It broke...I'm sad :c

Swoop03 · May 12, 2013

I broke my squirt today, I'm very sad. Well my friend broke it, but that's beside the point. This little guy has been in my pocket for 2 years now, I'm surprised it lasted this long to be honest. Before yinz go off and say "shouldn't lend out your stuff" it broke on a plastic auto body clip. No lateral or twisting force was being applied, simply using the pliers to squeeze the tab so it could be pushed out of a hole. The squirt is the only pair of pliers in my possession that could fit in the area of the clip. He squeezed and there was a snap, I thought he had broke the clip and he thought the same, it happens, the plastic gets old and brittle, he looked down in with my flashlight and it was fine, then I saw my squirt...

So I'm curious, before I go sending off emails, would this be covered under any kind of warranty? Like I said there was no prying or torquing action, just being used as a light duty pair of pliers is intended to be used. I mean I could buy a new one for like 15 bucks or whatever they cost and with shipping to and from leatherman because I doubt they would pay for the shipping and then would charge for a replacement, that is probably the better way to go I would think. I do not know anything about leatherman's warranty though, I have not looked into it. I wanted to share it here first. lol.

I'm gonna miss that little guy, I spent weeks looking online and checking in stores to find a blue one. It just drops in my pocket and dissapears and only appears to save the day. I used everything on it daily except for the knife, I don't use my MT blades. I sharpen them and leave it at that. In case my edc knife (knives) is/are dull and I need a super sharp edge for something, I always have one. You know maybe I'll give the juice a go.

steff27 · May 12, 2013

I've had the pliers break on a Wave I and on a Skeletool. I got a new Skeletool and the pliers on the Wave I were replaced, all no questions asked. If you don't want them to replace it with a new Squirt because you're emotionally attached to this one, you should tell them that, in which case they may or may not be able to fix it.

I've had only outstanding experience with Leatherman's warranty. I live in Europe, and in a warranty case, I bring it to any authorized dealer, and if necessary it's even shipped to the USA and back for a fixed 10 € charge.

znapschatz · May 12, 2013

Leatherman is famous for its outstanding warranty policy. Send it to them and they will return a new one at no charge, usually in less than 2 weeks, assuming you are in the USA. The only expense to you will be postage on the broken Squirt, which should be cheap on such a small, lightweight item. There is no reason to get nostalgic over a tool that broke so easily on a routine job, but you could request same color for the replacement.

Swoop03 · May 13, 2013

znapschatz said:
Leatherman is famous for its outstanding warranty policy. Send it to them and they will return a new one at no charge, usually in less than 2 weeks, assuming you are in the USA. The only expense to you will be postage on the broken Squirt, which should be cheap on such a small, lightweight item. There is no reason to get nostalgic over a tool that broke so easily on a routine job, but you could request same color for the replacement.

Thanks you two, I'll be contacting leatherman then and let them know or however it works. I'll check their site.
*few minutes later*
It'll cost me 7.55 to ship it there with my preferred postal service, and if they honor the warranty, they will replace/fix it free of charge. I don't see it being hard to just replace the pliers either, just punch out the rivets and then put it back together with new pliers. I imagine they have the tools to do it. But I will accept a new one and have it journey on my keys or in my pocket for its life if i have to. I really to miss it though, I replaced the headlight assembly in my truck today and all those body clips and things here and there I would have loved my squirt. I had to use a small worn beyond 3 of its life times pair of mini needle nose pliers. Then I had to hunt for a small screwdriver that the squirt would have excelled and my SAK's was too big :/

jonnyt16 · May 13, 2013

Have you thought about switching to a Style PS? I carried a Squirt on my keychain for a few years too and like you I never used the blade (always had a knife on me as well) and so I just recently made the change to the Style PS. I love it. It carries better because its slightly thinner and lighter. The pliers are the same as the Squirt and instead of a knife you get scissors. The file isn't as good as the Squirt's, but you get a bottle opener that actually works on the first try! The hidden tweezers are a nice touch too. Just food for thought.

jimwalter · May 13, 2013

Leatherman has great warranty. I actually have a squirt whose file snapped off and I'm waiting for another one of my leathermans to fail to send in for a double wammy. Its been about a year now without any problems

I should have known better!

znapschatz · May 13, 2013

Swoop03 said:
Thanks you two, I'll be contacting leatherman then and let them know or however it works. I'll check their site.
*few minutes later*
It'll cost me 7.55 to ship it there with my preferred postal service, and if they honor the warranty, they will replace/fix it free of charge. I don't see it being hard to just replace the pliers either, just punch out the rivets and then put it back together with new pliers. I imagine they have the tools to do it. But I will accept a new one and have it journey on my keys or in my pocket for its life if i have to. I really to miss it though, I replaced the headlight assembly in my truck today and all those body clips and things here and there I would have loved my squirt. I had to use a small worn beyond 3 of its life times pair of mini needle nose pliers. Then I had to hunt for a small screwdriver that the squirt would have excelled and my SAK's was too big :/

You have to be careful with the small squirt pliers. The jaws are investment cast, not as strong as the forged on dedicated pliers. Yours broke on a light task, but may have weakened on an earlier squeeze that was above its pay grade.

I don't know, $7.55 seems a lot for postage. Does that include insurance, registration, tracking etc?

C@llector · May 13, 2013

I lost my vic mechanic at the beach during spring break and i have reached into my pocket looking for it almost every day looking for it but i can replace that and im sorry for your loss and i hope you find a new one

C@llector · May 13, 2013

You might want to look on amazon if you dont mind buying from there

Swoop03 · May 14, 2013

znapschatz said:
You have to be careful with the small squirt pliers. The jaws are investment cast, not as strong as the forged on dedicated pliers. Yours broke on a light task, but may have weakened on an earlier squeeze that was above its pay grade.

I don't know, $7.55 seems a lot for postage. Does that include insurance, registration, tracking etc?

Yea, that is with insurance, tracking, and delivery confirmation through usps, from PA, to Portland Oregon.
I'll find a new one and no I don't mind Amazon or evil bay either. I order from them carefully though. Also normally as a last resort if I can't find anything or really really want to get it for a lower price.