Bad Swisstool Spirit?

[Thunderpants]

Hello everyone,
I have, this morning, received a Swisstool Spirit, the one with two blades and no scissors. It was 62 euros including leather case and postage. (New, of course.)

It looks great and I have no doubt it is genuine, but it doesn't lie flat on a table. If three corners are on the table, the fourth is 2mm up in the air. In other words, the two side of the multitool seem to be misaligned. Everything works flawlessly, it just won't lie flat.

I don't have another Swisstool to compare it with, so I hope you guys and gals can tell me if this is usual, or whether I should return the Spirit. (it annoys me far more than it should, so I am one email away from returning the damn thing!)

Cheers for any advice.

[enki_ck]

First off, welcome to the forum.

Why is it annoying you?

The two halfs aren't identical. If you look at the locks you'll notice that it isn't symmetrical on both sides so the locking tab might be a bit higher on one side too.



It doesn't hinder the functionality of the tool in any way and it's still one of the best multitools out there.

[ducttapetech]

Welcome to MTO and what he said about the Spirit.
They are a sweet multitool.

sent from my mobile

[Thunderpants]

Thanks for the welcome!

I have no doubt these things are amazing... I did a lot of research before ordering mine (Leatherman? Swisstool? Swisstool Spirit, and if so, which one?) so I was quite excited when the postman came today. I'm definitely not looking for faults in this thing.

Here is my new Spirit S on a piece of glass. I can't believe one corner is supposed to be dangling in the air. It reminds me of my dog taking a pee.

Or are they all like this?

[ducttapetech]

Now that I see a pic, I think something is off on that one. The handles themselves should be level with each other. Sometimes the locks will keep it from sitting even on a table, but this is not the case.

sent from my mobile

[CanadianLMfan]

Does it really bother you that badly?

[firiki]

Hi, Thunderpants. The handles on the Spirit are indeed slightly misaligned. I checked everyone they had in the shop before I picked mine and they were all like this. One can notice this by looking at the ends, the handles look and feel even between them, though there is a minor difference. Looking at the pin on the locks with the tool closed you will see the pins are only half-centered, meaning only half part of each pin touches the other. I think you should check if there is any play -lateral or vertical- on the tools. If not, you're probably OK.

I can't really tell how off is yours, the zoom-in picture amplifies the dimensions. You can always contact Victorinox. Hope this helps.

[Thunderpants]

"Does it really bother you that badly?"

Well, yes. iPhones don't wobble, Snickers bars don't wobble, cups of tea don't wobble. But this supposedly exquisite piece of engineering wobbles!

Firiki, are you saying they are all like this, to a greater or lesser extent? I can put a 2 euro-cent coin under the offending corner of mine - then it no longer wobbles.

[firiki]

Yes, that's right, a 2 euro cent coin fits under it. Here are some quick pics, crappy cellphone quality but I think you can see what we're talking about. Click on them to enlarge. 

[Cupboard]

FWIW they're definitely not all like that.

If it's bothering you I'd talk to Victorinox about it.

[Taxi Dad]

I had to go dig mine out and have a look (I finally stashed her in the draw for a holiday while I try out a Rebar  )
never really noticed it before but mine is slightly 'off centre', NOT as bad as the one in your pics though ! I think i'd have noticed that  and yes it would have bugged me 

*and mine came from another member here, so it wasn't brand new (although it was in "fabulous unused condition")

[Thunderpants]

None of the reviews I read mentioned this fault. It isn't a big deal but it certainly dents my enthusiasm for these things.

I could simply return this one... don't much fancy long and protracted dealings with Victorinox over something so trivial.

[Millhouse]

I'd return the tool. Mine is perfectly centred.

[firiki]

You could stop by at a store and have a look at them before making your next move. Maybe your copy is a rogue, I don't know. Let's hope others chime in.

[AimlessWanderer]

I've still got three Spirits, and have never noticed this issue as far as I recall .... that's not to say there isn't some slight misalignment - I just haven't got them in front of me to check.

That said, I still do think they are exquisite tools and overall the standard of manufacturing and tolerances etc, is still higher than everything else. Also, these are tools NOT showpieces - it's just us nutters that elevate them to such because of how good they are compared to everything else - and unless it affects the function of the tool or is a safety issue, it just means that Victorinox is only three times as good as everyone else on those ones, instead of four times as good on everything else they make

[kahyja]

I don't have any vic spirit but judging from the pictures I can say that it would bother me for sure.... I want a Spirit or Swisstool badly but not if the handles are so misaligned.

Do you feel the difference when you switch the tool in the same hand?

[adobo]

3 out of the 6 i have are like that. Its not a biggie really.

[AimlessWanderer]

I don't have any vic spirit but judging from the pictures I can say that it would bother me for sure.... I want a Spirit or Swisstool badly but not if the handles are so misaligned.

Do you feel the difference when you switch the tool in the same hand?

Really?

We are talking about 2mm (?) at the far end of the handles, so 1mm (?) at mid point which probably means that one of the holes drilled through the pliers casting is less than 0.25mm (?) out of square, or that both of these are an even smaller fraction out of square but in different directions ...

I do know that I have got other tools which display the same trait - BG Strata springs to mind as it is noticeable on mine - but I didn't mention it before in this thread, nor did I mention it in the rather long review I did of the BG Strata, as it doesn't alter it's function in any way.

I think we need to draw a common sense line somewhere as to what tolerances we reasonable expect from a hand tool. I also suspect that the reason we haven't picked up on this on other tools by other makers is that there's too much else to whinge about on a lot of other stuff, and this is the only (very minor) "problem" that we can find here. I'm not blindly backing up Victorinox here BTW, just saying that I'm sure I could find this (or similar - or worse) on quite a few tools where it has never been an issue for folks in the past, and that I really don't understand the problem

IDK - Maybe it's just me ....

[Aloha]

I don't have a spirit myself but I have 3 swisstools and only 1 "wobbles" though only very slightly. I understand the concern and "disappointment" when the gold standard of MT's isn't pure perfection in every way.  I recall reading a thread where a member was extremely peeved at a tool that clicked when grabbing air.  mind you this MT hadn't been used at that point and it bothered the member quite badly. 

I myself am pretty unfazed in those regards however the tool pictured would also have me raise an eyebrow.  why don't you bring it in and exchange it if that's possible because I can assure you that these tools are indeed EVERYTHING you imagine them to be, in actual use. I have 3 of the exact same tool, 2 were bought very used and the one I just got in yesterday is BNIB. 

funny thing is I love Mr Pinchy with all the rattles and quirks and again just recently a thread comes to mind regarding the liners on Vics not being polished as they once were.  yes its disappointing however I buy tools that will perform over and above all other things.  yes I want it to look great and feel great in hand but if it doesn't perform then all that is negated by it not performing AS expected.  ill say it again with regard to my swisstools, this tools is an engineering piece of sheer beauty and performance. 

i sure hope you are able to exchange the tool for a less wobbly one and experience the delight of having a tool that will meet and quite possibly exceed your expectations.  lastly, i find it pretty awesome that Vic is scrutinized to this extent because this is the gold standard ( to me ) in MTs.   

[Syph007]

Ive bought about 8 spirits so far and one on mine had it as bad as yours, the others were mostly fine, but some had it too.  I got annoyed put it in a vice and pulled hard and it mostly corrected it.  Others have returned to Vic though.  It doesnt impair function, but I agree its kind of annoying.

[Thunderpants]

It's such an awesome little tool. Part of me says the wobble is utterly unimportant - it's rock solid, looks good, feels great in the hand and, pretty much lives up to expectations. (And it lives in a leather case, so no one will see it wobble!)
The other part of me is wondering where's the legendary precision engineering? I've had crapola Chinese built Leatherman rip-offs that fell apart after a week, but none of them wobbled on a table top. Seems strange that a company can cut metal with micron level precision - but once it's screwed together it's all wonky.

I've emailed the seller for a refund/exchange, heard nothing from them yet. One thing I'm wondering, as the price was so good, is whether the company sells rejects or slightly sub-par items - if they do they don't mention it on their web site. But their prices for Swisstools are incredibly good, by European standards. They have the Spirit X in black for 77 euros. Amazon's price is 99 - and Amazon are the masters of putting everyone else out of business with their low prices.

I was also flirting with the idea of getting an RT -- different shop, horribly expensive (like twice the price of my Spirit S Wobbly Edition.) What are the odds of that one being wobbly too? Can anyone tell me what the RT editions used to cost, back in 2010/2011 when I assume there were more of them around? I guess this one is still available because the price was always massively over inflated and now it's the last one left...

[Thunderpants]

"I got annoyed put it in a vice and pulled hard and it mostly corrected it"

Haha! I'm kind of tempted to try that myself. Obviously I wouldn't want to totally wreck the thing (and my chances of getting a replacement) - though I assume yours worked OK after your gentle dose of corrective surgery...

[Rs217]

"Does it really bother you that badly?"

Well, yes. iPhones don't wobble, Snickers bars don't wobble, cups of tea don't wobble. But this supposedly exquisite piece of engineering wobbles!

Firiki, are you saying they are all like this, to a greater or lesser extent? I can put a 2 euro-cent coin under the offending corner of mine - then it no longer wobbles.

I would definitely bug me... I'd send it in.

[Guardian]

Hi guys. I have a Spirit 2 (in a leather case) bought this year off ebay (France I think) and it wobbles by 2 mm as well! Glad mines not the only one.

[glorn]

Mine is equally misaligned. I mentioned it here ages ago.

I suppose it doesn't bother me much, but it does illustrate that mighty Vic isn't perfect.

[Nhoj]

Don't do anything crazy! The handles are purposefully misaligned. Here is my spirit


Notice that they are not straight like the edge of the ruler.

[AimlessWanderer]

I've just had a quick look now, and my Spirit X does indeed "wobble", and so does my BO Spirit S

BUT .... So does my Charge AL, Core, BG Strata, MP 700, KF4, Kick, PST II, Powerlock ... the only reason my MP400, and Recoil don't is because of their "three point stance", but there is a slight but visible misalignment

... and then quite frankly I got bored of looking 

[Thunderpants]

Wow, so it's not so unusual after all?
Thanks for the pix Nhoj... that's exactly how mine is.

If that's the way it's supposed to be then I guess I'll get used to it. Just seemed odd to me - bear in mind I have never seen a Swisstool before getting my hands on this one.

Thanks for your answers guys, been most helpful. I hope my Spirit will forgive me for dissing it on our first day together.

[cannonball]

I looked at 4 brand new ones, they all were misaligned. I bought one. It does annoy me but does not affect operation.

[metasyntax]

I have several Spirits, and every one of them is uneven like this to some degree. One is as far off as the pictures here. So it's not unusual at all, I don't think.

I agree with some of the sentiments here about how far exactly we pursue and desire perfection in multi-tools. I've got a healthy number (or maybe more than is healthy!) from each of Leatherman, SOG, Gerber, and of course the Swiss folks. Everybody makes a few mistakes. Granted, the Swiss have far fewer problems (in my experience - and this is why I like them the most) than anybody else, but it's still mass manufacturing.

Two of my newer Spirits have a bit of a wobble in the detent when the pliers are fully open, but it doesn't affect usage so I kept them. I got a brand new Cybertool 29 the other week with a completely weak backspring on the small blade; it went back. It’s pretty rare, and that's why Victorinox is the best IMHO, but it does happen. Fortunately, with the warranty, Vic always has your back, even if the seller gives you crap.

I guess the most important thing is that if you're not happy with something, by all means, take corrective action. Otherwise... enjoy your new multi-tool! May it give you many years of good service.

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