Leatherman CS4; what a waste!
Written: Mar 05 '03 (Updated Oct 01 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Nothing good to say about the POS I bought from Leatherman with a crappy warranty.
Cons: Two spring failures on a knife that was not abused. Avoid it.
The Bottom Line: After having two springs break on this tool, the cost to send it back, the long turnaround time and no exact replacement, I no longer recommend anything from Leatherman.
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| cartan's Full Review: Leatherman Juice CS4 Glacier Multi-Tool |
Update 10/1/2007 The replacement for my broken Juice CS4 finally arrived today. It took five weeks for the warranty replacement. They sent me one with PURPLE handles to replace the blue (Glacier) knife I bought. The handles already had a couple of dings on them. I am not the least bit happy with the replacement or the time it took to receive it. I'm not about to spend another $7 to send it back and get the blue one like I originally purchased. I'm just giving up on this lousy company called Leatherman. Previously in my review, I was very pleased with the one week turn around after a spring broke, and I got a new replacement of the exact color (Glacier blue). When the second spring broke, I had my doubts about the quality of the product. When it took Leatherman 13 business days from the time they received it until they "logged it in" so they could send me a replacement, it tells me they are having lots of problems with quality control. When they send me a pre-scratched knife of the wrong color, it makes me wonder how long they will stay in business. Read the terms of the warranty. They could send me a different knife if they so desired to replace the one I sent in. I'm screwed on the color. Don't you get screwed by Leatherman. Choose another company.
Update: 8/27/07
Another spring broke on my Leatherman CS4. According to the Leatherman website, they recommend sending the tool back via UPS or Fed EX, since, according to them, delivery via USPS is only guaranteed to the receiving post office, not the Leatherman facility. Cost $14 to send the tool back via UPS. That was, according to the clerk, the cheapest rate. (He lied, or was inexperienced. I later found that the cheapest rate was about $7.50, still too high, IMO)
This tool was by no means abused. The complete absence of any nicks or scratches on the handle and the tools can attest to that. The fact that a second spring broke indicates to me a serious design defect or a batch of sub-standard springs were used in the manufacture of the CS4 during the time of manufacture.
Having used this Leatherman alternately with a Swiss Army knife for several years, I find the only real advantage to this knife is the pliers, especially when fishing. The screwdriver bits are cumbersome to get out, but the other tools (knife blade, scissors, saw) are easily accessible. Otherwise, the Swiss Army knife is adequate for most chores, and is less bulky to carry.
Because of the second spring breakage on this tool, and the cost to return it for repairs, I have downgraded my rating and enthusiasm for the Leatherman CS4.
(end of update)
Update (October 3, 2003) Last month, to my surprise, a spring bar on my Leatherman CS4 broke. The multi-tool was never put under any strain; this failure must have been an undetected manufacturing defect. But the tool was still fully functional; there was actually less force required to open the Phillips screwdriver bit. Not wanting to part with my CS4, I wrote to Leatherman asking for a replacement spring bar. I was told that while Leatherman provides a 25 year warranty without proof-of-purchase or other registration requirements, I would have to send in the entire tool to get it fixed, and led to believe that it would take three to four weeks for repairs. In a second letter to Leatherman, pleading for a spring bar, I was assured by Tracy Aldana of the Warranty Support Group at Leatherman that if I sent my CS4 to her, she would send me a new CS4 the same day. So I sent the tool to Leatherman on Monday and received a new Juice CS4 on Thursday. Can't be more pleased, that I received a new Leatherman to replace my old CS4 in such short time. Tracy also enclosed a Leatherman leather sheath for the CS4, which more than compensated me for the postage and insurance to send the CS4 back to the company. I still stand by my high appraisal of the Leatherman Juice CS4.
(end of update)
Having carried a Swiss Army knife (The Golfer) in my pocket for many years, I was jealous of the many multi-tools that had a set of pliers included in the array. I had been given a Gerber Multi-Tool several years ago, but grew to dislike it for several reasons. It wasn't practical to be carried in the pocket, and had to be strapped on the belt in a pouch. In order to access the knife on the Gerber Multi-Tool, I had to snap open the pliers, open the handles, pull out the blade, close the handles and slide back the plier jaws. Just too cumbersome, and I wound up only using the Gerber Multi-Tool as pliers, and kept the Swiss Army knife for most other tasks.
Then I saw the Leatherman Juice series and the CS4 caught my eye. Slightly bigger, fatter and heavier than my Swiss Army knife, but worth the additional bulge in my pocket for all the additional tools it carried. My priorities for any tool that would replace my trusty Swiss Army knife were that it had to include, in order of preference,
a.) pliers, b.) scissors, c.) Phillips screwdriver, d.) knife, e.)corkscrew, f.) bottle opener, and g.) tweezers. My Swiss Army knife contained b., d., e., f. and g. and a flat screwdriver and the toothpick.
The Leatherman CS4 contains every one of my priorities, except the tweezers, and more. A saw, a leather punch, a can opener, three sizes of flat screwdrivers, and a lanyard attachment, which I haven't figured out a use for. The corkscrew had the same pitch as the one on my Swiss Army knife, and the tiny screwdriver accessory that nested inside the corkscrew fit nicely on my new Leatherman CS4. But no tweezers.
Determined to add the tweezers to the array of tools, I found a space below the corkscrew where the tweezers would fit, if I just ground off about one third of the width of the tweezers for about two thirds of its length. The top of the tweezers laid in the groove below the corkscrew near the end of the knife while the pinching end of the tweezers slid under the pivot bar of the corkscrew. In order for the can opener to close tightly, I had to file off a millimeter or so from the flat tab that is used for cutting into a can. The tweezers stay nested in the groove, even when the can opener and corkscrew are opened, and I find that I must use the tiny screwdriver nested in the corkscrew to coax the tweezers out. That is a fine compromise, just so they are there when I need them.
I now have what is probably a rare version of the Leatherman CS4 with Tweezers! And one less belt pouch to worry about. The cellphone, PDA and GPS units take up enough space on the belt! (Just kidding).
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
cartan
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Reviews written: 27
Trusted by: 3 members
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