pliers multitool.

About the smallest sized Leatherman pliers suitable for strenuous bending are the pliers found on the discontinued Leatherman PST and Pulse and even they can be damaged when pushed beyond their limits.
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I wasnt bending rebar, were talking about a copper coat hangar here. Not steel,not rod.:confused:

These cost 6 dollars. They also have pivots in the middle of the handles. I think for upwards of 3x the price the P4 shouldnt be coming in second place.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8h1Bu606WM
 
it shouldnt matter if they are made of steel or copper,
it is about a 1/16 diameter

i am sorry but...
if a pair of pliers cant bend that, they have no place in my tool box
 
parnass said:
Standard coat hangers are made of steel, not copper.
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Oh. I thought they used to be made of copper. Even though were talking about the ones a 5 year old can bend with there fingers.:confused:

Dewberry said:
it shouldnt matter if they are made of steel or copper,
it is about a 1/16 diameter

i am sorry but...
if a pair of pliers cant bend that, they have no place in my tool box
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Kinda what I was thinking. Obviously there are a pair of squirt sized pliers that can do this without breaking.

Im still getting that the general consensus here was that might have been a bit much to expect. I guess Ill have to wait and see what leatherman says.
 
Gentlemen, this.....is customer service.




Hello Brad

Thank you for your e-mail. Thank you for understanding that the smaller tool styles are not necessarily meant to be used for big tasks. I still would recommend that you send the tool in for repair however.

Normally, we do not exchange tool styles. However, as a one time courtesy I have been authorized to exchange the P4 for a S4 as they are the same cost and basic style. You will need to send the tool to my attention so this can be completed.

If you are living in the US please send tool to:

Remind me, in the note to be sent with the tool, about the agreed upon exchange of tools this time only.

If you have any questions regarding this exchange, please feel free to contact me directly at {e-addy}
Thank you and have a great day.
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My response....



Thank you very much for your timely and cordial response!
The original P4 was sent in quite a few years back, but within the last 5 I believe. The replacement I hadnt used very much I just happend to have it on me the day I needed to bend the coat hanger.

Im am very pleased with your offer to go what I feel is above and beyond, and will get the P4 in the mail directly. Also I will let everyone over at Bladeforums.com know of the great customer service Ive recieved, and likely write up a review of the S4 as follow up. That review will also likely find its way over to Whiteblaze.net and those there who are getting ready to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail and looking for appropriate tools (hikers already have a decent love affair with multi tools ;-} ). Great customer service, and loyalty to the end user of a companies products should not go unnoticed, I shall see that it doesnt.

Thank you.
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Nice that they are willing to take care of you so well. That's why I love brands such as Leatherman - they back their product and support their customers 100%.

I'm relatively new to the entire knife / multi-tool scene so I'm curious... To me bending a typical wire hanger (not cutting) is too much for a keychain sized plier - then what types of tasks should they be used for? I have a Charge TTi currently, but was considering getting a small keychain tool (was thinking the Gerber Clutch just to be a cheap bastard) for pliers to accompany my SAK when I really didn't feel like strapping that hunk of metal to my side. I considered getting a Juice, but it seems like when I get that far in size and weight, I may as well just go the rest of the way and take my Charge.
 
use them much like a stronger pair of tweezers, carry something that's too hot/cold for your hands, gripping items too small for fingers....etc. they are not meant for any job where you might require a real plier. for those jobs, use a full size multi-tool or just get a purpose built plier.
 
Ahh, alrighty. Mighty Tweezers!
Now we just need a Sunday morning cartoon following the story of this new super hero!
 
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