Reviews > Knives > Multi-tools > Leatherman Charge Ti > Jodi Cornelius > Initial Report

My e-mail: bpskids@atlanticbb.net
Name: Jodi Cornelius
Age: 42
Height: 5'4"/1.6 m
Weight:  198 lbs/90 kg
Gender: Female
City: Derrick City
State: PA
Country: USA
Date: February 8, 2005
My area of the country: Northwest Pennsylvania

My Background:  I have been backpacking for 2 years now and before that I car camped quite a bit. I consider myself somewhat new to backpacking and am on my way towards becoming a lightweight packer.  I tend to use a Hennessey Hammock since my only tent is a bivy tent.  I prefer the hammock to a tent as the hammock leaves me swinging gently in the breeze with no hard spot from rocks on the ground.  Nor do I need to dig troughs for my hips and shoulders (side sleeper) so I can practice LNT (Leave No Trace) much better.

Product Information:

Manufacturer: Leatherman
Manufacturer URL:  http://www.leatherman.com
Year of Manufacture: 2005
Product: Charge Ti
MSRP: $124 US

Features from the Website:  It's time to expect more from a multi-tool, and the Charge Ti gives it to you. With a superior design and top-end materials nobody else offers, the Leatherman Charge is made for those who insist on carrying the best. Stronger, more useful, more versatile — Charge takes your adventure to the next level.

The Leatherman Charge Ti comes with the following tools:

Titanium Handles
Needlenose Pliers
Regular Pliers
Wire Cutters
Hard-Wire Cutters
154 CM Clip-Point Knife
Serrated Knife
Saw
Scissors
Wood/Metal File
Diamond-Coated File
Large Bit Driver
Small Bit Driver
Large Screwdriver
Ruler (8 inch/19 cm)
Bottle/Can Opener
Wire Stripper
Fixed Lanyard Ring
Quick-Release Lanyard Ring
Removable Pocket Clip
Eight Double-Ended Bits

Specifications from the website:

Length: 4 in. / 10 cm closed — 6.3 in / 16 cm open
Weight: 8.4 ounces / 238 grams
Materials: Stainless steel with titanium handles and bronze bushings
Included Screw Bits:

Specifications as received:

Length: 4 in. / 10 cm closed — 6.3 in / 16 cm open
Weight:  8.3 oz/235 gm

Initial Experience: The Leatherman arrived packaged in a box with their signature colors of yellow and black  The Charge Ti was as I expected.  Being an owner of the Leatherman Original, the Original Super, and the Micra, I am very much used to the high quality of the multi-tools from Leatherman.  This tool, as expected, has been put together with what appears to be excellent quality.  I will discover if this is true by the end of the 6 month testing period.

The Leatherman arrived in a plain brown box.  Inside the box was some brown paper stuffed around the Classic Yellow and Black colored box with the Leatherman Logo, name, and the quote "Now you're ready".  

I was very eager to try this baby out and since I received it at work, I was able to put it to work right away.  I found that the blades are extremely sharp as I was cutting down some boxes and was also cutting through 2 inch/5.08 cm corrugated. The knives (I used the clip blade for cutting down the boxes and used the serrated blade for cutting through the corrugated) cut through the different types of cardboard with NO difficulty.  In fact, I had to show my boss just how sweet this tool had already turned out to be.

Here you can see the tool open with the large tools out.  Something that I found that was interesting and a very good idea is that once you have opened the tool, you cannot open any of the outside tools.  I discovered that when I was trying to take a picture of the tools out.  This is a nice feature as it keeps the tools locked inside the handles so you don't accidentally get cut.

Here you can see the small tools out.  The scissors, I have found, are extremely sharp!  I was pleased with the cutting ability of the scissors.  I also have a Leatherman Micra (as I pointed out earlier) and these scissors are a HUGE improvement over those in the Micra.  The website says these scissors are strong enough to cut through seat belts, fishing line, zip-ties and fabric.  I will be testing them on the fishing line and zip-ties and, possibly, fabric.  I HOPE I don't need them for cutting through seat belts. The nice thing with these small tools is they lock.  And they lock tight!  I have opened a can with the opener and having the opener locked in place made it a lot easier to use.  The changeable bits, the first time I tried to remove them, were really hard to pull out.  After inserting and removing a couple of times, it became much easier.  I will be checking this to see if the bits get too loose and start falling out.

The 154 CM Clip-Point stainless steel knife is a really nice feature of this tool.  For those of you who are not aware of what, exactly, this is, it is as follows:

Clip Point -  A blade format where the top of the blade has a cut-out -- or "clip" -- at the top of the blade. The cutout is either concave or straight. Clipping the blade brings the point of the knife lower, for control; it also makes the tip sharper. Since the sharp point is one of the goals of this format, you will often see the clip accompanied by a false edge. This format is also often accompanied by a good-sized curving belly, for slicing ability. The combination of a controllable, sharp point and plenty of belly makes the clip point an excellent all-around format, and is used on such widely-differing knives as hunting knives, military knives, utility knives, and Bowie knives.

The 154 CM stainless steel is a premium alloy that has all of the strength, polish and corrosion resistance properties of Leatherman's regular stainless, but it has a better edge retention than regular stainless steel.  I look forward to testing that aspect of the tool.

The serrated blade appears to be a standard stainless steel, possibly 440, though it doesn't say one way or another.  I can verify that it is extremely sharp and through a week's worth of using it quite a bit, it hasn't noticeably dulled.

The jaw design of the pliers, according to the website, has 58% more cutting area than previous pliers.  At this time I haven't had the pleasure of using them but I look forward to testing them.  The interesting part of the pliers is it is a "regular" pliers and a needlenose pliers in one.  The design is nice - I used the pliers to pick up a piece of paper to test the closeness of the tip of the needlenose and I could not pull the paper out even on the very edge of the needlenose.  Very nice!  One thing that I didn't really like is the feel of the handles when gripping the pliers.  My hands are small and the handles cut into my hands somewhat.  It's not a big deal as I don't have to use them very often for serious pulling.  However, I don't see it as a cause for concern nor as something needing changed.

The included tips, in my case, are a near to perfect choice.  I use every one of the hex bits almost every day in the setup of my press that I work with, so that's a good choice.  I use the Phillips and straight regularly.  The smallest regular and Phillips bit is nice as I'm a glasses wearer and the regular fits perfectly!  I haven't found a use for the tiny Phillips yet but I'll be looking for reasons to use it.  The Torx bit is the most common size that I use at work so that's a nice one.  The only bits I haven't used are the Robertsons so I'm not too sure as to how much I'll be able to test those.

The saw has teeth going both ways so you can cut as you pull out as well as when you push forward.  This is nice as it cuts your cutting time in half.  I have cut a pencil in half and it worked really well.  I look forward to using it when making camp and cooking with wood.

The file has a fine side and a coarse side.  I use both the fine and coarse sides at work when smoothing rough edges of my tools. My husband has told me that you can use a file to sharpen your knife in an emergency and I have a knife that is dull that I don't mind losing if I mess it up so I will be testing that option as well as normal use.  I use both fine and course files at work when smoothing rough edges of tools.  I will be testing the file in those situations.

At this time, I have the pocket clip on the multi-tool and have been using it attached to my pocket.  I was using the sheath but the type of belt I use is not conducive to that type of sheath.  Then, lo and behold, as I was examining the sheath more closely as I started typing this report, I noticed that there are two nylon straps that run across the top and bottom of the sheath.  These nylon straps are 3/8 in/.95 cm wide and my belt fits through them perfectly.  Now I can wear the sheath without it flopping around.

When I first received the tool, I tried the quick-release lanyard and found that it will fit on a small carabiner that I clip my sunscreen to my pack, so if I should need to attach it to my pack without the sheath, I could.  I don't foresee using the lanyard, though, in my testing.  There's not really any place to store the lanyard, though, where I don't fear losing it.  I have put it in the pouch that is under the hook and loop fastener in the front of the pouch but am not confident of it staying there.

The sheath has two elastic "pockets" on either side of the tool pouch.  In the picture below, I have my normal black Sharpie that I carry daily at work.  As you can see, it fits but sticks out of the pouch when the pouch is closed.  I will also put my mini-mag light into the sheath on the other side and see how well it rides on my belt.

Sheath open with tool and Sharpie

Sheath closed with tool and Sharpie

Test Plan: I plan on using this tool daily in all things. I have put up my normal knives for the 6 month test period so I won't be tempted to use them over the Leatherman. I will be checking for durability of all bits, how well they remain in the bit holder after having been removed and re-inserted a number of times. I will be seeing how often I need to sharpen the knives after working with them daily. It will be a good test as I use the knives quite a bit cutting up cardboard which dulls knives quickly. I will also be using the pliers on my press when needed.

Things I like:  I really like the locking smaller tools.  I also feel comfortable with the locking of the knife blades.  Being able to remove the belt clip and use the lanyard or having nothing there.
Things I dislike: There's not really a good place to put the lanyard when not in use. 

Reviews > Knives > Multi-tools > Leatherman Charge Ti > Jodi Cornelius > Initial Report