FWIW, I spoke with Leatherman early on in this disaster, and my understanding is that the failure of these cutters was not due to the gap at the bottom, but an issue with a batch of steel as they were ramping up production for the Arc release. I received replacement cutters after a few weeks that still had the gap but passed my tests on 2.5mm brass wire. The gap seems to be an updated design to fix the plier binding problem that plagued early versions of the Free P2 and P4. Unfortunately it has taken a lot of investigating to try and find this out, and I have been unable to get confirmation from Leatherman on the exact details of the situation. I’m not exactly pleased with their response to this issue, but I hope this provides a bit of clarity for those who are wondering.
I've seen a comment before on TH-cam from a gentleman who purchased a new Leatherman Wave+ he said it came with the "new design" wire cutters. I wouldn't think they would be just "exclusive" to the Leatherman ARC. Certainly, if you want replaceable wire cutters you want them for various models as a multitool company, so I believe what that gentleman said.
@@richardsullivan1776 Exactly, the same cutters are used across the board, the only difference is some are coated black - but they all fit all models that use them. They changed the design, and that's across the board. The geometry change and the bad batch of steel simply are not related issues.
Agree completely, i have the problem with the surge after spending over £200 (with accessories) it still cant cut wire!! Likewise Leatherman sent replacement parts put they were the faulty design,, what a joke. Please keep us updated on any developments with this is issue..thanks for your hard work.
I have the same issue with my Leatherman Arc , and my dad’s Leatherman charge TTI also had that issue too so we all screwed until Leatherman fixes there issues in quality control.
In order for Leatherman to actually fix the problem the correct way Bibury or one of the other companies need to come out with a magnacut blade multitool.
Thank you very much for your valued honesty and truthful evaluation of all these tools. Love your channel! I think Leatherman is having a hard time being the best. When you throw money, Magnacut, and engineers at the Arc and parts break? Loved Leatherman's for a long time but really hope they can solve the wirecutter issues.
Thanks a lot I was having my confidence in leatherman wane since the arc came out I saw the 40th anniversary arks where being sent without screws on the pocket clip and the faulty cutters I bought a charge tti and surge and both have the new style with that opening at the end and it’s sad to see only a few months back when I first purchased my p4 it had the old style cutters I’m guessing they cheapened out on the cutters as the surge when I tried cutting a clothes hanger the cutters bent and made the whole plier twist instead of cutting I’m not buying a new leatherman until I see the quality control back till then I’m only buying older ones that are used
According to Leatherman their parts are made in the USA except for some pliers heads Mexico and all their diamond wood files come from Europe. Less than five percent of the multitool has parts made anywhere else. Their accessories are another story that is why they have 3 year warranty’s not the limited 25 year warranty.
I’ve lost a lot of confidence in Leatherman as a company. I’m currently having a terrible customer service issue with them on an ongoing warranty claim. Long story short. The Bond replacement for my PST was sent to the wrong address and I’ve still yet to see that Leatherman is going to make it right. I’ve already spoken with them four times about it. Don’t know that I’ll buy another new Leatherman in the future. They’ve lost my business for now. I grabbed my original Super Tool and have been carrying it lately. I think it harkens back to a day when Leatherman was a much better company.
All this stems from the Top- the Leadership. Management have changed and they are responsible for the decisions being made and lack of enforcement of Quality Control etc. I believe when Tim ran the Company the QC was Way better. Who is running it now? 😒
Ive always liked the non replaceable cutters myself and have cut plenty building cattle fence with no issues. I believe the replaceable wire cutters were for leathermans benefit and there cash cow.
There is no excuse for this. Not even cost savings because it turns that savings for them into an hidden cost for us. I think it may be time to forget about leatherman. I hate to. I would still like to get a couple of their tools. But companies don't learn until they feel the consequences in their bank account. For the tools of theirs I do still want, I guess I just try to find used ones in good shape. Time to start monitoring the clone market with more frequency. In any case, thanks for the update video. I hope you and others keep doing them.
Buy used...They've already been removed from Leatherman's inventory and you won't continue to fill their coffers. If third-party resellers' stock doesn't move, they won't order more from the mother company. Leatherman seems to have adopted Harley-Davidson's stupid business model of screwing the customer and having the customer pay the toll to fix the problem. I worked for Harley and I really dig my old bikes, but FTF (fuck the factory). I'll keep my old Leatherman tools and buy new-to-me ones on eBay like I'm doing as I type.
@@billgerard3099 That's my plane. I'm not getting rid of my gen 2 Wave, Crunch, or others but I'm done buying new from them. Got a couple I'm searching for deals on used from time to time and that's it. I really hope the clone market keeps getting better. Right now I think that's the pressure that's needed. If Leatherman starts losing money to competition that's releasing improved versions of their products at a better price it might snap them out of it.
There isn't an excuse, but there is an explanation: The steel was bad. The rounded corners aren't to blame for the breaking, it's just a design choice with various trade offs that some people agree with and some don't. The issue with the Arcs, was that they had cutters from a bad batch and they didn't catch it until users reported issues. The Email he read isn't a lie, it just isn't a complete explanation. You can't see the defect they had, but they had it and Leatherman is replacing the cutters for anyone that requests them. The rounded corners just are what they are.
I got an arc for Christmas and the spine of the saw was broken all the way through at the thumb hole. I’ll send it in to get fixed but so far they just seem like they don’t care about anything.
It was not only cost effectiveness (their now "premium" metal is just the same 420 hc the pliers head and tool are made from), but also because people were complaining that that specific corner dug into/scraped against the outside of the pivot; if only they would have readjusted them before complaining, we would not be having this issue now. IIRC the rounded ones came into the market in 2021.
This is really important information, I didn't realize the new design was that old! And the rationale makes a lot of sense, they don't want the pliers impeded by making the cutters slightly easier to use.
Show your A.R.C. date. Mine is "05 23". Mine didn't break but I did/do have tighten problems on the plier joint. My Wave+ plus bought this year, with rounded cutters, cut a coat hanger fine. Similar replacement for my A.R.C off of eBay seems to have fixed my problem.
Makes one wonder what they’re thinking. Fix a problem, but send out the old parts that were breaking in the first place. I’m curious to see what would happen if the parts were sent back with a note that says: hey what’s up, you sent out the same part!?🤷🏻♂️
The geometry isn't the real issue though, all signs point to a batch of cutters that had an issue with the metal that was invisible to the eye. The cutters that broke look identical to normal ones, but they are brittle. The replacements SHOULD look entirely identical, but won't break. People don't like the rounded geometry, and immediately jumped to blaming it for the breaking, when that just isn't the case. There are other videos showing people cutting wire with the replacement cutters, same geometry, and they don't break.
UPDATE: the replacement cutters i received were the same as the ones on the ARC. So i went to aliexpress and bought the cutters with the M42 steel. They fit nicely into the Arc.
Same email and same outcome, when i gave them my information, cutters show up in the mail unexpectedly and I thought wow they sent me the right cutters! And nope the same bs cutters! Wasting my time, and i didn't bother with them no more! Leatherman has benn super annoying...
Had the exact same experience with my Arc. Contacted Leatherman. They said if I sent my details they'd send replacement cutters. Sent my details and then they backed out because I'm in the UK. Lost all confidence in Leatherman as a result.
Leatherman is losing sight of and the confidence of their customers. I have several models of Leatherman multitools and for the most part they work fine. However, they all lack one feature that I really want and that is the quarter inch bit holder. If you lose or break one of their proprietary bits your done for awhile. You can’t just run to the store and buy some replacement bits. I prefer to buy American made products, but I now have some knockoffs with this feature and they seem to be of good quality and work well for my needs. Leatherman needs to wake up and take care of their customers needs or they will be out of business. Also, that must be some really expensive steel for the Arc knife blade. They could use a higher quality of steel without going overboard and still have a better tool at a better price point.
In my opinion there are 2 independent problems : - Material issues on some Arc firsts production batchs. Maybe due to wrong heat treatment, I think it might have been fixed now. No new youtubers seems to encounter problems while cutting hard wires. - Geometry issues on new 2022-style cutters, for all leatherman models. Nobody knows why they introduced this rounded edge, but in all cases this geometry is cutting far worse than the previous one.
I believe the rounded edge at the bottom of the new cutters is to prevent the cutters from gouging into the pivot when the pliers are all the way open, thus preventing the binding/sticking issues from the free p4 and p2. Thats my guess
It's likely you're getting tired of my comparisons between Leatherman and Apple but when the iphone 6 had issues with the screen going all liney and not registering touches (Good ol' bendgate) because the materials were too thin Apple's solution was to charge the customer $149 for a raplacement ... which had exactly the same issues as the devices being replaced. *The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun*
Wow! I hadn't heard of that since I'm more of a budget Android guy. Great comparison! The wisdom from the greatest Book on earth definitely fits nicely here!
It's one of the reasons the modularity of the GOAT is so promising in my eyes. If they can fix the issues with their cutters or, failing that, make good on their replacement plier head plans then they'd certainly come out ahead in the contest of the cutters. So much potential and passion in so many of these companies' ideas but so many scrapped or passed over something that cuts costs or pumps up profits. P.s apologies for the excessive assonance and alliteration.
@@Baggytrousers27 LoL! I may need to make an acrostic to keep up. Leap years ahead Everyone said American made The warranty parade Hear the rumble Even the crumble Reality dawns Man as pawns Assemble with care Never fate dare
id rather buy the new WorkSharp Precision Adjust instead of the Arc, to remain in the blades field. option2: Surge + Knipex Cobra 150mm + Knipex Cobolt S in the lateral pockets.
@@deykno87 Just like people love BMW's despite the fact 1/3 of the engine is low quality plastic... Leathermans warranty is a BIG reason to buy. However, that warranty has made them cancel a heap of their products lately 🥺
The Chinses defiantly have better cutters then the standard Leatherman ones in my experience. I ordered several spares just incase but even after heavy (excessive) use are still holding up. Also i belive it is a true modern "Damascus", as it is not that hard to manufacture these days and evidently they seem to be hitting their hardness and toughness goals in the steel.
Why would anyone want a Damascus-type wire cutter part? Forge welding two metals seems like a senseless and costly proposition for no return...Unless it's a way to get rid of two junk steels, and play off peoples' fascination with the mystical and magical Damascus term.
@billgerard3099 I'm no metallurgist but my understanding is it greatly depends on the core material they start with and needs to be mixed with a steel not too dissimilar and if the folding/welding process is done properly you should end up with a good end product with no delamination. Of course there a better steels out there and to be fair I haven't tried these demascas cutters, I have been using the tool steel ones from Ali. My experience with Chinese Damascus is with the knife blades, claim to be VG10 core, (probably more like an 8 or 9 CR core) but came very sharp and well finished and is holding an edge much better than leatherman 420hc.
I feel like this whole saga is a bit overblown. Based on all the videos and conversation I've seen, the response from Leatherman, and cutters included on the tools I own, I have a pretty good idea of what's going on here. There are two problems: Geometry, and metallurgy. The rounded corner are apparently harder to use for cutting hard wire, that's unfortunate and it would be nice if they change back to the other geometry. But this geometry has been seen across the product line, and in the replacement cutters. It's either here to stay, or it's an artefact of one cutter supplier over another than they're getting the parts from. In the end though, it's not really a defect so much as a questionable design choice and you should not expect warranty to cover this geometry difference nor should you be worried that it will break. The second issue, the issue causing cutters to break, is almost certainly because something about the manufacturing process be it the alloy of the steel, the machining, the hardening, some part of that went wrong on a batch of cutters leading to brittle cutters that break. That's what Leatherman is talking about in the Email, but the defect isn't visible - the geometry is as expect (even if we don't like it) but the metal is bad, and they didn't know until users reported issues. It's merely an unfortunate coincidence that this batch of cutters was used to outfit many Arc tools at release and they happen to be the newer round geometry. I think the idea that they did this to avoid broken plier heads is just silly. Firstly, because... really? People cutting wire using nothing but grip strength are breaking hardened steel plier heads often enough to be a problem? X to do doubt. Second, breaking cutters is a safety problem! You do not want the liability of little bits of metal flying into eyes, it would never ever be worth it. So no, that's just not realistic. I think that's just an overly cynical explanation for something that is probably pretty darn simple: They had a bad batch of cutter blades, and they are replacing them for anyone that reports the issue. Hopefully, they were able to track down which cutters are bad, and remove them all from inventory.
I went out immediately to cut a wire coat hanger with my Leatherman ARC and it cut through the hanger repeatedly without a single problem. Sliced it up clean and nice, made six full cuts through the hangar. It is irresponsible to find an alleged fault (now I’m not so sure you did), have them replace a part, then NOT TEST THE REPLACEMENT and trash the product. Shame on you. Then you have the usual comment idiots who trash the whole company because, well, that is what sounds cool. People at Leatherman are rolling their eyes about things like this. It’s a tool. When you don’t use it right it won’t work. The customer is not always right, but they’re always outraged on YT. Frauds.
We cannot continue to support this company, we must collectively put the screws to them and boycott. Unacceptable response and PR. Unacceptable inventory shortages recently, Unacceptable discontinued beloved products. We must vote with our dollars. Buy a different multitool and carry a separate magnicut knife. I recommend the hogue dekka with og aluminum scales.
I keep a couple tools in my pocket edc. Including a Sog flash MT that’s deknifed. A knipex xs cobra, and a wave + handle with a file, t shank saw, can opener, awl/reamer, and 91mm sak scissors.
Without asking, Leatherman sent me new cutters, screws and tool to replace the ones that came on my Arc. BTW, the "New" cutters do look A LOT like the old ones, EXCEPT they close all the way. But as you admit, you just looked at them and didn't actually install & use them. SHAME ON YOU!
That notch is to keep hard wire from just sliding out when you go to cut it. Similar to kitchen shears that are made to cut chicken bones. I have a wave+ from 10 years ago that have that same notch and I haven't had any issues with them breaking. You should give the replacements a try as it is likely a hardening thing that they fixed (like you had eluded to) and not the shape that was the issue.
Its a absolute design flaw, that gap in the bottom makes no sense at all, its far from a cutter.. it cuts it 90% not 100%. I took the cutters off my older free p2 and its perfect. But still, if it isnt broke, dont fix it leatherman... stay with same formula and design you had before.
Almost the perfect multitool held back by dogshit wire cutters! I guess I'm gonna go with these chinese parts too.. That being said, any chance these will cause any corrosion due to the materials?
You should count yourselves lucky. Here in the UK, the Leatherman Arc is currently retailing for £260.95. At the current exchange rate that equates to $332.32. I have carried a Leatherman, Gerber etc for over 30 year's and have plenty. But I just can't justify a Arc at the moment.
@@garth8979for God's sake don't I jacked in with that company 8 years ago and I bought the first one they ever made unless people down tools with that company they will not change
yeah its NUTS i remember getting a stomach ache buying the wave in 2015 because it was so expensive. this is preposterous. buy some regular tools right now, you can live with what you got instead of going bankrupt because of some stupid craze. they got cool because they were getting used in IRAQ (MUT EOD!) and now its just like some fanboy brand shit. you won't be seeing these in a war zone lol. probobly chinese super alloy steel with hidden porosity too. i don't trust them very much, because I see this happen in another company, lets say when you start seeing people raise their prices, to deliver a high end product thats hardly worht it, it means they wanna downscale production and increase price to maintain profit while doing less work (clever scams to get rid of employees and sell machinery required for volume etc). when I saw a similar "push" into 'luxury', basically management turned totally foul. and it usually tanks the brand too... its normal for them right now to try to totally cover up their failures, do the bear minimum to address issues (expect a 'silent' bearly functional 'fix' and no apology or concession). the thing they push often has some appealing performance increase but its riddled with quality problems and deficencies caused by agressive engineering push (and the same people that push this shit don't like testing and WILL cover up failed tests to meet release dates (since its like a Pr thing to have a 'day' or ceremony etc to get people excited bout shit there is no reason to be really excited about. alright so think about this 1) get rid of ton of product that require labor 2) make a high end produce that cost more 3) raise prices the anticipated result is 1) less employees 2) less shit to manage 3) easier to streamline brand image 4) oh you get props from being a successful 'risk taker' boss the real result is 1) pissed off customers 2) broke ass shit 3) lost expertise (you know, all the undocumented experts that got flogged by a creative beurocrat for being outdated or having 'easy' jobs etc) 4) people get so pissed all the PR does not help because they just start hearing about corporate propaganda and ignoring what the company and big publications say 5) unstable income flow, if that 1 big thing fails then you can tank the company which could normally subside on the less efficient income streams this is the result of some psycho ass 0 vision analyst that 'determines' profit projections (aka makes shit up and bases it on 'clever' crap that is hard to prove and sounds impressive like secret consumer studies. they like saying 'consumer psychology' and 'consumer behavior' alot). you will feel like an idiot around this guy and it sounds all stale as fuck so people buy it because he talks about 50 things you never considered (and in reality should not consider). like the corproate einstine that thinks he found the grand unified theory of profit based on some kind of hidden variables no one considered (because in reality its totallyy fucking insane). this guy will tell you that what your doing for 20 years (successfully) is totally wrong and you just got lucky on coincidences (because common sense used to establish and manage business for a life time is fucking coincidence!). he also always convices everyone around him that they will get stinking rich if they listen to his grand leap forward. god i hate this new breed
yo seriously is the brand high jacked or something lol. i bought some old shit on ebay they discontinued. i think leatherman is on some shit. but quality for consumer products went down across the board around 2020. batteries really got hit hard by basically thieves
So leatherman responded to you sent you a new pair of cutters that they say they’ll fix the issue……And you’re too lazy to put them on a test them😑What’s the dang point if you’re not going to test them…..Honestly if you’re going to make these review type videos then do the testing
Good review! This review just confirms that I will not pull the trigger on further purchases until this problem is solved...
Thanks!
@@hvacbudget8600 you are most welcome!
For the outrageous prices Leatherman shamelessly puts on their products, this is absolutely unacceptable.
FWIW, I spoke with Leatherman early on in this disaster, and my understanding is that the failure of these cutters was not due to the gap at the bottom, but an issue with a batch of steel as they were ramping up production for the Arc release. I received replacement cutters after a few weeks that still had the gap but passed my tests on 2.5mm brass wire. The gap seems to be an updated design to fix the plier binding problem that plagued early versions of the Free P2 and P4. Unfortunately it has taken a lot of investigating to try and find this out, and I have been unable to get confirmation from Leatherman on the exact details of the situation. I’m not exactly pleased with their response to this issue, but I hope this provides a bit of clarity for those who are wondering.
I've seen a comment before on TH-cam from a gentleman who purchased a new Leatherman Wave+ he said it came with the "new design" wire cutters. I wouldn't think they would be just "exclusive" to the Leatherman ARC. Certainly, if you want replaceable wire cutters you want them for various models as a multitool company, so I believe what that gentleman said.
Very interesting. I may need to do more test with these new cutters.
@@billgerard3099 they started rounding off the bottom corner of the hard wire section which leaves a small gap when the pliers are completely closed.
@@richardsullivan1776 Exactly, the same cutters are used across the board, the only difference is some are coated black - but they all fit all models that use them. They changed the design, and that's across the board. The geometry change and the bad batch of steel simply are not related issues.
Agree completely, i have the problem with the surge after spending over £200 (with accessories) it still cant cut wire!! Likewise Leatherman sent replacement parts put they were the faulty design,, what a joke. Please keep us updated on any developments with this is issue..thanks for your hard work.
Can you please test the cutters they sent as replacement? I think that it is important to get to the bottom of this. Regardless of the design gap.
I have the same issue with my Leatherman Arc , and my dad’s Leatherman charge TTI also had that issue too so we all screwed until Leatherman fixes there issues in quality control.
That's very unfortunate!
In order for Leatherman to actually fix the problem the correct way Bibury or one of the other companies need to come out with a magnacut blade multitool.
Thank you very much for your valued honesty and truthful evaluation of all these tools. Love your channel! I think Leatherman is having a hard time being the best. When you throw money, Magnacut, and engineers at the Arc and parts break? Loved Leatherman's for a long time but really hope they can solve the wirecutter issues.
Hopefully they fix it soon!
Thanks a lot I was having my confidence in leatherman wane since the arc came out I saw the 40th anniversary arks where being sent without screws on the pocket clip and the faulty cutters I bought a charge tti and surge and both have the new style with that opening at the end and it’s sad to see only a few months back when I first purchased my p4 it had the old style cutters I’m guessing they cheapened out on the cutters as the surge when I tried cutting a clothes hanger the cutters bent and made the whole plier twist instead of cutting I’m not buying a new leatherman until I see the quality control back till then I’m only buying older ones that are used
According to Leatherman their parts are made in the USA except for some pliers heads Mexico and all their diamond wood files come from Europe. Less than five percent of the multitool has parts made anywhere else. Their accessories are another story that is why they have 3 year warranty’s not the limited 25 year warranty.
I’ve lost a lot of confidence in Leatherman as a company. I’m currently having a terrible customer service issue with them on an ongoing warranty claim. Long story short. The Bond replacement for my PST was sent to the wrong address and I’ve still yet to see that Leatherman is going to make it right. I’ve already spoken with them four times about it. Don’t know that I’ll buy another new Leatherman in the future. They’ve lost my business for now. I grabbed my original Super Tool and have been carrying it lately. I think it harkens back to a day when Leatherman was a much better company.
That's unfortunate! I hope it gets resolved for you!
Just buy a $27 Bilberry or whatever its called.
All this stems from the Top- the Leadership. Management have changed and they are responsible for the decisions being made and lack of enforcement of Quality Control etc. I believe when Tim ran the Company the QC was Way better. Who is running it now? 😒
Ive always liked the non replaceable cutters myself and have cut plenty building cattle fence with no issues. I believe the replaceable wire cutters were for leathermans benefit and there cash cow.
Makes sense.
There is no excuse for this. Not even cost savings because it turns that savings for them into an hidden cost for us. I think it may be time to forget about leatherman. I hate to. I would still like to get a couple of their tools. But companies don't learn until they feel the consequences in their bank account. For the tools of theirs I do still want, I guess I just try to find used ones in good shape. Time to start monitoring the clone market with more frequency.
In any case, thanks for the update video. I hope you and others keep doing them.
Leatherman has so much going for it, but stuff like this is damaging!
You should send all your Leatherman multitools to me as a protest. That'll show 'em!!
Buy used...They've already been removed from Leatherman's inventory and you won't continue to fill their coffers. If third-party resellers' stock doesn't move, they won't order more from the mother company. Leatherman seems to have adopted Harley-Davidson's stupid business model of screwing the customer and having the customer pay the toll to fix the problem. I worked for Harley and I really dig my old bikes, but FTF (fuck the factory). I'll keep my old Leatherman tools and buy new-to-me ones on eBay like I'm doing as I type.
@@billgerard3099 That's my plane. I'm not getting rid of my gen 2 Wave, Crunch, or others but I'm done buying new from them. Got a couple I'm searching for deals on used from time to time and that's it.
I really hope the clone market keeps getting better. Right now I think that's the pressure that's needed. If Leatherman starts losing money to competition that's releasing improved versions of their products at a better price it might snap them out of it.
There isn't an excuse, but there is an explanation: The steel was bad. The rounded corners aren't to blame for the breaking, it's just a design choice with various trade offs that some people agree with and some don't. The issue with the Arcs, was that they had cutters from a bad batch and they didn't catch it until users reported issues. The Email he read isn't a lie, it just isn't a complete explanation. You can't see the defect they had, but they had it and Leatherman is replacing the cutters for anyone that requests them. The rounded corners just are what they are.
I got an arc for Christmas and the spine of the saw was broken all the way through at the thumb hole. I’ll send it in to get fixed but so far they just seem like they don’t care about anything.
Wow!
I bought a Gerber Dual Force for $86, no complaints
It was not only cost effectiveness (their now "premium" metal is just the same 420 hc the pliers head and tool are made from), but also because people were complaining that that specific corner dug into/scraped against the outside of the pivot; if only they would have readjusted them before complaining, we would not be having this issue now. IIRC the rounded ones came into the market in 2021.
This is really important information, I didn't realize the new design was that old! And the rationale makes a lot of sense, they don't want the pliers impeded by making the cutters slightly easier to use.
Show your A.R.C. date. Mine is "05 23". Mine didn't break but I did/do have tighten problems on the plier joint. My Wave+ plus bought this year, with rounded cutters, cut a coat hanger fine. Similar replacement for my A.R.C off of eBay seems to have fixed my problem.
Makes one wonder what they’re thinking. Fix a problem, but send out the old parts that were breaking in the first place. I’m curious to see what would happen if the parts were sent back with a note that says: hey what’s up, you sent out the same part!?🤷🏻♂️
Maybe I should!
The geometry isn't the real issue though, all signs point to a batch of cutters that had an issue with the metal that was invisible to the eye. The cutters that broke look identical to normal ones, but they are brittle. The replacements SHOULD look entirely identical, but won't break. People don't like the rounded geometry, and immediately jumped to blaming it for the breaking, when that just isn't the case. There are other videos showing people cutting wire with the replacement cutters, same geometry, and they don't break.
waiting for my arc to arrive. I bought a pair of LM wire cutter, probably the older version. Lets see how it goes.
UPDATE: the replacement cutters i received were the same as the ones on the ARC. So i went to aliexpress and bought the cutters with the M42 steel. They fit nicely into the Arc.
Same email and same outcome, when i gave them my information, cutters show up in the mail unexpectedly and I thought wow they sent me the right cutters! And nope the same bs cutters! Wasting my time, and i didn't bother with them no more! Leatherman has benn super annoying...
Had the exact same experience with my Arc. Contacted Leatherman. They said if I sent my details they'd send replacement cutters. Sent my details and then they backed out because I'm in the UK. Lost all confidence in Leatherman as a result.
Wow! That is crazy!
Thanks for saving my hard earned bucks ....
Just bought a Super Tool 300 and it has the new fragile cutters. I'm really disappointed. Gunna look at third party options.
A perfect tool because it includes a T shank adapter and a quarter inch drive. Oh wait, that's the new Bibury.
LoL!!
Leatherman is losing sight of and the confidence of their customers. I have several models of Leatherman multitools and for the most part they work fine. However, they all lack one feature that I really want and that is the quarter inch bit holder. If you lose or break one of their proprietary bits your done for awhile. You can’t just run to the store and buy some replacement bits. I prefer to buy American made products, but I now have some knockoffs with this feature and they seem to be of good quality and work well for my needs. Leatherman needs to wake up and take care of their customers needs or they will be out of business. Also, that must be some really expensive steel for the Arc knife blade. They could use a higher quality of steel without going overboard and still have a better tool at a better price point.
Good points!
Leatherman is made in U.S.A but not all parts also come from U S.A made.
In my opinion there are 2 independent problems :
- Material issues on some Arc firsts production batchs. Maybe due to wrong heat treatment, I think it might have been fixed now. No new youtubers seems to encounter problems while cutting hard wires.
- Geometry issues on new 2022-style cutters, for all leatherman models. Nobody knows why they introduced this rounded edge, but in all cases this geometry is cutting far worse than the previous one.
I think you are probably right.
I like it. Makes it easier to strip wire. My Klines have the same notch
I believe the rounded edge at the bottom of the new cutters is to prevent the cutters from gouging into the pivot when the pliers are all the way open, thus preventing the binding/sticking issues from the free p4 and p2. Thats my guess
It's likely you're getting tired of my comparisons between Leatherman and Apple but when the iphone 6 had issues with the screen going all liney and not registering touches (Good ol' bendgate) because the materials were too thin Apple's solution was to charge the customer $149 for a raplacement ... which had exactly the same issues as the devices being replaced.
*The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun*
Wow! I hadn't heard of that since I'm more of a budget Android guy. Great comparison! The wisdom from the greatest Book on earth definitely fits nicely here!
It's one of the reasons the modularity of the GOAT is so promising in my eyes. If they can fix the issues with their cutters or, failing that, make good on their replacement plier head plans then they'd certainly come out ahead in the contest of the cutters.
So much potential and passion in so many of these companies' ideas but so many scrapped or passed over something that cuts costs or pumps up profits.
P.s apologies for the excessive assonance and alliteration.
@@Baggytrousers27 LoL! I may need to make an acrostic to keep up.
Leap years ahead
Everyone said
American made
The warranty parade
Hear the rumble
Even the crumble
Reality dawns
Man as pawns
Assemble with care
Never fate dare
🎆✨️HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL MT'S LOVER HERE🎇🎉
Best wishes from France🛠
Happy New Year!!!
Yeah I don't like the replaceable cutters on the new Leatherman. They should go back to the non-replaceable wire those were the best
Sad but true.!
… which is why I carry an OG Supertool. An elegant multitool for a more civilized age.
True!
id rather buy the new WorkSharp Precision Adjust instead of the Arc, to remain in the blades field.
option2: Surge + Knipex Cobra 150mm + Knipex Cobolt S in the lateral pockets.
I like the little gap. Makes stripping wires easy.
Typical Leatherman, do no testing & ignore customer feedback..... SIGH
Very frustrating!
I find this to be true of a lot of American manufacturers lately .
@@Tym2GoDienothing special about US made. Just overpaying for sub-par simple mass produced items.
And y'all buy it anywayy😂
@@deykno87 Just like people love BMW's despite the fact 1/3 of the engine is low quality plastic...
Leathermans warranty is a BIG reason to buy. However, that warranty has made them cancel a heap of their products lately 🥺
Yeah, Gerber 2.0...screw this 'new' Leatherman.
The Chinses defiantly have better cutters then the standard Leatherman ones in my experience. I ordered several spares just incase but even after heavy (excessive) use are still holding up. Also i belive it is a true modern "Damascus", as it is not that hard to manufacture these days and evidently they seem to be hitting their hardness and toughness goals in the steel.
Why would anyone want a Damascus-type wire cutter part? Forge welding two metals seems like a senseless and costly proposition for no return...Unless it's a way to get rid of two junk steels, and play off peoples' fascination with the mystical and magical Damascus term.
@billgerard3099 I'm no metallurgist but my understanding is it greatly depends on the core material they start with and needs to be mixed with a steel not too dissimilar and if the folding/welding process is done properly you should end up with a good end product with no delamination. Of course there a better steels out there and to be fair I haven't tried these demascas cutters, I have been using the tool steel ones from Ali. My experience with Chinese Damascus is with the knife blades, claim to be VG10 core, (probably more like an 8 or 9 CR core) but came very sharp and well finished and is holding an edge much better than leatherman 420hc.
Leatherman are for collectors only now. Why pay 1000% more for a tool that is 5% better?
I feel like this whole saga is a bit overblown. Based on all the videos and conversation I've seen, the response from Leatherman, and cutters included on the tools I own, I have a pretty good idea of what's going on here. There are two problems: Geometry, and metallurgy. The rounded corner are apparently harder to use for cutting hard wire, that's unfortunate and it would be nice if they change back to the other geometry. But this geometry has been seen across the product line, and in the replacement cutters. It's either here to stay, or it's an artefact of one cutter supplier over another than they're getting the parts from. In the end though, it's not really a defect so much as a questionable design choice and you should not expect warranty to cover this geometry difference nor should you be worried that it will break. The second issue, the issue causing cutters to break, is almost certainly because something about the manufacturing process be it the alloy of the steel, the machining, the hardening, some part of that went wrong on a batch of cutters leading to brittle cutters that break. That's what Leatherman is talking about in the Email, but the defect isn't visible - the geometry is as expect (even if we don't like it) but the metal is bad, and they didn't know until users reported issues. It's merely an unfortunate coincidence that this batch of cutters was used to outfit many Arc tools at release and they happen to be the newer round geometry.
I think the idea that they did this to avoid broken plier heads is just silly. Firstly, because... really? People cutting wire using nothing but grip strength are breaking hardened steel plier heads often enough to be a problem? X to do doubt. Second, breaking cutters is a safety problem! You do not want the liability of little bits of metal flying into eyes, it would never ever be worth it. So no, that's just not realistic. I think that's just an overly cynical explanation for something that is probably pretty darn simple: They had a bad batch of cutter blades, and they are replacing them for anyone that reports the issue. Hopefully, they were able to track down which cutters are bad, and remove them all from inventory.
I went out immediately to cut a wire coat hanger with my Leatherman ARC and it cut through the hanger repeatedly without a single problem. Sliced it up clean and nice, made six full cuts through the hangar. It is irresponsible to find an alleged fault (now I’m not so sure you did), have them replace a part, then NOT TEST THE REPLACEMENT and trash the product. Shame on you. Then you have the usual comment idiots who trash the whole company because, well, that is what sounds cool. People at Leatherman are rolling their eyes about things like this. It’s a tool. When you don’t use it right it won’t work. The customer is not always right, but they’re always outraged on YT. Frauds.
Replacing incredibly expensive items with cheap Chinese items that are better. The arc holds no interest for me.
Ever heard of material and manufacturing errors?
We cannot continue to support this company, we must collectively put the screws to them and boycott. Unacceptable response and PR. Unacceptable inventory shortages recently, Unacceptable discontinued beloved products. We must vote with our dollars. Buy a different multitool and carry a separate magnicut knife. I recommend the hogue dekka with og aluminum scales.
Nice knife, what pliers based EDC tool do you think is preferable?
I keep a couple tools in my pocket edc. Including a Sog flash MT that’s deknifed. A knipex xs cobra, and a wave + handle with a file, t shank saw, can opener, awl/reamer, and 91mm sak scissors.
Without asking, Leatherman sent me new cutters, screws and tool to replace the ones that came on my Arc. BTW, the "New" cutters do look A LOT like the old ones, EXCEPT they close all the way. But as you admit, you just looked at them and didn't actually install & use them. SHAME ON YOU!
That notch is to keep hard wire from just sliding out when you go to cut it. Similar to kitchen shears that are made to cut chicken bones.
I have a wave+ from 10 years ago that have that same notch and I haven't had any issues with them breaking. You should give the replacements a try as it is likely a hardening thing that they fixed (like you had eluded to) and not the shape that was the issue.
Its a absolute design flaw, that gap in the bottom makes no sense at all, its far from a cutter.. it cuts it 90% not 100%. I took the cutters off my older free p2 and its perfect. But still, if it isnt broke, dont fix it leatherman... stay with same formula and design you had before.
Agreed!
It’s called a wire stripper. That’s why the gap. It’s for striping wire not cutting.
The Gap is Not a wire Stripper! The wire stripper is on the Awl.
Almost the perfect multitool held back by dogshit wire cutters! I guess I'm gonna go with these chinese parts too.. That being said, any chance these will cause any corrosion due to the materials?
Mine seem fine so far.
While tleatherman is good materials I have not had good luck with them the last 2 times. Not saying there aren't good just kind of lead me away
230 dollars for that when you can get chineses ones that do the exact same thing 40 bucks.
Laughable.
$250 for a tool and you have to fix it with made in China parts???
I know!
Fanboys and their Leatherman 😅
It's just a toy for grown men at this point. $250 for this?
You should count yourselves lucky.
Here in the UK, the Leatherman Arc is currently retailing for £260.95. At the current exchange rate that equates to $332.32.
I have carried a Leatherman, Gerber etc for over 30 year's and have plenty. But I just can't justify a Arc at the moment.
@@garth8979for God's sake don't I jacked in with that company 8 years ago and I bought the first one they ever made unless people down tools with that company they will not change
yeah its NUTS i remember getting a stomach ache buying the wave in 2015 because it was so expensive. this is preposterous. buy some regular tools right now, you can live with what you got instead of going bankrupt because of some stupid craze. they got cool because they were getting used in IRAQ (MUT EOD!) and now its just like some fanboy brand shit. you won't be seeing these in a war zone lol. probobly chinese super alloy steel with hidden porosity too. i don't trust them very much, because I see this happen in another company, lets say when you start seeing people raise their prices, to deliver a high end product thats hardly worht it, it means they wanna downscale production and increase price to maintain profit while doing less work (clever scams to get rid of employees and sell machinery required for volume etc). when I saw a similar "push" into 'luxury', basically management turned totally foul. and it usually tanks the brand too... its normal for them right now to try to totally cover up their failures, do the bear minimum to address issues (expect a 'silent' bearly functional 'fix' and no apology or concession). the thing they push often has some appealing performance increase but its riddled with quality problems and deficencies caused by agressive engineering push (and the same people that push this shit don't like testing and WILL cover up failed tests to meet release dates (since its like a Pr thing to have a 'day' or ceremony etc to get people excited bout shit there is no reason to be really excited about.
alright so think about this
1) get rid of ton of product that require labor
2) make a high end produce that cost more
3) raise prices
the anticipated result is
1) less employees
2) less shit to manage
3) easier to streamline brand image
4) oh you get props from being a successful 'risk taker' boss
the real result is
1) pissed off customers
2) broke ass shit
3) lost expertise (you know, all the undocumented experts that got flogged by a creative beurocrat for being outdated or having 'easy' jobs etc)
4) people get so pissed all the PR does not help because they just start hearing about corporate propaganda and ignoring what the company and big publications say
5) unstable income flow, if that 1 big thing fails then you can tank the company which could normally subside on the less efficient income streams
this is the result of some psycho ass 0 vision analyst that 'determines' profit projections (aka makes shit up and bases it on 'clever' crap that is hard to prove and sounds impressive like secret consumer studies. they like saying 'consumer psychology' and 'consumer behavior' alot). you will feel like an idiot around this guy and it sounds all stale as fuck so people buy it because he talks about 50 things you never considered (and in reality should not consider). like the corproate einstine that thinks he found the grand unified theory of profit based on some kind of hidden variables no one considered (because in reality its totallyy fucking insane). this guy will tell you that what your doing for 20 years (successfully) is totally wrong and you just got lucky on coincidences (because common sense used to establish and manage business for a life time is fucking coincidence!). he also always convices everyone around him that they will get stinking rich if they listen to his grand leap forward. god i hate this new breed
@@garth8979 Ikr! In Singapore arc cost $499SGD that's like $370usd
That's a bunch of crap. I'll pass on the Arc for sure.
yo seriously is the brand high jacked or something lol. i bought some old shit on ebay they discontinued. i think leatherman is on some shit. but quality for consumer products went down across the board around 2020. batteries really got hit hard by basically thieves
So leatherman responded to you sent you a new pair of cutters that they say they’ll fix the issue……And you’re too lazy to put them on a test them😑What’s the dang point if you’re not going to test them…..Honestly if you’re going to make these review type videos then do the testing