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Reviews > Knives > Multi-tools > Leatherman Charge Ti > Coy Starnes > Field ReportLeatherman Charge Ti
Field Report April 4, 2005 
Tester Bio I live outside a small town in northeast Alabama. I enjoy hunting, fishing, canoeing and most other outdoor activities. Backpacking is my favorite pastime. I enjoy hiking with my friends and family or solo. I hike throughout the year and actually hike the least in the hot humid months of summer. My style is slow and steady and my gear is light. However, I will sacrifice weight for comfort and durability. A typical 3 season load for me is around 20 lb (9 kg) not counting food or water. I usually sleep in a hammock and cook with an alcohol stove. My backpacking trips are usually 2, 3 or 4 days in length. Product Information
Product Description To see the Charge Ti and the various bits included, a look at my Initial Report is in order. But briefly, it is a multi-tool which has a premium blade in the 154 CM Clip-Point. It also utilizes a bit holder and a card like bit storage system (see photos in Initial Report). Testing Conditions and Locations The Leatherman Charge Ti has been a constant companion at work, at home and while hiking. This included a short hike on the Fiery Gizzard trail in Tennessee and several hikes in the woods around home. The lowest temperature during this time was on a day hike in early February when it was 27 F (-3 C). The warmest was at work recently in late March when it toped out at 80 F (-27 C) and I just happened to be using the tool. Field Test Result I usually don't mind it when stuff doesn’t tear up. However, when walking around armed with a state-of-the-art multi-tool, things could cooperate a little and give me grief. That said, I found plenty of uses for the Charge Ti, especially when I used it at work At My Job At work I kept the Charge Ti close at hand, usually on  my belt but occasionally just in my jean pocket using
the
pocket clip. It came in handy on numerous occasions and saved me
several trips across the parking lot to the shop where we keep most of
our tools. I was even able to tackle one job start to finish with
the Charge Ti and did not find myself wanting a better tool. On
other occasions I made do with the Charge Ti but really felt like
a dedicated tool, say a power screw driver, would have been much more
appropriate. But then again I don’t carry a power drill around
on my belt so the versatility and accessibility of the Charge Ti is not
to be dismissed.I mentioned doing a job from start to finish using only the Leatherman Charge Ti. A hydraulic cylinder hose needed replaced. I was able to remove the old hose by loosening the hose clamps with the larger flat screwdriver bit. I cut the needed length of new hose and replaced it, and finished up by tightening the hose clamps. The 154 CM Clip-Point blade cut the tough hose as well as the box cutter I normally use, in fact, maybe better due to the extra length of the blade. I also used the pliers several times at work to bleed some needle valves which get air in them. Another project quickly pointed out one of the short comings of the  Charge Ti. And short is the key word here.
I needed to disassemble a pump which was not feeding properly. To
get to the diaphragm I needed to remove several Phillips screws which
were recessed into the pump housing. Unfortunately, they were
seated just below the reach of the Phillips bit on the Charge Ti.
Actually the bit holder jammed into each hole surrounding the
screws. I even tried to pull the bit further out in the bit
holder to see if it would reach but it would not. In fairness,
longer bits would not fit in the sheath if the horizontal position of
each bit in the bit holder is maintained. I would not want the
bit holder to hold bits in a vertical position because only about 3
bits would fit as apposed to the 10 slots provided. I can live
with the short reach in tight places for the better (more) bit
assortment the short bits allow. At Home and On the Road At home, I usually had on sweat pants or other clothing without a belt but the Charge Ti was kept handy, usually where I keep my keys and wallet. I used the pliers to tighten several loose nuts on different furniture and appliances. I opened a few cans and the can-opener works great.  I used the scissors to cut offending
strings on my clothes as well as on the clothes of my wife and
kids. The scissors also cut open various plastic packages, often
on the ride home from the store. This included a hands free setup
for my wife's cellphone and a CD player for my daughter. I found the screwdriver does not work all that well at tensioning the chain on my chain saw. The screw is right next to the bar which made the screwdriver bit on the Charge difficult to use. This is mostly because of how the bit is not centered which is a shortcoming on most multi-tools. The wrench/screwdriver which came with my saw is not much better due to the way the sparkplug end of the wrench pokes out. I usually just use a big screwdriver because it works best.  In a pinch the Charge Ti will work though, which is a
lot of the idea behind a multi-tool. On a trip to Montgomery Alabama (about 3 hours by car) my wife noticed a loose Phillips head screw on her purse handle. The small eyeglass tool (Phillips #00/#000) was too small and the larger bit (Phillips #1/#2) was too big. However, the small flat screwdriver on the eyeglass tool worked. It did slip once I got the screw tight but it was tight enough to hold for the remainder of the trip. When we got home I found a Phillips screwdriver that allowed me to properly tighten the screw. Backpacking As I predicted, I did not need the Leatherman Charge Ti very much when hiking. I did open a package of summer sausage for supper and used the needle nose pliers the following morning for my pot grabber. Fortunately, I did not need the pliers for tweezers to remove any splinters or the blades for any field surgery. On my day hikes I whittled on a few limbs just to observe the 154 CM Clip-Point in action. It makes nice shavings and has remained very sharp. I did whittle a toothpick to pick a few bits of beef jerky from my teeth. I even used the tip of the 154 CM Clip-Point on my front teeth a few times but I don't recommend it. In fact, it is a pretty stupid practice, but one I learned as a kid and have not managed to break. I find myself doing it without thinking. Back to backpacking; to be honest, I felt the Charge Ti was and is too heavy for my backpacking needs. No big deal on my short hikes but something to consider on longer hikes. I also found I needed to carry the Charge Ti in my waist pack while hiking. My Ibex Guide Light Pants have a belt that loosens but does not come apart. When wearing swim trunks I did not even have a belt on and I found the weight of the Charge Ti was a bit much and pulled the swim trunks down more than I liked. I did find the scissors on the Charge Ti handy the other day when my new dog, Sweetpea, got several cockleburs stuck in her fur. I also used the pliers to pick a few ticks off both my dogs. I'm using Frontline Plus for ticks but apparently a few are extra stubborn and lodge onto my dogs. Continued Testing Now that I have kept the Charge Ti handy at nearly every waking moment for the past 2 months, I'm afraid I have become too dependent on the tool. I kept my older Leatherman handy but not with me constantly. With warmer weather coming I will need to improvise or figure a better way to carry the Charge Ti because my summer wardrobe does not always lend itself to a heavy multi-tool carry. In any event, I will continue to use the tools and blades as needed. I want to keep an eye on the sharpness to the 154 CM Clip-Point blade. It is still holding its edge with just a hint of less sharpness than when new. I still need to utilize more of the different tools on the Charge Ti. I have not used the saw or files yet. I have not used the serrated blade for anything other than opening an envelope. So far I only cut some light gauge wire on a small motor starter with the wire cutters. I will hopefully have something to say in regard to all the tools and more on the use of the ones tested so far in my Long Term Report. Stay tuned. Read more reviews of Leatherman gear Read more gear reviews by Coy Ray Starnes Reviews > Knives > Multi-tools > Leatherman Charge Ti > Coy Starnes > Field Report | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||