Product Description

ChargeTi Multi Tool With Titanium Handles & 154CM Steel Blades & Improved Pliers & Wire Cutters, Internal Locking Tools With 8 Flat 1/4" Driver Bits & Special Reversible Eyeglass Screwdriver, Inner Tools Includes Scissors, Screwdrivers Wire Strippers & Container Opener, Includes Nylon Sheath With Detachable Pocket Clip & Lanyard Attachment, Outside Tools Include Serrated Knife, Razor Edge Knife, File, Diamond Hone & Saw, All Outside Implements Have Liner Locks Ballistic Nylon Premium Sheath Included, Made In USA With Domestic & Foreign Parts.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #39730 in Home Improvement
• Brand: Leatherman
• Model: 830005
• Dimensions: 1.00" h x 1.00" w x 4.00" l, 1.00 pounds

Features

• Folding multi-tool
• 2 pliers, 2 wire cutters, 2 knives, saw, scissors, 2 files, 2 bit drivers, screwdriver, ruler, bottle/can opener, wire stripper, 2 lanyard rings, pocket clip, 8 double-ended bits
• Titanium handles for lightweight durability; stainless steel tools; bronze brushings
• Includes tool and nylon belt sheath
• 4-inches long closed 6.3-inches long open; 8.4 ounces; 25-year limited warranty

Customer Reviews

Wave on Steroids
I hadn't even considered replacing my much loved Wave as I considered its design almost prefect but then I received the Charge Ti as a gift and the subtle improvements make it may every day carrier and relegate the wave to the car glove box. The Ti is more solid and a little more chunky than the wave without gaining any extra weight.

The improvements are subtle but cover every aspect of the tool. For me, the biggest improvement is the better design, higher grade (154CM), easier opening main blade. The finger hoop is larger and protrudes from the liner a bit more than the old wave but opening is so much easier one handed now. The pliers jaws are also more strongly built and the whole thing feels more solid when used in the pliers configuration.

Other improvements include locking mechanisms for all tools and blades rather than just the external blades on the wave. On my wave I have had the main flat screwdriver tool fold on my while trying to press too hard into a screw head. with the locking tools of the Ti I will no longer worry about this. Also, all tools have a finder nail notch and you can open just the one you want - on my wave you seemed to pull out all the tools on one side and then put back all but the one you want to use.

The ruler makes a comeback from the original Leatherman tools which I'm glad to see. It seems that the Ti has less tools until you realize how many more options the interchangeable tool bits add. The tools themselves seem very hard and come in a holder which conveniently stores in the nylon Ti's pouch. The leatherman logo is riveted onto the pouch which I'm not sure about but time will tell. I'm also not sure about the new scissor design - it doesn't fold in the same way as the older wave resulting in a smaller cutting surface although leatherman claim that they are easier to cut with and will hold their edge better than the wave design. Again, time will tell.

Back to the positives; the Ti comes with a removeable belt clip (for those time you don't want to use the pouch and you want to carry the tool in your pocket) and lanyard ring. The new lanyard ring is larger than the old wave's swing out ring and is useful for those times you're near water or up a ladder. In the new, removeable configuration you can leave a cord attached permanently to the ring but will still be able to remove the whole thing at will, Attaching a cord to the lanyard ring will also make this small ring more difficult to use. Finally, I'm sure the new jewelers, reversible screw driver will come in handy.

If you're happy with your Wave it is difficult to justify upgrading to the Ti, however, the subtle changes are very apparent when compared side by side. If you want the best though this tool seems to be it.

The best multitool so far.
After decades carrying victorinox swiss army knives, then SOG multitools, then finally the Gerber Urban Legend, I have finally ended up with the Leatherman Charge Ti - and it's the best yet. I've been carrying the Charge Ti for a month now, and I'm ready to weigh in:

Hots:
1) Single handed opening blades of excellent quality. I don't know if the "154CM steel" business is marketing hype or not, but the clip point blade is the sharpest most slickly ground blade I've ever seen on a multi-tool. It rivals a high-end pocket knife. The liner lock is easy, secure, and well implemented. The serrated blade on the other side is pretty awesome too.
2) Titanium side pieces are thinner and slicker than the the steel ones on the Wave. Others have derided this as a marketing gimmick, but the thinner profile is appreciated in my book. It helps keep this loaded tool nice and sleek. Compared to the Gerber Urban Legend, this is positively svelt.
3) Diamond file for you nails and aggresively cut file for everything else. Cross hatching goes all the way to the tip. This is the best file I've ever seen on a multi-tool.
4) Awesome saw. Ultrasharp double row dual pitched teeth are virtually the equal of the ones on a victorinox swiss army knife (or swiss tool) (they are a tad shorter) - but exceeds the victorinox's by having the teeth extend all the way to the tip.
5) Both big blades, the file and saw all all openable without opening the tool up (like with the Wave) and all lock with liner lock mechanisms.
6) The pliers are a work of art. Nicely shaped needle nose with aggresive internal teeth that truly mesh for excellent grip. Improved wire cutters are great - but still the weakest link since once they get blunt there's no fixing them.
7) Internal tools all lock with a slick push-button release mechanism. This is especially key for screwdrivers - so that you don't bear down and then have them pinch your fingers when they accidentally close.
8) True micro-sized glasses screwdriver comes in handy for a host of applications. Unlike other implimentations, this one is attached to a beefy piece of steel and locks like all the rest.
9) All tools accessible individually - with normal fingernails.
10) Interchangeable bits on the main screwdriver. While some have questioned the choice of included bits, the expansion kit isn't over expensive and the fact that extra bits are in stored in a plastic tray that is included - and has space provided in the sheath combines to make me say this is the best screwdriver bit arrangement I've yet seen.
11) Combo bottle/can opener. Nicely done - nice to be able to open cans in a pinch. This is omitted by some.
12) Like the Wave, the arrangement of blades opening directly from the outside means that when you open the tool to use the pliers the blade liners make a thick non-pinching handle for you to hold - far preferable to the old-style multi-tool handle where you had to squeeze the thin metal edge of the handle. This is comfortable handle - and it has good useable metric and english style rulers marked out on it to boot. The rulers measure out to 8".

Nots:
1) Scissors isn't as good as the one they used to have on the Wave. It's unusual to see the quality of a component go down in a Leatherman. I wonder what the story is. The scissors is still good (very sharp), but it's very tiny and bit wimpy. Good for small jobs but can't cut anything thick - like plastic clamshell cases or more than 5 sheets of paper at a time easily.
2) As good as the pliers are I miss two features from the Gerber Urban legend: i) interchangeable wire cutter blades. ii) spring loaded jaw opening. I understand that the spring opening plier jaws of the Gerber meant that the pliers didn't open as wide - which compromised them - but it make their use for fine work really nice.
3) Flat screwdriver tool. Instead of the second bit driver of the Xti, the Ti has the scissors and a permanent flat screwdriver tool - a bigger chunkier flat screwdriver than the one on the bit. This is nice - but since there's already a flat screwdriver on the bit tool, there was an opportunity to put another kind of tool here - like an awl. This is a bit of a quibble. I prefer to have a scissors, so I give the nod to the Charge Ti over the Xti.

How would I compare it to the Gerber Urban Legend (big one)? The Charge is a far more refined beast - better engineered and layed out. The Urban Legend is comparitively big and ungainly, with dumb rubber side pieces that fall out after a while and silly tool arrangement that prevents you from opening some tools without opening others to get access. The Urban Legend also has only one blade, which they've opted to make 1/2 serrated and 1/2 (the tip half) straight; clearly a weakness. In practice I didn't mind this blade much, though. The Legend lacks rulers - has a silly arrangement for interchangeable bits (and no case to hold the bits and the knife together). No option for leather case. Inferior file. All that aside, the Urban Legend's spring loaded pliers were really memorable - the best I've yet used, and I miss them. Overall, though, the Leatherman smokes the Legend. I can't comment on how the Charge compares to the new Wave, but compared to all the multi-tools which have gone before, the Charge Ti improves virtually every area in virtually every way. This is a hot multi-tool - highly recommended.

Definitely a keeper-hard to outdo the Wave-but they did.
I've had my Wave almost 5 years-it never leaves my side. I bought a Charge so I wouldn't be without while I sent the Wave in for refurb(yes, I wore it out-didn't break,just got loose after years of use). Many of the improvements over the Wave are just what I was looking for, although a detachable diamond file would be nice for emergency blade sharpening in the field. It also would be nice to get the xTi model with the scissors included. By the way, B. Wong, you don't seem understand the design purpose of the Leatherman tools. The Swiss PE323 is a multi-function pocketknife designed primarily for camping and small tasks, not a true multi-tool for heavy everyday use. Over the last 5 years I have used my Wave dozens of times a day for everything, including computer and electronics repair on the job, running fence on my farm, hunting, fire starting and cooking in the field, canoe repair on the river, vehicle and bicycle repair on the road, horse tack repair on the trail, etc. etc. It is almost part of me now, and your PE323 could never match it in utility. I will carry on with my new Charge and do the same tasks with greater ease in the future, while my retired Wave remains as standby. Come to think of it, your review shows that you must buy your tools based on how "gadgety" they are- you obviously don't have the field experience with multitools that the rest of us "biased" reviewers have. Real tools like this are worth the money to people who need them and know how to use them.