Leatherman OHT

[MultiMat]

I have read a couple reports of the Grappler's springs (part of the adjusting mech) falling apart .Al yep the Grappler's tools are all OHO with 3 of the 4 using thumb studs , the file has cut out/indentation(not a hole ) so it too is OHO.

Compared to a Crunch the Grappler's plier/vise grips seems excessively complicated & not nearly as robust  just my opinion mind you  . The Grappler's liner locks , lock up well enough but the do flex 

[AimlessWanderer]

Thanks for the confirmation Mat  So LM can't claim the first fully OHO tool, or the first full sized OHO tool .... I wonder what they'll change the claim to this time 

[MeadMaker]

I've been looking closely at the pictures of the Grappler and I'm having a hard time with the idea that they file is OHO.  It has an enlarged nail nick.  Does that really qualify as OHO.  One of the members here has posted a video of himself opening non OHO's with one hand by carefully using the nail nick on SAK's and Juice.  Should we be referring to all these tools as OHO?

[gregozedobe]

I've been looking closely at the pictures of the Grappler and I'm having a hard time with the idea that they file is OHO.  It has an enlarged nail nick.  Does that really qualify as OHO.

I just got my Grappler out and tried it out.  All the tools are definitely one-handed without any difficulty or special techniques required.  The file is actually the easiest tool to open on mine.  I don't need to use the nail nick, just push on the rough part of the file that is further away from the pivot point.  The Grappler has quite large cut-outs in the handles to allow easier access to the tools.

So yes, my (sample of 1) Grappler qualifies as all OHO (but it still won't replace my Crunches as my preferred locking plier MTs).

[turnsouth]

So yes, my (sample of 1) Grappler qualifies as all OHO (but it still won't replace my Crunches as my preferred locking plier MTs).

But the crunch is OHO:



 

[nuphoria]

That is but I know if I tried it, I would lose the top of a finger

[Gareth]

Well the Crunch pliers are OHO (kinda ) but I'm not sure I'd like to try getting the knife blade out as well.

[mzil]

I think that OHO Crunch video is fake. I think it is two sequenece edited together to appear as if it is one.

Here's how to watch it frame by frame:

-Press the pause button right before the lock open motion is attempted.
-Now watch the motion blur of his hand (and on the tool) as you advance frame by frame using the left and right arrow buttons on your keyboard.


Note that the very first frame of "success" has absolutly zero motion blur. That's not impossible, true, however I find it unlikely considering the low lighting of that room and the blur seen in all the other frames leading up to that. Toggle back and forth between the two frames and you'll see what I mean.

I'm also not claiming that the crunch can't be opened by one hand, I'm just saying I find this video to be a little hard to believe.

[Benner]

Pssssst its a joke 

[Gareth]

Actually I seem to remember Dave and I opening the Crunch one handed at one of the Shropshire meet-ups.  His party piece was doing one in each hand at the same time.  

[J-sews]

Pssssst its a joke 

No no, I really did that, honest!

[gregozedobe]

Actually I seem to remember Dave and I opening the Crunch one handed at one of the Shropshire meet-ups.  His party piece was doing one in each hand at the same time.

Are you sure he didn't have hold of his other "tool" in his other hand ?   

[Gareth]

Actually I seem to remember Dave and I opening the Crunch one handed at one of the Shropshire meet-ups.  His party piece was doing one in each hand at the same time.

Are you sure he didn't have hold of his other "tool" in his other hand ?   

Now that's a memory that would have burned itself into my brain!

[DaveK]

Actually I seem to remember Dave and I opening the Crunch one handed at one of the Shropshire meet-ups.  His party piece was doing one in each hand at the same time.

As I read down this thread I was reminded of it - lol.

Would you believe this is nearly three years old?



I don't know if I could still do it mind!

[Gareth]

Thank goodness I'm not going mad and my memory's not failing me.....yet.

[DaveK]

Lol. I know what you mean!

[mzil]

Pssssst its a joke 

Oops. I guess I'm naive.

Back to the OHT, does anyone know why many US retailers have been out of the coyote OHT for months now? [not sure about the other colors; I don't follow them]

Anyone have a link to the new 2013 OHT colors being offered this year?

[Styerman]

I want to see one in the flesh before parting with any cash .

Chris

[mzil]

i just got one. Although I think black oxide looks cool (at least until it gets handled) I decided on coyote because I don't like the idea of my hands getting dirty from using the black oxide Leathermans, which I learned about thanks to this forum.

Turns out, although the scales aren't black oxide, the sides and all the tool surfaces ARE. So sure enough my hands were filthy after playing around with it which then soiled the coyote scales too. Luckily I was able to clean the scales and wipe down all the surfaces such that now it hardly sheds at all.

Can't they make some automated process do this for us before boxing it up?

[Grant Lamontagne]

I'm sure they could, but as LM ships well over a million tools/year.  At 5 minutes extra per tool, that's a lot of money...

Def

[mzil]

Considering some of the individual polishing steps on some Leathermans takes 14 hours to complete and is done mostly robotically, 5 extra minutes doesn't seem like a lot, to me, versus the fewer customer complaints and returns from people who were unaware that the tools' black coating comes off on their hands.

[Mercury]

I'd say if you aren't aware that BO can come off on your hands then you probably aren't someone who needs it. 

Just sayin...

[mzil]

I'm of the mind the majority of their sales are to civilians, not the military, and their color selections are based on fashion/whims, not needs.

edit to add: There are 15 pages of reviews on Amazon for the Black Oxide Wave, and on just the first page of those appears these individual comments:

"as another person has mentioned, the finish on this tool is less than ideal. It comes off on your hands and anything you touch for the first week or two of use"

"However, herein lies its particularly annoying flaw. Right out of the box, the finishing coat on this tool left black smudges and marks all over my hands, especially where lubricant was applied. Now, overlooking the sissy/feminine jokes sure to come, that's just not okay with me, especially if those smudges transfer to whatever I'm working on"

"When you get your Leatherman Wave w/ Black Oxide finish ...you will get "Black Hands"..I mean the finish will rub off on to your hands."

"And the black color makes it look cool as well."
[THAT'S why people buy it!- mzil]

"Someone mentioned that the black finish comes off ... and, yes, it does. I had the same problem with my TDI K-bar but once wiped down with a towel it's fine."

"The only slightly annoying thing about this tool is that it needs a good rubbing down when you first get it. The black oxide finish is kinda powdery when you first get it out of the box and rubs black stains into everything it touches."

[MeadMaker]

Some of the tools that I carry in my car tool box have a BO coating for rust prevention.  When they were new the coating did leave some marks on my hands and the equipment that I was working on.  They are tools so it doesn't bother me.  The people that complain about the BO finish leaving smudges on their skin might look upon their MT's as fashion statements not tools.

[wave180]

For me, the black stain in your hands is just part of the excitement. 

[mzil]

Some of the tools that I carry in my car tool box have a BO coating for rust prevention.  When they were new the coating did leave some marks on my hands and the equipment that I was working on.  They are tools so it doesn't bother me.

Since their ability to leave black marks on your hands dimminishes over time/use, (but you don't see this smudging as a negative, if I understand correctly), does it upset you because when they reach the worn state of no longer shedding, since you feel they have lost some of their rust prevention coating?

[Gareth]

Some of the tools that I carry in my car tool box have a BO coating for rust prevention.  When they were new the coating did leave some marks on my hands and the equipment that I was working on.  They are tools so it doesn't bother me.  The people that complain about the BO finish leaving smudges on their skin might look upon their MT's as fashion statements not tools.

Not sure i agree with that.  I'm a building technician and use my MT every day, the idea that it would case me to leave black fingerprints all over a 5 star hotel would likely get me fired.

[MeadMaker]

Some of the tools that I carry in my car tool box have a BO coating for rust prevention.  When they were new the coating did leave some marks on my hands and the equipment that I was working on.  They are tools so it doesn't bother me.  The people that complain about the BO finish leaving smudges on their skin might look upon their MT's as fashion statements not tools.

Not sure i agree with that.  I'm a building technician and use my MT every day, the idea that it would case me to leave black fingerprints all over a 5 star hotel would likely get me fired.

But if you take a new, or for matter an old,  tool into a 5 star hotel don't you make sure it is clean so that it does not get you fired?  I was once part of a project that included installing white carpet throughout a house.  Believe me,  I learned the value of keeping my tools and shoes clean on that job.

I recently bought a new 4" adjustable wrench to use as part of my bicycle EDC.  It there was some oil on the head that was excess lubricant from the adjusting screw.  I didn't complain about it, I just cleaned it off.  Its a tool. Tools are often dirty or oily.   If it had been a belt buckle, tie clasp or watch band that had stained my clothes I would probably have felt differently.

[Syph007]

BO looks better if you wipe a new tool down with some light oil anyhow.. well in my opinion.. and in the process it removes some of the easy to wipe off BO.

[Gareth]

Some of the tools that I carry in my car tool box have a BO coating for rust prevention.  When they were new the coating did leave some marks on my hands and the equipment that I was working on.  They are tools so it doesn't bother me.  The people that complain about the BO finish leaving smudges on their skin might look upon their MT's as fashion statements not tools.

Not sure i agree with that.  I'm a building technician and use my MT every day, the idea that it would case me to leave black fingerprints all over a 5 star hotel would likely get me fired.

But if you take a new, or for matter an old,  tool into a 5 star hotel don't you make sure it is clean so that it does not get you fired?  I was once part of a project that included installing white carpet throughout a house.  Believe me,  I learned the value of keeping my tools and shoes clean on that job.

I recently bought a new 4" adjustable wrench to use as part of my bicycle EDC.  It there was some oil on the head that was excess lubricant from the adjusting screw.  I didn't complain about it, I just cleaned it off.  Its a tool. Tools are often dirty or oily.   If it had been a belt buckle, tie clasp or watch band that had stained my clothes I would probably have felt differently.

Quite right.  However you and I know that a new BO finish is going to need cleaning before you use it, not everyone might know that.   I do agree though that you'd have to be fairly foolish not to work it out for yourself before it became an issue.

The only real difference I can see between oil and BO residue on a new tool is that one is an essential part of the operation/rust prevention on a tool, the other is simply a by product of a process and really doesn't need to be there.