Problem with Leatherman Surge

P

pyrophilus

Joined
Jul 5, 2006
Messages
22
Hello everyone,

New multi tool owner here. I got a Leatherman Surge in black oxide for father's day (it's good to be a father). Already, it has surpassed my DeWalt cordless drill, my Dremel, my Axim X51v PDA, and even my Nikon D70s as my favorite posession. I can't believe I've lived w/o it.

One question though. I also got the leather sheath. I have been wearing it on my belt in horizontal position. I guess when I rub the sheath against something, the clip-point knife blade seems to get pushed into the handle.

I noticed this because on the curved part of the blade, it was squished (don't know any better word to describe it) on the blade. I noticed that it was because the blade was hitting the inside of the handle when it was in the closed position. If I press on the exposed part of the back of the blade (the part that you use your thumb to swing out), I can feel the blade part of the knife bumping against the inside of the handle.

I had to take a sharpening stone and sharpen the curved part of the blade, but I am wondering, is this normal???

Considering that I've owned the surve for less than a month, I am worried that he blade is getting dulled inside the sheath from the knife blade bumping aganist the handle...

I noticed that the serrated blade doesn't seem to do this, but then again, it doesn't have a curvature.

I am wondering if I need to contact leatherman, albeit I don't know any defects in the material or craftmanship.

Thanks for any helps,

-Sage
 
First-off congratulations on getting a Surge for a gift on Father's Day. I've had mine for a little over 3 mos., though I've EDC an LM-Wave for about 2 yrs. prior. I love my Surge, the robustness and the easy access to the main cutting tools is essential in my line of work.

Like you, I have the leather sheath it came with, though I carry it vertical, i have wide belts and they can't seem to slide as easily into the sheath in a vertical position. Again, unlike you, the clip-point knife on mine does not touch the inside of the handle, what I noticed is that there is a small bump (near where the blade is secured into the handles with the torx screw) which prevents that from ever happening, unless I really push down on the top-side of the blade.

So I'm thinking 2 things;
1. The horizontal position of the tool may be pushing down on the clip-point knife making the edge touch the inside handle channel, in which case, would you consider carrying the whole thing vertical instead?
2. Your clip-point knife could possibly be missing or has a smaller "bump" than standard near the torx screw that I mentioned before, In which case you might wanna have the LM people take a look at it. They'll fix it up real good as they have a very reliable warranty policy.

In any case, if the blade does get dull, as blades often do, your Surge came with the diamond-coated file that's perfect for sharpening the clip-point, I've done it myself twice while cutting some meat prior to roasting. I now do almost all of my cutting with the Surge, I might get me the Charge soon just for the 154CM clip-point it has, but that's if the wife will only let me. :thumbup:

'Hope this helps.
 
I am such an idiot for not thinking about the diamond file...

Anyway, I also noticed the "bump", but the bump on my Surge does NOT touch the handle base to "stop" the knife. If I put moderate pressure on top of the closed blade, I can feel the blade edge bottoming out.

I am just upset that it's a brand-new Surge and currently, it goes everywhere I go, and I'd really hate to send it in for work. I'd miss it so much...

But honestly, I guess I should have it looked it, because at this rate, I might be sharpening the curved edge off the blade in about a year... One of the best thing that I love about my surge is the blade, and I am worried that it is getting chewed up in the handle.

Didn't know the charge had even a bigger blade!

Thank you for your help,

-Sage
 
Your welcome Pyrophilus. Don't beat yourself up too much about the Diamond-coated file, we all started out as newbies with new toys....er.....tools, i mean. hehe.

Anyway, going back to your original concern, if the little bump on the blade base is not enough to prohibit the cutting edge of the blade from touching the inside handle then it could be your blade may need some replacing, why not try going to your nearest Walmart, Costo or Target store, see if they have a Surge in stock and compare yours with what they have. See if the bump is as present or as big in their multi-tool as it is in yours, If they don't match in terms of size, then you got a defective product and it's best to have it replaced.

My other suggestion would be to change your whole sheath and opt for a softer nylon/cordura sheath, Leatherman sells those too. (Since I'm assuming you don't wanna wear it Vertical-Style like me). It could be that your leather sheath is adding to the weight being put on the blade, causing the blade to touch the inside handle.

My last and most simplest suggestion would be to simply turn-over your multi-tool so that the serrated blade sits on the bottom side and not the clip-point knife. You mentioned that you don't have the same problem with the serrated blade/knife, why not try just changing the position of the whole tool in your sheath.

BTW, I think the 154CM knife on the Charge series is actually smaller than that on the Surge. The designation is for the type of steel used (more durable) and the extra sharpness it has compared to the Surge.

Again, I hope all of this helps. Enjoy!
 
Welcome to BladeForums pyrophilus!

So you've got a black oxide Leatherman Surge, and the clip point knife is "bottoming out" in the handle channel, dulling the blade? Weird. I checked my Surge (see picture below) and the little bump-stop that sparkee is referring to works just like it is supposed to; the sharp part of the knife touches nothing but air.

Surgebladestop.jpg


Hmmm, it seems like if the blade portion on your tool is hitting the bottom of the channel, it would leave a shiny spot down there in the black oxide coating. Yes?

~Bob
 
I have an old-style Wave and a Charge Ti, and both exhibit the same problem observed by pyrophilus. I observed it on my tools when I gripped the handles tightly while using the saw on both tools. On the older style wave, there is a thin piece of plastic lining on the inside handle which protects the knife blades, and I could see it is physically cut from getting bit by the closed knife blades.

On my Charge, however, there are no plastic linings and therefore the blade bites on metal, dulling the curved portion of the 154CM blade. In my case, I noticed that the PE blade-edge got "folded" a bit, leading me to sharpen that section of the blade to remove the folded metal and restore the edge.

IMHO, the tolerances of Leatherman Tools are a bit inconsistent when it comes to the "little" things like this. =)
 
Just to clear up a side issue... the blade on the Surge is larger than the Charge, but the Charge's steel is much nicer.
 
If you are interested in changing sheaths I have a brandy new nylon I will exchange for the leather one.
 
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