Squirt PS4 rivet/torx screw timeline

[Tofty]

I just received two PS4s from amazon, one for modding with a style cs and the other for my collection. From looking at the site pictures as well as variuos leatherman promotional documents i had assumed that the torx screws were a newer feature and the riveted models were earlier discontinued versions.
Alas on arrival both PS4s were riveted meaning that annoying drilling experience when the rivet starts to spin and you just know your going to damage something trying to get it out.

Anyway does anyone know when leatherman made the change between the two fixing types? was i just unlucky in getting some old stock or did i get it the wrong way round?

Another incident when leathermans pictures weren't entirely clear (wrong) occured with the style cs, with images showing it having a thumb hole in both the 2010 catalog and user guide.

[enki_ck]

You got it the other way around. Only the first ones that came out had torx, and the second batch a few months later had rivets. From then on all of them have rivets.

[maba]

Anyway does anyone know when leatherman made the change between the two fixing types?

~July 2010 ~> http://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,22560.msg418664.html#msg418664

[J-sews]

You got it the other way around. Only the first ones that came out had torx, and the second batch a few months later had rivets. From then on all of them have rivets.

Alas, 'tis true.

[Cleanser]

I have actually seen in local stores in the past 4 months ES4's that had screws, but PS4 were long gone.. I assume this is because ES4 sell slower.  Check ebay, I have seen used PS4 with screws on there from time to time.  I hope you get one, I'd like to see what mods you make, considering you took the time / spent the money / have the skill to make a completely custom damascus charge.

[Gareth]

One thing you can just never trust is promotional images.   In this instance, for example, why would the normal LM buyer care about how their PS4 is held together?  Well the majority wouldn't of course, so there's very little need for LM to update their images and even less chance that the stores will update there sites, even if LM did make new images available.

[Tofty]

Thanks for the info guys, i suspected this would already have come up but obviously wasn't thorough enough in my search.

Its true promotional images can be a bit misleading, i wonder what might have changed on the sidekick/wingman when we finally get to see them on shelves.

I wont need to get one with torx screws as i have already disassembled the one i'm modding, if it bothers me too much i can make some replacement pins but i wasnt really planning on rebuilding it anyway, i wanted the pliers and mini scissors for the style cs. One thing i was looking forward to was mixing up the scale colours as i bought a blue and a red one to make not quite the red white and blue micra, rather a homage to Haiti squirt. This is now off the cards but to be honest the two colours dont look that good together anyway, the red is too dull and the blue is too light.

I don't believe we can buy knives or multitools from the States into the UK on ebay as the sale of knives has been banned even from other countries.

My proposed mods for the style cs include obviously installing the pliers and replacing the file/tweezers with the scissors, making a carbon fibre cover in place of the flimsy plastic one, replacing one of the springs on the blade side with version that has a 2D phillips and making a custom blade probably abit like a small spyderco with a thumb hole.

I'm not surprised the ES4 is less popular, its too speSmurfpillsed, anyone who strips wire will probably also need to crimp and basic crimping pliers already have wire striping capability.
I think leatherman and the others are missing a trick by not making a side cutter folding tool. I use side cutters at work a great deal more than pliers and for cable ties nothing else is really safe to use right up against wiring.
I know someone on this forum has done a very good mod by adding cide cutter jaws to a sog but it shouldn't have to be a mod, anyone else see the need and wish the big names made such a thing?

[J-sews]

...........I think leatherman and the others are missing a trick by not making a side cutter folding tool. I use side cutters at work a great deal more than pliers and for cable ties nothing else is really safe to use right up against wiring.
I know someone on this forum has done a very good mod by adding cide cutter jaws to a sog but it shouldn't have to be a mod, anyone else see the need and wish the big names made such a thing?

Oh yeah. A good quality sidecutter multitool is looooonnng overdue.

[Tsquare]

I was really looking forward to the powercut but alas it was not to be.  To be honest the problems that come from having a side cutter will only be solved by making the head out of carbon steel.

[Tofty]

I wasn't aware of the powercut saga, now having read up on the matter i agree that making the cutting head out of the same tool steel all other side cutters are made from (forged from) would have solved the problem almost entirely. A good hard chrome plating should give plenty of protection even for outdoor working. One possible issue would be galvanic corrosion between the two different types of steel in the cutters and the handles but this would only be a problem in marine conditions.
I never liked the assumption that stainless steel was always the solution for all parts of a multitool, for one thing its always meant inferior tool heads compared with conventional tools especially screwdrivers.

Perhaps it's time to make some noise on the subject as the powercut had potential. I think sogs leverage system makes even more sense with side cutters than with pliers and to drop a unique product which was clearly in demand was an error as far as i'm concerned.

[J-sews]

Well said FC, well said indeed.