Reviews > Knives > Multi-tools > Leatherman Charge Ti > Cora Shea > Long Term Report

Long Term Use Just like the period before my Field report, I've used the Charge Ti just about every day. This included ten more backcountry days, and a lot of use at work and around the house and in the office. I backed off on the use of the Charge Ti in the backcountry during the test. This was somewhat because of its heaviness, but mostly because of its predilection toward rust (which I describe below). Even storing the Charge Ti in my Tupperware bowl for the night (which created some condensation from my food water) would create rust, which took me an hour or so to scrape off once home. But, that maintenance aside, I still consider the Charge Ti to be a great tool, especially in the ski season when I need most things on the tool. In the summer, I consider the weight less worthwhile since all I really need is a knife and a can opener. But, it is nice to have for the occasional odd use - I enjoy having it in dry canyons for prying quicklink screws open (used for anchors in canyons) and for sharpening the occasional bit of metal on my axe or crampons after a particularly rocky day in the mountains (rock dulls and dents like nothing else). In fact, I found that what I least liked the Charge Ti for was basic summer backpacking. I appreciated the full extent of the Charge Ti in the off seasons when the pliers and bits came in handy. However, the bits themselves still stayed the weakest piece of the tool. The bits are so small that they slip a great deal, but they are better than nothing. But that is all that I can say for them since they are not really all that useful. The Phillips bit in particular dented along the edges such that it now slides and scrapes all around in a screw head when I try to use it. As I said in my Field Report, I'd much rather give up the eyeglass screwdriver and the larger standard screwdriver and then have room for a real bit adapter. But in general, the Charge Ti definitely has stood up to a lot of use very well, and has certainly earned a spot in my work bag, where I use it every day.

Long Term Opinions Long Term Care and Maintenance: Other than dealing with rust (which I describe below) and stropping and sharpening the knife, the Charge Ti has essentially needed no maintenance. The knives are very easy to clean all the way down to the hinges after cutting messy things like avocado since the hinge is exposed and wipeable. The saw teeth clean easily as well after cutting things like coconut husks and the odd dead branch for firewood. The one exception was the file. The file, being small-toothed, proved to be somewhat harder to clean, especially since I felt washing it out with water would only rust it. But other than that, the Charge Ti needed no maintenance. As for long-term care, I would wipe down the Charge Ti with a dry cloth when it got dirty, and oil the hinges (and wipe them out) when they got gritty. But I did this a total of three times over six months of very dirty day-to-day use. As for the rust below, when rust appeared I would file or scrape the rust off with a dry brillo pad or steel wool, and then oil the surface. Long Term Durability: Overall, the Charge Ti is a very solid tool. I've torqued it, dropped it, used it for things it was perhaps not meant to be used for (such as prying metal lids, whittling aluminum, and other heavy-duty tasks) and generally abused it for six straight months. In general, I am very happy. However, my two comments from my field report still hold. I have not really exposed the tool to water at all, and yet rust has formed nearly everywhere. Only with (what I consider to be) excessive cleaning can I keep the tool in presentable condition. The difficult to clean areas (such as the pliers hinge) rusted quite obviously. The pliers face rusted because it got stored for a few hours in the hinge, and I believe that caused the rust to spread. And, as far as I can tell, the small and light patches of rust on the tool edges in the last photo below were actually caused by my hand sweat, since those tools have not touched water at all: Rust on the pliers hinge Rust on the pliers face Rust on the top tool edges I am not sure how to prevent or treat this sort of rust. It comes despite careful care and attempted prevention, and appears on the knives especially with vigor. (I don't have any knife-rust photos because I scour the knives with equal vigor.) I've never had a knife that rusts this easily, and feel bad that it has caused me to stop using it as much in the backcountry. Luckily, it is such a great tool around an urban environment that I don't feel too bad.

Summary Overall, the Charge Ti has been a tool that has stood up to every use I could throw at it. It sure is a bit hefty weight-wise (it tends to pull down the hem of my pants a little when it's in my pocket) but its durability, sharpness, and ease of use has surpassed all other pocket knives and tools I've used. Likes Dislikes Ready for tough manual tasks Heavy Easy locking/unlocking mechanisms Rust formed with minimal water exposure Very sharp knives Difficult to clean and oil

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Reviews > Knives > Multi-tools > Leatherman Charge Ti > Cora Shea > Long Term Report