Leatherman Signal - is LM making a survival multi?

[AimlessWanderer]

Signal is here

First thing I noticed, even the pliers head appears to be a rebar head, but signal handles spread wider than other LM tools, very uncomfortable to girp. That would be the first thing to hack.

Good luck with that Kam 

There's an alarmingly high amount of negative feedback on the ergonomics so far, considering it's not something long time Leatherman fans tend to voice on here. It was an aspect that came through on their budget offerings too. I know they supposedly do visit here, but they don't seem to be paying attention 

Comis, interesting teaser there, I look forward to seeing the finished video 

[Top-Gear-24]

I see your point  .

It's maybe better that I don't mention how much the Signal costs at our local dealers, I fear some of you might have a heart attack ... 

Now I want to know. How much?

Over here they retail at 180 € (about $202 )  . 

[AimlessWanderer]

 

[Obi1shinobee]

I see your point  .

It's maybe better that I don't mention how much the Signal costs at our local dealers, I fear some of you might have a heart attack ... 

Now I want to know. How much?

Over here they retail at 180 € (about $202 )  .

For That ?? No thank , I build my own better 

[Demel]

I see your point  .

It's maybe better that I don't mention how much the Signal costs at our local dealers, I fear some of you might have a heart attack ... 

Now I want to know. How much?

Over here they retail at 180 € (about $202 )  .

I am so very sorry to hear that.

[babola]

I see your point  .

It's maybe better that I don't mention how much the Signal costs at our local dealers, I fear some of you might have a heart attack ... 

Now I want to know. How much?

Over here they retail at 180 € (about $202 )  .

Not surprised at all. Called NZ distributor to inquire about the local RRP, just for the heck of it. I was told in the vicinity of NZ$300, which is around US$200 mark, so similar to eye-gouging Euro pricing. 

[babola]

There's an alarmingly high amount of negative feedback on the ergonomics so far, considering it's not something long time Leatherman fans tend to voice on here...

Yet the faithful and unsuspecting (shall I say uneducated) LM Facebook and Twitter followers are all salivating over this tool. LM campaigns are becoming more of a 'sale by powers of social media and Internet' kind of campaigns than usual ones.

[Top-Gear-24]

I see your point  .

It's maybe better that I don't mention how much the Signal costs at our local dealers, I fear some of you might have a heart attack ... 

Now I want to know. How much?

Over here they retail at 180 € (about $202 )  .

I am so very sorry to hear that.

Well, it does make it easier to just "let this one pass" ...  I've been doing some thinking these last 24 hours and I guess you guys are right, I can buy myself a Surge (from a Dutch online store, not at the local shops), along with a Light my Fire "Army" fire steel, and a "no brand" whistle, and still save like 50 € in the end  .

This option would give me a much more capable multitool (which also has a file that can be used to sharpen its own blade in case of emergency), a much more capable firesteel, and a whistle that is much easier to get to in case of emergency.  And yes, I already own a Surge, but that's the BO version, and I would like to own a stainless version also ...  .

[Obi1shinobee]

I see your point  .

It's maybe better that I don't mention how much the Signal costs at our local dealers, I fear some of you might have a heart attack ... 

Now I want to know. How much?

Over here they retail at 180 € (about $202 )  .

I am so very sorry to hear that.

Well, it does make it easier to just "let his one pass" ...  I've been doing some thinking these last 24 hours and I guess you guys are right, I can buy myself a Surge (from a Dutch online store, not at the local shops), along with a Light my Fire "Army" fire steel, and a "no brand" whistle, and still save like 50 € in the end  .

This option would give me a much more capable multitool (which also has a file that can be used to sharpen its own blade in case of emergency), a much more capable firesteel, and a whistle that is much easier to get to in case of emergency.  And yes, I already own a Surge, but that's the BO version, and I would like to own a stainless version also ...  .

Or get Rebar add firesteel sharpen , whistle .. still cheaper  or go BLAST-OFF

[Top-Gear-24]

I see your point  .

It's maybe better that I don't mention how much the Signal costs at our local dealers, I fear some of you might have a heart attack ... 

Now I want to know. How much?

Over here they retail at 180 € (about $202 )  .

I am so very sorry to hear that.

Well, it does make it easier to just "let his one pass" ...  I've been doing some thinking these last 24 hours and I guess you guys are right, I can buy myself a Surge (from a Dutch online store, not at the local shops), along with a Light my Fire "Army" fire steel, and a "no brand" whistle, and still save like 50 € in the end  .

This option would give me a much more capable multitool (which also has a file that can be used to sharpen its own blade in case of emergency), a much more capable firesteel, and a whistle that is much easier to get to in case of emergency.  And yes, I already own a Surge, but that's the BO version, and I would like to own a stainless version also ...  .

Or get Rebar add firesteel sharpen , whistle .. still cheaper  or go BLAST-OFF

I already own a BO and a stainless Rebar, and I do like a "large" OHO knife on my "outdoor tool"  .

[Obi1shinobee]

I see your point  .

It's maybe better that I don't mention how much the Signal costs at our local dealers, I fear some of you might have a heart attack ... 

Now I want to know. How much?

Over here they retail at 180 € (about $202 )  .

I am so very sorry to hear that.

Well, it does make it easier to just "let his one pass" ...  I've been doing some thinking these last 24 hours and I guess you guys are right, I can buy myself a Surge (from a Dutch online store, not at the local shops), along with a Light my Fire "Army" fire steel, and a "no brand" whistle, and still save like 50 € in the end  .

This option would give me a much more capable multitool (which also has a file that can be used to sharpen its own blade in case of emergency), a much more capable firesteel, and a whistle that is much easier to get to in case of emergency.  And yes, I already own a Surge, but that's the BO version, and I would like to own a stainless version also ...  .

Or get Rebar add firesteel sharpen , whistle .. still cheaper  or go BLAST-OFF

I already own a BO and a stainless Rebar, and I do like a "large" OHO knife on my "outdoor tool"  .

Surge way to go

[Kampfer]

Shut up with the blast already, this is about singal

[Obi1shinobee]

Shut up with the blast already, this is about singal

     

[Obi1shinobee]

Shut up with the blast already, this is about singal

It that November Challenges? 

[AimlessWanderer]

There's an alarmingly high amount of negative feedback on the ergonomics so far, considering it's not something long time Leatherman fans tend to voice on here...

Yet the faithful and unsuspecting (shall I say uneducated) LM Facebook and Twitter followers are all salivating over this tool. LM campaigns are becoming more of a 'sale by powers of social media and Internet' kind of campaigns than usual ones.

Oh, that doesn't surprise me in the slightest! LM's greatest ever product is their PR machine, and there will be many thousands of people ready to lap this up purely because of the branding, and they'll make their you tube videos showing how amazing it is (because of the name that's on the side and whatever it says on the packaging), and they'll think they're the coolest kid on the block because they've got the latest piece of overhyped, overpriced crap, with absolutely no practical comprehension of how it compares to anything else on the market. The priorities of the devout followers probably lie in how many times you tube views and facebook likes they get, not whether it's actually capable of doing what it's claimed in a safe, reliable manner, or will cause hand fatigue, or snag hazards, or is robust enough, or......

[Kampfer]

I am the coolest kid in this block, what are you saying?

[AimlessWanderer]

I am the coolest kid in this block, what are you saying?

That's cos you're a member of MTO (but only the No 1 coolest if you're the only MTO member on the block  ) whose prepared to try and fix what Leatherman couldn't get right in the first place, not one of the mindless minions that buy crap just because hoardes of other mindless minions on the internet do too 

[Kampfer]

Signal offers a platform for me to build my ideal EDC MT, let's see.

[gadgetman7]

I should get my Signal back tomorrow. I'm not much of a modder but I want to try with this too. It has potential I just curious if it can be fixed.


Sent from Tracy Island

[sawman]

This is actually quite depressing to see the same company go downhill that brought us the Wave, Rebar and ST300. I'm still  as to how they could sell such a terrible, terrible tool. TBH, I'm not really even expecting the modders to be able to make much out of it 

[Kampfer]

Just installed Mini-Surge's wingman scissors on Signal, they worked, I will have another pair made for Singal for perfect fit.

[Kampfer]

Handle spread comparing with Mini-Surge, the reason could be trying to avoid crushing the file & rod

[AimlessWanderer]

Yep, that's a significant increase in splay  Does the tool being slightly slimmer compensate for this at all, when closed and with something in the main gripping area?

[AimlessWanderer]

Looking at those pics, I can also understand comis' comments about discomfort with the pliers closed due to those two plastic welts on the outside. They really didn't think this through did they 

[Kampfer]

It isn't too bad when the tool is closed (using knife, saw, awl or hammer), but in pliers mode the handles spread too wide for me, that is a deal breaker for me. If i ditch the rod and file and file down the handle a little, maybe I could bring the handles closer together, but I have to think about that before I do.

The hammer side handle is sloppy, moves freely because there is no room on that handle for a retention "fork". To make thing worst, the hammer prevent you from using screw driver from cloves position. Very bad.

[AimlessWanderer]

It isn't too bad when the tool is closed (using knife, saw, awl or hammer), but in pliers mode the handles spread too wide for me, that is a deal breaker for me. If i ditch the rod and file and file down the handle a little, maybe I could bring the handles closer together, but I have to think about that before I do.

The hammer side handle is sloppy, moves freely because there is no room on that handle for a retention "fork" .

So the hammer handle doesn't "lock out", and just relies on friction? 

If you ditched the whistle, which seems to be the part that projects from the handle the furthest, that's a lot of real estate freed up on that handle. Would some slotted rigid foam seated inside allow for additional bit storage maybe? I'm thinking something like the holder on the Wenger Mini Grip.... 

Doesn't look like there's as much to gain from ditching the file, and you'd still have the "peg" it locates on, unless that can be discarded too with no other adverse effect.

[Kampfer]

The hammer handle moves freely until right before clicking into the fully open position in pliers mode, that is why LM added a slide lock late in design process to lock the entire tool in closed mode.

Yeah, I think there are things we can hack to make this a better tool, but I don't think it would really worth the trouble especially we have Wave to compare it to.

signal is definitely not MT of the year.

[Obi1shinobee]

The hammer handle moves freely until right before clicking into the fully open position in pliers mode, that is why LM added a slide lock late in design process to lock the entire tool in closed mode.

Yeah, I think there are things we can hack to make this a better tool, but I don't think it would really worth the trouble especially we have Wave to compare it to.

signal is definitely not MT of the year.

 

[babola]

Just installed Mini-Surge's wingman scissors on Signal, they worked, I will have another pair made for Singal for perfect fit.

Have you tried fitting Wave/Surge straight edge blade into it as originally planned? How was the fit?

Cheers.

[Kampfer]

Just installed Mini-Surge's wingman scissors on Signal, they worked, I will have another pair made for Singal for perfect fit.

Have you tried fitting Wave/Surge straight edge blade into it as originally planned? How was the fit?

Cheers.

Thought about it but didn't try.
The signal blade is decent and robust, not much shorter than Wave blade and there isn't much room on Signal for a longer blade.