Leatherman Charge Blade Play -- Any Fixes?

M

MerkurMan

Joined
Jun 2, 2009
Messages
14
Hello everyone. I've been a lurker here for a while, and just recently registered. I've always admired knives, and have owned a few SAKs as well as cheap folders over the years. Recently, I've decided that I want to invest in some more quality tools, and splashed out on a few new goodies. One of them was a LM Charge TTi, which I ordered online. The first package I received actually contained a Charge Ti, which I then had to exchange for what I'd actually ordered. However, the saga doesn't end there.

Three of the exterior tools show what I'd consider a fairly large amount of blade play when they're open. I realize that this isn't a dedicated folding knife, and when you ask a tool to do many things, it can't do any single one of them perfectly. But still, for the amount of money I've spent, I think the quality is lacking. I made a quick Youtube vid illustrating how bad it is, as I may just be overreacting, and my tool may be normal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTHu88GLUno

If you guys had any ideas on whether or not this is significant enough to warrant some communication with Leatherman would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks for your time, and I hope to be a little more active in the forums once I receive my other goodies... a Benchmade 550HG Grip, Spyderco Delica 4 and an Ontario RAT 1 folder. Can't wait!
 
Merkurman - my charge Ti doesn't wobble like that on ANY of its blades. Have a chat to LM. Good luck and let us know how it turns out :thumbup:
 
Well, as you said, it is not a dedicated tool, so it will not be perfect, and the blade wobble on it doesn't seem too bad. My file does the same, but my other three blades lock up perfectly (I have a Wave). I don't know, it is your call. After all, it is your tool. If it is not up to your personal standard, then send it back. Will it affect it's performance? Probably not, but again, it's a personal choice.
 
My tti is just the opposite, tighter than a nuns nasty, i have to use the clip or lanyard to deploy the inside tools, but i bite my nails and find it easier that way
considering they use a strange torx-with-pin pivot i think you will have to send it in.
if it used a standed bit it would take 2min to fix
Good luck
 
Thanks for the quick replies! Now that I'm assured in the fact that it shouldn't be doing this, I'll contact Leatherman tomorrow morning about resolving my issue. Much obliged.:thumbup:
 
pagey1973 said:
My tti is just the opposite, tighter than a nuns nasty, i have to use the clip or lanyard to deploy the inside tools, but i bite my nails and find it easier that way
considering they use a strange torx-with-pin pivot i think you will have to send it in.
if it used a standed bit it would take 2min to fix
Good luck
Click to expand...
That's the other weird part -- I do have a security torx bit set, and I did try fooling with the pivot screws VERY lightly, and they had no effect on it.

I know it's a bit nit-picky to expect every part of the tool to function perfectly, and realistically, I don't think it'll majorly affect the usage. But I do expect to be using the main blade for some precise cutting tasks, and I'd like it to be as tight as possible. And to be honest, I don't think I'll ever be happy knowing how well the saw locks up. I mean, it's bank-vault tight, and it'll pain me knowing how wobbly the other tools are in comparison.

My other concern is that over time and use, the locks will become even more loose, and by then, it might fall under the "abuse" clause of the warranty, and they'll refuse to cover it. If I can nip the problem in the bud while the tool is still new, I think I'd rather do that.

Anyway, I apologise for my longwindedness, but I do tend to ramble. :o

I'll keep everyone up to date with the situation, and thanks again!
 
My several Leatherman tools show good f&f, although two of them needed return trips to their maker for some fine tuning. Over time I note more complaints by far about Leatherman products than just about any other make. It is unclear whether this is because there are so many more Leathermen out there than any of the rest, more lemons are bound to turn up. Or, there may be some serious QC issues with the manufacturer.

Put together right, Leathermen are still my favorite pliers based multitools.
 
The up and down movement you showed has to do with too short of a liner lock or the blade was machined too much near the pivot. Side to side play has to do with the screws needing tightening. I'd send it in, better to have the tool you want then to always wonder how a good one would have been. But like everyone says, it's your tool. I'm a perfectionist and want the product i paid for and thought i was getting so...
 
SuzukiGS750EZ said:
The up and down movement you showed has to do with too short of a liner lock or the blade was machined too much near the pivot. Side to side play has to do with the screws needing tightening. I'd send it in, better to have the tool you want then to always wonder how a good one would have been.
Click to expand...

Exactly:thumbup: If there would be any side-to-side blade play that would be solved fast by tightening the pivot .. locked blade moving up and down has something to do with the gap between the blade and lock and it probably can not be fixed that easy

Send the tool back to the seller or directly to Leatherman ..they have powers to fix it or replace the tool.

Had some maintenance/cleaning on my LMs recently;)
lmcharge21.jpg


lmcharge22.jpg


lmcharge24.jpg


lmcharge24.jpg


lmchargetti7.jpg
 
patsknives, nice pics! Makes me jealous seeing those two beauties side by side all opened up. :D I can't wait for the day that I get to tear mine apart to give it a good cleaning and inspection.

I've decided I'm sending my tool in tomorrow directly to Leatherman. Due to the fact that I've already had some issues with the seller, I feel a little more secure in dealing with LM directly. Here's hoping they pull through!

I will say, it'll be tough being without the Charge for however long they take to process the claim. It came in very handy a couple of times today at work!
 
MerkurMan said:
patsknives, nice pics! Makes me jealous seeing those two beauties side by side all opened up. :D I can't wait for the day that I get to tear mine apart to give it a good cleaning and inspection.

I've decided I'm sending my tool in tomorrow directly to Leatherman. Due to the fact that I've already had some issues with the seller, I feel a little more secure in dealing with LM directly. Here's hoping they pull through!

I will say, it'll be tough being without the Charge for however long they take to process the claim. It came in very handy a couple of times today at work!
Click to expand...

I think you can be confident Leatherman will set things right. In two separate warranty claims to Leatherman, a Juice CS4 (kind of my fault), then Surge (totally theirs), they adjusted everything, had the tools back to me in 10 days or less, and both have functioned smoothly ever since. Whatever fault can be found with QC, their customer service has been unsurpassed. Email them with your issues, tell them you need your Charge for work. That might expedite things, but in any case you should get good results.
 
Well, I got a nice little package in the mail today, which made me happy...until I opened it. It was a replacement TTi, but apparently from the used bin. It has a few scratches here and there, which doesn't bother me, but imagine my surprise when I opened the serrated blade to find it BROKEN. Cracked along the upper spine, above the thumb hole. So, it's another $7 to send it back in and another week of waiting to see what they'll send me next. Hrm. I'm becoming less and less enthused with this whole deal the more time goes on. Part of me wonders if I would've been better keeping the Ti that I'd got in the first place!:rolleyes:

vi029p27b41lnudgw.jpg
 
<sigh> Leatherman has lost me as a customer. It seems like they just don't really care about their quality like they used to. Since I got my first Victorinox I haven't looked back. It's a world of difference.

Not that Vic is perfect, they do tend to over polish resulting in rounded off screwdriver edges, but that can be fixed in 2 minutes and THEN it's perfect.
 
I understand how you feel MerkerMan.

That'ed piss me off too.

3rd time lucky?

Whatever you do, dont settle for less than what you paid for......:grumpy:

Maybe ring them.

Or shame them with another youtube vid?

Good luck Bro :)
 
I'll probably give them a jingle tomorrow to kindly remind them that I sent them a brand new tool, and expect the same in return. :)

To be fair to Leatherman, I am dealing with their Canadian warranty supplier, not the company directly. I'm sure what happened was the workers at the store combed some repository of remanned/returned units and looked for a tool with good blade lockup. I will give them that, though...all four blades locked up nice and tight! :rolleyes: One other niggle I noted was that the main blade had been used, and wasn't nearly as sharp as my NIB TTi.

Anyway, I'll see what happens after my chat with them tomorrow, and hopefully this will all be resolved quickly! Thanks to you all for your support in keeping up with this saga.
 
MerkurMan said:
Well, I got a nice little package in the mail today, which made me happy...until I opened it. It was a replacement TTi, but apparently from the used bin. It has a few scratches here and there, which doesn't bother me, but imagine my surprise when I opened the serrated blade to find it BROKEN. Cracked along the upper spine, above the thumb hole. So, it's another $7 to send it back in and another week of waiting to see what they'll send me next. Hrm. I'm becoming less and less enthused with this whole deal the more time goes on. Part of me wonders if I would've been better keeping the Ti that I'd got in the first place!:rolleyes:

vi029p27b41lnudgw.jpg
Click to expand...

Man that makes my blood pressure rise just reading your post. Let us know how they fix you up. this is where they really need to roll out the red carpet.
 
MerkurMan said:
I'll probably give them a jingle tomorrow to kindly remind them that I sent them a brand new tool, and expect the same in return. :)

To be fair to Leatherman, I am dealing with their Canadian warranty supplier, not the company directly. I'm sure what happened was the workers at the store combed some repository of remanned/returned units and looked for a tool with good blade lockup. I will give them that, though...all four blades locked up nice and tight! :rolleyes: One other niggle I noted was that the main blade had been used, and wasn't nearly as sharp as my NIB TTi.

Anyway, I'll see what happens after my chat with them tomorrow, and hopefully this will all be resolved quickly! Thanks to you all for your support in keeping up with this saga.
Click to expand...

Contact Leatherman US Warranty directly by email and send them copies of your posts, also to the Canadian distributor. Include the bladeforums URL. That word is going around might get their attention. This sort of thing drives customers away. It is inconceivable to me that Leatherman will let this pass without setting things right. You need a new tool, inspected before it leaves their hands, and might also remind them it costs $ to mail off this tool. They may pick that up, too.
 
Well, my situation has finally been resolved, and I can say that I'm content. On Monday, I received my replacement Charge, which is absolutely perfect in every way. Blades all lock up tight, there isn't any visible signs of use, and they threw in extra nylon and leather sheathes for my troubles. It's sad that it took such a long time to finally get what I paid for, but I would hope my situation is an isolated one.

Thanks to everyone here for their support...it's good to know I'm not alone in this, and I'm sure my new (fourth!) tool will serve me well for many years to come. It's already been put to good use this week so far. :D
 
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