The Leatherman Tool Group website is excellent.  No online store is provided, but easy links to online and offline retailers are provided.  The Leatherman Charge website is Flash driven, and provides a lot of information about the Charge.  Both websites are top notch.

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

PACKAGING & PACKAGE CONTENTS

The Leatherman Charge Ti arrived in good order, packed in a nice cardboard box.  No assembly was required.  The Leatherman Charge Ti is very satisfying in the hand.  It feels substantial - like a real tool and not like some cheap toy.  

The box also contained: 

A nylon sheath.  The sheath is a drastic improvement over previous Leatherman sheaths.  In the very beginning, Leatherman tools only came with leather sheaths that weren't very good.  These improved over time, and then Leatherman produced a nylon sheath that was superior to the leather one.  The new sheath is quite nice and has some unique features, which I will discuss later.  

Removable Pocket clip.

Removable (quick release) lanyard ring.

Bit holder with space for 10 bits, but containing only 6 double sided bits, namely:

A seventh bit (Phillips #1-2 and Screwdriver 3/16") was already in the tool.

(Note: An extended bit set is available.)

An instruction booklet.

A product/accessory booklet and order form.

OVERVIEW OF MATERIALS, CONSTRUCTION, AND FEATURES

Titanium Handles - The outer handle scales do appear to be cast titanium.  The inner handle parts are all steel.  To be honest, I'm not sure that the titanium provides any benefit except that I can impress my fellow tool geeks by saying, "Look!  It's titanium!"  I cannot tell any difference between the Charge Ti and the new Wave tool except for the titanium handles on the Charge.

Needlenose Pliers - The trademark of Leatherman tools is a high quality set of pliers.  The jaws meet so perfectly that they can be used as tweezers.

Regular Pliers - Actually the same pliers, but the notched jaw allows the pliers to be used in the manner of regular pliers.

Wire Cutters - Will cut through #12 Romex (common household electrical wire) with a single swipe.  Very nice.

Hard-Wire Cutters - Good for light work like coat hangers and the like.  

154 CM Clip-Point Knife - Razor sharp right from the factory.  154 CM is very similar to (Hitachi's) ATS 34, and is the 'latest and greatest' steel that most people are making knives out of right now.  I've made knives out of it myself.  It is a high grade stainless tool steel, and I have had excellent performance with this material in the past.

Serrated Knife - A modified sheep's foot design.  This one is not marked 154 CM, and I am assuming that it's plain 440, but there isn't any information provided.

Saw - A cut on the draw cross-grain saw suitable for small tasks.

Scissors - These are a tremendous improvement over the scissors in the PST II and Wave tools that I have.  While they are only 3/4" (2 cm) long, they are very sharp and should not be underestimated.

Wood/Metal File - What I call a "double bastard" file.  Very sharp.

Diamond-Coated File - Suitable for sharpening things and other light honing work.

Large Bit Driver - This accepts changeable bits.  Bits are well retained by a spring that catches in a shallow notch in the bits.

Large Screwdriver - Just that.

Small Bit Driver - Which contains a very small screwdriver bit that is reversible to reveal a very small Phillips bit.  Think eyeglass screws.  They're that small.  When I first opened the tool, I couldn't pull the bit out of the holder with my fingers.  I whipped out my PST II and used the pliers to pull it out.  Now it goes in and out as it should.  I was a little taken by the ramifications of 'fixing' the new Leatherman Tool with the old one.

8 Double-End Bits - As described above.

Ruler (8 inch/19 cm) - When the plier jaws are closed, and the handles brought in line, the ends of the tools describe 8 inches exactly.  The ruler on the Charge is on the inside of the tool, and I much preferred it on the outside.

Bottle/Can Opener - Seems quite functional.

Wire Stripper - Actually part of the Bottle/Can Opener tool.

Fixed Lanyard Ring - Accessible by opening the wood saw and sliding it out from the handle.  To be honest, I rarely use lanyard rings.  This one seems serviceable.

Quick-Release Lanyard Ring - This clips into a special slot in the end of the tool.  It locks in place with the same mechanism that locks the tools.  A lanyard can be attached to the lanyard ring, and then to something like a shoulder strap daisy chain.  A quick press of the release and the tool comes free ready for use. In the image, the locking lever is depressed, and the lanyard ring can be removed.  (No, the locking lever doesn't need therapy.)

Removable Pocket Clip - This fits into the same place as the Quick-Release Lanyard Ring, so they cannot be used at the same time.  I really like this feature.  

READING THE INSTRUCTIONS

Instructions are provided on a single fold-out three color sheet in English, German, French, and Spanish.  Instructions are provided for the Charge Ti, Charge XTi, and the Wave.  The Charge and the Wave tools appear to be identical with the exception of the Titanium handle scales.  The instructions include Safety Considerations and Features, Opening & Closing Exterior Blades, Changing Tool Bits, Accessing the Lanyard Ring, Using the Wire Cutters, Pocket Clip & Layard Ring Accessories, Blade Sharpening, Maintenance, and Warranty.  The warranty is a 25 year materials and workmanship warranty.  I have never needed to use Leatherman's warranty.  (I did manage to slag (melt) the jaws on a PST I tool by sticking it into a 220 service, but that wasn't covered by the warranty.)  The instructions are brief and basic, containing common sense details.  

TRYING IT OUT

The first thing that really stood out to me was the new nylon sheath.  There is a pocket on the inside back that holds the bit holder.  The hook and loop (Velcro type) closure on the front isn't stitched at the top, and this makes another tiny pocket that is perfect for holding the detachable lanyard ring.  The elastic sides are doubled, making two small side pockets suitable for carrying a small flashlight or my Fischer Millennium Space Pen.  The design is much better than the old PST and old Wave sheaths.   There are, unfortunately, still some shortcomings.  The tool can be stored in the closed position, but there is a hole in the bottom of the sheath that allows the tool to also be carried in the open position.  This is not heat sealed, and in just a few days of use, the material is frayed and ragged.  I've been through a number of Leatherman sheaths, and the hook and loop closure always wears out fairly quickly.  I normally solve this problem by installing a pull-the-dot durable snap on the flap, and I really wish that Leatherman would pay more attention to the long term durability of the sheaths in this regard.   I frequently build my own sheaths because I have a perception that tool and knife sheaths are provided sort of as an afterthought.  In reality, the sheath is sometimes more important than the tool.  A sheath is a servant that you command, "Here.  Hold my tool."  If the servant is incapable and the tool is lost, then that's unacceptable.  A sheath, in my opinion, should outlast the tool - and that's how I build all my sheaths. In the image below, the Leatherman Charge sheath is shown inline on my every-day belt.  The Micra sheath is on the left, the Mini sheath is on the right, and next to that is a case that holds three Micro Maglites.  I have always wished that Leatherman (and other tool makers for that matter) would come up with a 'dress' sheath that would be attractive and wearable in the corporate environment.  The Charge sheath is fine for most places, but it isn't very 'dressy'.

The tool itself is quite nice.  The fit, finish, and detail are quite fine in most respects.  The Charge feels good in the hand - very sturdy and capable.  The knife and sheep's foot blade both open with one hand by actuating the thumb hole with the thumb.  They swing out easily.

The bronze bushings are just visible by looking at the pivots edge-on, and one of them is visible in the image to the left.  All four exterior blades - knife, sheep's foot, saw, and file all lock out using liner locks.  I am not a tremendous fan of liner locks, but in a tool like the Charge, they are an obvious choice.  The liner locks all engage well on my Charge, except for the main blade - as can be seen in this image.  The liner lock engages prematurely, and this is a problem.  The liner lock (highlighted area) should engage all the way to the right of the main blade (folded out).  The liner lock engages prematurely, and less than 20 pounds of pressure on the back of the blade causes the lock to fail and the blade to collapse.  I consider this a safety issue and I intend to disassemble the Charge and hone the liner lock until it engages properly.

The tool opens easily with one hand, and I can actually operate the tool with one hand.  That means that I can access all the tools with only one hand.  Of course, I have had a lot of practice in this with other Leatherman tools, so this isn't surprising to me.  It's very important to be able to open multi-tools with one hand, in my opinion.   When the jaws open, an extremely clever camming device engages and locks the knife blade and the sheep's foot blade so that they cannot open.  The jaws themselves are quite wide for needle-nose pliers, and I'm not sure at this point if I like that.  Time will tell.  I frequently use the jaws for very fine work. With the jaws open, the tools on the interior of the handles can be accessed.  The nail notches are of the top pull rather than the side pry type.  This is MUCH easier on my fingernails, and I really like this feature.  Every tool that swings out from the handle is locked in the out position by a leaf spring powered lock.  The lock is released with less than two pounds of pressure on the release lever on the back of each handle.  The release levers are heavily grooved, and easy to actuate. All in all, I am pleased with the charge.  Using the pliers is much more comfortable than using the pliers on my PSTs.  I look forward to challenging the Charge with many tasks.

TESTING STRATEGY

I will carry and use the Leatherman Charge TI every day and on every trip I have planned during the Field Review period.  I expect that I will use the Charge several times a day, just like I currently use my PST II.

SUMMARY

THINGS I LIKE

1.  Feels strong and substantial.
2.  Decent sheath.  Better than previous Leatherman sheaths.  
3.  Easy one-handed operation.

THINGS I DON'T LIKE

1.  Liner lock on main blade does not engage properly.
2.  Ruler on the inside.  (Not that it could go anywhere else...)
3.  Still room for sheath improvement - but definitely moving in the right direction.

***

Thank you for your time.

Shane Steinkamp
shane@theplacewithnoname.com  
www.theplacewithnoname.com/hiking