leatherman charge ti scissors = accident waiting to happen

[Josh Muller]

it doesnt look like anyone has posted anything on this yet, wich i assume is iether because im inherrently clumsy with multi tools, or there arent enough of them out yet for people to really get a feel for it.

i showed this to my brother, and he had the same reaction as me, wow, thats gonna get some people hurt.

on the charge ti, there are a few things i dont like. the first to are easily fixed, the third is just a design flaw. the fact that leatherman isnt yet offering the other bits that could fit into the bit slip case is annoying, as i would have been glad to pay the extra 20-30$ to get the rest of them. but they will eventually have them for sale.

the nylon sehath has "4" pockets, one main pocket for the charge, and 3 elastic bands that run the length of the sheath. one in the back for the bit slip case, and two on the sides. the two elastic bands on the side have a nylon tab to allow you to pull the nylon apart to get at whatever you have in there, if its not as long as the sheath, however, this means that both sides of the charge are covered up by tabs of nylon, and the back by the hard plastic slip case, meaning you cant pull your leatherman out unless you fold the tabs into elastic pockets, or you take out the bit case . but thats fixable by iether cutting off the tabs, or keeping the folded in.

the scissors... are not quite what i expected. i use the glasses screwdriver bit, the smallest flat head bit, the scissors, and the pliers most on my leatherman, and im overal fairly impressed with the scissors performance. they have a tight finish, and are wonderfully sharp compared to what im used to. but, unlike the wave, you have to closet them in an open position. on the old wave, you would pull them in with the scissors being in the closed position (like your cutting something, and are at the clamped down point of the cut).

now, thats okay, IF you have metal over the edge to keep it from just being an open edge that you have to put force around to open. this is not the case, and on the bottom portion there is actually a scallop that lets the blade be fully exposed - as seen in these shots...

(note, do not close the scissors this way)


seriously, its just dangerous. the only way to safely open it is to pinch the sides near the spine of the assembly. if you pull it by the tab, you run the risk of dragging the tip of one of the blades across your thumb. closing it is the same way - i have always draged the tools across my pant leg to close them, making the entire unit able to be used with one hand, and i still do with the charge, but with the scissors, i have to make sure that i pinch the sides of the leatherman to do it, because if i dont i will be seriously injured.

 

[Perfectionist]

How dare you tarnish the name of the new LM Charge !!

But you got a good point so fair comment - personally I like the Wave scissors better, dunno why they changed it ....

Would you recommend going for the XTi version in light of this ?

 

[Josh Muller]

on the leatherman site, they have a comparison chart between the two, and none of the options on the xti appealed to me.

i have never used a gut hook for anything, and dont think i ever will. i came to the conclusion that if i ever get into a crash, im willing to cut myself a little if it means i can get out faster (wich i have found to be the case in testing (bm-seat belt cutter vs. bm-806d2 when i had them). the (warncliffe?) serrated blade on the leatherman would do just fine for the task as well. i dont eat meat, so zippering animals isnt a task id normally perform.

while i see the point of having 2 large drivers, all it does for you is make it so you dont have to pull the bit out to change from philips to plain head bits.

i use the scissors practically every other day on my multi tool, so it really was a must,

and the "wire crimpers" for me, would just mean that i was to lazy to really concentrate while using the wire cutters, and it sacrifices the bulk of the plyers surface area wich is what i use to turn bolts. id just end up damaging the crimpers before i got to use them.

so for me, the xti was a set of drawbacks rather then advantages. but, if you use the screwdrivers a lot, and dont use the scissors, it has its advantages.

i did note that the wave is the same thing as the ti, but without the side grippy texture . i probably would have gone with the wave had i realized that

 

[Josh Muller]

the scissors perform excellently, their just dangerous to open and close, especially with greased up hands

 

[TOB9595]

Great observation.
The pics helped me to see what you mean.
I definitely agree about the inherent danger in this.

Thanks. Great pics!!
Tom

 

[Sonny Burnett]

the scissors perform excellently, their just dangerous to open and close, especially with greased up hands

Thanks for the info and the excellent pics. I'll get my Charge Ti next week and I'll pay special attention to those scissors.

 

[Charge guy]

I see your point but i havn't experienced the same problem. I don't have huge hands (size mens medium) so that may make the difference, but i have never even thought of the scissors as an accident waiting to happen. It could be becuase i am left handed as well. However, for closing i simply depress the scissors like i am cutting something and then slide my thumb off and the blade springs back into the closed position. After that i just fold it like any other tool and seems to be no danger in that. I agree its not the best design becuase the scissors are in the open position, but as long as you are looking at it when you open it or be gentle using your fingers to feel the scissors when you open them i don't think you should have a problem.

One problem i did find though is that the pliers on the ti don't completely close at the nose. You can slde several sheets of paper through the last 0.5 cm of the tip before they start to grab.

 

[Josh Muller]

i dont think i'll ever have a problem with them, since its similar to closing a knife, but i have to think ever time i close them, wich has its inherently safety factors. with the wave i would just part the two handles, and blindly drag the scissors across my leg until they closed, where as with these scissors i have to carefully close them with two hands.

i can open them completely using only the thumbnail nick, but again, i have to think about it to do it right and not hurt my nail. where i beleive the main danger comes in is iether when someone needs them quickly and just pull the thing open like im used to doing with the old scissors, or from closing it using the same methods. that, or the first time opening it. if your experienced with knives and folding tools in general, its not a dangerous design, but if your not, it can be.

the design is dangerous for newcomers to multi tools/people who arent willing to be extra careful while using them. (at least, it is for me when im in a hurry)

it does appear as though the charges in general are built with the gap at the tip... not sure if theres any way to fix that besides remachineing the center of the the grip area

 

[Perfectionist]

I see your point but i havn't experienced the same problem. I don't have huge hands (size mens medium) so that may make the difference, but i have never even thought of the scissors as an accident waiting to happen. It could be becuase i am left handed as well. However, for closing i simply depress the scissors like i am cutting something and then slide my thumb off and the blade springs back into the closed position. After that i just fold it like any other tool and seems to be no danger in that. I agree its not the best design becuase the scissors are in the open position, but as long as you are looking at it when you open it or be gentle using your fingers to feel the scissors when you open them i don't think you should have a problem.

One problem i did find though is that the pliers on the ti don't completely close at the nose. You can slde several sheets of paper through the last 0.5 cm of the tip before they start to grab.

Try sending it back to LM and see if they fix it !