Need suggestions, advice

one45auto

one45auto

Joined
Dec 18, 2001
Messages
1,294
I have just come into possession of an original Leatherman Supertool manufactured in September of 1996. I'm wondering what I should do with it, but first let give you fellow forumites a brief rundown of it's condition.

The handles are virtually pristine, with an original shine and only a very slight scratch here and there. All of the blades and tools inside are in good condition as well, with the sole exception of the narrow slotted screwdriver, which shows distinct burn marks and evidence of twisting. Apart from that, and a speck or two of crud on the saw, everything is intact and functioning normally. The piece butterflies more easily on one side than the other, though the handles are by no means loose. The needlenose pliers, on the other hand, are a different story. They're completey blackened, as though exposed to open flame, and the jaws are ever so slightly off alignment ~ probably the result of applying more torque than the tool was designed for. The wire cutter has been sorely abused, causing indentations in the metal which, when I first closed it, caused the jaws to stick shut for a few moments. A little WD-40 solved that problem and now they open and shut just fine but still with a hint of stickiness at the close. I've checked very carefully and the jaws are not loose nor coming apart or showing signs of failure. The very edge of the handle on one side, right on the end of the metal nearest the pliers, is slightly dented as if someone had hammered something with it. Overall the tool is still very serviceable, but as I see it I have a few choices. I can:

A) Use a Dremel to carfully grind off the bent metal on the wire cutters, thus rendering them useless but allowing the pliers to close and reopen smoothly.

or

B) I can live with it as is.

or

C) I can send it to the factory and ask if they can replace or repair the pliers.

So....advice anyone? It's so frustrating having everything in good working order except those unsightly pliers with their jaws blackened and sticking slightly. Should I try sending it back to the factory to ask for a replacement of the needlenose pliers? Or should I grind the wire cutters and call it a day? Or should I just leave it as it is?


:confused:
 
I had the same thing happen to the wire cutters on my Wave. I used a Dremel to grind the dents out. It works flawlessly now. As far as the black on the pliers. If it is from being exposed to the flame of a torch, it is probably just soot, which is easy to rub/buff off. Mapp gas is horrible for leaving tons of soot. Of course, you could always send it back to Leatherman. I understand their CS is something some of the other knife companies could learn from. I know they would accomodate you, and leave you very pleased with the results.

Mike
 
Send it to Leatherman, I once contacted them about sending in my Dad's PST that had a broken screwdriver, which was caused by blatant abuse, and they said just send it in, they would take care of it. I never did get around to it, but the response was good.
 
After thinking it through, I decided to return the Super Tool to the factory for repairs. Before doing so, however, I contacted Leatherman Customer Service to have an important concern addressed. You see, after reading their return policy very carefully I couldn't help noticing a clause which allows them to replace a tool rather than repair it at their discretion. Since the original Super Tool has been replaced with the Super Tool 200 and is no longer in production, I was very concerned that they would simply replace my original with the bells and whistles version, aka the Super Tool 200. Yet the woman there assured me that they keep a stock of original Super Tools on hand for warranty purposes and that if need be my tool would be replaced with a duplicate original. Knowing this, I immediately boxed up the tool and sent it Priority Mail to Leatherman this afternoon. I'll keep you updated on the situation, since if all goes well my tool should be returned to me in a little over eight days, where it will then be put on active duty as my "always in" truck tool.
 
Update

This morning the UPS delivery driver brought to my door a package from Leatherman containing a brand new original Supertool. I had hoped that they would merely replace the plier jaws on my old tool, but instead it appears as though they took the easier route of substitution. A quick glance at the inside of the handles confirmed this. My old tool carried the date "0996" on both handles, whereas my new tool appears to have been constructed from parts tooled on different dates. The right handle carries the date "0301" and the left the "0401" ~ indicating that one handle was manufactured in March of 2001 and the other in April of that same year. I can only conclude that, lacking any completed tools to substitute, they quickly assembled a new one using various parts on hand. Interesting.

Do I like it? Well, to be perfectly honest I would rather that they had repaired my original tool. :( This one, although pristine, butterflies as stiff as a steel 2x4 and there are slight blemishes (mild discoloration) on the very ends of the handles, probably from storage. I wonder now whether I would have been better off simply grinding down the wire cutters on my old Supertool. I'm a sentimental old fool, I know.

Oh well, into the truck it goes. Just thought I'd update everyone and let you know how well Leatherman Customer Service functioned. They certainly returned it pronto and all things considered it's brand new, so admittedly it will probably last me a lot longer than the tool I sent back.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top