Leatherman Charge TTI...in black?

Raukodur · **on:** March 16, 2007, 03:57:11 PM

A few months ago I bought a leatherman surge off ebay for a total of around £46 (UK resident, bought from a US seller). It was the black oxide version, and it is a very nice tool which I am quite impressed by.

Since the leatherman TTi came out I have been considering it and am really considering buying one, I like the fact that its knife is made of higher quality steel, that its handles are titanium, and that it has a cutting hook. I also prefer its handle design to that of the wave / surge, seems more 'neat'

I do despise the scissor design though, the one on the surge is excellent, the little crappy thing on the charge really irks me.

I have also looked at the Gerber tools, the SOG tools, and the SAK tools and prefer the leatherman design (i believe its more 'elegant' with the four outisde opening blades, rest internal, and the metal 'sheaths' for the outside blade making the plier handles more comfortable to hold).

Anyway, lot of rambling aside, am I right in thinking all leatherman tools are also available in black oxide? If so I cannot find the TTI black version anywhere.

Also, does anyone know if they come in camouflage colours?

I think if given the choice I would prefer camouflage handles with black tools. That would look pretty slick IMO.

Tom Munch · **Reply #1 on:** March 16, 2007, 04:07:22 PM

Check out cabelas.com. They carry the TTi in camo with silver blades & the Ti in camo with black blades.

http://cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0032418517678a&type=product&cmCat=search&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&QueryText=leatherman+camo&N=4887&Ntk=Products&Ntx=mode+matchall&Nty=1&Ntt=leatherman+camo&noImage=0

http://cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0031835516680a&type=product&cmCat=Search_Results_NYR&returnPage=search-results2.jsp&Ne=2510&noImage=0&Ntt=multi-tool&Ntk=Products&QueryText=multi-tool&Ntx=matchall&N=4124&trueNum=31

Check out my scissors comparison for reference.

http://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,683.msg8172.html#msg8172

Tom Munch · **Reply #2 on:** March 16, 2007, 04:09:39 PM

I think Cabela's is the only place to carry either tool in camo - made just for them.

joebw · **Reply #3 on:** March 16, 2007, 04:29:25 PM

Hi Tom,

Got my Cabela's TTi in camo yesterday (along with the Cabela's legacy). The TTI blades (except for the file) are black oxide just like their Ti.

Joe

Raukodur · **Reply #4 on:** March 16, 2007, 04:34:24 PM

Wow, thanks for the quick replies!

I am amazed to hear the idea I had was already in practise. How much did the camo TTI with black blades cost you? I would love to get one but I am hoping it wont be too much of a problem since I am a UK resident and I believe that is a US store.

The leatherman TTI's I have been watching on Ebay, the cheapest I can find, are around $109 inclusive of delivery to the UK. So I would be hoping for a price not too much higher than that since although the paint job is very cool, it doesnt warrant spending tens of pounds more.

Tom Munch · **Reply #5 on:** March 16, 2007, 04:36:56 PM

Good to know. My wife threw out my last catalog, & online it looked like only silver for the TTi.

J-sews · **Reply #6 on:** March 16, 2007, 05:22:37 PM

I have not yet seen the TTi offered in a black finish, but I expect it will be shortly.

Raukodur · **Reply #7 on:** March 16, 2007, 10:00:03 PM

Hmm, thats wierd, I wrote to Cabela asking them about a camo TTI with black blades and got this reply:

"Thank you for your correspondence. I am very sorry, but we do not carry the Leatherman Charge TTi with a black oxide blade."

Which I found strange since someone replied in this thread saying they had just recieved a black TTI with camo handles...

Raukodur · **Reply #8 on:** March 16, 2007, 11:55:52 PM

Ok, just had another email from cabela, the TTI they have (the sec3d version) is black with camo handles, so the exact configuration I was after. Now i need to consider whether its worth paying an extra $30 for the paint job.

joebw · **Reply #9 on:** March 16, 2007, 11:59:24 PM

Hello All,

I don't blame the Cabela's person for their comments on the availablity of black oxide on the camo TTi. Their Spring 2007 catalog shows everything shiny & bright. I was surprised when mine arrived as described in black oxide - product # 830768. Maybe I have the only one (not)

Joe

Raukodur · **Reply #10 on:** March 17, 2007, 12:07:43 AM

Heh, any chance you could put up some photos of the new leatherman you've bought, since we cant see it on cabela's wesbite?

J-sews · **Reply #11 on:** March 17, 2007, 03:23:34 AM

Here's a picture of the Charge Ti from Cabela's. It sounds like the same color scheme as Joe's new TTi. (Camo handles, black blades)

Raukodur · **Reply #12 on:** March 17, 2007, 11:47:59 AM

Yep, that looks pretty damn cool, really really tempting to spend the extra bit of money and buy the same colour config for the TTI from cabelas.

Of course I wouldnt ever use their international shipping, which is exorbitant. I'll probably have the tool shippied to a contact in the states and get them to send it to me using the cheapest secure service available.

From reading some of the previous messages I got the image the cabelas offers free US postage? Or am i mistaken..do they also offer a free gift with the TTI?

Grant Lamontagne · **Reply #13 on:** March 17, 2007, 01:12:31 PM

The only thing that would bother me about that is if you actually took it camping, fishing or hiking and put it down. You'd never find the darn thing again!

Def

Raukodur · **Reply #14 on:** March 17, 2007, 01:21:36 PM

True, but then I live in the UK, in a city, Im not going hunting with the multitool, itd be used for DIY more than anything.

Grant Lamontagne · **Reply #15 on:** March 17, 2007, 01:24:51 PM

Excellent- then with this tool the garden hose will never see you coming!

Def

Raukodur · **Reply #16 on:** March 17, 2007, 01:34:05 PM

hehe. Truth be told I dont need this multitool at all, more of a desire than anything else. Thats why i suppose I am so interested in the colour scheme, since it just adds to how 'nice' the tool looks. If it was about functionality, my leatherman surge can do everything I need.

I suppose the main reason why I am selling my surge and buying this is because a few weeks ago I got interested in buying one of the leatherman knives, a klamath which has the S30V knife blade, and a gutting hook. THat got me thinking, in that if I owned a TTI, which has the same metal blade (although obviously not as good a knife blade) and a small cutting hook, i wouldnt really be able to justify buying the knife, and I would actually prefer just one tool, rather than a multitool and a knife.

So since then I decided to try and find the cheapest new TTI i could, and just a few days ago I started thinking oof buying a black one (like my surge) rather than a silfer one, and the camo handles look too damn good (i like the way the camo is done, rather than the normal camo of matter green, brown, white and black paint) to pass up.

Grant Lamontagne · **Reply #17 on:** March 17, 2007, 01:39:49 PM

Trust me, I don;t think anyone has to justify a new tool purchase in this crowd!

Liking the way another tool looks, or merely not having a tool is more than enough reaon to buy one. Of course, count yourself lucky that we are here to suggest buying the tool rather than a knife- otherwise you'd start to miss the pliers and screwdrivers etc, and would have to buy a new tool as well!

Def

Tom Munch · **Reply #18 on:** March 17, 2007, 02:19:22 PM

Cabela's shipping isn't usually free, but it's pretty cheap. I live 200 miles from them, & the shipping is usually $5 or less. They would charge tax for me too since there's a Cabela's in Colorado now which would amount to at least $4.

Tom

Raukodur · **Reply #19 on:** March 17, 2007, 02:34:19 PM

It seems the difference in price I would end up paying (in total including delivery to the UK) is going to be around $30-$35 for the difference in paint job.

It look so damn good I am tempted, I suppose if the surge I have listed on ebay sells for a good price i'll go for it.

The price of the tool from Cabela's is $129.99, with delivery to the UK is $155.99 (so $26 for delivery to the UK)
If I can get the tool shipped to a US address for $5, and then shipped to the UK for $10, that means difference of $11 which is about £5.60.
Suppose I need to consider whether the hastle of going through a 2 stage delivery is worth £5.60.

Tom Munch · **Reply #20 on:** March 17, 2007, 02:56:24 PM

It's about $30 more for most of us in the U.S. since I can probably find a plain TTi for $85 or $90.

I just looked & couldn't find a new one for less than $99.

Grant Lamontagne · **Reply #21 on:** March 17, 2007, 03:03:43 PM

Quote

Suppose I need to consider whether the hastle of going through a 2 stage delivery is worth £5.60.

While I can't speak about anyone in particular I will say that we have some pretty good members here, and I don't think finding anyone to help out would be a big problem.

Def

Raukodur · **Reply #22 on:** March 17, 2007, 03:11:32 PM

true, that was something i was considering Defender. The real choice I need to make first is whether spending an extra $30-$35 is worth it for a paint job, even if it is such a nice one (and the exact one I was after).

What this all may hinge on is how much I manage to sell my leatherman surge for on ebay, if I get a good price i'll find it easier to justify the extra cost to myself, so fingers crossed i get a couple of nutters waging a bidding war over it.

Raukodur · **Reply #23 on:** March 17, 2007, 05:10:20 PM

Actually I'll have to use a US address with two stage shipping, because if I dont, I will be charged a hefty amount of customs tax, and probably post office tax (which can be as high as 50%) on top of that including long delays. So that really isnt an option.

The way I normally buy US goods off ebay is to get the seller to write the value of the item as ~$25, and say its a 'gift', never had to pay customs tax yet.

Taking a look at the info Cabela's provides for their within the US postage fees I found this table:

Order Amount    Standard Express
US Dollars      3-6 Business Day Delivery
$0 - $15.00    $4.75
$15.01 - $30.00    $6.75
$30.01 - $50.00    $7.75
$50.01 - $75.00    $8.75
$75.01 - $100.00    $9.75
$100.01 - $125.00    $11.75
$125.01 - $200.00    $12.75
Over $200.00    $13.75

Which seems quite nasty. Most UK companies will offer the same postage rates across the board for all items purchased, except if there is a weight increase involved. Some even lower the shipping cost if your order is really big (i.e. worth lots of money). Some even offer free postage with orders above a certain value. I am sure quite a lot of US companies are the same.

So it seems that the savings on a two stage delivery won't be much at all if possible customs taxes are taken out.

J-sews · **Reply #24 on:** March 18, 2007, 02:40:48 AM

A quick OT question if I may;
What the heck is this "VAT" tax I'm always hearing about in the U.K.? Is that the customs tax you were referring to?

Tom Munch · **Reply #25 on:** March 18, 2007, 03:15:08 AM

Value Added Tax from Wikipedia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VAT

Value added tax (VAT) is tax on exchanges. It is levied on the value added that results from each exchange. It differs from a sales tax because a sales tax is levied on the total value of the exchange. For this reason, a VAT is really neutral with respect to the number of passages that there are between the producer and the final consumer. A VAT is an indirect tax, in that the tax is collected from someone other than the person who actually bears the cost of the tax (namely the seller rather than the consumer). To avoid double taxation on final consumption, exports (which are, by definition, consumed abroad) are usually not subject to VAT or VAT which led to such consequences is refunded.

The VAT was invented by a French economist in 1954. Maurice Lauré, joint director of the French tax authority, the Direction générale des impôts, as taxe sur la valeur ajoutée (TVA in French) was first to introduce VAT with effect from 10 April 1954 for large businesses, and extended over time to all business sectors. In France, it is the most important source of state finance, accounting for approximately 45% of state revenues.

Personal end-consumers of products, consumers and services cannot recover VAT on purchases, but businesses are able to recover VAT on the materials and services that they buy to make further supplies or services directly or indirectly sold to end-users. In this way, the total tax levied at each stage in the economic chain of supply is a constant fraction of the value added by a business to its products, and most of the cost of collecting the tax is borne by business, rather than by the state. VAT was invented because very high sales taxes and tariffs encourage cheating and smuggling. It has been criticized on the grounds that it is a regressive tax.

J-sews · **Reply #26 on:** March 18, 2007, 04:04:00 AM

Thanks! (sounds complicated)

Tom Munch · **Reply #27 on:** March 18, 2007, 04:25:15 AM

Yah, I couldn't make sense of it either. I'm glad we don't have it.

damota · **Reply #28 on:** March 18, 2007, 01:42:03 PM

Its not that bad as tax's go. Here in the UK you 17.5% on everything you purchase with a few exceptions (food, book children's cloth's and a few others). Before it was introduced we had different tax's for different goods I remember one was 25% on luxury goods (that included cameras, fridge's, washing machines and cars in other words anything worth having). So even the definition of luxury goods has changed.
If you get something from the UK, you do not pay the tax but if we buy from you we have import duty to pay if it is over a certain price, as well as the VAT.
We do not pay either on a gift sent from abroad though.

Dave

Raukodur · **Reply #29 on:** March 22, 2007, 12:36:11 PM

Thankfully the surge sold for an OK price, around £52 exclusing all fees and delivery, which is ok since I bought it for £46 inclusive of all costs.

I am now waiting to sell the minitool I have, hopefully it will make a little bit, im not expecting too much.

Anyway, I am now seriously considering buying the leatherman TTI from cabelas with the camo handles and black blades. However I have recently been reading some comments on forums from dissappointed TTI purchasers, saying that QC at leatherman is getting crapper by the day. If I were to buy the leatherman from Cabelas, and get it shipped to the UK, and it turns out to have problems, would I be able to send / take it to the leatherman firm in the UK or would I need to return it to cabelas?

Also, since I would not be able to order direct from cabelas to the UK, due to their high shipping fee and also threat of huge customs taxes, would any kind soul here help me out to have the tool shipped to their US address, and then forward it to me in a way as to avoid customs taxes and save on the shipping?

Hello Lurker! Remove this ad and much more by logging in.

Leatherman Charge TTI...in black?

Donations

Community Links