Leatherman Free P2/P4 Club and Feedback Thread

[NetsNJ]

I don't think these are overpriced to be honest.  Consider that

• If you are careful, you can use these tools for decades.  Amortized over the lifetime of the tool, it's a good investment.  The prices are a pain for collectors like us, but if you just need a good multitool in your day to day, it's worth it.
• Don't forget that LM basically exchanged broken tools with new ones, no questions asked.  It is a great service that we know and love, but that has to be priced into the upfront cost, that the user might not being one multitool, but actually two, three, four etc.

[Olives666]

Currently carrying mine in a modified small Heritage sheath at the moment- when its not in my pocket using the pocket clip..
Used it a hand full of times at work today- Main combo blade for box opening and heavy duty banding cuts and the scissors to cut banding and straps as well.
Holds up fine and very easy to access the blade and scissors and close with one hand quickly- in order to not scare any sheaple

Planning on making a horizontal carry leather sheath, maybe with some straight lines and angles, like the new LM Leather sheaths and maybe copy some of the dimpling design from the Free's handles to put on the front/flap of the sheath? and to try and utilize the pocket clip as well- so it clips onto the leather sheath and is then covered with the flap.

Overall i would highly recommend Free P2- for ease of use and the fidget factor. 
Would love to see LM Produce some in BO or even Ti scaled with S30v Blade?
 

[powernoodle]

 

[gerleatherberman]

I got my P4 a few hours ago.  I quickly put it to use mounting a corner shelf.

My initial thoughts:

-This is a high quality tool.  The tolerances are very tight.  It most likely takes QC at Leatherman to a new level.

-As someone said earlier, it is gonna take some muscle memory to get used to it.

-The tool does not need a break in period and tons of oil.

-The phillips driver bites into the fastener.

-The scissors cut through a zip tie with little effort.

-I tested the wire stripper.  When you lay it next to the tool/implements and pull it is by far the best wire stripper that I have used on a multi tool.

-The file while short, is slightly sharper than I expected.  The metal saw still exists, and there is a wood file behind the metal file.

-These are not Wingman implements, but somewhat similar.

-The pry bar/package opener is stout.   Real stout.

-The ruler is worthless.  The tool is basically another flat driver.

-The tip on the end of the file just worked perfectly on a #1 phillips fastener.

-The awl has a sharp has a very sharp blade.  I wish it had a sharp tip.  I do think it will peirce leather for a belt, but will take a little more effort.

-I absolutely love the pliers and the ability of them to butterfly out.  Click, click

-The tool is lighter than I expected.


More later.

Thank for taking the time to write this, genevabuck! 

Looks like the Free is much better than the scrooges presumed(with no intention of buying) and asserted. 

I don't think these are overpriced to be honest.  Consider that

• If you are careful, you can use these tools for decades.  Amortized over the lifetime of the tool, it's a good investment.  The prices are a pain for collectors like us, but if you just need a good multitool in your day to day, it's worth it.
• Don't forget that LM basically exchanged broken tools with new ones, no questions asked.  It is a great service that we know and love, but that has to be priced into the upfront cost, that the user might not being one multitool, but actually two, three, four etc.

With all of the positive comments and reviews out there so far, we can already see the Free P2/P4 are far better than the haters want them to be. Personally, I am eagerly waiting for mine to arrive now.

Currently carrying mine in a modified small Heritage sheath at the moment- when its not in my pocket using the pocket clip..
Used it a hand full of times at work today- Main combo blade for box opening and heavy duty banding cuts and the scissors to cut banding and straps as well.
Holds up fine and very easy to access the blade and scissors and close with one hand quickly- in order to not scare any sheaple

Planning on making a horizontal carry leather sheath, maybe with some straight lines and angles, like the new LM Leather sheaths and maybe copy some of the dimpling design from the Free's handles to put on the front/flap of the sheath? and to try and utilize the pocket clip as well- so it clips onto the leather sheath and is then covered with the flap.

Overall i would highly recommend Free P2- for ease of use and the fidget factor. 
Would love to see LM Produce some in BO or even Ti scaled with S30v Blade?
 

More good news. Thanks, Olives! 

It would be cool to see if LM makes some Free tools with other materials at some point.

[gerleatherberman]

Edit: Poster's posts corrected. Thanks, Nick.

[gadgetman7]

OK. I just received mine as a gift so I was surprised when it came in. It’s better than I expected but not fantastic.




Th knives are nicely shaped and came moderately sharp. I touched both  up and they cut well. Just wish they had better steel.



This is the side with the Philips and pry. Very thick tools and appear to be strong.


This is the Philips driver. I tried it on a few screws and it works MUCH better than I expected. Still needs a bit driver though.




The pry bar seems especially well made.


This is the awl. I tried it on some wood. If you have a small pilot hole it cuts well but I wonder how well the tip will hold up.


This is the medium driver/ruler. Looks a little thin but time will tell. It may work since there is a dedicated pry bar.


I really like the pliers. They seem to be very well made and strong.


These are the magnetic catches. They seem to work well but I wonder how much metal they will attract.




The scissors work well and are better than the Wave scissors.


I haven’t tried the saw but it looks like it will work fine.


The overall fit and finish is very good. The tools on one side did inadvertently open when I CLOSED the pliers one handed with a sharp snap. The outer tools stayed in place though.

This tool is well done but I still think it’s overpriced. The tools themselves seem no better that ST 300 quality. However, if this tool is upgraded with better knife steel, a bit driver and a t shank adapter it would be fantastic. As is, is decent but about $50-75 too expensive.

I was wrong about one thing for sure. It’s a great platform but needs a few changes to make it elite.

By the way, the sheath is definitely meh....




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[Wspeed]

Nice one gadgetman excellent pics 

[gerleatherberman]

Thank you VERY much for the photos and information, gadgetman7! 

The fit & finish do appear to be top-notch.

[Happy Gilmore]

I honestly had little fear that the frame would be good. The mechanism and plier head looks excellent, but the internal tools just arn't there yet for me, but I bet they will eventually come up with a bit exchanger version. Seems wierd to not incorportate their own proprietary system.  I am particularly interested in a Scissor comparison to the surge, since all other scissors (minus the ones on the ORIGINAL wave) are aweful by leatherman.

I debate if I can mod some ST300 tools to slot into the tool but I wont commit to that until someone has done the horrific task of voiding their warranty and showing me the internals first. I would have been that guy..but I really have spent too much on other multi-tools lately.

Cheers,
HG.

[genevabuck]

I just noticed that the scissors need to be open for the lock to disengage.

[gilson65]

I don't think these are overpriced to be honest.  Consider that

• If you are careful, you can use these tools for decades.  Amortized over the lifetime of the tool, it's a good investment.  The prices are a pain for collectors like us, but if you just need a good multitool in your day to day, it's worth it.
• Don't forget that LM basically exchanged broken tools with new ones, no questions asked.  It is a great service that we know and love, but that has to be priced into the upfront cost, that the user might not being one multitool, but actually two, three, four etc.

Totally agree

[McStitchy]

Thanks gadgetman7 for your comprehensive initial review 

[SteveC]

Let's make one thing clear , anyone can post in any thread here on MTO. You will just have to take any comments that come even if this thread was started with the intention of only having people who own or are going to order a Free. That just isn't the way things work around here nor should it be. This is a forum for discussing tools, the good the bad and the ugly.

I don't like the fact that Nick felt the need to delete his comments that were posted in this thread. There was nothing wrong with his comments and he shouldn't have felt pressured to delete them. 

carry on

[AimlessWanderer]

The tools on one side did inadvertently open when I CLOSED the pliers one handed with a sharp snap. The outer tools stayed in place though.

 

Sorry, I'm a little confused by this. I thought they were all outer tools. What opened, and what didn't?

Otherwise, great overview. Thanks for your thoughts and pics 

[AimlessWanderer]

Let's make one thing clear , anyone can post in any thread here on MTO. You will just have to take any comments that come even if this thread was started with the intention of only having people who own or are going to order a Free. That just isn't the way things work around here nor should it be. This is a forum for discussing tools, the good the bad and the ugly.

I don't like the fact that Nick felt the need to delete his comments that were posted in this thread. There was nothing wrong with his comments and he shouldn't have felt pressured to delete them. 

carry on

 

[Top-Gear-24]

Thanks for the great pics here guys, keep'em coming  .

And I must say, it sure does look very nice ... 

And the price, oh well, it won't be available here until august anyway, so I still got some time to get my Free P4 budget back on track.
And my birthday is in august, so I better start sending out some subtle messages to Misses "TG-24" already ...  .

[Monrogue]

I’m even more excited now, and mine should be here at home waiting for me when I get home from work tomorrow 

[gadgetman7]

Sorry, I'm a little confused by this. I thought they were all outer tools. What opened, and what didn't?

Otherwise, great overview. Thanks for your thoughts and pics 

They are on the inside when the pliers are open. When I closed the pliers with one hand I used a hard snap. The Philip’s and pry bar popped out a little. The knife and scissors did not come out.

Hope that makes it clearer.


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[gadgetman7]

I wonder what the engraving I circled in blue on the ruler/screwdriver means. Maybe a tool adapter?




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[Top-Gear-24]

I wonder what the engraving I circled in blue on the ruler/screwdriver means. Maybe a tool adapter?

(Image removed from quote.)


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I guess it's there to point out what looks to be a wire stripper.

[Top-Gear-24]

Crunch owners will recognize that drawing  .

[genevabuck]

I wonder what the engraving I circled in blue on the ruler/screwdriver means. Maybe a tool adapter?

(Image removed from quote.)

It is a wire stripper and works very well. You need to fold it down onto the tool, turn it a few times and pull.


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[gadgetman7]

Makes sense. I’ve never used the wire stripper function because I typically use knife or my old electrician’s tool. I should have known though since there’s one on the SAK bottle opener too.

I’ve played with the tool some more and it is very well made. Lockup is the best of any multitool I’ve seen. Rock solid. It’s growing on me.

I have to assemble some SAR gear tomorrow so we’ll see how it goes. I’ll have a Charge with a bit kit available in case I need torx bits.

I have decided the sheath is bad. It sits too high and there is no accommodation for horizontal carry. Oddly, the sheath is made in China. Kind of funny since they made a big deal about the tool being made in the USA.


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[SteveC]

Makes sense. I’ve never used the wire stripper function because I typically use knife or my old electrician’s tool. I should have known though since there’s one on the SAK bottle opener too.

I’ve played with the tool some more and it is very well made. Lockup is the best of any multitool I’ve seen. Rock solid. It’s growing on me.

I have to assemble some SAR gear tomorrow so we’ll see how it goes. I’ll have a Charge with a bit kit available in case I need torx bits.

I have decided the sheath is bad. It sits too high and there is no accommodation for horizontal carry. Oddly, the sheath is made in China. Kind of funny since they made a big deal about the tool being made in the USA.


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For the price they are asking it should come with a nice made in the US leather sheath IMO .

[gerleatherberman]

The Charge TTi is $169 retail and usually comes with a Chinese made sheath. Exception made for the heritage series of course.  Charge has a better PE steel and Ti scales, but the Free is built to a higher standard(at least as far as we've seen so far).
If adjusted for inflation, and barring the Wingman/Sidekick/Rev, Leathermans are the cheapest they have ever been. 

That said, I would have been happy to pay a few more bucks to get a leather sheath with the new tools though.

[JonesE]

Rainy day today, so no outside photo.

JonesE

[gilson65]

Received my p2 today so far so good definitely my first impression doesn’t seem to be as heavy duty as the surge wave charge  particularly where the jaws attaches.Both flat and phillips head drivers very solid as well as jaws scissors very good also overall happy with it

[AimlessWanderer]

They are on the inside when the pliers are open. When I closed the pliers with one hand I used a hard snap. The Philip’s and pry bar popped out a little. The knife and scissors did not come out.

Hope that makes it clearer.


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Much clearer.  Thanks Gadget 

[tommywp]

Can any of you guys that have one comment on the “hammer” that the pliers form when the tool is closed? Would you feel comfortable giving a few whacks with it, or does it seem like bad force to be at plying to the pliers and a likely way to smurf up the tool
 

[gilson65]

Can any of you guys that have one comment on the “hammer” that the pliers form when the tool is closed? Would you feel comfortable giving a few whacks with it, or does it seem like bad force to be at plying to the pliers and a likely way to smurf up the tool
 

Me personally I wouldn’t especially with the locking pins for pliers  located at that end