Leatherman Arc Order Placed

I have been eyeing it all day passionately wanting to hit add to cart. It looks like a great tool, just bought a second Malibu instead for the holidays, and can't justify paying 230 for the Arc. The free series is cool though, I like the p4.
 
Knifecenter is "running an add" for it in the Exchange. Nice looking tool no doubt, yet not for me. I miss the serrated blade. The Charge Plus (of which I have three, yikes) does serve me better.

Leatherman ARC
 
I stumbled upon a deal for Leatherman P2's for $50 each awhile back. I see the Arc very much as a Wave toolset in a handle/lock/plier body.
On paper the Arc beats the P2 hands down: Magnacut blade, bigger file, saw, bit drivers, etc.
In use I find the P2 to be just as functional as my Waves (which have an extremely similar tool layout to the Arc) when I'm just using it for EDC.

If I had zero multitools I'd go for the Arc in a second. It is the best of everything Leatherman has come out with.
Having a collection of users I cannot justify that price point for something that does essentially what my other Leathermans already do. At $150 I may bite.

Note that only once in my life has a Leatherman with 420HC steel dulled enough during use that I had to sharpen it during the day. Their 420HC steel is pretty much perfect for what I use a mutlitool blade for. Honestly the Magnacut is not nearly the most attractive thing to me about the Arc. Having a Wave tool set with the Free magnets is REALLY COOL though!
 
Macchina said:
Having a Wave tool set with the Free magnets is REALLY COOL though!
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Sorry I have to chime in here. The Free series never impressed me.

What's great about the Arc (in my opinion) is having the Wave toolset plus an awl and a set of outside opening scissors, both of which the Wave never had and both of which have been on everyone's wishlist for the Wave for ages now. The awl in particular.

When it comes to what I dislike about the Wave and the Arc, what I think it ultimately comes down to is the small precision bit driver. It was always a wasted slot in my opinion. For the Wave, they could have and should have put an awl in that slot instead. The precision bit is so small that they could have easily built a slot in the frame to accept it. What a waste of space that precision bit driver is! There's only one bit for it anyway! What's the damn point?!

It's carried over into the Arc as well! It's so irritating! Without that stupid precision bit driver, there would be enough room to fit a full quarter inch hex bit driver on one side and you could put a can opener on the other side where the precision bit driver is. No more garbage soft proprietary Leatherman flat bits. Man, I hate those bits! They suck and they're not individually replaceable. Why, Leatherman?! WHY U DO DIS?!

Anyway, they should just release a cheaper version of the Arc without magnacut. I'd buy it.
 
Guy McVer said:
Sorry I have to chime in here. The Free series never impressed me.

What's great about the Arc (in my opinion) is having the Wave toolset plus an awl and a set of outside opening scissors, both of which the Wave never had and both of which have been on everyone's wishlist for the Wave for ages now. The awl in particular.

When it comes to what I dislike about the Wave and the Arc, what I think it ultimately comes down to is the small precision bit driver. It was always a wasted slot in my opinion. For the Wave, they could have and should have put an awl in that slot instead. The precision bit is so small that they could have easily built a slot in the frame to accept it. What a waste of space that precision bit driver is! There's only one bit for it anyway! What's the damn point?!

It's carried over into the Arc as well! It's so irritating! Without that stupid precision bit driver, there would be enough room to fit a full quarter inch hex bit driver on one side and you could put a can opener on the other side where the precision bit driver is. No more garbage soft proprietary Leatherman flat bits. Man, I hate those bits! They suck and they're not individually replaceable. Why, Leatherman?! WHY U DO DIS?!

Anyway, they should just release a cheaper version of the Arc without magnacut. I'd buy it.
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The Free series never impressed me at all... until I got one! To me they were as big of a shift in what a Leatherman is as the Skeletool was.
Not super impressive on paper, until you carry one for awhile. The Free P2 for a fishing knife is just about as perfect as you can get. True one hand opening pliers, one hand scissors, and about the only time I'd want a combo blade is fishing.
The Free series are also finished to a higher level than even the Charge series. Much more inline with Victorinox pliers.

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Guy McVer said:
Sorry I have to chime in here. The Free series never impressed me.

What's great about the Arc (in my opinion) is having the Wave toolset plus an awl and a set of outside opening scissors, both of which the Wave never had and both of which have been on everyone's wishlist for the Wave for ages now. The awl in particular.

When it comes to what I dislike about the Wave and the Arc, what I think it ultimately comes down to is the small precision bit driver. It was always a wasted slot in my opinion. For the Wave, they could have and should have put an awl in that slot instead. The precision bit is so small that they could have easily built a slot in the frame to accept it. What a waste of space that precision bit driver is! There's only one bit for it anyway! What's the damn point?!

It's carried over into the Arc as well! It's so irritating! Without that stupid precision bit driver, there would be enough room to fit a full quarter inch hex bit driver on one side and you could put a can opener on the other side where the precision bit driver is. No more garbage soft proprietary Leatherman flat bits. Man, I hate those bits! They suck and they're not individually replaceable. Why, Leatherman?! WHY U DO DIS?!

Anyway, they should just release a cheaper version of the Arc without magnacut. I'd buy it.
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I applaud you for your well-supported arguments regarding the pros and cons of various LM tools. For my daily needs, however, I see things differently. I EDC a fully accessorized first-generation Surge in a Skinth Plus holster. I carry a complete bit kit and an extra carbide-edged saw blade. I prefer the first-generation Surge because I WANT the micro bit driver and prefer the slender jaws over the replaceable wire-cutters.
In general, I enjoy being able to detach the diamond file and use it to touch up the blade edge. I rely on the stranded wire cutter on the inside of the plier pivot, and I use the built-in lanyard ring with a thong for easy retrieval from the holster. I also regularly use the screwdrivers with one handle open so as to make the handle longer.
Regarding the bit kits, I recognize that the bits could be harder, but they routinely suit my needs. I would hate to purchase an Arc and only get half of the bits I want. And a complete set of full-size hex bits would be space-prohibative.
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Someday I'll own an Arc when I find one cheap. (I hate having gaps in my LM collection!) I'll enjoy the fidget factor like I do with the Free P2 and P4. But, in the mean time, I'll stick with what I've got. To each his/her own! Thanks for watching! T-A
 
Yeah the Surge is awesome. It has everything short of a corkscrew. I just wouldn't ever EDC something that big, especially with accessories and a full set of bits. I edc a modded Style PS on my key chain and it's more than enough for me when combined with a 91mm SAK on a pocket dangler. The scissors on the Style PS are garbage, but I removed them and replaced them with a file from an old Squirt.

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This modification makes it even more travel friendly than it was before, and I find the file to be pretty useful.
 
I got hold of an ARC a few days ago at my local Sportsman's Warehouse shop and I love it.

I have been carrying both the Free P2 and P4 for the last few years and shifted into carrying only my P4 for the last year or so. I did replace my P4 and P2 blades with stainless pattern welded "Damascus" blades and was very impressed with their performance.

When the ARC was announced, I decided that I definitely want to try one and was lucky enough to find them in stock at my local store.

For me, the ARC toolset is a far better selection than the P4. I like having a full size file and a diamond file and I tend to use the wood saw quite a bit. I don't use the P4 serrated blade at all, so I'm glad that's not part of the ARC.

I also agree with G Guy McVer regarding the tiny;micro bit driver. I could do without that one personally but as for the rest, I love the ARC.

I've never had issues with my Free P2 and P4 and have extensively used them both a lot. The ARC is built on the Free framework so I'm sure it will hold up well.
 
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I don't really understand the price related comments. Yes, I know it's not a pocket change for most people but...
First of all - there are 3-4-500 $ single blade knives out there that are being bought daily and people swear that they are worth it. Like benchmades, Chris Reeves. But when a good company makes a multi tool with so many attachments - god forbid if it's over of the 120-140 range. Second - in the recent years everything related to producing even a single screw has risen in cost, research and development takes time and resourses. It's only normal that the finished complex product would be with a higher tag. And last - you want to be payed well for the work you're doing, right ? Then why would Leatherman and the people working there not get payed well ?

Now on the tool it's self. I wasn't really a fan of the free series when they were introduced. Did not see them as an upgrade over the Wave/Surge and didn't really care about the butterfly pliers - my wave is so well worked in that it does the same. But I found a good deal on a p2 and took it to see what's it all about. Initially was't really impressed, most of the tools seemed gimmicky, especially compared to the ones on the Wave. But hey - I got it, might ass well carry it a bit. And boy, do I like it - the clip is so much superior to the Wave/Charge one. The best tool is the one you have with you when needed and the p2 is really great for pocket carry. The one hand tools are awesome when fishing. Even the file that so many people dislike works good, sharpens the hooks on my flies perfectly (pro tip - start touching up the hook every couple of fishes or 2-3 times throughout the day. Recently saw it on youtube and it make a huge difference in the bites I land). Screwdrivers aren't the best but they work. It does not have a saw which bothers me a bit but realistically I am yet to feel undertooled when carrying it. So in my eyes the Arc has all the good sides of the p2 and takes away pretty much all the downsides I saw in it.
 
Davis Nikolov said:
I don't really understand the price related comments. Yes, I know it's not a pocket change for most people but...
First of all - there are 3-4-500 $ single blade knives out there that are being bought daily and people swear that they are worth it. Like benchmades, Chris Reeves. But when a good company makes a multi tool with so many attachments - god forbid if it's over of the 120-140 range. Second - in the recent years everything related to producing even a single screw has risen in cost, research and development takes time and resourses. It's only normal that the finished complex product would be with a higher tag. And last - you want to be payed well for the work you're doing, right ? Then why would Leatherman and the people working there not get payed well ?
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My sentiments exactly.
I have to say though that the ARC price is bit too expensive for average working man though.
 
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